//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Flipside // by Bed Head //------------------------------// Chapter 12 The entire scene felt like a bad dream. In fact, Spike was trying very hard to believe that's all it was. That any moment he'd wake up screaming in his bed back in Canterlot. Twilight would chastise him for making a racket and ask what was wrong. Then the two of them could share a good laugh over how ridiculous it all sounded. Spike also knew that wouldn't be happening. The pain of Twilight's claws gripping his shoulders was all too real. As was the howl of wind in his ears as he slid down the steep incline that had formed under him. His hooves left useless scratches along the stone as he struggled to find someway to stop. Just ahead of him he could see the other two stallions caught in the trap. Time Turner seemed just as helpless as Spike felt. The tan pony was flat on his back, limbs flailing as though hoping to catch something. In contrast, Big Mac seemed to have the most control. The giant earth pony had his hooves dug so hard against the slope that sparks flew from his iron shoes. For all his strength though, it seemed to do very little to slow his descent. Spike's horn sparked, his mind racing to come up with some spell that would save them. There was nothing solid enough to try and move into his path, and this certainly wasn't an illusion. There wouldn't even be any point in telekinetically grabbing the others with all three of them falling. His head snapped around at the rustle of wings overhead. He could see Ditzy Doo and Thunderlane making a bee-line for the three of them. Cheerilee was shouting encouragement from above, the exact words lost in the rattle of hooves on stone. Spike lifted one foreleg, desperately reaching to the pegasus ponies for help. Something caught under his other forehoof. Time froze for a brief, painful instant as he suddenly pitched forward. With a painful crack Spike slammed against the rock and bounced back into the air. He could see a blur of gray dart in front of Big Mac. Ditzy Doo started pushing against the red pony with all her might. Amazingly, it actually seemed to slow the huge stallion as Spike sailed past them. CRACK Spike gasped in shock as he struck the ground and flipped into the air again. Mercifully his body had gone numb with fear by that point. The reporter could make out a tan blur that he assumed was Time Turner as he rolled past. The Mayor's Aide seemed to have caught an exposed root in his mouth and stopped his own fall. As he approached the ground for another bounce, Spike's eyes went wide. The edge was too close. A scream finally ripped its way from his throat. "Whoa!" Thunderlane's voice grunted as Spike jerked to a halt in midair. The unicorn's scream died as he felt Thunderlane's hooves lock around his chest. The realization that he wasn't about to go sailing over a cliff set in, and the numbness faded. Spike groaned as the numbness was soon replaced by the pain from numerous fresh lumps and bruises forming. "Sheesh!" Thunderlane grunted, his wings pumping frantically as he tried to turn the two of them around. "How did Ditzy make this look so easy?" "Ha ha." Spike managed to wheeze out some sarcastic laughter. The purple pony looked down at the others, trying not to squirm too much. Ditzy was straining as she pushed Mac backward up the slope. Big Mac kept a careful watch over his shoulder as he slowly but surely walked backward against gravity. Time Turner's chest was heaving in and out as he kept his teeth clenched on the exposed root. He was waving his front hooves frantically, gesturing toward the end of the slope. Spike raised an eyebrow, his frazzled mind trying to piece together what the earth pony was trying to tell him. "Help!" a weak voice called out. Spike's blood turned to ice in his veins. Suddenly he noticed that Twilight's claws weren't sinking into his shoulders. Any fears of falling were forgotten as he twisted to see where the voice had come from. The reporter's eyes nearly popped from his head when he discovered the answer. Twilight was hanging from the very edge of the cliff. Her claws were dug into the rock, her stubby legs scrabbling against the stone face in a futile effort to climb up. The little dragon's purple eyes were brimming with tears as she looked up at the unicorn. "Twilight!" Spike shouted, trying to lunge toward her. "Spike, stop!" Thunderlane yelled, the duo bobbing erratically in midair. "I can barely—Whoa!" The unicorn gasped as they dropped sharply. The noise of Thunderlane's wings buffeted his ears as the pegasus strained to keep them aloft. Twilight let out a whimper, a few loose stones rattling against the cliff as her claws slipped bit by bit. "No, no, no," Spike pleaded, his horn igniting with green magic. A familiar, green