//------------------------------// // Part 2 // Story: The Horror of Swampmoss Cave // by Jifslayer05 //------------------------------// The Horror of Swampmoss Cave: Part 2 Rainbow Dash was running like nopony ever had before. Twilight's screams had echoed all throughout the cave. "Don't worry, Twilight, we're coming!!" BAMMM Rainbow Dash reached a point where another path met with theirs, and collided with an equally as worried Applejack. Fluttershy and Rarity followed up behind, albeit more carefully. "Oh my dears, I'm so happy to see you! We were so worried, weren't we Applejack? I couldn't bear to think what might have happened to everypony!" Rarity grabbed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in a massive hug. "Yep, we were sure worried. I'm awful glad t'see ya both. We got a bit of a problem though, our light's broken.." Applejack said while stumbling around in the dark. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy glanced at each other, confused, then Fluttershy understood. "Ohhh...here, eat some of this." She pulled some of the swampmoss from Rainbow's saddlebag and held it out. Applejack took a bite and immediately looked around wide-eyed. "What in the name of Celestia's horn is goin' on? What is this stuff?" Rainbow and Fluttershy giggled. Friends had a way of lighting up the darkest of places. Rarity, still unable to see, sniffed tentatively. "Eww! Whatever that is, it smells...not good! I shan't eat it!" she exclaimed dramatically. Applejack smacked her hoof to her face, and proceeded to hold Rarity's head and force a handful of the moss down. "Blech! Gah...y-you brute! Why did you do that! I'll probably get si-...oh..." The moss's properties took effect, and Rarity glanced around, finally up to par with the rest of the group as they stared incredulously. "Oh my gosh, Fluttershy! What happened to your leg!" Rarity's gaze happened upon Fluttershy's bandaged limb. "O-oh...it's nothing...a rock fell on it, but Rainbow here helped me out." Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash, and it lit up Rainbow's day more than any moss ever could. They needed to have a serious discussion if they ever made it out. "Um...well, I hate to interrupt this reunion but, didn't y'all hear Twilight a hollerin'? Do ya think we should, maybe go help?" Applejack's sarcastic voice of reason brought their minds back to the situation at hand. "Right!" Rainbow Dash took command. "Let's go! She's gotta' be this way!" Rainbow took off down the straight path that all the other paths converged with. The other ponies followed closely behind. The path stayed straight and true, and the ponies ran as fast as they could, Fluttershy flying slightly behind but bravely flapping her wings. The stone corridor ended suddenly in the central cavern, and the ponies were not ready for what they saw. Twilight Sparkle was writhing around in the center of the room, a dark cloud floating over her, enveloping her form. Fluttershy's legs locked up at the sight and memories of her encounter caused her to drop to the floor, quivering. Rainbow Dash wasted no time. "Let her goooo!" she flew towards the stallfrit like a bolt of lightning. Her speed was so great she simply passed through the cloud and dispersed it. Twilight stopped fighting and lay still, panting harshly. The other ponies ran to her and helped her up. "Thank you...I knew you guys would come..." she smiled weakly. Rainbow Dash landed, and the five ponies turned to face their adversary. If it was going to devour them, at least they would be together. The stallfrit hissed in displeasure. It loved toying with ponies' fragile minds, but if it had to get it over with now, it would. It looked at the six friends standing together, ready to so deliciously feast on their souls. Wait, six friends? There was a sixth pony standing behind them, and with a roar of hate the monster recognized it as the pink one who escaped. "HI GUYS!" Pinkie yelled in her squeaky, excited tone, bowling her friends over with surprise. "Pinkie, have you been stuck in here too? We thought you made it out and you were...bringin' help..." Applejack's face fell as she realized no one was coming. It really was the end for them. "Oh yeah I made it out! But then, it turns out we were walking through the swamp THE WHOLE TIME! So I got lost again, and I fell in some water, but Derpy was here and she saved me! And then she led me out! It's so weird that she would know the way around this place! Oh oh and then I gave her a muffin and then got help as fast as I could. Then I was all sad because Princess Celestia said she couldn't come in here, that she couldn't make it past the swamp border because of some stupid rules." Pinkie exclaimed all in one breath. "Wait..." Rarity tried to put the sequence together, "So, if you made it out, and then the princess couldn't help, how did you get back in? Does this mean we really are all alone?" Pinkie Pie laughed, "Of course not, silly. We're never alone