//------------------------------//
// Regaining Self-Confidence, Part 2 
// Story: The Legacy Of Darkness 
// by Darkness 1 
//------------------------------//

Everypony nodded their heads in agreement, and set back off, and continued to head in the direction of the blue light, and into the Everfree Forest, as Rainbow Dash said, "I'll be glad when we get through this forest, I never cared much for this place." 
Rarity said, "You and me both."
Twilight and everypony else stopped and said, "Come on guys, we need to focus." She then called out the Applejack ahead of her, and said, "Applejack! Any change in the blue light's direction?"
Applejack said, "Not yet....wait....it's pointing to....the left!"
Twilight said, "The left? But that would point to..."
Snowshy finished Twilight's sentence, and said, "That would point towards The Rambling Rock Ridge!"
Rainbow Dash asked, "Why would it be taking us there?"
Silver Sky said, "I don't really know anything about this world, but I get the feeling, that it's not there, it might possibly be something after we cross the ridge?"
Applejack said, "You know, he has a point."
Twilight said, "Yes, he does, and Silver Sky, you may be right, perhaps, there is something more to this, that there might be something beyond the ridge, I guess we will only find out, once we get there, and see where the blue light points to next."
Pinkie Pie said happily, "What if something's buried there? I love uncovering buried stuff!"
Everypony laughed, and Twilight said, "That's not a bad idea either. Alright, Applejack, let's keep going."
Applejack said, "You got it."
Nothing more was said as everypony set off once more, following Applejack, as she paid attention to where the blue light was leading them. For what felt like a long time, Applejack called out, and pointed in front of her, and said, "Everypony! I can see the end of the forest from here!" And then she turned back around, and kept moving forward.
Rainbow Dash said, "Thank Celestia, we're almost there."
Everypony just continued to follow Applejack and came upon the exit of the forest, and they all walked a little ways, and then they all stopped, and they looked out in front of them, and they saw the massive ridge before them all.
Snowshy asked Applejack, "It the blue light still pointing in the same direction?"
Applejack nodded, and said, "Yes"
Twilight walked to the edge, and looked down, and said, "We have to cross this ridge and the only way to do that, is to go down, and cross the bridge halfway down the ridge from the looks of it."
Silver Sky said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"
Applejack said, "I couldn't agree more."
Twilight nodded, and said, "Everypony, be careful on your way down, the ridge, from what I see, there many loose rocks here and there, so, watch your grip on your way down."
Everypony nodded, as Applejack went first, and after her, Snowshy, and Twilight went next, then Fluttershy and Rarity, and then Pinkie Pie and Silver Sky, and Rainbow Dash began to fly her way down the ridge, but stayed with the group, in case anypony fell off. Everypony took the descent slowly and carefully, and after a while, Applejack stopped, and looked down, and said to herself, "Whoo, nelly, that's a long way down...."
Rarity stopped as well, and looked up, and said, "We are long way down...." She then shuddered,as everypony else at this point, stopped, and waited for Applejack and Rarity to continue, as Rarity asked Applejack, "Are we getting close yet? I feel like my hooves are about ready to fall off!"
Applejack said, "We are getting there, we are halfway there! Just keep going, and we'll be fine!"
Rarity said to herself, "Easy for you to say..."
Everypony then continued climbing down, and as moment by moment went by, Applejack said, "We are almost there! Just a little farther!"
Fluttershy was quivering, her hooves were tired, and she said, "I can't...hold on....anymore!"
Twilight said, "Just hang in there! Just hold on! You'll be okay!"
Fluttershy's hold began to weaken, and she said, "I can't...I can't do it! I can't hold.....on.......anymore! AHHHHHHH!!!"
As Fluttershy said this, she lost her hold and began to fall, but luckily, Rainbow Dash caught her, and began to fly downwards towards the bridge and landed.
Silver Sky then moved his hoof down, and gripped a rock, and as he grabbed it, it became loose, and fell out of his hoof, and he shortly lost his grip from his other hoof as he began to fall, as Rainbow Dash tried to get up to him, but Pinkie Pie was below Silver Sky a little, and caught one of his hooves, but now that she only had one hoof holding a rock, and the other  was holding Silver Sky, and she lost her grip on the rock, and began to fall, as one after the other caught each other, but lost their grip as they all began to fall down. Applejack said, "Everypony! I sure hope the bridge holds! Because we going to land on it!"
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both trying to get to everypony, but they were all falling too fast, so all they could do was get out of the way, and hope for their friends safe landing. Seconds later, everypony landed on the bridge, with a loud 'thunk', some were dizzy, others landed sideways, as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy immediately rushed to aid their friends.
Rainbow Dash said, "Are you guys alright?"
Twilight grunted as she got up, and then she said, "That was not the plan, but I think I speak for everypony, we are alright."
As everypony got up, and were still recovering from the fall, Applejack said, "Well, that's one way to get down a ridge. Although, just for future climbing journeys, let's not do that one again....ever."
Everypony smiled, and Twilight asked everypony, I agree. Are we all ready to keep going?"
Just then, they all heard loud snaps, and they all looked behind them, the ropes holding the bridge up, were beginning to tear, and Rarity said, "It's going to have to be good enough! The bridge is collapsing!"
Twilight said, "Everypony! Run!"
As Twilight said this, everypony began to run as fast they could, to the other side of the bridge, and as Applejack looked behind her, and saw that the bridge was falling apart and collapsing at a fast rate, and she then looked back in front of her, and yelled out, "Twilight! The bridge is collapsing too fast! We won't make it to the other side!"