aura appeared around Twilight. Spike took a deep breath, struggling to keep his focus. The little dragon smiled as she started to lift upward in Spike's telekinetic grip. Something faltered. Spike strained, feeling the flow of magic sputter and die. The green light vanished, and Twilight dropped with a startled cry. Her claws barely managed to catch the ledge again. "What are you doing?!" Thunderlane chastised before seeing his passenger was squeezing his head between his hooves. "Spike? Spike, what happened?" Spike couldn't answer. The strain of his own magic made his head feel like it was going to pop. Suddenly he could feel the weight of every spell he'd cast that long day. Each one leaving him with just a little less power for this crucial moment. "N-no..." Spike panted, a few sparks flying off his horn. "I'm not... not spent yet..." A few more sparks fell, followed by nothing in spite of his protests. Spike felt like a rock was caught in his throat as he stared helplessly at Twilight. "Twilight..." Spike's voice was barely a whisper. "J-just hang on..." "I can't..." Twilight whimpered, her claws slipping a little further. "Ditzy!" Thunderlane shouted, looking around for the mare. "Twilight's at the edge and my hooves are full!" "I've got her!" Ditzy grunted in confirmation from somewhere higher up the slope. There was a horrendous shriek of steel on rock and a gasp of horror from Big Mac. A rustle of wings indicated Ditzy returning to her previous job. The noise halted as Big Mac's fall stopped before it started. "Um..." Ditzy fretted, her wings pumping harder. "I don't got her..." "There are some vines up here!" Cheerilee's voice suddenly chimed in from the top of the cliff. "But I can't find any that would reach that far!" Twilight gasped as she slipped a bit further. Spike's mind was a perfect blank, rejecting any attempts to think of an answer. He could only stare in horror as a few pebbles rattled down the slope past his friend. "Time Turner?" Thunderlane's voice suddenly broke in. "Are you nuts?! What are you doing?" Spike turned his head to find the tan stallion sliding down the incline on his stomach. All four legs were spread out and pressed against the stone as hard as he could manage. Slowly, he slipped toward Twilight until the dragon was only a hoof-length away. Time Turner's limbs trembled as he pressed harder, his slow descent coming to a halt. "Time Turner?" Twilight gasped, staring at the earth pony as he extended one hoof toward her. "Come here, Miss Twilight," he encouraged, his other three hooves trembling from the effort of holding him in place. "I've got you, just grab hold." Twilight needed no further prodding. Her claws shot out and dug into Time Turner's leg. He winced in pain for a moment but didn't budge, instead giving the little dragon a smile. "There, you see?" he said gently. "Everything is going to be alright." Spike let out a breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding. Twilight sniffled and tightened her grip, her claws no longer slipping away. Time Turner didn't seem to mind the pain in the slightest as he looked up at the others with a smile. "You... I don't..." Spike couldn't find the right words for a moment as he took in the scene. "Thank you!" A few tears fell from the unicorn's eyes as his head slumped in relief. "Now now, no need for that," Time Turner said, his tone as casual as when he'd met Spike. "I'm just doing what anypony would have." "TT, there's such a thing as being too selfless," Thunderlane said, though a chuckle slipped from his muzzle. "Seriously, what were you gonna do if you couldn't hang on?" "Come now, let's not fret over that. I could stay here all night," Time Turner responded, jerking his head toward the top of the slope. "Of course that doesn't mean I want to..." "Oh, right!" Thunderlane gasped, back-winging for all he was worth. "Just sit tight, I'll be right back!" Spike's stomach churned as their flight path pitched unnaturally. Thunderlane let out a groan of effort as he managed to turn around and start flying toward the top of the cliff. The unicorn could see Big Mac finally had his back hooves on solid ground again. Ditzy was pushing harder, while Cheerilee pulled on his tail to help him the rest of the way. "Hurry up, everypony," Cheerilee encouraged around a mouthful of orange tail. "We don't know if there might be an—" The teacher was cut off by another loud rumble. The ground shook violently, nearly knocking Cheerilee off her hooves. "Aftershock!" she shouted. "Oh no," Spike's eyes widened in horror. "Twilight!" "Ditzy, Ah'm fine!" Big Mac shouted, pushing the pegasus mare away with one hoof. "Help them!" The gray mare didn't argue, soaring like an arrow toward the bottom of the drop. In a surprising display of agility, Thunderlane managed to spin