as long as we have each other! Oh yeah, and she helped me get back in!" she said of no one in particular. "Ugh, Pinkie, who's "she"?" Rainbow Dash asked dejectedly. "ENOUGH!!" The stallfrit roared. "Stop it! Stop the talking! No matter who you bring, it would not help you! Now be quiet and accept your demise!" "We'll see about that." The ponies turned back towards the exit and gasped. Princess Luna strode out towards the monster boldly. Fire flashed in her eyes as she yelled out in her royal voice. "How DARE you harm our friends?! We shall put your evil in its place and banish you, monster! Your kind does not belong in this world!" The stallfrit recoiled in surprise, "How?! You light-beings are not allowed in here!" The dark alicorn simply chuckled. "Do you know not who I am? I am Luna, she who raises the very night sky! I am of the darkness, and it saturates my soul. I am no light-bearer." She took a step towards the creature who, for the first time, did not seem so confident. "You have committed a grave misdeed, harming these ponies. Even now I hear the spirits you've trapped in here. They are all calling for your demise." The dark fog shifted again, but this time condensed upon itself. It shrank, forming a shape so black and devoid of light, the six ponies had trouble seeing it. The fog settled, and a stallion unicorn slightly bigger than Luna stepped forward. "So you finally show your true form, monster, but it will not help your fate. Look, all around you, the spirits of the ponies you so badly hurt have come for you!" Luna was right. All around the stallfrit, voices began whispering, then growing in intensity. Tiny lights, like firefly glows, appeared and hovered around the monster in a circle. They slowly materialized into ghostly images of ponies. Young and old, ancient and modern, the ghostly, transparent visages stared with dead eyes, murmuring. "Now it's your turn monster-" "We've come for you-" "For five-hundred years-" Twilight could not believe what she was witnessing. Nothing in her books ever came close to this. Trapped pony spirits? Fluttershy couldn't take anymore and was whimpering and hiding behind a rock. Luna turned to face the ponies. "My friends, I have need of your help. Your elements of friendship, combined with my magic just might be enough to dispose of this creature. I communed with these poor spirits. They yearn to walk free and rest easy, and we must help them. They will hold the creature, but it may not be for long. Will you help me?" Twilight looked at her friends, then smiled and answered for them. "Of course, Luna. Let's finish this." "It ain't right, what this creature's doin'. Keepin restless spirits trapped, that's just despicable!" Applejack said as her Element of Honesty appeared and settled around her neck. "Threatening my poor animals. You ought to be ashamed." Fluttershy said with surprising courage as her Element of Kindness appeared. "You tried to trap me in that swamp, and you tricked all of us. That's not okay!" Pinkie Pie berated the stallfrit as her Element of Laughter came to her. "There aren't any gems in here at all! Oh...and you...shouldn't be so mean!" Rarity quipped, donning her Element of Generosity. "You, you tried to hurt my friend!" Rainbow Dash said, looking at Fluttershy. Her Element of Loyalty flashed around her neck. "Evil like yours has no place in Equestria! No wonder there's no mention of your kind in any books! There are some things ponies just don't need to know about." Twilight Sparkle finished, levitating her Element of Magic tiara onto her head. "Now, ponies, you must hit me instead of him, with all your might!" Luna yelled over the escalating noise. The spirits had a fast hold on the stallfrit, droning louder and louder as they held him down. He began to panic, jerking and twisting to try and break free. "Luna, what?!" Twilight asked in shock, "Won't that hurt you? Why not him?" "You must trust me, you strong-of-heart friends. I will not be harmed!" Twilight nodded, sensing that Luna was truthful. She focused her power, and the Element of Magic responded. Lights began to flash as she rose in the air. Her friends followed suit, as their Elements lit up and sent out their power to Twilight. Twilight's eyes were glowing white, and she took aim at Luna. Luna smiled as Twilight discharged the energy of the Elements. It arced through the air as a magnificent rainbow, striking Luna. She yelled, unprepared for the staggering power that hit her. She faltered, but stood back up, preparing her own magic. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!" She yelled as she released her spell from her horn. What burst forth was the same rainbow from the Elements, but cast in hues of blues and purples, a moonbow. Twilight had never seen anything so beautiful. It flew with lightning speed and struck the stallfrit. He began screaming an un-worldly scream as his dark form stretched and distorted. The spirits let go and he was carried into the air. "I...AM NOT FINISHED...WITH YOOOOOUU!", his last words echoed as he slowly began to disintegrate. The colors of the spell slowly started to fade as Luna and the ponies lost their energy. Luna slumped to the ground, and the ponies followed suit. Twilight watched as her Element floated off her head, of its own accord. The other Elements did the same, floating to where the monster had last stood. They formed a circle, with the Element of Magic in the middle. They spun around, faster and faster, releasing a cleansing light that radiated outwards. The pony spirits stood there and bathed in the light as it cleansed the darkness from their souls. A few of them turned and happily waved to the ponies and Luna. One of them, a little yellow colt bearing a book for a cutie mark, trotted over to Twilight. "I'm...sorry...", it spoke up softly, "I won't forget you. We...could have been friends...I'm sorry for everything...and thank you..." Twilight smiled, and replied, "I forgive you..." The colt smiled, and waved once again before slowly floating away. His spirit was free now. The other pony spirits embraced him as they vanished, finally free to rest as souls should. The elements finished their deed, and promptly vanished, leaving behind a pulsing, bright light. It would forever light the cave. No more would this be a place of darkness and abandon. Twilight rolled over on her back, next to Luna and her friends. They had really done it. ___ ___ ___ "...and so, we owe a great debt of gratitude to these great ponies, and to my dear sister, Luna, for ridding the wetlands of this darkness." Princess Celestia finished her speech at their honorary party in the castle, and stepped aside, bowing to the six ponies and the alicorn. She turned to Twilight as the cheering subsided. "I am so sorry that I could not come help you, my dear pupil. My entire being yearned to run right in there, but the laws of the land are not something I can ignore." Twilight laughed and pressed her head against the princess's arm. "It's okay, princess. I understand. I'm glad Luna was there to help us. Is she really okay though? We had to hit her with magic from the Elements, and it was really powerful energy." "Yes, my dear pony, she is more than okay. That magic filled her with light. Though she still raises the night sky, she lives in the darkness no more. Every single last piece of Nightmare Moon is gone from her, and we have you to thank." They both turned and watched Luna, who was playing a party game and laughing so hard her mouth hurt. Tears brimmed in Twilight's eyes as she thought of how happy Luna was, and how happy all those spirits must be now. The pegasi spirits would disperse and live throughout the clouds, flying for all eternity. The spirits of the earth ponies would return to the ground they loved so much, providing life for all manner of plants and creatures. The unicorn spirits would fade into the pool of magic that all life drew energy from, ready for anypony who needed a helping hand in a time of need. She looked the other way. Pinkie Pie was supervising a group of ponies as they threw Derpy up and down with a cloth, catching her in the middle before tossing her back up. Derpy looked so happy. She was practically a hero after Pinkie began telling everyone about how she helped get her out of the swamp. Applejack and Rarity joined in on the fun, passing out fresh-baked muffins to everypony who wanted one. Derpy took two this time. Twilight sniffled happily, "D-do you want a letter on this, Princess?" "No my dear." the princess replied, "Not today. Your happiness tells me enough." In fact, the only pony not having a good time was Rainbow Dash. She had been searching for Fluttershy for over an hour now, wandering the castle. Finally, drawing close to a waterfall that fell from the very edge of Canterlot, Rainbow saw the pony, huddled down and staring over the brink. "Hey Fluttershy, what are you doing out here? This party is AWESOME." she asked. "O-oh, hi Rainbow, it's...nothing. You should go back in and enjoy yourself." Fluttershy remarked without lifting her head. Rainbow Dash went and sat next to her. What she saw left her reeling. There was no life in Fluttershy's eyes. They were completely devoid of color. There was no color in the pony at all. Her pink mane and yellow coat were alarmingly dull. "Fluttershy, what's wrong!? What happened to you? Was it that monster?" Rainbow Dash held Fluttershy in her arms, but the pony simply slumped over. "You shouldn't waste your time on me. I'm a worthless pony. That stallfrit left some of his darkness in my heart, and it showed me how pathetic I am compared to all of you." The chillingly earnest manner in which Fluttershy spoke scared Rainbow more than anything. It was like she believed what she was saying. "Fluttershy...what? That is SO not true! You're like the nicest, kindest most gentle pony I know! That's what makes you so special! Do you think you could really wield an Element