Twilight said, "We have to! Everypony! Run as fast as you can! And don't look back! Just keep going!"
Everypony ran as hard as they could, and as the bridge began to get closer and closer to them all, Twilight said, "Everypony! Jump!"
Everypony said nothing, and with all of them jumping together, the bridge had completely collapsed, as everypony began to fall down, and everypony began to try desperately to grip on to the bridge. Moments passed, and as the dust settled, Rainbow Dash was the first to come up, and climbed up the bridge, like a ladder, and lifted herself onto the ground, and then turned around to help the next one up. One by one, they all climbed up the bridge, and everypony breathed heavily, and as they as were still catching their breath, Applejack said, "Huff....! I can't believe....huff! huff! We made it!"
Rarity said, "Whew! That.....huff! was...too close!"
Snowshy said, "Everypony alright? Is everypony here?"
Everypony looked around at each other, and Twilight said, "We are fine, and everypony's here." She then turned to Applejack and asked, "So where does the blue light point us towards now?"
Applejack replied, "Well, for one, Silver Sky's hunch was right, it wasn't the ridge, it has to be something beyond this ridge. It is still pointing in the same direction, towards..."
Everypony for first time, after recovering, looked ahead of them, and Rainbow Dash said, as she saw what was ahead of them, "Great.....another damn forest...."
Snowshy said, "Yes, but it doesn't feel the same as the other forest, something doesn't feel right."
Rarity said, "I'm no forest expert, but I feel it too, something doesn't feel right...It feels I don't know, out of place or..."
Twilight finished Rarity's sentence, and said, "It feels wrong....I know."
Fluttershy said, "I don't like this.."
Twilight said, "Don't worry everypony, we can do this, all of Equestria is counting on us, although...I wish Darkness could be here, to guide us...."
Snowshy walked up in front of them all, and said, "No! This is exactly what my brother was talking about, you all have except for Silver Sky and myself, you all have lost your self-confidence! You cannot give up now! What is some old forest going to do to you all? You all have faced far worse, and prevailed! Haven't you?! You all have depended on my brother for so long, because of his immense power, and intelligence, that you all gave up on yourselves, and you let him make all the decisions! He shouldn't have had to! He knew what was happening to you all, he told me, when you all fell asleep in that shack, while we were waiting for the snowstorm to settle down a little, he knew what was happening, but he told me, he felt is was best he didn't say anything about it to you all. He also knew  that for you to regain your self-confidence, confronting you all on the subject would be far worse, than not saying anything at all. He also knew what needed to be done, in the case the world was ever threatened again. All of us, together, along with Princess Celestia, and Luna, and Luna's children, would be the only ones to take a stand against any rising evil! So I ask of you all, don't give up! Please! If not for yourselves! For Equestria, your friends, and for my brother's sake! Don't let all of his sacrifices go in vain! Equestria needs you all, without you six, the rest of us will not be enough to defeat Arrovak. So please! Don't give up now!"
As Snowshy finished speaking, everypony was silent, with all the heads down, some had tears, and then after what seemed like a long while, Rainbow Dash lifted her head up, and came up to Snowshy, and with sadness in her eyes, and said softly, "He really knew what was happening to us?"
Snowshy nodded, "He did, he knew from the very beginning when it started happening to you all."
Rainbow Dash said, "I see, even after everything, in his wisdom, he knew it was best not to say anything, it would've made things worse, he knew that, he helped us all in that sense, the best he could, plus, he saved us all from certain death."
Rainbow Dash went silent for a while, then turned to everypony, and with tears in her eyes, and with a shaky voice, "Well, I don't know about you all, but I cannot give up! I owe Darkness so much, my life included! Not to mention, for all those that have died, to see past victories achieved! I will go on! I will press on! I will regain my self-confidence! Are all of you with me? Or are you going to turn tail and run?! And let every single sacrifice Darkness and countless others that they all made for us all be for nothing? Or are you all going to press through this, and be right there with me, as we defeat Arrovak?"
Rainbow Dash looked around at the others, and they all came up to her, and they put one of their hooves out in front of Rainbow Dash, and she put one of hers out as well, and so did Snowshy, and Twilight said, "Your both right, you and Snowshy, it cannot end here, I too, owe Darkness  and many others, a great deal, if it means my life, then it is the very least I can do, for everything he did, for what everypony has done, for all of us."
Everypony raised their hooves up high together, and hit them together, as they all said, in unison, "Yeah!"
Everypony then put their hooves down, and they all looked at Snowshy and nodded with newfound determination, and all except Silver Sky, went over to her, and hugged her, and then backed up, as Twilight said, "Snowshy, thank you, you have given us the strength to go on. You truly are Darkness's sister, there is no doubt about it, there never was."
Snowshy said, "You are all welcome, I just couldn't stand here, and say nothing, I had to do something."
Twilight said, "It's fine, you did the right thing." She then turned to everypony else, and said, "Alright! Everypony ready?" Everypony nodded, and Twilight then turned to Applejack, and said, "Okay! Led the way!"
Applejack nodded, and said, "With pleasure! Everypony! Follow me!" And as she finished speaking, she walked forward, and everypony followed, as they all now had newfound hope, and determination in their hearts, as they walked into the forest, not knowing what awaited them all, but were not afraid of whatever it might be.