himself and Spike around. The reporter's eyes widened in horror as he saw cracks forming around Time Turner and Twilight. Ditzy was getting closer, flying faster than Spike would have thought possible. She was still too far from the bottom though. Twilight looked up, and frightened purple eyes met green. A terrible CRACK ripped through the air. The dragoness and her earth pony rescuer fell from sight along with the edge of the cliff. "NOOOOOOOO!" Spike howled. Twilight could hear somepony screaming above her. Or perhaps it was her own screams, it was difficult to tell. The wind was ripping past her ear fins as she plummeted helplessly toward the ground. Time Turner was above her, along with numerous boulders that had broken off with the aftershock. The huge stones crashed horrendously against the side of the cliff, scattering more stones and pebbles as they fell. Twilight couldn't even hear herself think over the racket. Her eyes squeezed shut and her claws clamped over her ear fins as she waited for the impact. Then something wrapped around her back. She gasped and her eyes sprang open again. Time Turner had somehow caught up to her and was wrapping his forehooves around her back. With a primal roar of effort, the earth pony pulled her close and twisted his body. For a second the world spun wildly. Then Twilight found herself clamped firmly against Time Turner's chest. He was underneath her now, gripping her tight in his forelegs. "Listen to me Twilight!" he shouted over the noise of crashing stone. "I need you to just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and hold tight to me no matter what happens! Can you do that?" The dragon opened her mouth in confusion, but her eyes found the answer before she could ask any questions. A churning mass of white foam below. Their fall was sending them straight toward a river. More importantly, toward a patch of raging rapids. "Twilight!" Time Turner shouted. "Did you hear me?" She nodded her head, unable to do anything else. "Good," he responded. "Deep breath then... hold it... now!" The impact with the water was softened by Time Turner's body beneath her. Everything collapsed into a swirl of white, followed by darkness. Twilight's claws clamped onto the earth pony's hide as the force of the current swept them away. Above the water, Ditzy Doo narrowly managed to dodge the last few chunks of falling rubble. The mailmare spun in midair, both eyes frantically searching the banks for her friends. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..." she fretted, following the river's flow as fast as she was able. "Hang on you guys!" Spike's entire body was numb. He could only stare at the spot where Twilight had been hanging just moments earlier. The unicorn could barely register the rapid succession of loud splashes echoing from below. His vision blurred and he blinked rapidly, as though doing so might put the dragon back where she had been. Instead Spike found himself watching as the edge seemed to shrink away from him. As though it were growing steadily more distant. After a few seconds he realized that was exactly what was happening. Thunderlane's wings were going at a furious pace, clumsily trying to turn away from the drop. "Wh-what are you doing?" Spike croaked out, staring at the pegasus. "Getting you up somewhere safe," Thunderlane answered, finally succeeding in turning around. "Somewhere safe—" Spike cut himself off and struggled to look back. "What about Twilight? She needs help!" "Spike—" Thunderlane started, struggling to correct his course. "Let me go!" Spike shouted, kicking hard with his hind legs. The dark hooves around his chest only tightened as the unicorn nearly slipped out. Spike snarled and tried to kick again, sending himself and Thunderlane swerving. The pegasus gasped in horror, barely managing to stop before ramming into the stone incline. "What the hay, man?!" Thunderlane admonished, wings flapping to get them back up. Spike didn't answer, his breath coming in sort gulps. Twilight was somewhere down there, behind him. But each flap of Thunderlane's wings only carried him further and further away. They were already cresting the slope, and the unicorn could make out Big Mac and Cheerilee backing away. "No!" Spike shouted, thrashing frantically with all four hooves. Thunderlane's shout was lost on him as they pitched again, skimming close to the tree line. The pegasus struggled to correct, bedraggled feathers beating around Spike's ears. "Let! Me! Go!" Spike repeated, struggling to find someway free. "Spike!" Thunderlane shouted as they dipped toward the ground. "Would you quit—" He was cut off as the unicorn's head snapped back. There was an unhealthy crack as a few stars of pain exploded in front of Spike's eyes. Thunderlane's hooves released the reporter, darting up to