Chapter Fifteen: Serpent's Lair
After a few more days of traveling by ship, the group finally found their selves on the shores of Keelhaul Key. Fluttershy was most relieved to be there, being the first to rush off onto the land, hugging a nearby rock on the shore.
"I never, ever, ever, ever want to ride on a boat again!" she cried out, clinging to the boulder.
"Think we should point out that we have to ride the ship back?" Spike asked Sweetie Belle. The filly shook her head.
A camp was set up by many of the crew members in a patch of jungle up a path from the beach. The group had been informed on the ship that this island held no living quarters on it, so as they would have to survive in camps set up by the ship members themselves. They were a bit upset by this, seeing that it was more of a downgrade from the ships interior, but Fluttershy found it to be a much more comfortable resting place.
"So, do you even know how to find this berry?" Scootaloo finally asked as they were settling down into their tents. Spike froze up, not able to come up with a response.
"I guess I kind of never… figured that part out. I'm going to go talk to the ship's captain real quick." He laughed nervously as he snuck away from the glares of the fillies. After searching through a crowd of ponies for a while, Spike finally came across the captain.
"Excuse me, sir, but do you happen to know anything about… uhh…" Spike frantically tried to recall what the name of the berry was, realizing Pinkie Pie had never told him.
"Yes? What is it, son?" His expression going blank, Spike backed away and ran back to the campsite.
"Sorry to waste your time, sir!" he called back.
"Well? Did you find out anything?" Sweetie Belle asked as he began searching through the luggage Pinkie Pie had made him take. "Hellooo?" Spike finally pulled out a book triumphantly. He held it up for the other three to see it was a book detailing Keelhaul Key.
"This ought to tell us something!" he said, beginning to flip through the pages of the book. He finally came across a marked page with a picture of a berry on it.
"It says the berry is very rare and… grows inside of a grotto?" Sweetie Belle read aloud, exchanging a glance with Scootaloo. "Well how are we supposed to find that?" Spike closed the book shut.
"We search the beach for it! I'm sure we can find something eventually!"
"Yeah, but who knows how long it's going to take." Scootaloo said, sighing. "When did you want to start this journey, Mister Hero?"
"Today!"
"Tomorrow!" the fillies yelled back. Spike laughed quietly.
"Y-yeah, sure, tomorrow."
Spike awoke the group bright and early in the morning to prepare for their search.
"So I've been reading a lot from this book," he started as he walked with the yawning ponies to the breakfast tent. "and it turns out the entrance to the grotto is actually deep in the jungle!"
"Why would it be there?" Sweetie Belle asked, yawning.
"I don't know. But that's what it says!" The ponies groggily sat down to munch on some hay as Spike paced the tent. "I already ate." he had told them. Looking impatient, he quickly ran up to Cranky upon seeing him enter the tent. "Cranky! I have something I wanted to ask you!"
"Good morning to you too, kid." he said in an unenthusiastic tone. Spike ignored it, showing him the open book.
"We're heading to this grotto today. Want to join us? I bet it will make for a really exciting adventure!" The donkey sighed, seating himself at a table after getting his food.
"Kid, I'm too old for this stuff. I didn't come here for some big adventure, I came here to relax and enjoy the scenery." He frowned as he began munching on his meal.
"But that's not going to help take your mind off of Matilda!" The donkey froze as her name came up. "If you come with us, I'm sure you won't be so homesick after all!" The donkey put a hoof to his forehead.
"Look, I think I just want to be alone right now and enjoy my breakfast. Could you at least give me that?" Feeling disappointed, Spike closed his book.
"Oh, alright. Well, we're leaving after they finish breakfast if you still want to come." Cranky grunted and returned to his meal. Spike returned to his friends, who were still working on their own food. "Come on guys, we don't have any time to waste!" They groaned as he tried to hurry them on their way.
They had just reached the edge of the campsite when Spike heard the sound of hoofsteps behind him.
"Wait, I… I'll go!" Spike smiled at Cranky, who had taken a position beside Fluttershy.
"Welcome aboard, Cranky. Glad you decided to come with us!" The ponies nodded to him as well, still exhausted after being woken up so early. Spike turned back and began leading them into the jungle.
"So, what are we going to do if we run into any dangerous animals?" Sweetie Belle asked as they followed the rough path.
"Well, I assumed Fluttershy could help us with that part!" he chimed back. Fluttershy folded her ears back, looking slightly worried.
