Resonating Souls

by ScarletRibbon

Exploration

Dark grey clouds floated overhead, trapping all the rays of the noonday sun as three fillies stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest, arguing about their next course of action.

"I really think we should get an adult," Sweetie Belle insisted, glaring at Applebloom.

Her friend stared back intensely, her fierce aversion to getting outside help burning in her eyes. "Sweetie Belle, Ah've gone to Zecora's place plenty of times, all by myself. We don't need no adult. We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! If we can't do something together that Ah already do alone, what good are we?"

Sweetie Belle looked over to Scootaloo, who sat off to the side, not getting involved in the argument. Sweetie Belle and her two best friends had been discussing this adventure into Everfree Forest for a week now. Sweetie Belle was stubborn, but Applebloom usually won out in a contest of wills, and Sweetie could feel her resolve weakening.

Under Sweetie Belle's gaze, Scootaloo shrugged. "I don't know why you always try to argue with Applebloom. She just as stubborn as her sister."

Probably the Earth pony farmer in her, Sweetie Belle thought to herself. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time they went into the Everfree alone, but it hadn't always gone without a hitch, and they really weren't supposed to be in the forest at all.

"Besides," Applebloom continued, "how are we supposed to get herbalism marks without Zecora's help?"

Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches, enduring the pressure from Applebloom. "I just don't see why we can't find an adult! It's not like we won't get our Cutie Marks just because we got an escort to Zecora's place. Why are you so stuck on going in there alone?"

Applebloom stomped with a forehoof. "Because we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! That's what we do!"

Her jump in logic was beginning to agitate Sweetie Belle. "Well, then why is Zecora allowed to help, but not somepony else?"

Scootaloo shook her head and sighed as Applebloom tried to work out a response. "Look, let's just do this, alright? It's getting cold out here."

With both of her friends now against her, Sweetie Belle's will cracked, and with it, her voice. "Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you when something goes wrong!"

The issue mostly settled, the three of them started into the Everfree Forest. Everything seemed the same as it usually did, and the trio of fillies, Applebloom especially, were familiar with the route. Sweetie Belle eyed their surroundings as they walked. Even though it was all familiar, the gnarled trees, dead grass, occasional patches of poison joke, and the lightly beaten trail snaking off into the distance left her with a sense of unease. Normally in the middle of the day enough light filtered through the canopy to keep the surroundings well-lit, but the cloudy skies above cast a dim shade across the ground. Sweetie Belle wondered if her unsettled feeling was the cloudy sky above, preventing the light of the sun from gracing the ground with a small amount of bright cheer. Beyond that, it was eerily quiet, with the only sounds coming from the hooves of the trio as the plodded along. They hadn't seen any signs of the usual forest life they had seen, either.

That, of course, was not always a bad thing. Nothing in the forest was completely harmless, and Sweetie Belle knew quite well about the dangers some of the native creatures could pose. Applebloom pressed forward quickly, following the lightly trodden dirt path that wove around sinkholes, twisted trees, bramble bushes, and the occasional small pond, any of which could house a number of creatures that weren't terribly friendly. Sweetie Belle started to fall behind, hesitant to keep rushing ahead without caution, with Scootaloo only a few paces ahead of her. They continued for several minutes, eventually working their way to a portion of the trail that was surrounded with thick brambles.

Applebloom stopped, turning back to the pair, shattering the unusual silence with her frustrated cry. "Come on, girls. We're never going to make it to Zecora's place if you don't walk faster."

Sweetie Belle swallowed hard, glancing at the bushes on either side. She inhaled deeply, drawing in the air around her. The smell was surprisingly clean, though also humid, as if a storm was brewing above. Reminding herself that this path was frequently used and was one of the safest parts of the forest, Sweetie Belle picked up her pace, catching up to Scootaloo in a few quick steps. Passing her friend, however, all of her confidence building fell by the wayside. Scootaloo was barely walking, her eyes darting back and forth, and her ears swiveling one way and then another, listening intently. "Scootaloo, are you okay?"

Scootaloo's voice trembled slightly as she responded, "Quiet! Didn't you hear that?"

Applebloom walked back to them impatiently. "Hear what?" she asked, not bothering to lower her voice.

"Something is moving around in the brambles." Scootaloo's voice was barely above a whisper.

