ACT SEVEN
On Brogan, at Khan’s village, some of the team spent the rest of the afternoon helping prepare for the journey, while others took the time to enjoy themselves and play along with the children of the many other ponies that lived there, both Equestrian and Space type
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy loved playing with the children. Some of the children even fussed over Spike, smothering him, and pinching at his little cheeks calling him the cutest thing they had ever seen. “Cute?!” snapped Spike “Ugh! I’m supposed be a dragon, not a puppy dog.”
“Oh, really, Spike.” Rarity said “They can’t help how they feel, and after all…” she then picked him up too and cuddled him like a teddy bear “They are right you know. Sometimes I think you are just the cutie-wutiest thing ever!” This part Spike didn’t mind, being smothered by Rarity. “Maybe it’s okay to be cute.” he said to himself.
Still, some of the children preferred to pretend that they were warriors and bad guys, because one day they wanted to learn to become begin and strong like their mothers and fathers, and some of them even thought of joining Starfleet one day. Particularly one young red ground pony named Daneous. All he ever did was practice and train and work hard.
“Whoa, whoa, easy there little guy.” Lightning said “You might hurt yourself if you keep that up.”
Daneous calmed down. “I just want to become the strongest that I’ll ever be.” he said “So I can be like you one day, and fight to save lives.”
Lightning admired his determination “Maybe you will someday, but, well… your still just a colt. You should be spending your time having more fun, just the other ponies are.”
Daneous didn’t understand how a big fighter like Lightning Dawn could think about fun at a time like this. “You never had much fun when you were my age.” he said “I heard stories from Khan that you always spent your time training and practicing with the Grand Ruler.”
“Yeah, but I had fun sometimes.” Lightning went on to explain that even while he was out on his own, wandering through space. There were times when he would stop to have a little fun; sliding down riverbanks, climbing trees, fishing, even skipping rocks, even if it was all just in the palace, inside the illusion-chambers, and even after when he spent ten years training with Grand Ruler, they did have some fun times.
“Daneous, I know what training and stuff mean to you, but in the end you’re still just a colt, and you have plenty of time to grow bigger and stronger, and you have something that I didn’t have much of; choices.”
“I don’t understand.” Daneous said, and Lightning thought it over how to explain it to him as best as he could, and he explained how Starfleet fighters weren’t all about fighting and training. They could still live daily lives and do things that most others did, even have a little fun once in a while. “Hey, what say I show you what I mean?”
Daneous smiled, and up until sunset Lightning and Daneous went fishing, slid down the small slopes like surfers, and even hung upside down from trees and got dizzy. Daneous was beginning to see, maybe there was more than just training all the time. “Thanks Captain Lightning.”
Lightning smiled and patted his head “You’re all right, kid.”
The others had been watching him and thought it was really sweet the way he passed on some of his knowledge and words to a young pony. It reminded Twilight of all the things Celestia showed her. She probably would never have been the pony she was today if it weren’t for her, and Lightning and Grand Ruler also taught her how to become stronger to fight off dangerous enemies when there was no other option, and she was always there to help him too, since Lightning couldn’t do magic she taught him about many kinds of others when they studied so he could learn to develop new strategies and ways to overcome them.
“Wake up there, daydreamer.” Applejack said.
“Oh, sorry…” Twilight said, but Applejack knew exactly what she was thinking “We all think the same way about each other and what we’ve learned.”
The others all agreed, and the next day they were going to put their natural skills to the test.
Early the next morning on Brogan, the team met at the edge of the village, all of them with their packs on their back and all their supplies loaded. Spike even sat on Twilight’s backpack. All the villagers came out to see them off, and Daneous wished a big good luck to Lightning, and promised that no matter what he would try to have a little fun every so and so.
Lightning smiled at him and then he turned to face the mountain in the distance. His team mates gazed at mountain in the distance “…It’s time.” and with that everyone began to walk off towards the mountain leaving the village and the villagers behind. They couldn’t go with them as it was only their duty to look after the planet and guard the shrine. All they could do was hope and offer their prayers of luck to their new friends.
