//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Rainbow Rescue! // by Rixizu //------------------------------// “They’re surrounding us!” Trixie backed away as the skeletons moved closer waving their skeletal hooves menacingly. The creatures were fast, moving too quick to flee from. Worse, the monsters outnumbered them almost ten to one, making fighting against them impossible. “What now?” Minty hid behind Trixie, shaking in fear. The rest of Trixie’s companions weren’t much braver.  “I won’t allow you to hurt my friends.” A look of determination filled Pinkie Pie’s face. “Get going. I’ll hold them off.” “No!” Trixie said, alarmed. “You’ll get hurt!” “No, no, no! You don’t stand a chance!” Razzaroo said, overwrought with emotion. “There must be another way!” An odd smile appeared on Pinkie Pie’s face. The brave foal knew she was running to her doom. But if it meant saving her friends, Pinkie Pie would sacrifice everything. The pink pony pawed at the ground, a wicked smile on her face. “Do your worst!” Much to her friends’ dismay, the mare unleashed a battle cry and charged forward, hooves raised to strike the nearest skeleton warrior.  No! Pinkie Pie! Tears stung Trixie's eyes. Despite always considering the party pony somewhat annoying, this senseless sacrifice was too much to bear. “Hiya!” Pinkie Pie unleashed a punishing punch into her quarry. Much to everypony’s astonishment, the skeleton snapped in half with ease. Confused, the earth pony threw a punch at another skeleton, to similar results.  What? Even more confusingly, the skeleton horde stood in place, not jumping Pinkie Pie as expected.  “What’s this?” Pinkie Pie peered at the odd white powder the skeleton had left after she’d punched it. “Plaster? Wait a minute, these aren’t real skeletons at all!”  “What the heck?” Trixie carefully moved closer towards another skeleton and realized Pinkie was right. They were all just models with thin wires attached to their limbs, making it possible for somepony to puppeteer them from a distance. “Of all the rotten tricks!” “Yes, yes, yes! This only appears to be a prank!” Razzaroo cried, delighted.  “A dreadfully rather rude one if you ask me.” Rainbow Dash said with a huff.  “That’s a relief.” Minty put a hoof over her racing heart.  “Oh, darn. I didn’t expect you to fight back.” The mysterious voice said, chagrined. “I only meant to scare you away.” “Who are you?! Show yourself!” Trixie stomped a hoof for emphasis. Her friends made similar demands, annoyed at being fooled.  “Hi, the name’s Spike!” A strange reptile creature emerged from a bush. He stood a head shorter than a pony with purple scales and an orange body with a short tuff of purple hair sitting on his head. Despite being caught out, he didn’t seem ashamed of his actions.  “What’s with the Nightmare Night haunted house junk?” Trixie pointed an accusatory hoof towards the fake skeletons. “This is a Haunted Forest. I thought it was due for some hauntings.” Spike laughed as his own joke. “Hilarious,” Trixie said, unamused. “My, I’ve never seen a creature like you before.” Rainbow Dash walked around the lizard creature, examining him. “May I ask what you are?” “I am of the ancient and noble race of the dragons!” Spike said, not hiding his pride. A dragon? Weren’t they meant to bigger? And scarier looking? “And what are you doing here, Mr. Dragon?” Trixie crossed her front hooves, peering at their new dragon acquaintance with a skeptical expression.  Spike beamed. “I’m glad you asked! Traveling around this magnificent land of ours and seeing its sights.” “And scaring the daylights out of ponies?” Trixie said, unable to bite back her sarcasm.  Spike laughed to himself. “Well, you must admit it was pretty funny.” “No, no, it wasn’t,” Trixie replied.  Razzaroo rolled her eyes. “No harm done. No, no, no! Spike, is there a path leading out of this forest? Yes, yes, yes!” Pinkie Pie nodded. “We need to reach Willy Nilly Mountain.” “Easy enough question to answer for a well-traveled gentledrake like myself. Just through those trees.” Spike pointed north. “May I ask why? It’s quite the climb.” “We’re off to confront Corona! Yes, yes, yes!” Razzaroo replied. “Corona?” Spike’s overbearing self-assurance faltered. “She’s back?” “Yes, yes, yes!” Razzaroo gave an emphatic nod. “She stole the Rainbow Wand. We’re on a quest to steal it back.” “Yeah, and she stole our stupid castle!” Trixie said.   “And our party games!” Rainbow Dash added unhelpfully. “My, my, my.” Spike’s worries deepened. “This isn’t good. Queen Luna promised she’d be gone forever!”  Minty blinked. “You know the queen?” Spike waved a dismissive claw. “We go way back! I’ve been her royal guest more than once. I am quite well-traveled as I explained before.” “Fascinating, but we really need to be leaving,” Trixie said, getting back to track. “We have rainbows to save!” “It was nice meeting you!” Minty gave the dragon a friendly wave. “I’m Minty!” Everypony else gave their introductions, though Trixie wasn’t as enthusiastic as the others.  “Trixie’s right.” Pinkie Pie said. “Sorry we can’t stay longer, but we don’t have time to waste.” The rest of Trixie’s friends said their goodbyes, heading in the direction Spike had indicated.  “Wait!” A nervous Spike said, running up towards them. “What is it now?” Trixie said, annoyed.  “Be nice, Trixie.” Rainbow Dash said, her tone chastising. “What is it, darling?” “I just realized pointing out the direction won’t be enough,” Spike said. “I would be happy to show you the way.” “Why?” Trixie asked, suspicious.  Spike put a claw over his heart. “I am quite the gentledrake. It would be unbecoming if I allowed you ponies to climb the Willy Nilly Mountains alone.” “Uh, huh.” Trixie’s tone dripped with doubt. For some reason, the news of Corona’s freedom had unnerved the dragon.  “We’d love to have you!” Pinkie Pie said, “The more, the merrier.” “Darling, I love your mane.” Rainbow Dash gave the dragon’s hair an appreciative nod. “May I ask where you get it styled?” “I do it myself,” Spike said, beaming with pride. “I consider myself quite the stylist.” “Can you do mine?” Minty asked. “I’ve been overdue for a manecut.” “Just tell me how you want it,” Spike replied. “I can arrange it in any style you’d like.” With that, they gained a new dubious ally. While friendly, it was obvious the dragon was hiding something. Trixie tried questioning him about his personal history with Corona, but Spike evaded answering every time. Having such a dubious ally made Trixie nervous, wondering if they could count on him when the situation turned dire.  --- “Oh dear, oh dear.” Spike paced around, claws behind his back. “Where’s that path again?” Despite the dragon’s assurances, Spike had led them towards an almost impassable rock face. The Willy Nilly Mountains were harder to climb than expected, with high sheer rock faces with few hoof holds. Despite almost an hour of wandering, they still hadn’t found an easy path up the mountain.  “Ah, yes! This way.” Spike pointed left. “That should be much easier to climb.” “I hope so.” Rainbow Dash said. “It was quite rude of Corona to plant her castle on such a hard mountain to climb.” It was slow going, but they’d made some progress. Despite Spike’s assurances, it was almost nightfall by the time they’d reached the peak where Corona’s castle stood.  “I’d never said it’d be easy. It’s been a couple hundred years since I last climbed the Willy Nilly Mountains.” Spike replied when Trixie voiced her complaints. It was a starless night, making traversing any further impossible. Thankfully, they found a welcoming cave and made camp. A fire crackled, warming the chilly night air.  “And you travel the world, darling?” Rainbow Dash asked Spike. “How exciting! You must be brimming with exciting tales of your adventures!” “A few,” Spike said, smugly. “Have you ever been to Butterfly Island?” Pinkie asked, intrigued. “Have you seen a pegasus? What are they like?” Trixie yawned and tried getting herself into a comfortable position by the fire. “Like any other pony. It’s like asking what an earth pony is like.” “Why, darling, you speak like you’ve met one before.” Rainbow Dash asked, giving a curious tilt of her head.  Trixie opened her mouth, only to close it when no answer came. Had she met a pegasus before? It should be impossible since nopony had seen one in several centuries. Yet had she?  “Are you okay, Trixie?” Somepony said. Trixie shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.  Pegasi… No. It can’t be. They were only a pony from legend. She was being silly! Talking without thinking. Yet, why was there this terrible emptiness in her heart? “I’m fine.” Trixie forced a smile.  “That’s good to hear. How about I cheer everypony with a story?” Spike said. “It all began when I…” --- Trixie wandered outside, uninterested in hearing more of Spike’s tales. A cold front whipped against her, and she tightened her cape around herself to stay warm. After some searching, she found a spot on a nearby cliff with an excellent view. “It’s cold out. You’re not sitting by the fire?” A voice said behind Trixie. It was Minty. “Eh, it isn’t every day you climb a mountain. I’d thought I’d enjoy the scenery.” It was striking how picturesque Ponyland was, like something out of a picture book.  “Is something wrong, Trixie?” Minty asked, concerned. “You aren’t acting like your usual self.” Trixie hesitated, unsure how to respond. Why was she acting weird? She was on a mission with her best friend to save Ponyland. She should be happy. No, she was happy. Trixie gave her best friend Minty a reassuring smile. “I’m fine! I’m on an adventure with you! Mean old Corona doesn’t stand a chance!” Minty nodded, gazing at the lovely scenery below. “Once we rescue the Rainbow Wand, we should go on more adventures! We could bring the others.” Trixie nodded, enthused by the idea, then hesitated. “Even Spike? He’s such a blowhard.” She’d never met somebeing so self-absorbed in her life.  “He isn’t that bad.” Minty stifled a laugh. “He can act as our…” her voice trailed off into a gasp, “It can’t be!” She trembled, collapsing headfirst into the snow. “Minty!” Trixie rushed to her friend’s aid.  “Isn’t it somewhat premature to speak of future adventures?” A familiar voice said. Trixie looked up, eyes widening in horror upon seeing the speaker. “Corona!” Trixie stood protectively over Minty.  “I thought I heard pests scrambling around on my mountain.” Corona flew down, blocking their escape. “You were foals to come here.” Trixie’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape path, but found nothing but a terrible fall below. Corona’s mouth grew into the cruelest smile Trixie had ever seen, enjoying making her victims feel helpless. “Trixie,” Minty said, her voice weak.  “Don’t worry, Minty. I’ll protect you!” Trixie sent Corona the most fearsome glare she could muster. Determination to protect her best friend drove away all fear.  “You should worry more about yourself.” Corona took to the air and pointed her horn down. In the instant, Trixie realized what the evil alicorn had planned and tried pushing Minty to safety. She wasn’t quick enough, and a bolt of red hot energy struck the cliff face. Trixie lost her hoofing as the ground crumbled beneath her.  “Hold on!” Trixie grabbed Minty and leaped to grab a piece of solid rock. For a moment, she was certain it would hold their weight, and she could pull them to safety. Much to Trixie’s horror, the rock broke apart in her hooves, and they plummeted into the depths below. --- A groan escaped Trixie’s lips and she weakly opened her eyes. She jerked to life and flailed her legs as she found herself trapped in white. Moments later, her hoof found open-air and pulled herself up.  “Dear Luna! I can’t believe I’m still alive!” Trixie gasped after reaching the surface. She glanced around, trying to determine where she was. Above her was a sheer cliff face, impossible to climb. Around her was a thick snowy forest, dark and spooky. As Trixie puzzled over her next action, she froze, realizing she’d forgotten something.  “Minty!” Trixie scrambled around in the snow, trying to locate her best friend. Seconds later, she found a hoof deep in the snow and pulled. Minty gasped as her lungs met open-air and coughed hard. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” Minty coughed again. “Where are we?” “Somewhere lower on the mountain. We’re lucky to still be alive.” Corona, that jerk! I can’t believe she tried to kill us! Minty nervously glanced around. “Can we get back up? The others must be worried sick!” “Not sure. I guess we’ll just climb towards Corona’s castle and hope we find them.” Trixie feared for her other friend’s safety. What if Corona had found them, too? Minty nodded, and they headed into the dark forest. Trixie’s horn glowed a gentle blue, barely illuminating the path ahead. Every step forward was fraught with tension, fearful that Corona might return to finish the job. For her best friend’s sake, Trixie gritted her teeth and took charge.  