Pinkie Pie sat at the bar of the casino, nursing a martini with one hoof while the other rubbed at her temple. “I have the weirdest headache right now,” she mumbled. “It’s like my brain is trying to unlock a safe, but somepony’s using a wrench to do it.” She took a sip of her drink, grimaced, then went back to massaging her head.
Standing nearby, Stardust placed his bag on the bar. “I’ve got some stuff that could help with that.”
“Thanks, I might need it Star… bright?”
“Stardust,” the chocobo answered as he began to pull out ingredients.
“Sorry. Head’s still fuzzy.” Pinkie lifted her head and swept her gaze over the ponies crowded around her. Applejack and Big Macintosh she recognized, the blue unicorn seemed familiar, but the orange one was drawing a blank. “Soooooo… somepony gonna explain what’s going on?”
Trixie made to speak but Big Macintosh gave her a cross look. The hesitation gave Applejack the opening. “Well, we came lookin’ for ya because we could use your help dealin’ with Discord.”
The sound of shattered glass came from behind the bar. The bartender gave Applejack a wide-eyed, horrified look before racing off. Shaking her head, Applejack continued. “And we were hoping that we could use your airship to perhaps find our other friends. It would help us get around easier, too.”
Pinkie Pie sighed, laying her head down on the bar. “My airship’s gone. Got busted up a year ago.”
“But you said there was another one,” Trixie pointed out, ignoring Big Macintosh’s warning glare.
A second sigh escaped Pinkie, heavier than the last. “There is. It’s hidden away.”
Several moments passed. Pinkie Pie didn’t elaborate further.
Applejack’s ears pinned back. “Is there something wrong, Pinkie?”
“Sorta,” Pinkie replied. “Wait, strike that. There’s a few things wrong.”
Before she could continue, a glass bottle was pushed into her field of view by Stardust’s wing. She silently took the bottle and guzzled its contents down. Scrunching up her face, Pinkie grabbed her martini glass and downed the last of it in one gulp. “Bleh.”
“Sorry, didn’t have anything to help it taste better,” Stardust said.
“'Sokay,” Pinkie slurred. She lowered her head in her hooves, taking deep, calming breaths. “Thanks. I think it’s working.” Stepping down from her barstool, Pinkie Pie gave a mighty stretch. She shook herself once, then turned to the group, a tired frown on her muzzle. “I’d like to help, but I can’t leave.” She waved her hoof to encompass the casino. “You see, I’m kinda in debt to this place.”
“That’s right.”
Heads turned to see Gladmane, accompanied by two recently thawed out bodyguards, walk into their small knit circle and block Pinkie Pie from view. “All this talk is pointless. This here little lady needs to get back to work and you all need to leave before I call in my special friend.”
Trixie snorted, her horn glowing. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no problem getting in more practice making ice sculptures.”
Gladmane quickly held up a hoof. “Now hold on there, there’s no need for that.” He reached into his sparkly vest and pulled out a sheet of paper. He held it out for all the see. “This here contract was drafted by Discord himself. Signed and legal, too.” He pointed at the bottom where Pinkie Pie’s name was located, next to a series of random squiggles. “If you cause any further trouble or my employee leaves without settling her debt, then he’ll be here lickety-split.”
Eyeing the contract then lifting her gaze back up to the stallion, Trixie said, “How much does she owe?”
“About one hundred thousand gil, give or take a grand.”
Trixie made a choking noise while both Applejack and Big Macintosh gave a long whistle.
“So, now that our business is done here—”
“Wait.” Pinkie Pie stepped out from behind Gladmane, her coat a noticeably lighter shade. “Let me win it back.”
Gladmane rolled his eyes. “Missy, that’s how you got into this situation in the first place. It’s bad business to make it worse.”
“I can do it this time. I know it.”
Without looking at her, Gladmane stuffed the contract back into his vest and began to walk off. “Quit while you’re ahead. You don’t even have any gil to gamble with.”
His path became blocked by a silver chocobo holding up a brown sack. “She does now,” Stardust said with a self-righteous pose.
“Birdbrain, we need that money,” Trixie stated.
“Yeah, and we also need an airship. Don’t worry. I know she can do it.”
