//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Trapped in the Crystals // by Blueheartpegasus //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash felt danger. It lurked in every corner and slowly licked its claws, ready to attack. It loomed all around, eyes piercing the darkness. Waiting for her to cringe in fear. But she wouldn't, she was fearless! "The box, Rainbow, the box!" something whispered. "Find your friends, then find the box!" "Who are you?" Rainbow demanded, "What box?" but the voice was fading, repeating the words, "the box" over and over again. As the voice faded completely, complete darkness filled Rainbow's vision. "Help!" she called, "I can't see!" Then she heard the clacking of claws coming closer and closer. ---- Rainbow sat up and rubbed her head with a hoof. What had happened? Where was she? What had that dream been about? The blue Pegasus flapped her wings to hover and look around, but felt a sharp pain in her head and fell back to the ground. Okay, so she appeared to be somewhere with a roof- that made sense. It was dark, excluding a faint glow from the walls and floor. She appeared to be in a cave made out of glowing crystals. Then she realized something- she could still hear the clicking of claws on stone! She spread her wings to get extra speed and followed the sound. It was hard to avoid the obstacles of crystals jutting out randomly from the walls, but eventually the clicking of claw became louder and she could see a strange badger-like creature in the faint glow. She landed in front of the creature, blocking his path. She glared at him. "Who are you?" she demanded, "Why am I here? Where am I? Where are my friends?" The creature didn't answer, just weaved through her legs and scurried off. But Rainbow didn't give up. "Hey!" She called after it, galloping after it. "I'm talking to you!" Suddenly, she got a face full of wall. She landed hard on her back, the cold of the crystal floor seeping through her blue pelt. She climbed back onto her hooves, rubbed her head and examined the wall she had hit. there was a small crack- too small for her to go through. the creature must have escaped through there. "Come out!" Rainbow snapped through the hole, but she heard no reply. She growled in frustration and stuck a hoof in. She wiggled it around, but only felt more stone. Realizing that it was hopeless, she continued to try and find a way out. She was no unicorn, she couldn't make her horn glow, so she would have to go on ahead in the darkness. She galloped on through the never-ending darkness, until the floor beneath her hooves suddenly disappeared. Startled, she fell a few feet, then her wings caught the air just in time. She flew back and bit until she was on solid ground and landed. She tried to observe the hole but it was pitch black and no glowing crystals were near enough. She had an idea. She spread her wings and flew herself to the nearest glowing crystal. She turned so her hind legs were facing it, pulled them back, and, with all her force, bucked the crystal. there was a shattering noise and a few small crystals broke off. She picked them up in her hoof and flew back to the hole. Feeling around the edges, the hole seemed to stretch four times her length across. She dropped one of the crystals down, and it illuminated it on the way down. It seemed as if it was just one huge pit that never ended. Until, distantly, she heard a small plop as the crystal landed in water. "Should I check it out?" she wondered out loud. She knew she should go try to find her friends, but the curiosity was building inside her. "No, I have to keep going." she decided, flapping her wings and flying over the hole to the other side. She continued at a light canter until she found herself facing a dead end. She bucked the wall as hard as she could, hoping for another shard of crystal, but the didn't splinter at all. She tried a few more times, but this wall was tough. After searching all over for a way past, she turned back, hoping to find a turnoff she had missed. "Hello?" she called down the long, dark, empty corridors of this crystal cave. All she heard was her own voice echoing back. No luck, she was indeed alone. She continued on, feeling every wall, until she was back at the hole. "Oh, well." She said out loud, "I guess I have no choice." She spread her feathered blue wings and flew deep down into the hole.