The Swamp Peril
& & &
Six ponies and one zebra stood at the threshold of the Everfree Forest. Dinky Doo had been safely ensconced in the home of Carrot Top, a close friend of her mother. Secure in the knowledge that the filly was in safe hooves, there was nothing to hold them back from entering the forest in pursuit of the fabled Elements of Harmony.
Well, almost nothing.
“We have to go in there?” Rarity fidgeted squeamishly. “Ugh, it’s so dark and dank and…dirty!
Rainbow Dash groaned as Applejack shot Rarity an annoyed look. “Ah reckon it is…so? Don’t you think saving your kin and country is worth a little dirtying up?”
“I never said that!” Rarity defended herself indignantly. “For Sweetie Belle I would do anything—but if I could do it and not get dirty, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Well you cain’t so give it a rest. You can’t have yer cake and eat it too.”
Rarity hmphed at Applejack’s curtness.
“That’s true you can’t!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing around the two. “No wait, you can have your cake and eat it but then you won’t have your cake anymore! What you really can’t do is eat your cake and have it—that’s really hard! Unless you can ‘have’ your cake in your belly, does that count? Ooh! What if you have TWO cakes? Then you can have one and eat the other!” She suggested. “Can one be chocolate and the other vanilla? But which one would you eat? Hmm, maybe if you made TWO chocolate and TWO vanilla—”
“PINKIE PIE!” Rainbow Dash raised her voice in annoyance. The sudden yell made Fluttershy twitch as she barely avoided throwing herself to the ground in fear. Dash’s eye twitched. They hadn’t even set hoof in the forest yet and already things were getting…complicated. “Let’s just go already!”
Twilight suddenly looked anxious. “Shouldn’t we make a plan first? I mean, there are a lot of things in the Everfree Forest to look for. Maybe if Zecora explained them I could make a checklist of them and—”
Rainbow felt her wings unconsciously flex in frustration when Zecora spoke up. “While your idea has merit, I’m afraid I must decline. There are too many dangers for me to list, and not enough time. I can show you how to sidestep the perils on the way—but be warned: follow my lead or the price you will pay.” She cast a severe warning look at Rainbow Dash at that last part before she started heading in.
By silent agreement, Applejack and Rainbow Dash decided that they’d keep an eye out for the less…hardy members of their group. Dash flew above the group, keeping watch from the air while Applejack headed up the rear with the same practiced ease that she’d use to herd a flock of sheep.
Rainbow craned her head back and forth. The trees in the forest had a more twisted, unpleasant look than those she’d seen elsewhere. Moss and vines grew everywhere, with no sense of pattern or purpose. It leant itself to a very wild, unkempt look which she supposed made sense, seeing as nopony controlled how the plants grew in the Everfree. She shuddered. Such an unnatural place.
In all of Equestria, everything was controlled by ponies or pony magic: the plants, the animals, the weather…coming to a place where nothing was controlled, nothing was planned was like stepping back into the distant past when ponykind was at the mercy of the tyranny of the old elements – earth, water, fire and air, before they had been subdued.
This whole forest reeked of anarchy, of chaos. Rainbow Dash shuddered. “So Zecora, what’s the deal with the Elements anyway?” She asked, trying to distract herself. “Where are they?”
“Our destination lies at the heart of the Everfree, the old Palace of the Royal Sisters pony.” Came the accented cadence she’d come to associated with Zecora.
“If you knew they were there, why haven’t you gotten them before now?” Twilight asked curiously.
Half-turning her head so she could answer, Zecora replied: “What need have I of those powerful gewgaws? Ancient magicks should not be disturbed without cause.” Turning her attention back to the forest ahead of her she added, “What’s more, our journey is perilous. Not one I would make if our situation was not precarious.”
“Perilous? Oh my, that sounds dangerous.” Fluttershy squeaked.
Rainbow Dash looked at her foalhood friend. “Fluttershy if you want to turn back, no pony will think any less of you.”
