//------------------------------// // Day V // Story: Cascade! Clouds Above, Obfuscate! // by WritingSpirit //------------------------------// "We should've been back in Vanhoover by now." "Yeah... yeah we should've." "Darn this stupid jungle... How you holding up, Soar?" "Tired... just tired..." "Can't even complain about the heat anymore, huh?" "That's what five days of walking around a jungle and daily gallons of sweating does to you. Seriously, how are you... still... walking..." "Don't know. Really trying my best not to just fall over and die here." "Can we just fall over and die here?" "You know what, yeah... good idea... let's fall over and die here..." "Alright, and here we... ahhhhh...... finally, some rest~!" "Got that right. Five minutes tops though." "Aw, seriously? Why not ten minutes? Or at least eight?" "Ugh, fine, seven minutes. No more, no less. The sooner we find the temple, the better." "Heh. Got that right." "Hey, Dash." "Yeah?" "Just wondering, and I know it's a little late to ask this, but um... what's this all for?" "This expedition, huh? Well, uh, it has to do with some research involving... well... some really old stuff, I think. Like ancient. Like before Celestia became a thing. Look, I know I'm sounding kinda cagey here, but it's a little hard for me to just say it to you outright, mostly caused I sorta Pinkie Promised to not just tell anyone I meet on the street." "Hey, I'm more than a pony you met on a street. You can at least tell your fellow wingpony, can't you?" "Huh. Thought you were gonna go for coltfriend instead of wingpony." "Well, I am, or was, your wingpony before I was your coltfriend, aren't I?" "Actually, you were Spitfire's wingpony." "Yes, that, but she reassigned Fleetfoot in my place, remember? When she put you into our main team, she assigned me to partner up with you, didn't she?" "Yeah, she did, except that you became the lead flyer. I was the one assigned to be your wingpony." "...yeah, that's how it went, didn't it?" "Yep." "By Luna's moonlit flanks..." "Whoa-hoh there! Tone it down, butterlips!" "It was getting good though! It was supposed to make you understand why it's a good idea to trust me, because wingponies are supposed to have the back of their lead, but instead I got our roles mixed up and it turns out you're the wingpony and I'm—" "Okay, okay, I get the analogy! Damn, this heat's really messing with you... Okay, you want me to trust you with stuff, I get it. It's just... I'm not entirely sure of what's going on myself. I mean, it sounded important, sure, but it didn't sound urgent, so I don't wanna just... screw things up by talking my head off." "Come on, Rainbow, when have you ever done that?" "Do you really want to know?" "Alright, sorry I asked, meant to cheer you up!" "I don't need cheering up, Soarin'. I need to find this stupid temple and get the stupid artifact so we all can go home and sleep in an actual bed, for once." "Well, I can't argue with that. I just thought since, you know, we're both down in the dumps and almost dumping on each other, I'd try lightening the mood a little. You know, liven it up before it all goes wayward." "You don't have to, okay? I'm not that bummed out about this whole thing." "Dash, you're wayyyy past the bumming out stage. If you ask me, you're looking really frustrated right now." "Who wouldn't be? Wandering around in the middle of nowhere, looking for some stupid slab of stone sticking out from the ground among all the other stupid things sticking out from the ground—" "Yeah, that, but I don't think that's what you're frustrated about." "Okay. You're gonna tell me what to be frustrated about now?" "Rainbow, that's not what I said." "Well, then what are you saying?" "Look, I'm trying to make this work as much as you are. I know, I know, some of the things I've been doing might be worrying you a little bit, but I promise, all of this has nothing to do with that—" "Where's all this coming from, Soar?" "It's just— ugh, how do I say this without... you're scared, aren't you?" "N-No, I'm— um, uh, s-scared of what?" "You gave an answer then, so I'm guessing you know what I'm talking about. Look, yes, I'm definitely retiring from the Wonderbolts and yes, I should've let you know in advance, but I guarantee you, this has nothing to do with—" "Can we not talk about this right now?" "Th-Then when do we wanna talk about it?" "Some other time." "You said that the last time." "And I'll say it again. Some. Other. Time." Soarin' sighed. "You don't have to worry about a thing, that's all I'm saying." Rainbow glanced away. "How would I know that..." she mumbled. He was about to respond, only to stop in his tracks. His jaw slowly fell, much to Rainbow Dash's bewilderment, though she quickly realized it when she followed his glistening gaze. For a moment, time stood still to marvel, perhaps at how the two of them shared almost the same expression of wonder at a curious stone cube about the size of a small hut, intricately designed with fractured patterns of concentric circles and jutting out from the ground like a molehill with a rectangular opening carved in, pitch black except for the set of stairs leading downwards into the darkness. Silence hung stoically between them, only to make way when Soarin' finally found it in himself to speak. "Is that your temple?" "Yes," came her answer, accompanied with a slow bout of nodding and a growing grin. "Yes it is."