//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Double Dare // by Wordplay42 //------------------------------// Chapter 12- The morning came with a steady rain that managed to find its way through the thick canopy of leaves over their heads and fall on the ground below. The campfire had burned out long ago, and now sizzled every time a drop of water hit it. The three ponies, Rainbow Dash, Daring Do, and Oracle, were awake and preparing to leave. Although, Rainbow had to admit that she wasn’t entirely excited to be up at this time. “Okay, kid, you got it?” Daring asked once Rainbow Dash had secured her bags back onto her back. Once more her wings were pinned under layers of supplies. It was going to be another long day of walking. “Yeah, I got it,” she said, shifting the packs so they rested as comfortably as possible. The events with Oracle last night still weighed on her mind, and she wanted to find a time to tell Daring about it, get her opinion on what was going on with the shaman. But not now – the elderly stallion was standing a short distance away, preparing his own saddle bag. “Daring,” Rainbow whispered to the tan pegasus, keeping her voice down so as not to attract Oracle’s attention. “I need to talk to you – “ “We should not have too far to go now,” Oracle said, looking to Daring and Rainbow. “I can feel the magic of the stone, and I believe it to be coming from the mountains in the distance.” He pointed a hoof ahead of them, but Rainbow Dash frowned. “What mountains?” she asked flatly. “All I see is trees.” “They are there,” Oracle promised her with a short laugh. “My kind have given them a name, which in your language translates to ‘Crumbling Mountains.’” Daring pursed her lips and nodded. “Catchy,” she said. Oracle smiled in agreement. “They are known for their deadly rockslides,” he told them, seemingly unfazed by the fact, as if he was merely telling them that the sky was blue. Rainbow Dash tried not to look alarmed. “Well, that’s comforting,” she muttered under her breath. “It should only take us half the day to reach them if we start now,” Oracle said. “And we don’t want to be climbing the mountains in the dark. They’re even more dangerous.” “So I assumed,” Daring replied. Oracle started forward, and the two mares fell in step behind him. As they walked, Daring turned to look at Rainbow Dash beside her. “Did you want to tell me something, kid?” she asked. Rainbow glanced ahead at Oracle, but he was too close. She wanted to tell Daring about what she had seen last night. She wanted to get her opinion on whether the native stallion was being entirely truthful with them or not. But he was too close. She didn’t feel comfortable talking to Daring about him when he was right within earshot, especially when she needed to tell her that she was beginning to lose faith in the trustworthiness of their guide. Instead, the blue pegasus shook her head. “No,” she told the tan adventurer. “Never mind.” Daring shrugged, but didn’t press her for anything more. The party fell quiet again, Rainbow eyeing their guide, Oracle walking quietly ahead of them all, and Daring…..well, Rainbow supposed Daring was just being her typical awesome Daring self. They walked for a long time, as the rain continued to drizzle from overhead. The air was thick and humid, but at least the rain helped keep them somewhat cool, when it was able to fall through the thick overhead canopy. It seemed like an eternity had passed when Oracle suddenly stopped dead in front of them, and Rainbow Dash and Daring Do had to quickly step out from directly behind the old stallion to avoid colliding with him. “Look,” he said, pointing. Daring and Rainbow glanced at each other before moving to stand beside their guide. Rainbow felt a lump form in her throat. Before them was another crater, like the one which Rainbow and Daring had seen in the jungle, and the one which had decimated Oracle’s village. Without another word, Daring leaped down into the charred hole, and immediately began feeling it out. Rainbow followed, while Oracle stayed up on the edge, looking down at them. Daring was closely inspecting some of the charred earth. Glittering bits in the dirt told Rainbow Dash that there were more diamonds around. Just like the others. “This one is older,” Daring decided. “But it’s deeper than the other two we’ve seen. I think Oracle’s right. We’re definitely getting close.” Daring turned and leaped up the steep sides of the blackened hole, as Rainbow followed. Once they reached the top where Oracle stood, the shaman pony pointed ahead of them once more. “The trees are thinning,” he told them. “You can see the mountains now, yes?” Rainbow Dash and Daring Do both followed the stallion’s indication. The trees had indeed begun to thin, and many of them had obviously been taken out by the strong blast of magic that had caused the blackened crater. But now that the foliage was sparser, great, rocky mountains could be seen. And Rainbow Dash could understand now why they were called the Crumbling Mountains. They stretched into the sky like jagged knives, roughly outlined by the mid-morning sun. They were massive, and they were right in front of them. It reminded Rainbow Dash of the time she and her friends had climbed mountains in order to ward off a sleeping dragon who was covering Equestria with smoke. And yet, these seemed even more terrifying. Not that she was scared, of course. “It shouldn’t too much longer now,” Daring said. “Oracle, are you sure that you can feel the power coming from those mountains?” Oracle nodded. “Yes,” he said. “It is much stronger now. I know that the stone is there.” “Then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash asked, pawing the ground impatiently with a hoof. “Let’s get going!” “Wait,” Oracle said. Both Rainbow and Daring glanced back at the stallion with the same annoyed, impatient expression. “I should warn you,” he said. “The stone was trapped