“N-no! Thank you but no. I said I was going and that’s that.” She scuffed her hoof on the ground. “If, um, that’s okay with you, that is.”
“Atta girl there Fluttershy!” Applejack patted her on the back, almost knocking her over. “All fer one and one for everypony!”
“And parties for all!” Pinkie added, wrapping up both ponies in a mammoth hug that had them both gasping for breath.
Zecora chuckled, prompting a frown from Rainbow Dash. “What’re you so happy about? We’re wasting time here! We’ve barely made any progress at all.”
“I would not be so sure.” Zecora said cryptically with a faint nod to the hugging ponies. “Progress is not always measured by just the destination, but by the journey’s tour.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah…I’ll be sure to stop and smell the roses on the way to fight the unspeakable evil. It’ll be a real fun trip! I thought time was of the essence here?”
“It was and remains. What I said though, clearly has not sunken into your brain.” Zecora started walking again. “Also, do not sniff any rose. They are likely to make your head explode.”
That made Rainbow come to a screeching halt…which considering she was still flying in midair, was no small feat. “You’re kidding right? Right?”
Her only answer was a flick of the zebra’s tail, indicating that they should follow. Soon the group was back to walking.
The density of the trees and vines soon became so thick that Rainbow Dash was forced to land—grumbling as she did so—in order that she not lose sight of the rest of her party.
A soft mist coated the ground, growing thicker the further in they went. Soon it coated the entire area in front of them. “Stupid freak weather.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, her feathers practically wilting under the moisture, making her wings weigh much more than they should.
Rarity let out a low moan. “My hair!” She mourned as her precious curls fell straight, getting caught on branches or dragging on the ground. “So ghastly!”
“Ah quit yer belly-aching.” Applejack snorted, herself annoyed as she felt her hat start to wilt under all the moisture.
Fluttershy let out a low murmur that nopony heard, her mane had collapsed in on itself, all but blinding her. Strangely enough, Pinkie Pie’s trademark poofy mane was unaffected. Twilight, who was right behind Fluttershy, shook her mane out of her way so she could hear better.
“What did you say Fluttershy?”
“I—I thought I heard something.” The creamy pegasus tilted her head upwards. Twilight twitched her ears as she strained to listen. There was the hoofsteps of the walking ponies, the faint conversations, the—there!
H-heeeelp me…help mee… the weak voice seemed to waft on the air.
“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy burst out of the line, running through the mist and into the forest.
“Fluttershy come back!” Twilight called as she ran after her.
“Wait, do not heed that call!” Zecora shouted. “There is danger for you all!”
“Fluttershy, Twilight—come back!” Rainbow Dash darted into the mist, soon followed by the rest of their company.
Rainbow Dash snorted as she raced ahead. This was exactly why she wanted to go alone! Too many ponies, too many things that could go wrong…
And speaking off…Rainbow caught sight of Fluttershy and Twilight up head as the mist started to thin out a bit. They had come to a stop looked like they were calling something out at their would-be rescuers.
Narrowing her eyes, Rainbow Dash took a giant leap augmented nicely by her wings and landed in front of her two friends…only to wince as the squelching sensation beneath her hooves. “Eww, what is this?” The smell was so overpowering she almost gagged. Looking down she saw that she had landed straight in the middle of a bog or a swamp. She could see the edge of the…not water, but sludge she guessed, about ten feet away.
“That’s what we were trying to tell you!” Twilight shouted in a panic. “We can’t move! We have to tell the others to--”
“Stop!” Fluttershy tried yelling but couldn’t make herself heard. Soon Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had run straight into the muck and marsh and soon found themselves ankle deep in the muck.
“What in tarnation is this?!” Applejack shouted as she struggled to lift her hooves out of the muck. She couldn’t so much as budge them. The others were having no better luck as they struggled. Rainbow Dash flapped her wings trying to get some air, but her hooves were anchored fast. Twilight’s horn glowed as she attempted to magically teleport herself out but nothing happened.
