A special request

by chaos2012

Chapter 10: the valley

It took fifteen minutes for the two to get to the base of the cliff. For Applejack, it was perhaps the best feeling that she had felt all day knowing that she was off of that wretched path. Smiling, she walked on after Zecora to the next challenge in front of them; the valley floor.

The rocky basin stretched far ahead of the two of them, the dark stone glistening in the light. Large boulders were scattered all throughout the valley. Ahead, the other cliff at the end stood towering above the ground, seemingly locking them inside of the hot gorge. Applejack looked over to Zecora with concern, "Ah don't see a path on that side of the cliff. How are we supposed to get out?"

Zecora smiled over to Applejack, "Do not fret my young friend, for the edge of this valley we will find the end. At the base of the cliff we will find a tunnel. and entering it we will leave through that funnel."

"Really?"

"Yes indeed. Now, let's hurry before we become dragons feed."

The farmers eyes went wide; She had completely forgotten of the name that the valley had, "Let's go then!" she started to quickly trot ahead.

Zecora had a little amusement at Applejacks reaction, but she understood what was so bad; she had come through this valley before, and it was always something that have her chills. Moving in quick pace, she caught up to her companion.

Walking away from the base of the cliff, they were now exposed In the open to whatever could be passing by. Constantly watching the skies, they travelled forward with caution. Having to keep watch above and in front while walking was truly a pain.

Continuing on for about half an hour, it seemed as if the cliff in front of them didn't appear any closer to them. The jagged rocks on the ground didn't help their progress either; both of them had to maneuver carefully so that they did not slice their ankles. their pace was only set at a steady trot.

The shape of the valley was another thing that caused a major annoyance for the two. With the crest of the cliffs sloping up, they blocked the wind currents from entering the valley basin. The lack of flowing air caused the temperature to rise into the triple digit range. While the capes that they had normally helped to keep the heat off their body from the sunlight, in this valley they felt like they were in fact trapping the hot air around their bodies.

Zecora could feel the sweat dripping down her body as she walked, soaking the torn cape on her back, Looking over, she saw Applejack sweating as well. The brim of her hat had been stained a darker tone. Her mouth hung open, trying to gasp for air, but that only dried out her throat even more as the dry, stale air sucked out any moisture she had.

As soon as there was a flat area below a large boulder, Zecora turned and walked over to the base of it, kneeling down in the shade, "We should stop and take a break. You do not want to be out in the sun and cook like a cake."

Applejack gave a grin at the joke, "Alright. A little rest does sound mighty fine."

Trotting over to the shade, she plopped onto the ground next to Zecora. While the air itself was still extremely hot, being able to get out of the sun did bring some relief. Taking off her hat and cape, she felt the air shift through her damp fur, giving a strange chill sensation over her despite the heat. 'At least we are makin' progress through this darn place.' Applejack thought to herself.

Zecora reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. Popping off the cap, she quickly took several large gulps. While the water was not cold, it did bring her some refreshment by wetting her throat. She looked over to Applejack, who had her belly on the ground, her hooves stuck out intro of her and eyes closed, "Here, have a drink. Having fluids will allow you to think."

Applejack opened her eyes to see a half bottle of water between Zecora's hooves. Sitting up, she quickly grabbed it and chugged down the remaining water in an instant. She went to the extent of shaking the bottle to get out the very last few drops out of the bottom. After it was completely drained, she tossed the bottle back over to the bag, "Thank ya."

Zecora raised an eyebrow at the bottle, then looked over to the farmer with a grin, "Well, you quickly drained the contents in there. It seems your intention was not to share."

Applejacks face went read with embarrassment; she hadn't thought about asking if Zecora wanted anymore water, "Oh, uh, sorry about that."

"He he, do not fret about the empty container, for I am not one to be a complainer. I have several more for us to share, and I would gladly give them without a care."

Applejack smiled at how generous Zecora was, "Ah'm fine. Thank ya, though."

Looking out, the great cliff side in front of them loomed high above them, it's great face devoid of any form of pathway. Applejack stared in awe at how Zecora even found this path in the first place. With that question bothering her, she decided to break the silence of the moment, "Hey Zecora, ah was wonderin..."

Zecora glanced over to Applejack, "Hmm?"

"Well, how did you come by this way to cross? Did ya just stumble across it?"

"This passage is old and has been known for years. Zebras pass it down to their young ones ears. No zebra knows how long ago this began, but it dates back as far as we can." she stood up and stared down the long valley, "Legend tells of a brave group that travelled down, for they wanted to find and settle a new town. They went through the cave and came into here, and searched until they found the way to get through, my dear."

Applejack gave a face of mixed emotions between amazement and doubt, "Wow, so they just walked on by, found that there cave we're supposed to go through and ended up down here? That's crazy."

Zecora chuckled at Applejacks remark, "That is the story that we have been told to believe. Whether you choose to or not is whatever you conceive."

After another minute, they started gathering their things to start walking under the sun again. Zecora looked at how far they were in between the cliff in front of them and to be one behind them; judging by their positioning, they should be inside of the cave within an hour if they didn't stop walking.

Stepping out from the shade of the boulder, they immediately felt the bright rays beating down on them through the capes on their back. Despite trapping heat around them, Zecora knew that it was better to wear the capes then to allow direct sunlight to have the chance to burn them. Knowing this did not bring much more comfort however to her baking body.

------

After forty minutes of walking since their break, Applejack felt as if she was going to collapse; her entire body was drenched with her perspiration, dripping down from her cape and dropping on to the ground. She could hear the drips sizzling as soon as they touched the hot ground, disappearing instantaneously.

The ground at least had become a much more bearable at this point in the valley; there were not near as many sharp rocks sticking up everywhere, so the two of them were able to walk at a faster pace without having to watch every step. The ground was also a lighter tan color, which in the sun was still hot, but not near as excruciating as the darker toned stone bedding from earlier in the gulley.

Coming over a small crest of a slope, their eyes now gazed upon the base of the other side of the valley, no more than a half mile away. Applejack let a a deep holler of happiness, "Woo-wee! We're almost there."

"Yes we are indeed. We got across with decent speed." Zecora responded. She was happy as well to be able to get out of the hot valley. Despite coming across it several times, she always hated this part of the journey to and from her land the most.

Suddenly, a loud screech echoed through the canyon. Both zebras froze at hearing the horrifying sound reverberate in the still air. Zecora shot her head to the left towards the direction that the sound came from. In the Sky, she saw several dark shapes quickly approaching their position.

Slowly, she turned to Applejack, eyes filled with panic, "Run."

Comments

[EchotheWolf]

FIRST!

Anyways, you'd better keep this up, chaos!

[chaos2012]

1573144 well well, what do we have here? A quick comment by a fellow peer.

[Listener]

Updates! With rhymes, and more!

Thank ye for the chapter, and curse you for the cliffhanger.

[StormyVenture]

1573144
Tsk, tsk, don't get yourself banned to do that!

From the site comment rules:

Don't "first post." If you think your post will violate this rule, don't post it!

Pretty interesting so far.

[andmos]

1573305 who cares?

[EchotheWolf]

1573305 People do that all the time... Don't they?

[EchotheWolf]

1573151 Yes, you do!

[Violet Runner]

Right when they think they're in the clear, they heard something they did not want to hear.

another great chapter Chaos, keep it going.

[Page_Turner]

1574032

Right when they think they're in the clear, they heard something they did not want to hear.
another great chapter Chaos, keep it going.

Rhymes... Too Many Of Them... Ahhhhhhhh!