.o.O.o.
“The house is now ahead one hundred twenty thousand gil.”
Standing across from Stardust at a roulette table, Trixie gave the chocobo a look that promised he’d be carved into chicken bites by the end of the day.
Pinkie Pie slammed her hoof onto the table. “Again! This time I’ve got a sure fire way to win.” She took a hoofful of chips and spread them over the entirety of the table, covering over each number. “There, I can’t lose this way!”
Nearby, Applejack scrunched up her face. “Wait, I ain’t no gamblin’ expert, but won’t you lose anyway with how much you put down?”
Pinkie Pie didn’t respond as she pointed towards the dealer. “Spin it already!”
Shaking his head, Gladmane motioned for the dealer to take the bet. The dealer pressed a switch to get the wheel turning and a moment later, a small white ball fell in. It took only a few seconds for the ball to settle into an indentation. “Fourteen.”
“See? What did I tell you?” Her face fell as the chips she received were far less than the ones she bet. “Oh. Well, let’s do it again!” Pinkie Pie reached for her chips, blinking when her hooves didn’t touch anything. She looked down to see that she only had two one-hundred gil chips left. “Ew.” She turned to Stardust and gave her best puppy dog eyes. “Got any more?”
“No!” Trixie cried. “We need that money, too!”
“We also need an airship,” Applejack said through the corner of her mouth.
“Trixie will learn a spell to give us all wings. How hard could that be?”
Their mutterings stopped when Gladmane tapped the table, gaining everyone’s attention. “As much as I normally love to see the house make money on gullible ponies, even I’m getting tired of this. Miss Pie, get back to work. The rest of you, get on outta here.”
“Hold it!”
All heads turned to see three mares stride up to the table. Ponies parted away to let them pass, revealing Limestone, Marble, and Maud. On Maud’s back lay a brown sack that jingled each time she walked. She placed the sack down on the table, untied the knot, and dumped its contents. Out spilled hundreds of chips, each valued at one-thousand gil each. “This will cover everything.”
Pinkie Pie gasped and ran over to them. “Girls, no!”
“Be quiet, Pinkie,” Limestone said, never taking her eyes off of Gladmane. “Well, you gonna stand there or are you going to settle up?”
Gladmane eyed the chips with a raised eyebrow and waved over the dealer. “Count these up and make sure they’re legit.” He regarded the Pies before him. “Mighty surprised, girls. What brought upon this act of charity?”
“It’s not charity,” Marble mumbled, but loud enough to carry. She “eep!”ed and hid behind her mane.
Limestone nodded. “What she said. We’re doing this for our sister, not you.”
Shrugging, Gladmane looked to his dealer. “Well?”
The dealer placed down a chip he had been inspecting with a small magnifier. “It’s good. We’ll need to run these through the counter but at a glance, I’d say it’s enough.”
“It is,” Maud deadpanned. “I counted them all myself.”
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie looked more and more horrified. “But this is your life’s savings…”
“Yep, and we’re using it to save a life,” Limestone said and placed her hoof over Pinkie’s shoulder. “Yours.”
“But…”
“C’mon. Let’s get out of here.” She gently led Pinkie away towards the exit. Pinkie allowed herself to be taken, her eyes moist.
Fixing his mane and adjusting his suit, Gladmane waved after them. “Pleasure doing business with y’all—URK!” An orange hoof yanked him down to eye level with a very cross looking Applejack.
“One more word out of you and you’ll be my next kicking bag.” She gave him one more glare, then shoved him back and headed after the Pies. The rest of the Returners followed, leaving the large casino tent and its deluded players behind.
.o.O.o.
Outside the Pie house/entrance to the amusement park, Pinkie Pie stood across from her sisters. Gone was her waitress outfit and replaced by her captain’s garb. Despite the growing familiarity with the clothes, Pinkie Pie’s face streaked with tears. “Are you sure?”
Groaning and holding her head in her hoof, Limestone stared hard at her sister. “Yes! We’ve been over this!”
“Are you really, really sure?”
“Really, really, really sure!”
“Really?”