“STOP!” Zecora shouted from the edge of the marsh. “Do not move a muscle or so much as a hair! You have walked into the Swamp of Despair!”
“The what?” Rarity strained to pull her hooves out. “Ugh, this is so naaaasty!” She whined.
Zecora shook her head as she stomped up and down the edge of the swamp. “The swamp has led you astray! I warned that if you strode from the path that you would pay!”
“Less talking, more magic.” Rainbow barked. “This stuff is sticker than the royal taffy!”
“Oooh I love taffy! It’s so yummy and gooey and fun! Sometimes it’s sooo sticky that I can’t even open my mouth! Bon Bon loves making taffy because whenever I talk to her or Lyra she always has some and gives it to me! Isn’t she just a nice pony? Why--”
“PINKIE PIE!” Dash shouted. “We don’t have time for your…whatever it is! We need to get out of here! How about it Zecora?”
The zebra shook her head. “Were it so easy I would already have done so already. The swamp is deceptive and most deadly.”
“But…we’re not sinking.” Twilight looked down. “We can’t move but we aren’t sinking either.”
“Not yet.” Zecora said tersely, her voice ominous. “The swamp drags you down not through your weight, but through your mind. Memories, feelings, it will conjure up everything depressing and sad you’ve seen in your time. The heavier your heart grows, the deeper you sink. So if you want to live, happy thoughts you should think.”
Rainbow Dash looked incredulous. “That is the most—”
“—pathetic attempt at Immelmare Turn ever!” Hoops laughed as Rainbow Dash picked herself out of the crater in the cloud that she’d rather abruptly landed in. Well, crashed really, if you wanted to be picky. And Hoops and his friends definitely wanted to. “Maybe we should call you Rainbow CRASH!”
The confused mare shook her head. Why was she suddenly thinking of that? She looked around only to find that everypony else in the swamp was shaking their heads or crying out…or just plain crying.
Before she could say a word, Dash found a new image flashing in her mind.
She was nine--sneaking out of the palace to follow Shining Armor home. Her filly mind was all a giggle. This was gonna be great! She would follow him back and wait for him to go to bed…then the next morning he’d wake up to find himself pranked in his own bedroom! Classic!
Crouching in the shadows, she saw him stop in front of a house and knocked at the door. The front door opened up. Rainbow Dash saw the head and neck of a pink unicorn poke out of the door. They started talking…then she saw Shining Armor quickly glance this way and that before leaning in…and gave the unicorn a kiss.
Little Dash felt her stomach drop worse than it did after an inverted corkscrew. Shining Armor…had a girlfriend? Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes as the little filly ran before she started crying out loud. Her heart felt like it had been pierced by a lightning bolt.
She felt moisture on her cheek…and as she raised a hoof to brush away the tear Rainbow realized that the tear wasn’t just a memory. She flapped her wings, trying to extricate herself from the swamp. “I’ve gotta get out of here!” Rainbow Dash thought furiously, her cheeks wet.
She shivered as she felt a coldness in her belly. Looking down she saw that she was sinking! Her belly was now brushing the surface of the swamp. As hard as she tried to fight it, she couldn’t budge an inch.
Rainbow Dash scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head. “This isn’t real this is not happening…” as other memories floated to the top. Ditzy Doo as Nightmare Moon struck her with lightning. Shining Armor being transformed. Celestia breaking apart into a cloud of golden dust before Rainbow’s very eyes…
The swamp was now at chin-level. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. It wouldn’t be long now…
“Pfff bwahahaha!” A happy peal of laughter suddenly disrupted the unhappy fog of memories she found herself lost in. Looking around (or as much as she could with herself neck deep in muck) Rainbow Dash saw Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Twilight were in the same boat as her.