cover his injured nose. Spike grunted in shock as he plummeted the last few feet to the ground. His legs immediately collapsed beneath him, leaving him a purple heap on the forest floor. As Spike struggled to draw breath, somepony galloped to his side. He could see purple hooves, one of which hovered over his side. Just beyond them he could make out the edge of the cliff. "Oh my goodness..." Cheerilee's voice gasped out, one of the hooves gently brushing his side. "Spike, are you okay?" Thunderlane grunted something sarcastic sounding from his covered muzzle. Spike ignored him, groaning as he rolled back to his own hooves. Cheerilee tried to place a hoof on the stallion's back, only for him to pull away. He shook his head at her, but said nothing as his eyes wandered beyond her. There was the cliff, with Big Mac moving away from it toward him. For a second he simply stared at the drop. With a burst of stamina even he hadn't been sure he had, Spike charged. Cheerilee barely leapt aside in time. Big Mac's eyes went wide and he tried to move in front of the smaller pony. Spike dipped around the red giant, his eyes firmly on his goal. "I'm coming, Twi!" he shouted, hooves pounding the ground. Cheerilee was shouting something that Spike was too focused to listen to. Only four more steps, and there was no way that either of the earth ponies would reach him. Something blotted the moonlight above for a split-second. In the next instant, something slammed hard against Spike's back. The reporter howled in pain, his legs splaying out beneath him. What or whoever had landed on him hurriedly pinned his shoulders with their hooves, breathing hard through a stuffed-up nose. Spike's horn flickered for a second on instinct only to sputter out. A lance of pain gave Spike a harsh reminder of why he hadn't tried that before. Out of the corner of his watering eyes he could see the hooves pinning him down were covered in a dark coat. He growled, suddenly realizing just which pony had attacked him. "Get off, Thunderlane!" Spike demanded, struggling against his captor. "So you can jump off a cliff?" Thunderlane responded, his voice sounding a bit stuffed up as he snorted through his injured nose. "Do you realize how stupid that sounds?" "Any worse than going into the Everfree Forest?!" Spike shouted back. "There's a big difference between desperate and stupid!" Thunderlane retorted, pressing down harder on Spike's back. Spike arched his back, attempting to fling the pegasus off. For a flying pony though, Thunderlane proved to be rather weightier than one would guess. Spike screamed in frustration, thrashing and flailing as the pegasus kept him pinned. "Hey, leggo!" Thunderlane shouted suddenly. The pressure on Spike's back was immediately relieved. Cheerilee's hoof floated into view, Spike's own limb reaching for it automatically. The teacher carefully helped the stallion up, giving him a smile as she pulled his hoof onto her back. Spike struggled to catch his breath, his legs trembling beneath his own weight. Thunderlane was the one kicking and squirming now. Like with Twilight earlier, Big Mac had Thunderlane crushed to his chest with one hoof. Spike stumbled a bit as Cheerilee assisted him toward the pegasus. "Thunderlane, I know Spike was a bit rash," Cheerilee said, her tone surprisingly gentle. "Don't you think that was a little... much, though?" "A bit rash?" Thunderlane retorted, ceasing his fruitless beating of Big Mac's foreleg. "He just tried to jump off a cliff!" "But..." Spike panted out before his voice trailed away. He tried to look back toward the cliff. Cheerilee's hoof reached up, carefully pushing his gaze forward again. "You can see he's terrified for Twilight!" Cheerilee admonished Thunderlane, leading Spike another step away from the cliff. "You have to admit that you haven't been acting very rational yourself." "You think I don't know that?!" Thunderlane shouted. He coughed as Big Mac's grip on him tightened a bit. Cheerilee shook her head at the larger earth pony. Spike was only half paying attention to the whole scene. The trembling in his legs was fading and his breathing slowing. Slowly he began to ease his leg off Cheerilee's back. "I can get losing your head over somepony," Thunderlane admitted, his voice much calmer. "I knew what a long shot it was coming in here! But it was for Rumble..." Cheerilee hadn't seemed to notice Spike's hoof moving, but he stopped his escape none the less. There was no malice in Thunderlane's voice. It was heavy, almost pleading, just like his eyes as they met the unicorn's. Spike froze and drew in a shuddering gasp. For a brief second there was something familiar in the golden eyes. The same sort of look he'd seen Twilight give him on occasions. The expression she had whenever she had bad news. "Twilight fell, and