Limestone’s face turned a unhealthy shade of red. Before she could blow her top, Maud stepped forward. “Pinkie, this is for the best. You’re miserable here. The only way you’re going to find happiness again is to leave and fly again.”
Marble nodded. “Hmm. Reclaim the skies.”
“But—”
“No buts!” Limestone said, her normal colors returning. “We’ve been planning this for a while now, but held back because you’ve been so bummed out lately. We didn’t want to send you out only for you to get even more depressed. But then these guys showed up and now you seem to be getting better. And if half of what they claim is true, then Discord needs to be dealt with. He might give this place a pass for now but who knows what he’ll do later down the line.” She grinned, giving Pinkie Pie an appraising look. “Besides, it’s nice to see you in that again, captain.”
Pinkie Pie blushed. A bit more color washed over her coat. “Thanks… It does feel pretty good.”
“And imagine how much better it’ll be when you’re behind the wheel again.”
“Then come with me and be my crew!”
Limestone sighed. “Look, Pinkie, we’re not fighters like your friends here. We’ll only get in the way.” She cocked her head to the side, a small smile forming. “Tell you what. You get an airship, and we’ll think about being your crew again.” She turned to Maud and Marble. “Right?”
The pair nodded.
“Girls… I—” Unable to contain herself, Pinkie Pie threw herself forward, gathering her sisters into a tight hug. “Thanks. Thank you for everything.”
Limestone, Marble, and Maud returned the hug, each patting Pinkie Pie on the back. After a minute they all separated, Pinkie Pie backing up next to the Returners. “I’ll be back. I’ll be better, too. It’s not all that much fun being all mopey all the time.”
“Heck yeah!” Limestone pumped her hoof.
Giving one more wave, Pinkie Pie took a breath, turned, and began walking away. The group waved their own goodbyes and followed. The remaining Pie sisters watched them go, slowly growing smaller in the distance.
“Three… two… one…”
It was only due to Limestone bracing herself that she wasn’t tackled to the ground by a flying pink pony pounce. Pinkie Pie gave one last squeeze then raced after the bewildered Returners.
“See?” Maud said. “She’s feeling better already.”
Marble smiled. “Hmm.”
.o.O.o.
The ponies and chocobo headed west, towards the cape of the continent. The dirt and rock covered landscape didn’t let up, with the only difference being the crash of chocolate milk waves against the shore. A single day after leaving the amusement park, a tall spire became visible in the distance. With a flat expression stamped on her muzzle, Pinkie Pie led them closer. Soon, it became apparent that the spire was a single large boulder shaped like an egg perched on top of a small hill.
“Everypony and chocobo, this is Houlder’s Boulder,” Pinkie Pie said as they reached their destination. “Legends say that this is a dud dragon egg, but we’ve never been able to figure that one out. But anyway, this marks the spot of my family’s burial site.”
Trixie squinted at the boulder, then looked to Pinkie Pie. “You buried your airship with your ancestors?”
“Yep. Wasn’t easy, either. Airships are a lot bigger than ponies, you know.”
The unicorn gave Pinkie Pie a flat stare. “Indeed.”
“Now, there’s a trick to opening this place up, but before I do that—” Pinkie Pie whirled and thrust a hoof into Trixie’s chest, pushing the blue pony back. “I want an apology!”
Rubbing her chest, Trixie scrunched up her face. “An apology? For what?”
Pinkie Pie pinned Trixie with a sore look, any trace of gained cheer gone. “For threatening me the other day. That wasn’t very nice, you know. For somepony trying to save the world, you’re not very good at getting ponies to like you.”
“Like me? When did I ever claim I wanted ponies to like me?! I want ponies to help me kill Discord so that we don’t have to put up with his nonsense anymore!”
Pinkie Pie’s face shifted to a sad frown. “I can think of one pony that likes you. And I don’t think she’d be happy to see you like this.”
Snarling and shaking with a cocktail of suppressed emotions, Trixie spit out, “Fine! I’m sorry! The Great and Powerful Trixie is a horrible mare that’s just trying to do the job bestowed upon her by a mad chaos creature! Are you happy?”