Sweetie Belle stopped and listened. Pegasi generally had superior hearing to the other pony races, a trait that allowed them to continue communicating during flight even in high winds and loud storms, so it wasn't uncommon for Scootaloo to hear things first. For several moments, the trio sat there, Applebloom scowling as her friends quit walking entirely. Several moments passed, the silence interrupted only by a soft breeze through the brambles.

Applebloom scoffed. "It's just wind. Come on, let's go!" She rounded again, continuing down the trail, but Scootaloo remained where she was, looking terrified. Sweetie Belle looked between her two friends, uncertain of what to do next, when a sudden movement caught her eye. She turned to get a better view, staring down the way they had come. The tail end of something quickly disappeared out of sight perhaps one hundred paces back. Something was following them. Scampering backwards, Sweetie Belle let loose a shrill cry of alarm, setting Scootaloo off into a full gallop up the trail toward Applebloom.

The brambles behind the trio exploded onto the path only a few paces in front of Sweetie Belle's eyes as a howl pierced the air around her. A timberwolf! Sweetie Belle wheeled about with a shriek and bolted as fast as she could, her friends already galloping well ahead of her. The fillies screaming, timberwolves howling, and the breaking of branches filled the air around them, as more timberwolves could be heard crashing through the overgrown bushes on either side of the path.

Sweetie Belle focused on Applebloom and Scootaloo ahead of her as her hooves pounded frantically into the soft dirt. As the path weaved, she could hear the snapping of the bramble branches behind her as the timberwolf paid no heed to the bushes on either side, trying to cut corners and losing ground in the effort. Light rain began to fall, and though it wasn't yet enough to create an impediment to progress, Sweetie knew that even a light rain could turn the surrounding terrain into a death trap after several minutes.

The brambles on either side of the trail stopped, replaced by the dark, twisted forms of forest's trees. As the brambles receded behind her, Sweetie Belle looked back to see four more timberwolves crashing through to join the pursuit, and with no more brambles to slow them down, all five of the dangerous beasts were rapidly closing the gap. Screaming loudly, Sweetie Belle pushed herself even harder.

The trees soon gave way to a wide clearing that Sweetie Belle recognized. They were getting closer to Zecora's hut now, and Sweetie Belle was sure the wise zebra would have a solution to the native creatures that surrounded her home. A short well-maintained grass covered the ground here, the pathway no longer visible ahead. Sweetie looked ahead to Applebloom, trusting that her friend had been here enough times to know the way, but her eyes shot open in alarm as a sixth timberwolf cut in from the side in front of her two friends. Applebloom shrieked with an un-ladylike expletive as she veered to the left, steering the trio away from the new interloper and into a densely forested edge of the clearing. The trees here had low branches that whipped across the trail they were newly blazing as unnervingly low heights. One particularly low branch caught Applebloom's signature pink bow, ripping it out of her mane as several strands of her cherry red hair tore out along with it, and Sweetie Belle had to duck slightly to avoid catching it with her horn as she passed.

Applebloom's new route seemed to have taken the timberwolves by surprise, as the dense branches and numerous trees slowed their pursuit, forcing the wolves to run wide around the difficult terrain and allowing the fillies to gain some much-needed distance. The rain was beginning to fall heavier now, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Dark clouds above mixed with the heavier rain started impacting visibility, and Sweetie Belle forced herself to concentrate, providing some additional light with her horn. Ahead, she could see her friends still running along blindly.

Suddenly, Applebloom and Scootaloo dropped out of sight, screaming as they fell. Sweetie Belle tried to stop herself, but the rain had turned the loose dirt into a slick mud, causing her to slide to a precarious halt just before falling. She heard a heavy thump and peered over the side. Far below, Sweetie Belle could make out Scootaloo frantically trying to shake Applebloom back to her senses, both of them covered in mud. Her two friends were in a large, round depression, deep enough that Rarity's boutique could sit comfortably within it without peeking over the side. It was completely devoid of trees, grass, or any other forms of life save the two fillies below, and on the far side a cave mouth yawned darkly into the circle.

Unsure of what to do, Sweetie Belle lingered on the edge of the pit. Her friends below needed her help, but the drop could be dangerous. She was certain that the unexpected nature of the fall had contributed to her friend's unconscious state just as much as the depth of the pit had. Applebloom was also quite tough however, leaving Sweetie Belle with no confidence in her ability to drop down safely. Unbfortunately, before she had a chance to make an informed decision a timberwolf came running at her from between some nearby trees. Sweetie closed her eyes and jumped, the timberwolf lunging after her as she fell.