in the mountain by the sorcerer who stole it. It could have traps awaiting those who attempt to find it.” Daring tilted her head to the side. “The story said that the gem was swallowed when the sorcerer was defeated,” the explorer retorted. “I wouldn’t think he had time to booby-trap it.” Oracle laughed lightly, like a parent laughing at a child’s mistake. Daring did not look as though she appreciated this. “Your version of the story, the foal’s version of the story may have said that,” the stallion replied. “The true version tells that the sorcerer did not wish the Princesses to ever find the stone, so he hid it himself before they could defeat him. They simply believed that the stone was accidentally lost, and left it be. Their loss turned out to be his victory, rather than the other way around.” Daring frowned, and Rainbow Dash had to admit, she didn’t like any version of a story that showed the Princesses to be losers or played like fools. “Very well,” Daring said. “We’ll be on the lookout for traps. Of course, we have a ways to go before that – “ Her words were cut off when the mountains seemed to erupt in blinding light. All three ponies instinctively ducked, pressing themselves to the ground, as the world seemed to shake around them. Rainbow Dash recalled the night back at the village when the magical lightning had rained down on them, but they had never been so close to the origin point. For a few terrifying seconds, Rainbow Dash felt like the world was being ripped apart. She opened her eyes and looked up in time to see a shot of white lightning, larger than any bolt she had ever seen, streak out from the mountains and into the jungle, passing over them and slamming into the trees somewhere far off. The sight left her dazzled. In a second, it was over, and the three ponies gathered themselves slowly to their hooves, rubbing their eyes as they recovered from the blast of light. “It is getting stronger,” Oracle replied. “And we are getting closer. Quickly, we are running out of time.” Without so much as a look to see whether his two companions were alright, Oracle began to move on, his steps quickening to a jerky trot. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do were given no choice but to follow. Behind them, some part of the jungle was now in ruins. ~**~ Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were all sitting with a handful of natives around a dead campfire. The Ponyville group had spent the night with a village of tribal ponies, the tribe which the stallions whom they had met in the jungle belonged to. With the help of Twilight’s translation spell, they had been able to more or less talk to each other, and had formed friendships with most of the native ponies in the tribe. Their village was small but thriving, and had opened their homes immediately to the Ponyville group. After their initial rough meeting with Swift Water in the jungle (which the stallion had apologized several times for), the tribe’s leader had done just about all he could to make sure Twilight and her friends were comfortable. The ponies in the tribe were more than willing to help their visitors anyways, if for nothing less than to ask them as many questions as they could. They had never seen ponies such as the Ponyville group before, and were amazed by their bright colors, Twilight and Rarity’s horns, and Fluttershy’s wings. Twilight did her best to translate the multitude of questions asked by the village ponies, though she was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information they wanted to know. Seeing that she was becoming stressed, Swift Water had quickly stepped in and told the curious natives that they should allow their guests to rest. Many offered their homes, and all five ponies were given places to sleep for the night, surrounded by friendly and fascinated natives. Twilight found it hard to believe that they had ever been afraid when they’d first encountered them in the jungle. By the morning, the villagers had stopped asking so many questions, especially once Swift Water had told them that he wished to speak to them. Most of the other natives went about their daily duties, while a few of the apparently more high-ranking ponies stayed nearby as they ate around the dead campfire. “Now,” Swift Water said, speaking to Twilight. “Yesterday when we first met, you said you were looking for your friend.” “Yes, sir,” Twilight replied. “Her name is Rainbow Dash. It’s….a long story of how she got lost out here, but we need to find her.” Swift Water nodded and looked to a mare who was sitting near them. She was a light grey color with a dark charcoal mane and tail, and her cutie mark was some sort of exotic flower. “Paradise,” he said to her. “Have you heard anything from the neighboring tribes about a brightly-colored winged pony?” he looked back to Twilight. “Paradise is one of our scouts,” he informed the unicorn. “She listens to the news of the other tribes.” “Twilight,” Applejack said, leaning over to her friend. “What’s he sayin’?” “He’s asking one of the scouts if she’s heard anything about Rainbow Dash,” Twilight told the farm pony. Applejack nodded, while Rarity and Fluttershy looked worriedly on. Pinkie Pie was entertaining a few of the other tribal ponies with some made-up game. “Let me think,” the grey mare, Paradise, said, considering. “I did hear about two unknown ponies who appeared at a tribe to the west. They were both described as very strange.” “Strange in what way?” Swift Water asked calmly. “I heard that both had wings,” Paradise replied. “And….well, I heard that one’s mane was made from rainbows, though that seems silly.” “No, that’s Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, her heart beat quickening. “And Daring Do, too.” “Twi?” Applejack prompted. Twilight looked over her shoulder at her friends to translate. “She’s been seen in a tribe to the west,” Twilight said. Applejack and Rarity both breathed