Walking up to the fuming mare, Pinkie Pie gently padded Trixie on the shoulder. “A little more happy. But we’ll work on that. But you said you’re sorry, so that’s good enough for me.” She stepped back, a puzzled look crossing her features. “It’s… Rainbow… Crash. Right?”
Trixie didn’t want to. She really had no desire. The feeling was so inappropriate and foreign that brushing Pinkie Pie off with some sarcastic remark would have felt more natural. The feeling built and built, until it couldn’t contain itself any longer.
Trixie burst into laughter.
The general sank to her knees, unable to support herself as her body was wracked by wave after wave of ridiculous guffawing. It took some time, but Trixie managed to control herself down to a few sputtering chuckles. Once she was sure she had the last of it out of her system, she took a deep breath and stood back up. She was immediately greeted by a row of smiling ponies. Coughing into her hoof to hide a building giggle, she settled for a smirk and strode past. “Ha ha. Amusing.”
“Hmm, don’t think I’m a hundred percent well yet,” Pinkie Pie murmured before shrugging. “Oh, well. At least I got you to smile. Now, let’s crack this baby open!” Pinkie, with a new spring in her step, hopped up the hill to Houlder’s Boulder. She stepped behind it, removing herself from view of the others. A small click was heard, followed by the ground rumbling. A side of the hill began to part, revealing an opening leading to pitch blackness. Pinkie Pie hopped down and stood in front of the entrance. “Okay, in we go. But be careful, this place has a nasty habit of attracting meanie beasties.”
The group shuffled their way forward, looking into the darkness. A series of stairs were faintly seen, leading down in the earth. Stardust sniffed the air, gaged, shook his head, and backed away. “Nope. Not going in. I’ll see you all when you come back up.”
“How’s this any different than all the other caves you’ve been in?” Applejack asked.
Stardust waffed a wing in front of his beak. “It smells terrible! I can handle damp and musty, but not this!”
“Here.” Stardust looked down. A gas mask was held before him by Big Macintosh. “Might be a little tight, but it’ll work.”
“But—”
Trixie groaned and took the mask in her magical grasp. “No buts. You’re coming with us. Your magic needs more work, and this is the perfect opportunity to practice.” Ignoring Stardust’s sputtering refusals, Trixie yanked the mask over his head and tightened the straps. Stardust’s beak protruded out a little, but the mask covered his nostrils properly. “There. Now in you go.” A little magical ice prodding got the chocobo moving down the stairs. Taking one last breath of fresh air, Trixie and the others headed down after him.
.o.O.o.
“Big Mac, you wouldn’t happen to have more of those masks, would you?” Applejack said hopefully.
Mere moments of the Returners entering the tomb, the smell hit them like a blow to the muzzle. Eyes and noses began to run with wild abandon. The air was moist, making it feel as though the stench clung to their coats rather than just assault their noses. Several of them had already gagged.
“Nope,” Big Macintosh replied, his muzzled scrunched up in distaste. He held a rag up to his nose, but it did little to stem the smell.
“Couldn’t your family put any air fresheners down here?” Sunset asked. Her horn lit up and a nearby torch set in the wall was set ablaze. A row of similarly lit torches trailed behind them.
Pinkie Pie, who led the way deeper into the tomb, seemed the least affected. “Uh, we may have, but it’s been a while since anypony’s been down here. Been kinda busy.” She stopped as an indent in the wall appeared after another torch was lit. “Ah, here we go!”
“The airship?” came Stardust’s muffled voice from behind the mask.
“Nope! Our first corpse!”
The others backed away in disgust. Pinkie Pie didn’t notice. She pointed at a gold plaque screwed in above the indent. “See? My Granny Pie.” She looked down at a pony sized bundle wrapped in burlap that lay within the indent. “She died before I was born but I heard she could cook up the best cookies.” Nodding her head in respect, Pinkie turned away and continued down the hall. “Lots of my ancestors are down here, so be mindful, okay?”
One by one, the Returners warily eased their way past the small crypt. Their displeasure grew as Pinkie would stop at each resting point and give a little history about the dead pony. From Nana Pinkie all the way to Chancellor Puddinghead, Pinkie Pie tirelessly listed off her family members as they passed by. It was at the dozenth crypt that they heard a low moan coming from somewhere in the darkness ahead. The party stopped and listened. The faint sound of something scuffling across the floor could be heard, growing closer with every second.