Attempting to put herself in the crash position that she had seen pegasi use, Sweetie Belle hit the ground and rolled violently to her side, the timberwolf crashing down upon her, flailing about in a panic. Sweetie Belle shrieked in terror as she pushed the confused creature off of her and rolled back to her hooves. The wolf sprang away quickly with a whine before attempting to scramble up the side of the cliff. Claws unable to find purchase, the timberwolf fell back to the ground. It righted itself and immediately renewed the attempt. This exercise was repeated futilely, as the creature seemed to have completely lost interest in the three friends. Sweetie Belle looked on through several repetitions of the act in stark confusion before carefully walking over to her other friends.

Scootaloo was shaking Applebloom profusely, screaming for her to wake up. The rains were torrential now, and Sweetie Belle noticed with alarm that the ground here was not absorbing any of the water, but instead was slowly filling up from the rain above and countless streams and rivulets from the surrounding area cascading down the sides. The rising water was threatening to drown the unconscious filly. Something needed to be done, fast. She galloped over to the cave mouth, the only immediately obvious exit to her predicament. The cave within sloped upward, and Sweetie took several steps inside, her horn shining brightly to let her see. The upward slope went well above the mouth of the cave, and while Sweetie Belle couldn't see any light from outside, she also couldn't make out the top of the slope. Sweetie Belle made a decision.

"Scootaloo! That cave! We'll be safe and hopefully dry in there. Help me move her!"

The two fillies struggled to lift their friend, and the water level on the ground was rising visibly as they worked, causing them to panic. Slowly, however, they managed to lift, pull, push, and drag their unconscious friend to the cave entrance, as the water level reached their knees. The timberwolf that had fallen in with them began to panic in the rising water, and eventually slogged its way over to the cave, perching itself high on the slope as water dripped from the wooden creature. It seemed as though an unspoken truce had been made, as the timberwolf took no aggressive action and seemed to be preoccupied with keeping as close to the entrance as possible without going into the rising water.

<><><><><>

Deep within the Everfree, the zebra known as Zecora looked up to the dark clouds with a grim expression. A strange silence had settled upon the feral creatures of the forest as Zecora stood outside her hut, sniffing the damp air and listening intently for any foreign sounds. The storm brewing above was extraordinary, and the increasing winds carried whispers of ill omens that nearly every creature of the forest could feel. A foul smell on the air betrayed the presence of timberwolves on the prowl somewhere upwind, toward Ponyville. Zecora trotted softly over to a patch of herbs growing nearby, plucked one with her teeth retreated slowly into her hut, intent on completing her latest project.

Her cauldron bubbled softly, a mixture of natural ingredients that was nearly complete. Dropping the newly plucked herbs into the mixture, Zecora began to stir vigorously with a wooden ladle as soft rain began to fall outside. After some time, the bubbling of the mixture began to cease as the surface began to glow with a soft green hue. Humming a tune, Zecora removed the wooden ladle from the new mixture, spooning some into a nearby wooden bowl. She started to pore over her myriad collection of natural ingredients, alchemical bottles, and other assorted jars of substances best left alone and pulled down a large jar filled with firegrass. Firegrass was an orange moss that warmed slightly when wet, making it an excellent base for medical poultices, setting it on the table. Gently, she shook out some of the contents of the jar into the wooden bowl, and began absent-mindedly mashing all of the content of the bowl with a hoof, grinding the moss and mixture together into a thick, gooey substance.

A far away howling from outside tore Zecora's attention away from her alchemy. The timberwolves were chasing something in the distance. Curious, Zecora stepped outside her hut again to listen. The commotion was distant yet growing slowly closer, but something else could be heard amongst the sharp howls, and Zecora perked her ears, trying to identify the noise. After a few moments, an obscenity shouted in a familiar voice cut through the howling and screaming. Applebloom!

Oh no, no, no. Zecora thought to herself. Why must that foolish child be here now? Darting inside, Zecora grabbed a firebrand ointment and quickly doused herself in it, grabbing a second bottle for a possible emergency. Bottles flew from shelves into Zecora's saddlebags as she hastily grabbed everything she could possibly need. She quickly scraped her new creation into an empty container and threw it into her bag as well. No time could be spared if an entire pack of timberwolves were hunting a single filly. She bolted out the door at a full gallop. The rain was already starting to soften the earth beneath her hooves, but her sturdy horseshoes given to her as a gift from the very filly she needed to save now grasped the firmer earth below the muck and propelled her as fast as she could go.