a sigh of relief. Fluttershy still looked worried. “Oh,” the yellow pegasus whispered. “I hope she’s alright!” “I’m sure she will be,” Applejack said with a confident smile. “Rainbow’s like bamboo. You can bend her all you want – she won’t break!” “And she is with Daring Do,” Rarity pointed out. “I’m sure the two of them make quite a team.” “But still,” Twilight pointed out. “In the book, there’s that rockslide. We have to get to her before that happens.” “How far away is she?” Fluttershy asked tentatively. Twilight voiced the question to Paradise. “Well,” the grey mare said. “The tribe where they were seen is about half a day’s walk to the west.” “Half a day’s?!” Rarity started after Twilight translated. But an annoyed look from Applejack quickly silenced the white unicorn’s whining. She looked away innocently. “I-I just hate the thought of Rainbow Dash being so far,” she said, laughing awkwardly. “But – “ Paradise continued. “I heard they left. The village was destroyed by some sort of fire. The two ponies left into the jungle.” Twilight hit her forehead with a hoof as the memory came back. “Of course!” she gasped. “They’re looking for the Alicorn Stone! They’ll have left to find it by now!” She’d said the words in Common, and Applejack stared incredulously at her friend. “’Alicorn Stone?’” she repeated. “What is that?” “It’s a magical stone that’s trapped in the Crumbling Mountains,” Twilight explained. “The legend goes that Celestia created the stone, and it had the magical properties of alicorns. But the stone was stolen but an evil sorcerer, who tried to use its powers for good. Celestia and Luna fought against him, and though he was defeated, before he fell he hid the stone in the mountains so that the Princesses couldn’t find it and use it again.” “And the Princesses never tried to find it?” Applejack asked, skeptically. Twilight shrugged. “It’s just a story,” she replied. “According to it, they decided it was better left alone.” “So….Rainbow Dash and Daring Do are going after this stone?” Rarity asked, her eyes widening. “Just how big of a stone are we talking about?” “It’s not a gem to be worn,” Twilight replied firmly. “It’s dangerous. And surrounded by booby traps placed there by the sorcerer.” “I cannot understand what you are saying anymore,” Swift Water said, looking confused. Twilight looked back to him. “Sorry,” she apologized. “But, please, do you know where the Crumbling Mountains are? I think that’s where our friend is heading.” Swift Water’s confusion deepened. “The Crumbling Mountains?” he asked. “Why would your friend go there? All the tribes in this area have stories of danger about those mountains! They are nothing but trouble.” “I know,” Twilight said. “But that’s where Rainbow Dash and Daring Do are headed, and we need to find them .” Whether or not Swift Water was going to tell the ponies the direction of the mountains they never found out. As soon as Twilight finished her sentence, there sky seemed to erupt with light. The earth under their hooves shook, and all the ponies in the camp dove to the ground, covering their head with their front legs. A fair distance away, an explosion shot rubble up into the sky, and a few loose rocks and chunks of burnt foliage rained down on the tribal village. And, as quickly as the blast had come, it was over. Thick smoke hung in the air as Twilight raised her head and looked around. “Is everypony okay?” she asked, rising slowly to her hooves. Her friends all nodded and voiced their assurances, and Twilight held out a hoof to help Swift Water back to his feet. The earth stallion looked troubled. “What was that?” Applejack asked. Twilight sighed and looked into the distance. She could see smoke billowing up from where the magical lightning had struck. “That was the Alicorn Stone,” the unicorn told her friends. “This has happened before,” Swift Water said, though Twilight knew he had not understood her words to her friends. “My tribe, and all the ponies around here, are terrified. Many think it is the goddesses’ wrath, that we have done something to displease them.” Twilight shook her head. “Trust me,” she said. “This isn’t the Princess’ doing. But we will stop this.” “Well,” Pinkie Pie said, seemingly unfazed by the destruction that had just happened. “I guess we know now where the Crumbling Mountains are!” “Oh, good,” Applejack said dryly. “I always wanted to wrastle with a stone that can shoot off magic lightning.” Pinkie Pie gasped. “Really?” she said, unbelieving. “Me too!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “You will be leaving now?” Swift Water asked. Twilight nodded. “We have to find Rainbow Dash,” she told him. “And we know they’re heading towards those mountains. We have to go, too.” “Very well, then,” Swift Water said. “Would you like my assistance?” Twilight looked around at the village ponies around them, some already repairing damage done to their dwellings after the shock wave from the blast. The unicorn shook her head. “You have a village to look after,” she told him. “We’ll be alright. And I promise, the stone won’t harm your village anymore.” As the smoke from the blast faded, the ponies prepared to leave. Swift Water, Paradise, and a few of the other villagers stood together to see the Ponyville ponies off. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie gathered together at the edge of the clearing where the tribe lived, and briefly thanked their hosts for their hospitality. “Good luck, Twilight Sparkle,” Swift Water told the unicorn. “And be safe.” “Thank you,” Twilight replied, then turned to her friends. “Let’s find Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, her green eyes determined. The others nodded in agreement, and with one look back at the villagers who had treated them so well, the group of ponies set off once more into the jungle. Swift Water stood back, watching after them. “May Celestia keep you all safe,” he whispered softly.