Being at the head of the group, Sunset stepped forward and readied a spell. Heat built up around her, readied to be released at a moment’s notice.
“Wait!” came Pinkie Pie’s frantic cry. “No big fire spells! You’ll burn up what’s left of my dead family.”
Sunset groaned and cut off her spell. “You could have warned me before.” Shaking her head, she pulled out the Ultima Weapon and held its brilliant blue blade ahead of her.
A brown floating skull, surrounded by wisps of orange mist, stared back at her.
Shrieking, Sunset swiped at the skull but her panic induced attack missed by a wide margin. She fell back and readied a new spell. “Scare me like that, will you?! Congratulations, you’re going to be used to power up this thing!” Finishing her drain spell, she let it loose, the swirling of yellow and red magic stealing the skulls life energy and bringing it to herself.
“Ugh!” Sunset collapsed to the floor, dropping a rapidly shrinking Ultima Weapon.
“Oops, sorry,” Pinkie Pie said from behind. “That’s a power demon. It’s undead and has no life energy. Looks like it has no problem taking yours, though.”
“Hate… you…” was all Sunset could get out.
The power demon loomed above her, seemingly grinning with its stolen power. It widened its skeletal mouth and spewed orange mist at her. Just before its mist could reach her, Sunset’s body suddenly split into triplets. The mist touched the center Sunset and her image faded away. The power demon paused at this new development as two more Sunsets still remained. It didn’t get the chance to attack again as an icicle speared it through its mouth, snapping it in half. The two halves crashed to the floor where it shattered in a hundred pieces.
One of the remaining Sunsets disappeared, the remaining one staring at the remains of the monster in disbelief. A moment later, the familiar feeling of a healing spell washed over her, allowing her to stand back up. The Ultima Weapon levitated before her in a pink aura.
“Looks like you’ll be needing to cast that on living things from now on,” Trixie said, allowing Sunset to take back her sword. “Just don’t get any ideas about casting it on me.”
Sighing, Sunset sheathed the stunted Ultima Weapon. “Yeah, whatever. But what was that other magic just now?”
“Mac. Guess he finally remembered he can use magic as well.” Trixie shot Big Macintosh a look that promised that he’d be next in spell training.
Big Macintosh moaned deeper than the power demon did. “Horse apples.”
.o.O.o.
The going slowed down for the party as more and more undead began to pop up from the dark and dank corners of the tomb. Sunset cursed her luck as Pinkie forbid the use of her fire magic and the drain spell was less than useless, forcing her to use the stub of a blade that Ultimate Weapon had become. She got an up-close and personal look at all the decayed and smelly corpses that seemed to crawl over every inch of the tomb. The others managed, but the tight confines of the tomb hallways made it difficult to swing weapons or cast spells without hitting a nearby companion.
“How much further?” Trixie asked as they turned into another hallway. She held Save the Queen at the ready, its blade slick with felled monster juices.
Pinkie Pie tapped her head as though the action would unlodge her thoughts. “I’m sure we’re getting close. Just one more corridor.”
“You said that two corridors ago!”
“I mean it this time!” Pinkie Pie hopped away, pulling away from the group.
“Pinkie, don’t go too far!” Applejack called to her.
Pinkie Pie continued on despite the warning. Making a sharp turn, she headed down the nearest set of stairs she could find. Down into the darkness she went, but the lack of sight didn’t slow her down. The shuffling and scraping of undead could be heard all around her, making the hairs on Pinkie’s coat stand on end. She pressed on as though possessed, only coming to a stop when she reached a dead end.
“Phooey!” she cursed. “I thought for sure this was going to be it.”
Low moans and creaking of dried bones came from behind. Gulping, Pinkie Pie turned. A horde of decayed and hungry monsters slowly crawled their way to her. The faint light was just enough to show that they were only moments away from overwhelming her.
Pinkie Pie did what came natural. She reared up and screamed.
The closest monster took a swipe at her. She backed up but the wall behind her kept her from going any further. She pressed herself against it, her hooves frantically flailing for anything to be used as a weapon.