The shrieking and howling was shifting, heading even deeper into the forest as Zecora galloped through concealed pathways that few ever knew about. Time was of the essence as gnarled trees whipped past her on all sides and she pressed on as quickly as she could, leaping over patches of poison joke, blade ferns, and other dangerous plants and terrain skillfully. Her speed, mobility, and superior knowledge of the lay of the land allowed her to close the distance between herself and the wolves, but she was fighting against a late start that was going to be difficult to compensate for.

A few minutes later, a shrill howl pierced the air, signifying that prey had been cornered. Zecora's skin crawled as she realized the sound was coming from the direction of the Dead Shrine.

<><><><><>

Inside the cave, two fillies and a distraught timberwolf watched as the water level was visibly rising to cover the already dim light from outside, rising at a pace that would completely submerge the entrance within just a few minutes. Applebloom, still unconscious, had been dragged several feet up the tunnel, well above where the water level was, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle at either side. The timberwolf, frightened and confused, huddled against the cave wall, trying to keep as close to the water as possible while still remaining as far from the fillies as it could.

Scootaloo was exhausted from the efforts of hauling Applebloom into the safety of the cave and as the adrenaline finally passed, she found herself growing immensely tired. Still, she dared not sleep with a predator so close by, even if it didn't seem to be hostile at the moment. Completely drained of her energy, she laid on the ground, watching the rising water with concern. "Sweetie Belle? How were you planning on getting out of here?"

Sweetie's horn continued to illuminate the cave around them, granting the only source of light they would have when the water level overtook what little light came from outside. "I didn't really think about that. We just needed somewhere to take Applebloom..." A rumbling of thunder above reverbrated through the cave as Sweetie Belle trailed off.

Scootaloo sighed. Sweetie Belle was right; they hadn't had time to consider other options, and the water had flooded in remarkably quickly. Even though they might starve to death, and didn't have any idea how to get out, at least it wasn't a death by drowning. The rising water level was another concern entirely -- depending on how deep the cave went, they might not have anywhere safe to go. Still, that concern was secondary to getting Applebloom up.

Applebloom's still form was breathing softly, a large lump on her head from where she had fallen and struck the ground. Scootaloo had been lucky; her wings helped to slow her fall. She poked softly at the lump on Applebloom's head, prompting the earth pony to groan in agony, her eyes fluttering open briefly. She stirred and slowly lifted her head, eyes unfocused in the dim light. "Scoots? Sweetie Belle ...? Where are we?"

"In a cave, I guess," Scootaloo replied. "After you fell, it was the only place we could find that was safe."

Casting her gaze about, Applebloom noticed the timberwolf cowering at the water's edge. Her eyes shot open in alarm as she scrambled away. "How is a timberwolf's den safe?!" she shouted.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't their den. I mean, look at him! He's even more terrified than we are."

Scootaloo looked on as Applebloom observed the timberwolf. The creature simply whined, staring at the water as if it was debating an attempt to swim out.

"Ah guess you're right," Applebloom agreed. "But how are we s'pposed ta get home now?"

Another clap of thunder rattled their ears as the last of the cave entrance was now submerged. Despite that fact, the water continued to climb, slowly but relentlessly. The trio decided to move further up the slope, putting more distance between them and the timberwolf. They looked on quietly as the wolf poked and prodded at the rising water, but refused to go deeper into the cave than absolutely necessary.

Sweetie Belle's voice broke the silence. "I can't keep this light up forever, you know. We should probably try to find somewhere we can be safe."

Scootaloo didn't like caves. The idea of exploring even deeper into an unknown cave, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, was not one that appealed to her. Still, without Sweetie Belle's light and the water encroaching on their position relentlessly, she couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, we should probably at least look around. You lead the way, you're the one with the light."

Applebloom nodded in agreement. As the trio stood up and started treading deeper into the cave, the timberwolf whined louder, barking a few times before returning its attention to the water, the sharp sound ringing off the cave walls. After a few moments of walking upward, the passage flattened out and then began a gradual decline, spiraling sharply to the right like a corkscrew. Peering into the darkness ahead, Scootaloo winced as another crash of thunder sounded loudly through the passage.