you wanna help her. I get that," Thunderlane insisted, Big Mac finally letting him go. "But look at you, Spike! You can't even use your magic right now." Spike stayed silent, the tremor in his limbs returning. His bruises seemed to ache afresh along with his head. "Even if you could, what were you planning on? Do you have a spell to let you sprout wings?" Thunderlane continued, his wings slumping a bit. "At least we all came into the Everfree together! Just how did you think you were gonna help Twilight on your own?" Spike shook his head frantically. His mind was filled with a buzzing noise as he tried to think of some sort of argument. His mouth was full of cotton though, sucking up the words before they could make it out. "I know it stinks... but you can't help Twilight. Not this way," Thunderlane stated, his voice steady as it spoke the truth Spike couldn't accept. "You'll just get hurt... probably even worse trying." Spike managed to take one final breath as something crumbled inside. A mournful wail ripped free of the purple stallion's chest and carried over the treetops. Nightmare Moon twisted in the night sky overhead. A giddy smile was forming on her non-existent face as her misty body flowed with the wind. Purple Prose (Or was it Spike?) had collapsed, hooves covering his eyes as he sobbed uncontrollably. In the back of her mind, she could feel the tears of her sister hitting the floor of her prison. "Well, seems your pride only goes so far, Celestia," Nightmare Moon mocked. Her gaze turned up to the moon, its silvery surface shining across Equestria. Nightmare Moon let out a chuckle as she saw a reflection settle across it. The gray mare from before, the one that had caught Spike in town, was still flying over the river. The reflection was fading quickly as she moved into a more covered area of the Everfree again. "She doesn't matter," Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. "None of them do now. Just a taste of despair and they'll be running back for their little village." She looked down again. Spike's sobs had toned down to an exhausted whimper as he curled into a ball. The purple mare (Cheerilee, Nightmare Moon had overheard her called), was staring at the pegasus (Lightning something? That didn't sound right...) that had been responsible. "Was that—" Cheerilee started to ask. "Nice? No, it wasn't," the stallion (Thunderlane! That was it) said with a heavy sigh as he pumped his wings a few times. "But somepony had to be honest with him before he did something stupid." Slowly the weather pony lifted into the air. He looked down at the other three before turning his gaze toward the cliff. "There's a river at the bottom of the cliff," Thunderlane explained, swallowing hard. "Ditzy hasn't come back yet, so I'll bet she's following it. Twilight and TT probably got swept away, so we might be able to find them." Nightmare Moon rolled her ethereal eyes. It wasn't as though that would be hard to guess. The next words from the group brought her thoughts to a screeching halt "So we wait here?" Big Mac (He was aptly named to be sure) asked, finally lending his voice to the conversation. "No... there might be more quakes," Thunderlane answered with a shake of his head. "Find a safe way down, I'll catch up with Ditzy." "If we can find the river, we'll follow it," Cheerilee chimed in. "Hopefully we can meet you halfway then." Thunderlane nodded and looked down to Prose. The pegasus winced at the sight of the simpering unicorn, tears still flowing down his cheeks. Cheerilee gently nuzzled Spike before giving Thunderlane a worried look. "Try to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, alright?" Thunderlane requested, looking toward Big Mac. The farmer gave a slow nod, and the weather pony swooped toward the drop. With a deep breath and a rustle of dark feathers, he was gone. Nightmare Moon stared after him in shock. Her glare shot back to the other three. Cheerilee somehow coaxed Spike to his hooves. Slowly, the trio began to march away from the cliff. Nightmare Moon snarled, swooping ahead of the three. Thunderlane hardly mattered. He'd get lost in the forest in no time along with that Ditzy mare. These three, it seemed, still needed a little prodding to get the message. Nightmare Moon's shadowy form darted along, swooping down a gentle path leading toward the river. She froze at the bank, her eyes drawn to something on opposite side. A large cave sat just past the trees, its opening large enough to hold one of the houses back in Ponyville. The mare of darkness swooped closer, passing into the cave. She immediately pulled to a halt. Two massive hills seemed to be growing in the back of the cave, covered in a softly glowing fuzz. "Well now," she said, a sense of nostalgia filling her as she drew closer. "This is fortunate."