One of her hooves nudged a nook, there came the sound of a click, and Pinkie Pie’s world turned upside down.
The wall receded into the floor and Pinkie fell back with a squawk of surprise. Not a moment too soon as the monsters lunged but caught only air as the pink pony tumbled backwards down a smooth slide. The trip only took a few seconds and deposited her into a large room. After clearing the swirling chocobos from her vision, Pinkie picked herself up and took stock of her situation. The room was lit by a soft red light provided by the glow of crystals placed in the ceiling. Dominating the center of the room, there stood a podium covered in red silk. A withered bouquet of flowers lay on top.
Pinkie Pie thrust a hoof into the air. “Nailed it!”
The sounds of distant fighting came from the tunnel she had just existed. A few minutes later, those sounds were replaced by mumbled conversation followed by a shout of surprise. Within seconds, Stardust landed in a heap at Pinkie Pie’s hooves.
“Hi! Glad you could drop in,” Pinkie said as she helped the chocobo up.
“Thanks.” Taking a moment to unruffle his feathers, Stardust turned and leveled a glare up the slide. “She's down here!”
More muted conversation came from above. Then, one by one, the rest of the group slid down into the room. Trixie was the last and the moment she touched down, she rounded on Pinkie Pie. “You have any idea how stupid that was?! We had to mow through an army of monsters to get to you!”
“Sorry, but I couldn't help it. I knew we were getting close, and look! I was right!”
Everyone turned to the large monument in the center of the room. Its grandeur and bright coloring made it stand out from all the other basic and plain tombs they had seen on the way. Pinkie Pie walked solemnly up to it and laid a hoof over the silk drapery. The others simply watched, this mood shift in Pinkie keeping their voices in check.
“Hi, Surprise,” Pinkie Pie said after a minute’s pause. “Sorry that I haven't been by in a while. And I'm sorry that I dropped by to borrow your ship.”
Another pause. Applejack took this opportunity to walk up besides Pinkie Pie, laying a hoof over her withers. “Sounds like this pony meant a lot to ya. Was she a cousin or something?”
Pinkie Pie shook her head. “Nope. She's the only one buried here that isn't a family member. I couldn't find any of her family, so I brought her here when she… died.” She sighed, a long, laborious sound.
Applejack hesitated, but curiosity won out. “What happened?”
Forcing her head to look up at the decorated coffin, Pinkie Pie said, “She was always pushing herself to go higher and faster. Pegasus ponies can only go so high, but Surprise wanted to be known as the mare that flew closest to the stars. I’d egg her on because it brought her so much joy. One day she went off to break as many aerial records as she could and promised to share everything with me when she got back.” She looked away, her emotions building to a boiling over point as her voice shook. “She never made it back to our special hill. I found the wreck a year later in a distant land.”
The silence that followed fit the tomb. Pinkie Pie quietly wept, her tears staining the red silk hanging off the monument. An unknown amount of time passed before Pinkie managed to control herself. She wiped away her tears and took a long, shuddering breath. “I gathered up the wreck and restored it. But I couldn't bear to look at it and stored it here, where she rests. I think she'll be okay with us borrowing it. Surprise’s airship belongs in the air.” Squaring herself up, Pinkie Pie lifted up the silk drapes and reached under with her hoof.
Something wet and squishy latched onto her leg.
Pinkie Pie screeched and pulled back, hopping back to the others in an instant. While everyone asked what was wrong, she looked down at her hoof. A small glob of green slime rested there. Pinkie Pie flicked it off where it splattered against the floor.
A wet squelching noise came from the monument, drawing everyone’s attention. A pool of green fluid oozed out from under the drapes, its mass growing larger by the second. Weapons and spells were made ready as the group began to spread out around the mystery liquid. An unknown amount of gallons later, the center of the pool rose, forming a bell shaped mass. To everyone’s disgust, a thin line formed across the center, splitting apart to reveal a mouth. The slime creature bobbed back and forth, seemingly regarding the ponies around it.
“What is it?” Sunset asked, keeping her distance.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Uh, don’t really know. It wasn’t down here when I came last.” She scrunched up her face. “At least I think so.”