Twilight’s hair had somehow become a frightful mess, hair’s randomly poking out ever which way, giving her an off-kilter look. She was sobbing, apologizing to her parents…for what Rainbow Dash could only guess was Twilight’s disastrous entrance exam. Rarity cries had reached a high pitch that made it almost impossible to understand her. And Applejack, who was right next to Rainbow Dash was sobbing quietly. The only thing she could hear the farmpony saying was “momma…daddy….” But out of all of them Fluttershy looked the worst, her face a mess as a stream of tears poured down her cheeks.
But when Rainbow Dash looked to Pinkie Pie, she saw the pink party pony prancing about on the swamp, not held down in the slightest. She was smiling and laughing. “Pinkie Pie? Wha….?” Rainbow croaked, her throat constricted with emotion.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie was there, rubbing Dash’s mane. “Aww, it’s okay Dashie! Auntie Pinkie Pie will take care of everything, don’t you worry!”
Oddly enough, the feel of Pinkie stroking her mane made Rainbow feel…safe. It reminded her of when Princess Celestia would do the same for her when she was upset. “But why aren’t you stuck like the rest of us?” Dash protested. “Aren’t you ever sad?”
“Silly pony, of course I am! Everypony is sad sometimes. The trick is to remember that the sad don’t last forever and to always look on the bright side! In fact…” She cleared her throat. Rainbow Dash heard music coming from somewhere as Pinkie started to sing.
“Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...”
Pinkie started whistling. The sight of her capering and dancing around, in spite of everything made Rainbow…smile. Just the act of grinning made her feel more free. The others had small, tiny smiles start to tug at their faces.
Thus buoyed, when Pinkie finished one song, she went into another.
“Come on everypony
Smile, smile, smile!
Fill my heart up with sunshine,
Sunshine!
All I really need's a smile, smile, smile!
From these happy friends of mine!”
By this point, everypony (and zebra) was smiling at Pinkie’s antics, hardly noticing that they had stopped sinking into the bog. And when Pinkie got to her grand finale…
“Everything is perfect, it’s falling into place.
I just can’t seem to wipe this smile from my face.
Life’s a happy song, when there’s somepony by my side to sing along.
I’ve got everything that I need, right in front of me!
Nothing’s stopping me
Nothing that I can’t be with you right here next to me!
You’ve got everything that you need, right in front of you!
Nothing’s stopping you,
Nothing that you can’t do
That the world can throw at you!
Life’s a happy song!”
Pinkie stopped and gestured to her friends to join in.
“When there’s somepony by your side to sing…” Applejack chimed in.
“Life’s a happy song!”
“When there’s somepony by your side to sing…” Twilight smiled. That made Rainbow Dash smile also. Soon everypony—and Zecora—was smiling and joined in on the final line.
“Life’s a happy song--when there’s somepony by your side to sing alooooooong!”
Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in the air—only to realize that it was no longer stuck in the ooze. In fact, all the trapped ponies pulled their legs out of the swamp and laughed with relief—free from its grip. On the bank, Zecora reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a hoofull of powder. She gently tossed it into the swamp and chanted under her breath. “Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”
The swamp shimmered and the ooze seemed to dissolve into normal, if muddy, water. “What did you do?” Applejack asked.
“From the strength of your laughter and joy, the magic of the Swamp I was able to destroy. It is no longer a threat--but a normal swamp. Warm, muggy, and wet through which ponies can stomp.”
Rainbow flew over to hero of the hour. “Pinkie Pie that was amazing!”
Smiling, the pink pony merely hopped up and down. “Aw, silly! It was nothing really! Laughter makes everything better!”
Zecora, beaming widely, made her way back to the front of the group. “Come my friends, we have much further to go. The night will be long and the dangers many, before we can strike the final blow.”
“Then what’re we waiting for!” Applejack yipped. “Let’s get a move on!”
“Yeah!” The others shouted as they trotted off, their spirits rising.
“Watch out Nightmare Moon!” Rainbow Dash crowed. “Here we come!”
& & &
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Caught that Raven reference. Never liked her, but that chant is catchy!
this is gettin good
That was certainly different. And a much more insidious trial than a bunch of scary trees.