Once they reached the foot of the starting point of the mountain trail, two ponies from the village stepped forward and tapped their spears. “We are the gate keepers of Tall Mountain.” one of them said, and other one asked if they wished to proceed but heed repeated warnings of the many dangers that lay ahead, but the team insisted that they pass. “Very well, but take this final warning; once you pass here, you are on your own from here on. There will be no flying, and no magic you can use.”
“What are you, deaf?” Rainbow asked rudely “We said we’re going.”
“Rainbow!” snapped Twilight.
The guards didn’t mind her being rude and let them all pass. The team looked up at the long climb they had. “Let’s go.” Lightning said and they all ran along the trail leaving the guards behind coughing in the dust. “You think they can make it?” one asked. “Who’s ever made it before?” the other said, and they just stood back at their posts
The ponies had run quite a-ways up, and it wasn’t long before they visually could not see the guards or the starting point of the trail anymore, but the top of the mountain hardly seemed any closer. “Gee, I knew the mountain was tall, but I didn’t think it was this tall.” Spike said.
“At least you’re getting a free ride.” Twilight said.
“We have to keep going, and that’s no doubt
United Equestria’s time is running out.” Rhymey reminded everyone.
Eventually they reached areas where they would have to climb vertically to reach the next ledges. Luckily, being trained well they were excellent climbers, but poor Fluttershy was actually growing scared of how high she was climbing as she scaled a cliff face. “But you’ve flown higher than this before.” Artie said.
“I know…” whimpered Fluttershy “But that’s because I was flying. Here I can’t do that, and if I fall I could… I could…!”
“You won’t fall, Fluttershy.” Lightning said “We won’t let that happen to you. Now, just keep climbing and whatever you do, don’t look down.” but as usual Fluttershy looked and she freaked out, and held on to the rope for dear life. The others at the top sighed and had no choice but to pull her up the rest of the way.
“I guess you never appreciate flying so much until you can’t do it anymore.” Buddy Rose said.
Poor Rarity felt as if she had a leg cramp, and she needed a serious pedicure “Are we anywhere near the top yet?” she asked, but to her and everyone else horrors and dismay, they still hadn’t seemed to have gotten any closer. “Ugh! Does this mountain even have a top?” groaned Twilight.
“Of course it does, we saw it ourselves, remember?” Lightning said “Now, let’s keep going.”
As they continued to climb, Applejack began to feel the ground rumbling beneath their feet “Uh, Lightnin’?”
“What now?” snapped Lightning.
“Can anyone else feel that?”
“Feel what?” asked Pinkie, and then suddenly she felt her Pinkie Senses picking up. “My tail…! Twitch-a-twitch! Twitch-a-twitch! Something’s going to fall!”
Everyone felt the rumbling, and the twins, being expert geologists and miners, recognized the vibrations and feeling anywhere. “AVALANCHA!!” they shouted in Spanish. That’s when the others looked up and could see a whole stream of large boulders rolling down the mountain. “TAKE COVER!” shouted Lightning, and everyone leapt rock behind formations or onto higher ledges as the rocks got closer and went right past them all leaving a cloud of dust.
The team all poked their heads up and all seemed to be okay, but Rarity was missing. “Help! Help!” she shrieked. Poor Rarity in her panic had jumped over the ledge to avoid the rocks, and fallen at least ten feet down and was hanging for dear life onto a large root. “Rarity!” cried Twilight.
“Please, someone help me!” cried Rarity with tears of fear in her eyes, and a five hundred five hundred yard drop below. Remembering that they couldn’t use magic or fly, the only chance they had was to lower one of them down on a rope.
Rhymey volunteered. “Be careful!” Fluttershy begged and pecked him on the cheek for luck. Rhymey promised her he would. “Hurry!” called Rarity. The root was starting to break by her weight.
The others slowly lowered Rhymey down,
“I’m coming to you, Rarity.
Don’t worry, you’ll soon be free.”
Rarity smiled with hope, but the root had almost completely broken away “HELP!!” she screeched. Her loud voice echoed along the mountain and the gang could feel more rumbling. Lightning hollered “Rarity… Stop screaming! You’ll cause another rockslide!” but more rocks were already heading towards the team just as Rarity climbed over and onto Rhymey’s back.
