//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: The Determination of Re-creation // Story: Vacation is Elation // by Super_Big_Mac //------------------------------// "What. The. Hay!" Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Not possible..." Twilight couldn't believe what she was seeing. Pinkie seemed to deflate, her eyes filling with tears. "I knew I should have listened to my Sense..." The cavern echoed with the laughter of a group of nine ponies... each looking almost exactly like those within the cage. The laughter continued. "Oh, my sweet little look-alike. Did you think that your group was the first to come here?" Daring Do trotted up to the cage, her rosy eyes filled with racuous and malicious joy. "We've had other groups come before, seeking adventure. Whether they came looking for us, or got here by accident wasn't what made them so infuriatingly fun to toy with, though." Her eyes still full of glee, she gestures to a distant wall. Covering the wall was a collection of pelts of differing colors. The only similarities between them were... "Yes, I can see it in your eyes. All share the same cutiemarks, and all look like yours." Her mouth split in a psychotic grin, she began to cackle, and the others in her group did so as well as they gathered around the cage. Applebloom whimpered. "What're you gonna do to us?" Her twin smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Applebloom. We'll save you for later. After all, we need you to find your talents, first." The three faux-crusaders laughed, their eyes filled with blood lust. Sweetie Belle whimpered, tears trickling down her face as she pressed against her sister. "I just want to go home..." Rainbow Dash was still cradling Scootaloo's form. She hadn't woken up yet, and... dammit, she was worried! The young pegasus' breathing was deep, but shaky. Dash turned to Twilight. "Please, Twi. Please tell me that you can magic Scoots outta here. I don't care if they take me, but..." She choked, trying not to sob as her eyes filled with tears. "I... she..." Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her cyan coated friend. "I'm sorry, Dash, but... this cage is made out of something that blocks magic. I've already tried, but... I just can't." She sniffed. Mumbling, almost to herself, she added "I hope Spike's doing okay..." Spike's head hurt. "Owww... Darn it, where am I?" He looked around, seeing that he was still in the Crusader camp, but... upside-down. "Oh, come on! with a burst of flame, he burnt through the rope and fwump. "Oww..." Pulling his head out of the ground, he began to search around the camp for something to eat. Coming across a small, half eaten sandwich stuffed into a container labeled 'Slam', as well as a box of apple juice, he let out a small 'phew!' and began to eat. A fake-meat sandwich had never tasted so delicious. Fweew....woooow.......woooooow.......woooowwooowwooowwoowwooww Screeeeeeeeeeeeetchk! "Careful, Skates!" "Shaddup! I know what I'm doing! Don't tell me how to drive!" The Cryptic Crusaders were looking for Spades. They were gonna kill him now, and be done with it. All they needed to do was find him. Spike walked through the jungle, sipping slowly from his juice box. "There's something wrong with these ponies," he mused. "It's like they're are twins, or something. But that's silly. Everypony knows that the only time you find a twin is if they're e-" He dropped his juice box, the last bit of it dribbling onto the ground. "Evil. Evil. Oh, no! These ponies are evil! Which means... They're gonna kill everypony!" Running as fast as his little legs could carry him, Spike ran further into the thicket. "I'm coming, Twilight! I just need a plan." As he ran, he pulled two items out from in between the spines on his back, where he always kept them. Finally finding a clearing, Spike crouched over a rock. Dear Princess Celestia, This is Spike, and we're in deep trouble. "Aha! We got 'im!" Skates moved to the side to show his two friends their prey. In a small clearing, a small purple dragon was curled up, most likely sleeping. "Let's make this quick. Don't want ta miss out on breakfast." The three edged closer to the still form. Closer... closer... snap! "Woah!" The three foals found themselves dangling from a tree, their hindlegs tied together. "Heh, pretty good, right? Thanks for making so much noise, guys. Almost woulda missed ya." The dragon was lying below them, stretching. "Great nap, that was. Now. Where are they?" "We ain't gonna tell yous nothin', ya cretin!" Spike chuckled. "You're making me do something I'm gonna regret." "Oh yeah? Ah don't care. We ain't talkin'." "Okay, but I warned ya." Spike takes a deep breath, but instead of his normal, magical fire, he breathes out a stream of liquid fire, setting the grass beneath the faux-crusaders aflame. "Ahhhh!" The three foals screamed in fright, their eyes widening at the sight of the fire. Spike begins to toss branches onto the fire, keeping it nice and big. "Now." Toss. Fwoom. "Where are they?" Toss. Fwoom. Skates gulped, sweat pouring profusely down his face. Toss. Fwoom. "Um. Um. They-" Toss. Fwoom. "Th-they're at the Shrine!" Spike raised an eybrow. "Really, now?" Toss. Fwoom. "How do I get there?" Toss. Fwoom. "B-by the waterfall! There's an entrance that doesn't seal when you go in! M-most seal for decades b-before they're reusable! The Waterfall's how we get in and out if we don't use the c-carts." Spike watched the fire die down a little before tossing the next stick. "Is the waterfall close by?" Toss. Fwoom. "Y-yes, it's up the mountain, but it's a mite closer than goin' to the beginning of the cart run." Spike smiled. "Thanks, Blossom. You've been rather nice. I'll let you go. Save your friends or run away, I don't care. I gotta fly." Throwing a burning stick up at the rope holding the farm-filly faker, He leapt into the air, caught her, and set her down on the ground. "Hasta luego, filly!" Celestia couldn't enjoy the breeze as the ocean swept by beneath her. The water dragon- Steve something -was doing an amazing job at pulling her personal yacht. The airship bobbed above the water, almost weightless due to the magic she was pouring into it to counter its weight without creating a zero-G effect. She just hoped that they would be in time. Luna walked up to her sister, adjusting the Royal armor she wore once again. "I'm sorry, sister, but I must ask once again. Why is this armor necessary?" Celestia could see that Luna was only asking to help her keep away from any black thoughts. "It is necessary, my dear Luna, so that we are not to terribly wounded during a fight that we cannot do our duties for Equestria." Luna's eyes softened as she saw that her sister would be okay for now. "Of course, 'Ti- ah, sister." Celestia smiled. Her eyes were still full of worry, but she could hope. Spike was smart. He could get in. He could save them. She was just going to be back up. She just hoped Spike, Twilight and the others would be alive to receive their back up.