1026724
"The makers of Azarath and Metrion are proud to introduce, Zinthos. New and improved Zinthos gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it, and because it's blue Zinthos goes with everything. Zinthos isn't right for everyone and may cause bloating, cramping, hair loss, disturbing visions, fits of rage, and growth of additional eyes. Children under three should not be exposed to Zinthos. Do not get Zinthos wet, and never feed it after midnight. If you experience trouble meditating, stop saying Zinthos and consult your ancient scrolls immediately. New Blue Zinthos."
1026771 Yeah, Trinary has generally been kicking the evil up a notch or three.
Monty Python, the Smile Song, and that song from the new Muppets movie? My friend, you have excellent taste in pick-me-up music.
Life's A Happy Song should be a warcrime for how ungodly catching that blasted thing is. Curse you for getting that stuck in my head again.
Also, good job on the chapter.
Of course Pinkie is a Monty Python fan. She is element of laughter after all!
1026843
Only one way to fix that. Replace it with something even worse!
Search YouTube for "Narwhal Song".
Immelmare maneuver, that there is genius!
(For those not up on their flight terms here you go.)
Am I the only one having Neverending Story flashbacks?
Anyway, glad to see this continued, and Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
1027058
Dingdingding!
You win a cigar for getting the Neverending Story reference! *Offers a cigar and lights it. It then explodes* Darn it Pinkie Pie!
I never read the songs cuz i always think its unimportant
Zebras are extradimensional wizards.
I'm okay with that.
YOU JUST USED SPAMALOT, SMILE SONG AND THE MUPPETS ALL IN ONE CHAPTER.
YOU ARE A GOD.
But seriously, when I saw that first song, I just sort of half-screamed and stared at the screen and half-backpedaled in my chair and pointed at it wildly and just in general freaked out.
AND THEN YOU USED TWO OTHERS.
How is it that I've known every single one of the four songs you've put in here?!
In any case, this fic continues to be awesome. I look forward to seeing how you use the other five Elements, and in particular how the Element of Magic works out.
That is all.
Journcy Out.
Pinkie starts by saying that "Some things in life are bad."
"No, no, it can't be. S/he's just gonna use 'Giggle at the Ghostie.'"
She starts singing 'Bright Side Of Life'
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/2667328774161692252111104.gif
1027089
What is this Neverending Story reference of which you speak?
I LOVE that book, but I didn't notice anything...
Am I just performing under-par?
1027217
Well I admit I never read the book and my memories of the movie are pretty weak--mostly refurbished from episodes of the Nostalgia Critic. In the movie (the first and only good one) of The Neverending Story, Atreyu and his horse Artex must travel through the Swamp of Sadness. Atreyu makes it but Artex...doesn't. Don't ask me what a horse can be sad about but it is one of THE saddest moments in movie history. Look it up and YouTube and get a hanky.
When I was thinking of how to rewrite this story I thought, "wow, swamp of sadness. Pinkie would've have Artex out of there no problem!" and so...
1027274
Ah, that would explain it.
I've never seen the movie. May have to now; I've always been told it wasn't very good.
Secondary opinion is taken into account...
By the by, read the book. It's awesome.
It also gets rather storyception.
Which is always good.
Well, almost always.
Dude... I had just watched Graham Chapman's funeral.
When I finely got here arter 502 error bad gateway, I got to meet a Pinkie song. It will be a big help If you sent a link to the song.
This was great for an emotional pick-me-up.
raven reference neverending story reference (memories of the movie for me is vague as well xP) and smile song? im ok with this xDD
Good thing twilight got at least partially over her entrance exam or she would have sunk and drowned in under ten seconds flat. I wonder what got flutter so miserable that she topped twilight in this.
♪ Always look on the bright side of life. ♪
I like, I like.
1027199
It's not Spamalot, it's The Life of Brian.
The swamp of despair? Wow. That's a reference I never thought I'd see again.