“Hurry, get them up!” snapped Spike.
The team pulled and pulled with all their might as the rockslide got closer. Rarity and Rhymey had just reached the tip of the ledge and climbed over.
“Two ponies covered in dirt and grime
But we made it…” Rhymey said as everyone ducked out of the way letting the rocks slide past the, “…Whew… just in time!”
Rarity hugged Rhymey warmly for saving her, and she thanked all her other friends, but now they had to continue their climb, and guessed that the rocks were only one of the many dangers that they would come across.
Their guess was right…!
As they climbed higher and higher, they ran into more traps and surprises along the way-- Trap holes, air pockets erupting in their faces trying to blow them off. There were even magical illusions set up to try and trick them, and they were fortunate enough to find the skeleton remains of few of the previous climbers that didn’t make it to the top, but keeping their wits about them and working together they all managed to avoid serious trouble and continue onward and upward.
Eventually they grew tired and had to stop and eat and maybe even set up camp and the sun began to set making it harder to see the mountain trail. So they were ultimately forced to stop and campout where they were until morning. At least they had plenty of food, and Starla would take the first watch in case any dangers would try and come near the campsite.
Nothing more happened during the night, and Starla almost found it difficult to keep focus as the stars were so beautiful. She wished she had her telescope with her, but using what she could see with her eyes, and scribbling with a twig in the sand, she was able to calculate their exact position, how far they had climbed and when they would reach the top of the mountain.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps coming near her. She turned swiftly to see it was Lightning. “Easy Starla, it’s only me.” He spoke softly as not to wake the others. He had come to relieve his mare-friend and take over the watch so she could some sleep, and he noticed her scribbling in the sand. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”
Starla smiled and explained if their calculations were correct, borrowing too many mishaps, they’d reach top of the mountain by midday the next day. “That’s great.” Lightning said, but he noticed she was feeling doubtful. “That is great isn’t it…?”
Starla was still worried about United Equestria, “What if we don’t make it back in time?”
Even Lightning was starting to feel that maybe it was just possible they wouldn’t make it in time. “Look, we can’t let that get to us.” he said “No matter what comes or what goes; I’m not going to stop trying.”
“I won’t either.” Starla said with a brave smile on her face. She gazed behind her at all the others wrapped in their blankets as they slept peacefully, she knew that they were all feeling the same way about never quitting. “You better get yourself some sleep. We have a tough day ahead of us.”
Starla agreed and pecked her colt-friend deeply on the cheek goodnight.
“Starla…”
“Yeah…?”
“…Try to think happier thoughts.”
She smiled at him one last time before slipping under her own blanket and laying down on the ground. While Lightning took over the watch, and took a moment or two to gaze up at the sky and wondering if United Equestria was okay.
Distraught observed everything from his secret place. “Oh, how sweet.” he sniggered “I have to admit, they’re more resourceful than I thought, but no matter. Not being pure-of-heart, they’re as good as dead.”
He also discovered that his spell was finally strong enough for him to unleash his wrath on United Equestria, seeing as how all their forces were completely overpowered by his spells and monsters.
“Hmm…” he said as he scratched his chin.
“Does something trouble you?” asked the hidden voice.
“No, nothing really…” Distraught answered “I’m just thinking, maybe I could offer those ponies one last bit of compassion. After all, if they’re going to die, they ought to go out with a bang.” Then suddenly his eyes lit up “Yes, why not.”
“What are you thinking?” asked the voice “It would be much wiser simply to just wipe them all out, would it not?”
“Perhaps, but then again, I think I prefer the fun way to do it.”
“I insist that you reconsider.”
“Quiet! Just you remember who’s really calling the shots around here. If I wish to do things my way, then I will. Besides, I really don’t see any difference. Either way the ponies die, and my race comes back.”
He then recast his gaze upon the team on Brogan. “Why should I worry about them? Come tomorrow, they’ll get what’s coming to them for their heartless ways!”