"How far do you suppose this goes?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ah don't have any idea," Applebloom replied. "But Ah hope at least one of us gets a cutie mark after all this."

Scootaloo pondered the events of the day as they walked and began to wonder if this adventure was going to be what earned her a cutie mark. She was fairly certain she would never want to see a cave again after this and the idea of getting a spelunking cutie mark left a bad taste in her mouth.

After several minutes, the fillies came to a wide chamber, with stalagmite jutting up from the ground while stalactices above menaced near them, like teeth prepared to tear the flesh from any intruders. Slowly, the three fillies worked their way around the massive stone spikes. Scootaloo couldn't help but notice that the obstacles were making Sweetie Belle's light cast eerie shadows, and tried to huddle closer to her, while Applebloom took point, trying to find another exit to the massive chamber. Suddenly, Applebloom stopped and raised a hoof, pointing around a nearby stalagmite.

"Lights," Applebloom whispered.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle took a few cautious steps closer to Applebloom. At the other end of the room, Scootaloo could make out several bright points of light of various colors.

As the trio inched closer, shadows blocking the various lights started to take clear form.

"Look, there are some ponies over there," Scootaloo whispered, unsure of what to make of the strange lights.

The ponies were all standing in a semi-circle, each one facing the center in total silence. "They're not moving," Sweetie Belle whispered back.

All three fillies remained still and silent for several minutes, waiting to see if they were going to do something when a powerful sound came blasting down the corridor behind them. The trio jumped at the sound, shrieking in terror and fleeing toward the hopefully safe shelter of the other ponies.

As they approached, it became clear that these were not ponies, but statues set in determined poses. Each one was made of an unpolished, jet black stone of some kind that absorbed nearly all the light. With Sweetie Belle in closer proximity to the statues to better illuminate them, Scootaloo could see that there were twelve in all, four of each of the pony races, and each was decorated with numerous golden accessories, each inlaid with polished gems of different colors, and each statue featuring a different color. The gems themselves were the source of the light, radiating their respective colors around the room. The statues all faced the center of the half-circle, where a black pedestal sat low to the ground, perhaps two hooves high and polished to a shine, but otherwise unremarkable. It bore no inscriptions, nor any sign of purpose, but simply being near it left Scootaloo was a strange sense of peace. All three of the fillies stopped, feeling an odd sense of tranquility amongst the colored lights, the loud boom echoing through the cavern forgotten.

Scootaloo stopped in front of one of the unicorn statues and examined the metalwork. The statue's accessories, like each of the other unicorn statues, consisted of a golden crown with a large gem set in the center, a necklace with another gem in the center, and a golden covering on the horn with gemstones worked into a spiraling fashion down the length of the horn. Each of the gems bore a jade green glow. "Sweetie Belle, don't you think Rarity would want to see this? These are amazing."

Sweetie Belle was examining the metalwork on one of the pegasus statues, her eyes wide with wonder. "Yeah..." she breathed. The wings of the statue were wrapped in a loose golden mesh, with a glowing sapphire blue trim along the leading edge of the wings. Gemdust seemed to be woven into the mesh along the largest of the primary feathers as well, giving the wings a strikingly beautiful outline.

Over by an earth pony statue, Applebloom was doing the same. In addition to the necklace worn by all twelve statues, the earth pony statues wore golden leggings with gems set into each of the knees, and a spiraling golden trim that went all the way from the hoof to the knee, a narrow band of color running along the edge, but it was the necklace that had caught her attention. "Girls, don't these necklaces remind you of something? This one looks like one've the Elements of Harmony." She pointed to the statue's neck with her hoof where a ruby red gem sat in the middle of a golden-wrought neck piece.

<><><><><>

Timberwolves were pacing around the rim of the Dead Shrine's entrance, howling and whining to one another as Zecora arrived on the scene, skidding to a halt several paces away. The rain had rendered the entire area slick with mud. One of the timberwolves turned to her and growled, drawing the attention of the rest of the pack. Nearby timberwolves turned away from the flooded depression and began to circle around Zecora instead, sizing up their new prey. Zecora's eyes narrowed as four of them took orbit around her, digging her hooves into the mud for purchase. Her voice came out, low and menacing, "Touch me and regret your deeds, I wear the salve of fire seeds."

A timberwolf lunged at her from the rear, only to be met with Zecora's rear hoof crashing into its face, shattering the beast on contact. The pieces of the timberwolf scattered about the ground, burying themselves into the mud as Zecora firmed up her footing again. The remaining timberwolves growled menacingly, as three more of them left their patrol on the ledge to focus on the new stranger.