“Well, whatever it is, it needs to go,” Trixie said, and took a swipe at the slime. Her sword struck, lodging itself deep within the goop. The creature swiveled around, cocking its bulbous head to the side, then enveloped its mouth around Save the Queen. A sharp yank wrenched the weapon out of Trixie’s magical grip where it slowly sank near the base of the creature. “Hey! Give that back!” Trixie moved to reach forward but drew back as the slime creature shuddered and grew a hoof in height.
“Great, so it eats weapons,” Sunset sighed and quickly sheathed the Ultima Weapon.
Trixie glared at her. “Don’t just stand here, hit it with magic!” Following her own advice, Trixie launched an icicle at the jiggling ooze. Sunset shook her head and let loose a fireball. The two attacks collided with the creature. It’s body contracted around the magic, then sproinged back into shape like a mattress. The two unicorns yelped and ducked as their attacks sailed overhead.
“Okay, so now what?” Applejack asked out loud. “I ain’t getting in there if nothing’s going to work.”
“Maybe we can lead it away,” Stardust said. “If it eats weapons, perhaps we can lure it out of here.”
“Not without my sword, first!” Trixie retorted, looking like she was about ready to tackle the monster if it meant getting her weapon back.
Applejack shimmied over to her brother, keeping on eye on the creature. It simply moved its mouth from one side of its body to the other with no sign of advancing. “What do ya got in your pack that’s expendable, Big Mac?”
Big Macintosh dropped his bundle and began rummaging around. Scraps of metal, wires, and tubes fell over the floor. The slime monster swiveled its mouth towards him, its attention now squarely on the stallion's dropped gear. Big Macintosh nudged a piece of scrap towards it then quickly drew back as the creature extended its mouth out away from the rest of its mass to suck it up. It retracted, taking the metal with it and depositing it next to the sword it ate earlier.
“Well, guess that means it likes it. Try forming a line of that over into a corner and drop a load down. Hopefully, it’ll munch on that while we get out of here.”
“But what about my sword?!” Trixie shrieked, her eyes wide and frantic.
“I’ll buy ya a new—”
“No! That thing is irreplaceable!” Trixie stomped up to the slime creature, much to the dismay of the others. She jabbed a hoof into the creature’s mass, uncaring of the goop that got on it. “Give it back or I’ll jar you up and scatter you to the four corners of the world!”
The monster shrank back as though wounded. Its mouth quivered, forming a frown. It began squelching away, back towards the monument.
“Aw, I think you hurt its feelings,” Pinkie Pie said. She barred the creature’s path, holding out a hoof to pat the top of its mass. “There, there. She can be a little mean, I know. I’m still working on that.” The creature made a low slurping sound, almost as though it were purring. “You like that, huh? Hey, how about I sing you a song? It’s been a while since I’ve done that.”
On the other side of the monster, Trixie stared at the scene before her. “Are you seriously doing this now?”
“Of course! It’s been so dank and dreary down here that I think we could all use a pick-me-up. Hey Mac, can that noise maker of yours be tuned to a beat?”
Big Macintosh blinked. “Uh, maybe?” He reached into his pack and pulled out the compact form of the Noise Blaster. A quick series of adjustments unfolded it into its complete form. He set the dial down to its lowest setting and gently pressed the on button. A low hum filled the room.
“Good! I can work with that.” Pinkie inhaled, ready to belt out a trippy tune, but stopped short. The mass of slime was vibrating in front of her. It didn’t appear to be in pain but instead seemed to relax. Its mouth formed a goofy grin, its mass slowly receding down. The slime creature shrank until it was the size of a cat, releasing Save the Queen from its icky grip.
Trixie wasted no time and snatched Save the Queen the moment it was uncovered. She grumbled as she wiped it down, sending flecks of ooze all over the floor.
“Big Mac, turn that off now,” Pinkie said. The stallion complied and the creature ceased shrinking. “Stardust, got an empty bottle?”
Stardust rolled his eyes, but dug into his bag and pulled out a pint sized glass bottle. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“If what you think I’m doing is taking it with us, then yep!” She accepted the bottle and uncorked it, then dropped a gil coin into it. “You’re all alone down here, aren’t you? Why don’t you come with us? We’ll get you all the shiny things you want to eat! See?” Pinkie Pie held the opening down towards the floor.