The night chilled quickly, and soon their breath fogged before them. Thank Luna they’d come prepared. Trixie used her cape, and Minty used her blanket/scarf to stave off the cold. A gentle snow fell from the heavens as they explored the forest. Its reach was extensive, making it difficult to gauge how they’d return from where they’d fallen. Worse, none of the cliffs they’d found were climbable, leaving them stuck. Trixie feared they’d need to climb the entire mountain before reaching their destination. An hour passed, and they weren’t any closer to finding a path back to their friends.  Trixie kicked a rock in frustration. “I guess we’re screwed! We might as well go back home.” Minty’s eyes widened. “But what about our friends? Or Corona?!” “I realized that, but what else can we do?. We’re no help to them as ponycilles!” The night had become dangerously cold, and not even Trixie’s magic cape and hat provided enough warmth.  “I suppose.” Minty lowered her head, defeated.  Backpedaling, Trixie gave her best friend a reassuring smile. “It’s fine! Pinkie Pie is strong. She can defeat Corona without us!” “Wait a minute, what’s that?” Minty pointed up, and Trixie gasped when she saw an open green flame roaring on a nearby cliff. Seconds later, it disappeared, only to reappear again a few hooves away.  “What the heck is that?” Trixie watched the burst of flame with a careful eye, fearful it might be Corona. No, it couldn’t be. Her magic was yellow. Whoever they were, they were acting like a beacon.  “We should investigate!” Minty ran towards the source of the flame. “Wait! We don’t know if it’s safe!” Trixie said, following close behind.  The flame became larger as they approached, and Trixie cloaked them with an illusion of invisibility, hiding their approach. It wouldn’t hide their hoofprints in the snow, but Trixie figured it was too dark to notice them. Their steps were silent as they snuck closer, and Trixie’s eyes hurt when the flame lit up the almost pitch-black sky. They snuck into a nearby bush, waiting for their target to approach. Trixie immediately ruined her hiding spot when she cried out in surprise. “Spike?” Flames escaped the dragon’s mouth but paused when he heard his name being called. He glanced around and furrowed his brow when she spotted nothing but trees, rock, and snow.  “Spike!” Trixie dropped her invisibility, running forward to greet the dragon.  “Trixie and Minty, thank goodness I found you. When you fell off that cliff, I feared the worst!” Spike’s voice was rough and difficult to understand.  “Spike!” Minty gave the dragon a fierce hug. “I thought I’d never see you again!” “Yeah, that was some trick with your fire breath,” Trixie said. “But what if Corona found you?!” “For your sake, it was worth the risk.” Spike gave a chuckle. “I figured if I fired my fire breath enough, you’d notice it. In the dark, you’d hardly miss it.” “Spike. Why, though? It sounded like you seriously hurt your throat with all that fire!” Trixie shook her head, astonished.  “I’m your friend, Trixie. Friends, look out for each other.” Spike coughed, then sneezed and shivered. “But how about we discuss this someplace warmer?” They nodded, and they followed Spike back towards camp. Trixie lent the dragon her cape, terrified he might catch a serious cold. Pneumonia might prove fatal.  What a lucky save. I was certain that was a dead end. Still, how fortunate Spike happened to stumble across them. What a lucky coincidence. Trixie shook her head. What a thing to worry about. She should be more concerned with meeting back with her friends. She pressed them to move more quickly to both enjoy the warmth of her friends and their campfire. “Oh dear, I could have sworn it was this way.” Spike scratched his head. “Or is it this other way?” “Are we lost?” I’d been over an hour, and they still hadn’t found camp. Trixie was less than impressed with her dragon guide’s sense of direction.  “Lost is a relative term,” Spike replied. “I know exactly where we are. I am only unclear where everyone else is.” “Right,” Trixie said, her voice wry. Another hour passed, and they still hadn’t found their friends.  “Spike, admit it. We’re lost!” Trixie was cold, hungry, and miserable. It made her less conducive to polite conversation. “Okay, you’re right! We’re lost!” Spike threw up his claws. “Happy now! I don’t always have the best sense of direction.” “Why didn’t you say that sooner!” Trixie said. “It might have saved us countless hours of pointless wandering.” Spike gave a contemptuous snort. “Like you’d do any better.” “Stop it!” Minty threw herself between her bickering friends before Trixie could reply with her own cutting remark. “It isn’t helping anypony. We can’t afford to break up now. We need to save Ponyland, remember?” “I suppose.” Trixie rolled her eyes, and Spike gave a derisive snort, and they glared at each other. “I know! How about a song? It should help cheer everything up.” Minky clapped her hooves together with abject enthusiasm.  “Isn’t Corona still out there?” Trixie pointed up. Her best friend ignored her, breaking into a silly, jaunty tune. Oddly, its lyrics perfectly matched their situation. Had Minty planned this weeks in advance or something? Despite herself, Trixie sang along. Spike joined her, and they made an excellent acapella, singing in perfect harmony, though they still kept their tone low. Her best friend was right. Trixie felt marginally better.  “Sorry for snapping at you, Spike.” Trixie kicked her hooves, abashed. “Me too, Trixie,” Spike replied, equally chagrined. “Everything is back to normal. Just a bit further. Don’t lose heart. We’re almost there! Minty continued her song, dispelling the frustrated mood that had been oppressing their group. Sure enough, they found the others watching the mountainside with anxious eyes. Once Trixie came into view, their stress and worry melted away, beaming in utter delight.  “Darling, thank goodness you’re back.” Rainbow Dash said. “We feared we’d lost you.” “It takes a greater force than that to defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie kicked into the air, a smug expression on her face.  “Yes, yes, yes! Corona doesn’t stand a chance against us!” Razzaroo said, chuckling to herself. Trixie curled up next to the fire, using her hat as a pillow and cape as a blanket. “Wake me in the morning. I’m pooped!”  “Already?” Pinkie Pie blinked in surprise. “We can have a cheerful reunion in the morning,” Trixie replied.  “No, no, no! You aren’t getting off that easily.” Trixie gasped as Razzaroo pulled her into a fearsome hug. “We were so worried about you! Yes, yes, yes!” “Group hug!” Minty joined them without hesitation. The others soon joined her. “Okay, okay. I’m happy to see you guys, too!” Trixie blushed. Dear Luna, she hated being all emotional. It made her look stupid.  They spent the next hour listening to Spike recount their little adventure in flowery detail. It wasn’t long before he exaggerated his involvement and even added monsters to the story. He spoke of their daring escape that ended with them getting rescued by the mythical Breezies. Minty joined in, adding more fantastic details to the tale. Despite her tiredness, Trixie listened with amusement.  No, Trixie didn’t mind losing some sleep if it meant spending time with her friends. She felt guilty that she hadn’t become this close to them sooner. Rainbow Dash delivered her mail to her every day, and she’d seen Razzaroo work her weather patrol job countless times, waving as she flew past. No, wait. Razzaroo doesn’t have wings. Trixie shook her head, confused. What did Razzaroo do again? And Rainbow Dash, wasn’t she a dressmaker, not a postpony? Trixie shook her head. Her obvious exhaustion was making recalling details fuzzy. Besides, it didn’t really matter, anyway. “The way you speak about them, are they truly your friends? You refuse to question them. You seem more like their plaything, dancing on invisible strings.” A voice whispered behind Trixie’s ear. Her heart almost stopped when she recognized the voice.  “Corona?!” Trixie jerked away in fright. How had she gotten there? The rest of her friends reacted with similar alarm.  “I commend you for getting this far,” Corona said. “Few have ever stood against me so. Such bravery deserves a reward, my little ponies.” “Reward?” Trixie fought down the fearful stutter in her voice.  “Yes, I will leave you alone for tonight.” Corona’s grin was cruel and savage. “You die tomorrow, so why not allow you one final peaceful night’s sleep. I’ll await you in my castle.” Everybeing backed away as Corona’s body burst into flame and disappeared. The sun princess’s mocking laughter echoed through the cave.