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// Over the River and Through the Woods to the Royal Sisters' Castle We Go 
// Story: Life Goes On 
// by Blue Breeze 
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The competition has started and everypony is pumped and ready to win that mystery prize, I know it all sounds very exciting, but I myself can't help but find myself a bit underwhelmed by it all. I mean, come on, you guys know me. You guys should know that I of all ponies don't have any reason to be afraid of the forest. Though, right now I can't fly or even use my wings, not to mention I have to watch out for Dash as well, so I do have to stay on the tips of my hooves for her sake.

As for our search for the castle itself... I honestly have no clue where we're going. You'd think after so many visits I'd have learned my way around, but it's a forest, everything looks the same to me. Ugh. Darn me and my inability to pay attention to my surroundings.

Much like when we were trying to solve the riddle back in town, Rainbow Dash doesn't look like she's all that much better. She doesn't look scared or worried like the first time we came in here together, but just as confused as to where we're going as I am.

"Hey, Dash?" I ask her as we casually walk down a dirt trail. 

"Yeah, Blue?" she asks in return, raising an eyebrow. 

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" 

"I don't know. I've been following you this whole time." 

I stop and look at her with wide eyes. "You were following ME?! I was following YOU!"

She stops with a skid and gives a worried look of her own. "What?! Why would you be following me?!"

"Well, you're the one who's actually been to the castle, so I thought you'd know how to get back there."

"I was just following Twilight and the others. I wasn't paying attention to anything but just walking."

I facehoof for her epic failure, but I guess I can't really say I'm any better than her. "Well, why were you following me though?"

"Well, you're the one who's been in here a bunch of times. I thought maybe you would know your way around here."

"First of all, I was studying this place's weather, not it's geography and layout. Second, I don't think I've ever been anywhere even near the castle, I've only ever been in the earlier areas that are close to the entrance."

She groans loudly. "Great. So that means we're lost. That's just perfect." 

I scratch at the under side of my chin as I look around. "Actually, come to think of it, this area actually does look a little familar to me."

Dash starts looking at me with a hopeful expression. "Really? All right, Blue! What is it then?"

I begin to walk down the path a bit. "I remember that if I go a bit further down this path a bit and make a right, I should come up to some bushes and-AAAAHHHHH!" I begin screaming as I cross through the bushes and begin falling down a steep cliffside, hitting some rocks on my way down. "Ow! Ah! Eeh! Ooh! Ack! Buck!"

Dash rushes over to the edge of the cliff and watches me fall, flinching at each time I hit something.

Another five hits to some debris on the way down later, I finally reach the bottom with a thud. I groan in pain. "That's right. I go that way and I fall off of a cliff. Just wonderful."

"Are you all right, Blue?" Dash calls from above. 

"Oh, sure, I'm just peachy. I just fell down a forty foot tall cliff and nearly broke my back from the fall. Yeah, I'm just dandy."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, you're fine." she looks up, in thought. "I wonder if the others are having any better luck than we are."

I'm sure we're all wondering that very same thing. So let's go check it out. 

Elsewhere in the forest, Zephyr and Octavia make their way through a bit of a more dense area of the forest. Zephyr walks along like it's no problem, but Octavia keeps nervously darting her eyes around as she hears different noises.

Zephyr notices his fiance's shaky behavior and decides to check on her. "Is something the matter, Tavi? You seem awfully nervous all of a sudden."

She cringes a bit. "Oh, I can't stand being in forests. The creepy, crawly bugs that are all around them. Just thinking about it makes my flesh crawl."

"Then what are you doing with that spider pin on the back of your bowtie?" he asks, pointing at the back of her neck.

"Spider pin? What spider pin?" she feels around her back and her pupils shrink to the size of pins as she feels something hairy with eight legs. She lets out a terrified shriek as she quickly hurries off and goes to hide behind a fallen tree.

Zephyr looks at her and then they spider that lay on the ground after it fell off of her. "What's the big deal, Tavi? It's just a spider, a jumping spider more accurate." he bends down and puts a hoof out. "Come on, little guy. I won't hurt you."

Octavia peers over and watches in disgust. "How in Equestria can you touch that thing?! Vinetion told us you jumped back from thinking there was a spider once."

Zephyr smiles at the spider in his hoof. "That's because I was worried I was gonna squish it, not because I was scared of it. I love spiders."

The spider suddenly pops out of Zeph's hoof and onto Octavia's face, making her freeze in fear before fainting. Zeph chuckles a bit at that. "Hehe. He seems to like you too." he walks over to them and picks the spider back up. "You know, I've been wanting to get a pet for a while. I think a jumping spider would actually be a pretty awesome one." he looks at the spider as he tries to think up a name for it. "I think I'll name you Archibald. I'll call you Archie for short. Yeah, that'll work."

