Skyblaze's POV
"Is everypony packed and ready to go?"
"You seem eager to leave, Sky."
"Hey, I want to get back to my fiancé, and I think Aegis and Rain are missing Dash, so yeah, I'm eager!" I exclaimed, my impatient attention deficit mind not tolerating sitting idly.
"That's not the only thing he's eager for," whispered Rain to Aegis.
"I heard that."
Ben chuckled along with them. "I actually miss Derpy myself, so I'm just as much of a culprit."
"Okay, Aegis and I are packed," Rain reported. "Let's move out, Brony Recon!"
"Brony Recon? Seriously?" I asked. "Can't we be something with a cool acronym or military honorifics?"
"Actually, Cereal refers to us as Exodus Equestria: Brony Recon," stated Ben in his official voice. "So by all means, Chloe is right. Our official name is Brony Recon."
"All I'm saying is, it makes us seem like a bucking scout force for an invasion."
"Says the pegasus who wants military honorifics," chided Ben.
"Hey, military honorifics are awesome!" I countered as I led the group onto the trail. "Just imagine: Captain Skyblaze…"
They all pondered this. "Actually, that does sound cool," said Aegis. "Like some kinda 'Equestrian Air Navy' thing."
"Commander Skyblaze would sound cooler," input Rain.
"You think so? Luna and I talked about it and we both agreed it sounds better than 'Prince Skyblaze'."
Ben glared at me. "I'm still mad at you for not telling us that you're gonna be an alicorn."
"Ha! Foolish mortal," I rebuked in a regal accent. "YOU SHALL BOW BEFORE ME!"
While the couple behind the green earth pony nearly jumped out of their skins at the Royal Canterlot Voice, Ben looked so unamused it scared me. "You're not invincible yet, Sky…" Ouch. My pride.
"Could we just cut the arguing for a minute?" Aegis spoke in a low voice. "We're coming up on the avalanche zone."
"Oh come on, if the Empowered Voice didn't set off an avalanche, I don't think that talking above normal will set anything off," I said, but then remembered an important fact. "Oh yeah, the Dragonshy episode…"
"Precisely."
>><<>><<
Rainchaser's POV
"Hey Aegis?" I asked in a low voice.
"Yeah?"
"I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna go flying with Dash when we get back," I said. Really, our situation had turned into Aegis dates me and I date Rainbow Dash. The two would occasionally hang out, but I remained the link between the them. This tended to be controversial in two ways, one being the relationship with Dash and the other being the relationship with more than one pony.
"Sure, go ahead," he answered cheerily. "You don't have to ask, Rain. You know I'm fine with you two flying. It's actually fun to watch."
"Thanks, big guy," I said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "Bet you wish you were a pegasus so you could join us, right?"
"Nnope." I gave him a look. "I'm deathly afraid of heights."
This was new. "Wait, what?" I asked incredulously. "Since when have you been acrophobic?"
"I lived in New York, and often went to the tops of skyscrapers. It was pretty fun, and I can't remember a time when I didn't go on the roof occasionally. That is, until I was thirteen." He sighed and dipped his head. "I was at the top of the Empire State Building, enjoying the view. Like always, I leaned over the edge to feel the wind. But this time, a stray breeze caught me and I pitched over the rail. Someone was quick enough to catch me by the foot and help my mom pull me up. But to stare at the ground while suspended in the air like that scarred me for life."
"Really? I'd actually get a high off that." I shot Skyblaze a look. "Shutting up now."
Aegis continued. "There was an upside to it, though," he said, smiling. "That was the day my mom met the man who would eventually become my stepdad. The man who helped her pull me back in."
I stopped to give him a hug before continuing on the narrow path. Then I had a very mischievous idea. "Heh, hey Aegis, don't look down."
"Very funny, Chloe," he glared. "But I haven't fallen for that one in years."
I gave him a malicious smile. "I'll bet you haven't." We continued along the path. Occasionally, I glanced back at Aegis. The large earth pony was giving the side of the cliff a wary look, sometimes resisting the urge to peek over the edge. Eventually, his curiosity would win over his will. Silently, I counted down.
He leaned over, keeping his weight on the ledge. Closing his eyes, Aegis put his head over the cliff and did what my reverse psychology willed him to. Aegis opened his eyes and looked down.
"GAH!!!" He shouted, jumping back from the precarious ledge. His cry echoed of the mountains, stopping us all in fear of a rain of stone to come crashing down upon us. For a split moment, nothing happened, the four of us almost sighing in relief. "Whew, I thought we were…"
Then we heard the rumbling. Like a stampede of cows was about to come around the bend in the path. I looked up and gasped. A wall of rocks and boulders was fast approaching, barreling down the mountain. Most of them were as large as Aegis, and would crush any one of us.
"For Celestia's sake, RUN!" screamed Skyblaze. He began to navigate the rain of smaller rocks, flight no longer possible. Soon enough, he was hit on the top of his skull, the blue pegasus pivoting and collapsing in a heap. Ben ran ahead, and made it a full three meters before meeting the same fate.
I pumped my hooves, dodging both rocks from above and from my side, threatening to push me off the narrow path and over the cliff. Coming upon Sky, I began to drag him to an over hang where the larger boulders glanced off. I rushed out again to find Ben. A shadow appeared above me. I looked up to see a larger rock blocking the sun, tumbling for me. Closing my eyes, I awaited the inevitable.
CRASH!
It never came. Putting a hoof on my chest, I still had a heartbeat, meaning I wasn't in pony heaven. I looked around to see where the boulder landed. The good thing was it hadn't landed on me. However, it did land on my unfortunately long pink tail. Rrrrggh… Dash told me I should get it cut. As I moved to push the rock off my regrettable extension, I heard a grunt from over the cliff. I rushed over to the edge and searched the face for the source. Finding it, I stopped cold.
Aegis was hanging on to a root, the cliff face around the woody appendage cranking with hairline fissures. He tried to pull himself up, but having hooves didn't help. Even if the large pony could clamber up to the base of the root, he still wouldn't be able to reach the ledge.
Grunting again, his strength gave out slightly, making him slacken and slide down the root even more. The cracks in the cliff grew to worrying size. He looked up at me with solemn eyes. The eyes of somepony with no other choice. "Rain, tell Dash that… that I love her…"
There was a frightening CRUNCH from the cliff face, and I struggled against my restraint even more. I was reliving my dream… "Aegis, no!" I bucked the boulder. It didn't even move more than a slight wobble. No… I couldn't let Aegis fall… my dream…
"Take care of her, Chloe… I love you."
There was a KRICK and the hairlines grew into chasms. The root pulled out with the piece of cliff. Aegis looked at me one last time, tears in his eyes. I pulled desperately at my tail, never breaking eye contact with the maroon stallion. Suddenly, I stopped to peer at his eyes. They spoke of doom, of helplessness. But they said even more of love and compassion, of caring and kindness, of humility and loyalty. They held his last goodbye.
The rock gave way. Aegis ended his farewell when he closed his eyes to accept his fate. He released his lifeline, the rocks that made up the cliff tumbling down after him. I watched as Aegis, my love, as his maroon body fell into the snow-capped pines.
"NICK!!!"
I cried until I had no tears to cry, falling unconscious from shock.