of Harmony if what all you're saying is true?" "It must be some mistake." Fluttershy's prone form sighed and inched closer to the edge, staring down. "It's that monster isn't it? He's still hurting you! Where is he?! I'll pound that thing to Cloudsdale and back!" Rainbow Dash had tears falling out of her eyes as she held her friend close. "No, I am the monster. You need to get back to the party and let me be. They will miss you if you're gone." Her normally lovely voice was so flat and empty that Rainbow Dash began to panic. "NEVER! They'll miss you just as much! I'll never let you go!" Rainbow Dash cried into Fluttershy's mane. She normally wasn't one to be all touchy-feely but the way Fluttershy was talking simply ripped her apart, and she didn't understand. Fluttershy finally moved, standing on her uninjured legs and gently pushing Rainbow Dash off her. "Why do you say that? Why do you want to hold on to me? The stallfrit showed me the truth. He showed me what I need to do..." "Fl...fluttershy? What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, looking up. "What are you going to do?" "I am glad though, you came to say goodbye. I'm...sorry" And without another word, Fluttershy threw herself from the edge of Canterlot, falling like a rock to the ground below. "Fluttershy NOOO!" Rainbow Dash took off after her. She easily caught up to the free-falling pony, and she grabbed her close again. As they both fell, Rainbow began begging. "Please, Fluttershy, please! You have to fight that darkness in your heart! It's not like you. You can't go, you just can't. We'd miss you too much. I'd...miss you too much..." Fluttershy finally looked at Rainbow Dash, and the tiniest hint of a smile flashed across her mouth. "I'm...trying Rainbow...but it's so hard...I can't fight anymore." Rainbow was crying still, but the tears were from happiness now. "You silly pony, thinking we don't love you. Of course we do." Some of the light began to return to Fluttershy's eyes. "Rainbow Dash, you make me so happy. All our other friends do too, but, with you it's something more..." The ground grew closer and closer, but Rainbow didn't notice. All she noticed was the beautiful pony in front of her. "I've...felt the same way about you too, for a long time now. At first I couldn't explain it. It was like something was nagging the back of my brain, and I ignored it. But I can't any more." "Oh...Rainbow..." Fluttershy blushed, more of her color returning. Rainbow Dash could make out the features of the approaching ground. "Fluttershy...I LOVE YOU!" With those last three words Rainbow opened her wings mightily and pulled out of the fall, zooming parallel just feet from the ground, trailing a beautiful rainbow behind her. She carried Fluttershy until she found an open hill to land on. They plopped down next to each other, laying close and looking at the beautiful sky Luna had made for the night. She had arranged the stars to form constellations of the six ponies, and it was breathtaking. "Rainbow Dash...I love you too. Thank you..." Fluttershy rolled over, looking deep into Rainbow's eyes. She was back to normal. Together they had beaten the last bit of darkness left behind from the stallfrit. Rainbow Dash pulled Fluttershy close, hugging her and gently touching their lips together. Fluttershy embraced her back and they shared that perfect kiss for what felt like an eternity, then broke apart. After laying there for a minute, Rainbow Dash remembered something. "Hey, we should probably get back to Canterlot. The princess is expecting us all to spend the night." "Oh, yay, that will be so much fun. Hey, Rainbow?" asked Fluttershy as they took off, flying back up to the castle together. "Yeah?" "Do you think...could we, stay together..tonight? And maybe...forever?" Fluttershy blushed tremendously, unable to believe she had just asked that. Rainbow pulled her close for an in-flight kiss. This was truly perfection. "Of course, pal. Forever and ever." ___ ___ ___ The fillies sat, unmoving and unblinking. Zecora stifled a yawn and stood up, stretching. "Come now, the hour grows late. Enough time has passed on this little date. What did you think of my tale? Did you think the ponies would prevail?" But when Zecora turned back around, the fillies had already fallen asleep. The story had taken a good chunk of the night to tell. Oh well, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would be by soon. They could take the fillies home or leave them for the night. Life truly was good here in Equestria. She sang a little song quietly to herself as she tidied up a few things, dropping her normal rhyming vocabulary. "Big adventure, tons of fun. A beautiful heart, faithful and strong. Sharing, kindness, it's an easy feat, and magic makes it all complete." Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came flying in quietly, practically tied to each other. They joined Zecora on the last part. "Don't you know you're all my very best friends?"