The slime monster slide forward, inspecting the bottle. It reached a feeler in, taking hold of the coin, then pushing the rest of itself in. It settled on the coin and lay there, its grin firmly in place. Pinkie Pie lifted the bottle up, corked it, then presented her prize to the others. “There! We made a new friend!”
A pregnant silence followed. Applejack and Sunset gave a few tentative stomps to the floor while Big Macintosh and Trixie busied themselves with their equipment. Stardust simply looked on.
Unfazed by the lukewarm response, Pinkie went on. “Well, since this was a rousing success, what should we call him? How about Oozie? Or Slimey? Oh! Pumpernickel!”
“Call it whatever,” Trixie said, her sword safely back in its sheath. “But if I see it digesting any of my stuff, it’s going overboard. And speaking of which…” Trixie motioned towards the monument.
“Oh, right. I guess I’ll think of something later.” Putting the bottle with the slime into her saddlebag, Pinkie Pie reached under the silk covering a second time. There came the sound of a click then a low rumbling from the far side of the room. A section of the wall slid open, revealing a set of stairs leading down. Pinkie Pie hopped over and waved to the others to follow. “This way. Almost there!”
.o.O.o.
The path leading down took some time, but no monsters blocked their descent. Stone walls surrounded them on each side, appearing more sleek and smooth than the rough cobblestone that the rest of the tomb contained. Unlike the torches that lined the walls above, the ceiling had special crystals embedded in it that shone with white light. Pinkie Pie led them on until she reached a metal hatch at the bottom of the staircase. Popping it open, she hopped down, the others following soon after.
The Returners landed on a sturdy set of planks only a few hooves down. But what truly caught their attention was the massive cavern they had entered. Thousands of light crystals dotted the walls and ceiling, making it look like they had stepped right into the night sky. The wooden planks led to the next thing that caught their attention: a large airship.
While the Party of One was a garish pink, this one was a simple beige. The balloon was thinner but longer, a dull grey material that looked sturdy enough to cut through the fiercest winds. The hull underneath also appeared thinner and longer, trading in the bulk of Pinkie’s ship with a more streamlined design. The entire ship seemed built for speed.
“Everyone aboard,” Pinkie Pie said as she headed towards the hull. “There are cabins below, so pick one out and secure your stuff. It might be a little bumpy getting this out.”
The group climbed on, hopping over the guard rails and finding a trap door that led downwards. A large open common area greeted them, though it was sparsely decorated. No couches, chairs, or roulette tables, just a few cushions and windows. Doors leading to small cabin rooms were spaced out at regular intervals. Once they were satisfied that their gear was tied down as best it could be, Pinkie Pie led them back up to the deck. Near the center, a single control panel with a wheel stood out. Pinkie calmly trotted up to it and began fiddling around.
“You guys might want to hold on. This sucker is a whole lot faster than mine was.”
“Hold on to what?” Trixie asked, swiveling her head around. “There’s nothing here but the guard rails.”
“Yup.” A final press of a button and the engines and turbines began to spin. The whole ship rocked as it came to life for the first time in years. Up ahead in the twinkling darkness, two strips of parallel lights switched on, forming a take-off route. Pinkie yanked down a lever and the constraints holding the ship to the dock separated, allowing the airship to surge forward. Cries of panic could be heard behind her, but Pinkie Pie’s attention rested solely on the path. The crystal lights sped by at an alarming rate till they were nothing but a blur. Up ahead, the path lights winked out to be replaced by a thin slit of white. The airship raced towards the slit at ever increasing speed. The slit became longer and wider, the ship aiming for its center. Finally, with one last burst of speed, the airship busted through a thin pane of glass, followed by a sudden rush of water. The ship’s speed was so great that it pushed through the water before it could envelop the hapless passengers and rocketed out of the ocean and into the wide open skies. Pinkie Pie let loose a walloping cry as the winds swept by her. Her captain outfit’s coattails lifted up, briefly showing a cutie mark of three balloons with grinning cat heads.
“Welcome back to the world, Paradise!”