Two more timberwolves tried their luck, attacking from both sides simultaneously. The zebra whipped to the side as she reared up, boxing the wolf on the left with a hoof. The second timberwolf sank a fang into her flank, forcing a cry of pain from Zecora as the creature was suddenly immolated in a brilliant blue flame. The timberwolf in front of her scrambled backwards as the brilliant blue flame licked at its face. The blazing timberwolf collapsed into the mud. Steam billowed from the corpse as rain continued to strike it, the flames licking greedily at the the remains. At the sight of magical fire, the entire timberwolf pack scattered, barking and whining to eachother as they ran.

Zecora's flank was in agonizing pain. Though the flame had already cauterized the wound, the burning did nothing to help the pain. She examined the wound. It was a deep puncture that sat in the middle of the spiraling pattern of her Cutie Mark. Digging through her satchel, she pulled out her newest mixture and applied some to her wound. Dampened by the rain, the water in her fur activated the firegrass immediately, providing a soothing warmth that numbed the pain.

Zecora approached the flooded pit with trepidation. The pit which contained the entrance to the Dead Shrine was normally given a wide berth by the creatures of the forest, though the timberwolves were less cautious than most other forest denizens. It was a death trap during dry weather, as the walls were virtually unclimbable by most creatures. It was also sunken lower than the surrounding area, and its poor drainage during the rains caused it to rapidly flood. The shrine itself also acted a deterrent, with the powerful magics from within often repelling the magic-sensitive creatures of the wood.

It was obvious from the behavior of the timberwolves that Applebloom had fallen into the pit. Peering over the ledge, Zecora's eyes went wide in fear. There was nothing in the water; had Applebloom fallen in, she would have to stay afloat to survive. Zecora wasn't sure if the filly could swim, but even if she had drowned in the rising waters, her lifeless body should still float. The pit was lifeless, and shouldn't have had anything for a body to catch on below, either. Only one possibility remained, and Zecora was terrified by it. Had the foolish child gone into the Dead Shrine to avoid the wolves? It was the only answer Zecora could find, and the consequences could be disastrous.

Zebras, like ponies, were not good swimmers. There wasn't any way she could possibly swim to the shrine entrance without drowning; the water would have to be removed somehow. She rummaged through her pack again, pulling out a large vial of black oil with a heavy cork. Walking over to the burning corpse, she set the cork ablaze. The cork hissed and spat with magical energies as Zecora threw the bottle as far as she could toward the center of the flooded pit. The magical fires of the firebrand mixed with the alchemical properties of the enchanted cork caused the water to bubble violently as it sank deeper and deeper into the pit. As each bubble popped on the surface, it belched multi-colored flames into the air, providing any possible onlookers with a eye-pleasing pyrotechnic display.

Zecora wasn't watching the light show however, opting to take cover behind a nearby tree. The Blasting Oil in the vial was exceedingly dangerous and normally reserved for industrial excavation, but it had alchemical uses as well. Half a minute later, a massive explosion erupted from the pit. It launched magically inflamed water into the sky in every direction, and though most of the fluid burned back into water vapor rapidly, some of it splashed against nearby trees, setting the surrounding forest aflame. Zecora shook her head, hoping the heavy rain would keep the fires to a minimum; she didn't have time to worry about the consequences of that right now.

She trotted over to the pit, noting that nearly all the water had been blasted out, and what remained was rapidly burning into vapor again. The Dead Shrine's entrance was easily visible, which meant the water level was extremely low, but the flames below and the dangerous drop weren't terribly inviting. The firebrand she had used earlier should protect her from the flames just as easily as it had protected her from the timberwolf before, but the fall would be another issue entirely. Nothing in her pack would be helpful here; in her haste to leave quickly, she had not managed to grab any Cloudfall.

Carefully lowering herself down over the ledge, Zecora dropped to the ground below. The landing was rough and sent a shock through her rear hooves that might have hurt her legs immensely if the local numbing sensation from her flank hadn't dulled her senses. Sinking to her knees in the muddy, burning water, she slogged to the cave entrance slowly. Zecora's grandmother and mentor, Talua, had forbidden her to ever entering the Dead Shrine, and Zecora was feeling an overwhelming sense of dread as she took her first steps inside.