"Oh, what happened?" Octavia says groggily as she starts coming to. 

"You passed out from my new pet spider." Zeph says nonchalantly. 

Her eyes go wide in fear. "Excuse me?" 

Zephyr puts his hoof down to get the spider right next to her face. "Tavi, meet Archie. He'll be coming home with us.

Octavia remains silent for a moment before doing another high-pitched shriek. The shriek is so loud that it can be heard from all over the forest.

Speaking of which, the resident white pony couple, Orion and Rarity, stop and look around as they here the screaming from off in the distance.

"Good heaven. What in Equestria was that?" Rarity asks with worry as she frantically moves her head around.

"Kinda sounded like Octavia." Orion says. He points his hoof out in the direction the scream was coming from. "Sounds like it's coming from over there."

Isn't that what I just said? 

"Well, we must go see if she is all right. Oh, but that way does require us to go off of the path."

"So what?" 

"I just had a new hooficure recently and I refuse to ruin it by trecking it through bushes thick grass... However, I don't mind if you treck through them." she looks at Orion with a devilish grin as she flutters her eyelashes.

He rolls his eyes and sighs at her before crouching down. "Hop on." 

She waves a hoof at him. "Oh, darling, I couldn't... But if you insist." she jumps up on him, knocking the wind out of him for a moment before stansing back up. "Now carry on, dear. Octavia needs us!"

"Right!" Orion says as he starts galloping through the forest to save Octavia. Or what he thinks is saving her anyway.

They run for a bit longer, passing, as you'd expect from a forest, many trees, bushes, and other assortments of plants before coming up to a large and raging river.

"Great. Now what?" Orion asks as he looks at the rapids. "No way we're swimming across that."

Rarity squints her eyes at the water as she tries to think up an idea. "Actually, I have the perfect solution." she sticks a hoof in her mouth as she whistles.

Suddenly, a large, purple, and well-groomed sea serpent arises from the river, brining a smile to Rarity's face and a look of terror on Orion's.

The serpent looks down at them and smiles brightly. "Rarity! Oh, my dear, it has been far too long since the last time we met."

"Oh, I know, Steven. But visiting isn't exactly easy for a lady like myself." 

"I understand, my dear. I wouldn't want you to ruin that luxurious coat of yours by running through the forest anyway." he stops as he looks at Orion. "Oh, and who do we have here."

"Sea... serpent... talking... big hair." is all Orion manages to get out. 

"Orion dear, dont be rude." Rarity scolds. "This is my friend, Steven Magnet, and he is a true gentleserpent. Steven, this is my coltfriend, Orion."

"It is so wonderful to meet you, Orion. Any friend of Rarity's is a friend of mine." he brings a scaly hand down for him to shake.

Orion hesistantly grabs it with a hoof and shakes. "Yeah, nice to meet you too."

"I see your moustache has grown back quite nicely." Rarity says. 

"Yes, well, it was because of you that I was able to last long enough for it to grow back."

"Oh, you're such a dear." 

"Guys, what about Octavia? She still needs our rescue." Orion says, breaking up the conversation.

"Are you talking about that grey mare with the bowtie?" Steven asks. 

"Yeah, that's the one." 

"Oh, no need to worry about her. She was meerly screaming over a spider." 

"Oh, is that all? That's good to hear. Now we can get back to the competition." 

"Competition?" the serpent asks, raising a well-brushed eyebrow. 

"Yes, dear. We're on our way over to the old castle as part of a treasure hunt." Rarity explains.

"Well, your best bet is to cross this river to get there. Allow me to make a bridge for you." the serpent dives under the water as he forms his body into a bunch of arches for Orion to use to jump over to the other side.

Once on the other side, the couple turns back to say their good bye. "Thank you, Steven. You really are such a dear for helping us out like that."

"It was my pleasure, my dear. And Orion, it was very nice meeting you, and I wish you both the best of luck."

"You too, Steven. Thanks again." they wave good bye as he goes back under and they turn around to continue going on. "Well, he seemed cool. Maybe a little... flamboyant, but cool."

"Oh, don't be so judgmental. You could do with getting a bit more in touch with your feminine side."

"As if." he says, rolling his eyes. 

"Well, I think the least you could do is get a moustache like his." 

Orion thinks about it for the moment before grabbing some leaves off the ground and putting them below his snout as he looks into a puddle.

"...Nah." he chucks the leaves away as he continues walking with Rarity giving him a huff.

The competition has only just begun and things are already getting weird. And that was only a fourth of the teams. Just imagine how some of the others must be doing.

Author's Note: I was gonna show more, but that'd make this chapter a bit too long, don't you think? Don't worry, you'll get more soon enough.