Nice to see you're not reusing the shows points, highly curious what the others'll be 'cause I can't draw any theories from this. This story just keeps getting better somehow... it shouldn't be possible, but there ya have it.
Ah, the Swamp of Despair...
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/036/8/2/reading_is_amazing_by_csimadmax-d4os3uu.png
ok then a never ending story reference i only got because comments and i watched an episode of the nostalgia critic, a reference to the most overused "magical words" EVER, seriously i remember at least two to three places that have used it not including the original movie it was from in like the 70's or 80's...
and then smile smile smle, you glorious bastard.
1028374
Well it IS Spamalot, but maybe Life of Brian came first.
I've never seen the movie, I wouldn't know.
I know that song from Spamalot, however.
Nice work Pinkie Pie!
damn it now I want to watch monty pythons meaning of life but its nearly midnight ...
... ah screw it I'll just sleep in tomorrow 
Loving the story so far can't wait for more
Lifes a fish filet.
(pause)
Yes it is!
So this is how Laughter is made apparent in this universe? I approve.
Anyhow, now that I'm all caught up, I can give a full summary of my thoughts on this story.
Looking at the description, the story looked very promising. The concept seemed interesting, and the opening couple chapters demonstrated solid writing. There were some... iffy parts, but what story doesn't have those? Overall, I can easily say I loved this story. There were many aspects that I absolutely loved. The relationship between Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash was done well. How Celestia and Dash would interact as teacher and student was very much in-character. Ditzy was presented in an epic way, and Dinky was absolutely adorable. I also enjoyed the much more sinister aspects to the story once Nightmare Moon arrived. Well done, and I eagerly anticipate more
Maybe it's just because it was the first one I recognized, but I'm not sure how I feel about the Brian reference. ...what food do ponies eat that has gristle in it anyway?
The different ways the five broke down was nice, and it answered my question about whether Dash knew about Cadence.
1032974
Gristleberries, obviously.
Now I'm imagining Pinkie singing all the lyrics to look on the bright side
1033176 How silly of me, it's all so clear now
I'm glad that we don't have to bring in rumours and speculation about Pinkie's diet for this 
1027282 Actually, the Swamps of Sadness are in the book, and the scene with Atréju (pardon my German spelling) and Artax plays out pretty much like in the movie. One of the things the film got right.
1026913 in that case, she should like south park and family guy
as pinkamena
I really wanna see someone make a music video of that song that is picture perfect pony quality.
1034083
Well then apparently I should re-read The Neverending Story!
Great book, that.
1036246 Weird thing is, as sad as that swamp scene is (even in-universe, we get treated to a view of Bastian's reaction to it), it's not even close to the biggest tear-jerker in that book. Gráogramán, anyone? Or that absolutely fantastic final chapter?
Heh perhaps with nightmare moon you should put in a line from one of the songs made by Disturbed. Like Down with the Sickness or Inside the Fire.
Good Chapter Bro!
Also, when did Zecora become Ravin?
1030696
Really? I didn't get that vibe. Some of them were backstabbing and shallow, some of them were uptight, some of them were extremely open-minded and friendly (Fancy and Fleur are both Canterlot elite; just ignoring them isn't fair), and no matter whether they do it to feel good about themselves or to help others, a charity event is a good thing (assuming the money's not embezzled). They weren't any worse than the ponyvillians, who ostracised Zecora because of where she lived, and also include shallow, backstabbing, and rude ponies... And great friends and wonderful personalities.
To quote Rarity: "I learned that no matter where you go in life, you should never forget that you are the product of your home and your friends. And that is something always to be proud of, no matter what." Why shouldn't that apply to the Canterlotians too?
1026724
Raven was voiced by Tara Strong/Twilight Sparkle, as well. xD
someone's been watching too much Never Ending Story
lol straight away a reference to the story beyond her garden
always look on the bright side of life budum budum bedumby dumby dum lol
I'm getting minor Buffy vibes/shot