"Oh, I've never dealt with jungle creatures before… not that I couldn't try."
"See? We'll be fine!" The fillies rolled their eyes at him as he lead them on. The jungle was quite busy with noises in every direction, yet they couldn't seem to find the source of any of the sounds. Cranky walked at the end of the line, occasionally looking back for any signs of danger.
After they had walked down the trail, the group came up to a stone wall covered in moss and other plant life.
"Well, now what?" Sweetie Belle asked Spike, who was now studying the book intensely.
"Uhh… well, it says the entrance is supposed to be right here." He looked up at the face of the rock, studying its surface for the sign of any door. "But where is it?" The group began to inspect its surface for any sign of a door or entrance.
"Look, underneath the moss there are creases indicating a door!" Sweetie Belle said, pulling up some of the moss. Scootaloo helped her pull the rest of it out, revealing the shape of a door. They began pushing on the stone.
"It won't open!" Scootaloo said, knocking on the stone with a hoof. She kicked it with her back legs, but to no prevail. "Does the book say anything about a secret button or lever?" Spike scanned through for some trick to get in.
"Uhh, no, nothing like that." Suddenly, the stone door began sliding down.
"Ahem." The group looked over to see Cranky had uncovered a lever that was hidden by ferns. Spike laughed as he came back to them, taking the lead.
"Thanks, Cranky! Good work there!" Spike was ignored as they followed after Cranky into the grotto.
The inside of the grotto was rather dark, so the members of the group stayed as close as they could to each other. The stony pathway ran adjacent to a stream, which in no time at all turned into a river. The grotto led them farther down into the Earth and it became too dark to see.
"Does anyone have a flashlight?" Sweetie Belle asked as she tried to pry off Fluttershy, who was now clinging to her in the darkness.
"Hold on, I have something better." Within moments, Spike had lit and was holding a torch.
"How is that better?" Scootaloo asked him. He scratched the back of his head.
"Uhh, it just is, ok?" Defensively, he marched to the front of the line and began leading again. "Let's just go, alright? There have to be plants around here somewhere!"
As they continued exploring, Spike began to wonder if there was life down in the grotto at all. Even holding the light to the water, Spike couldn't see any signs of aquatic life. In fact, he couldn't see an inch into the water, which worried him greatly, causing him to make sure that everyone steered clear of the river at all costs. At a certain point, though, it wasn't an option.
"Well, it looks like we have to cross the river… but there was supposed to be a bridge here! How do we cross now?"
"Um, I can fly us across." Fluttershy interjected. "But… I'm not sure how Cranky Doodle is going to get across." After inspecting the river for a moment, Cranky stepped back and took a running leap, easily crossing the river. Spike and the fillies cheered as Fluttershy began taking each one across the gap.
They continued through the dark grotto, becoming increasingly exhausted.
"Can we just give up and explain to Pinkie what happened?" Sweetie Belle asked. "This is ridiculous! It shouldn't have taken this much effort to get the final Element!"
"Final Element? What does that mean?" Cranky wondered.
"I can explain that later. Besides, though, I made a Pinkie Promise and I can't break that! You don't know what will happen to me! We're here already and we have to keep looking!" The fillies groaned as they continued through the grotto. At the end of the tunnel they had been traveling, though, their hopes were lifted.
"A giant pirate's ship? How did that even get in here?" Scootaloo exclaimed as they entered the room. "Did it say anything in your book about a giant ship inside of the grotto?"
"Uhh, forget about the book! Let's take a look inside!" The carefully made their way down to the ship, hopping on debris that was sticking up out of the water. After searching the perimeter, they finally found a hole in the ship large enough for them to get inside. Once they did, though, another surprise awaited them.
"Oh, guests? What is this?! Such a treat, though!" They gazed up at the head of the large purple serpent in astonishment. "Or are you here for my treasures? Dear me, I couldn't allow that, could I?"
"You're the serpent Rarity helped the day we stopped Nightmare Moon!" Fluttershy exclaimed with glee.
"Oh, that little Unicorn that gave me her precious tail? What a little darling!" He leaned down to the group, most of which were confused beyond words. "So what can I do for you, little dears?" Fluttershy took the book out of Spike's hands, showing him the page with the berries.
"You don't happen to know where we can find these, do you Mister Sea Serpent?" The serpent's eyes lit up.
"Hold on just a moment, dear, I think I have just what you're looking for!" After turning around to face his large pile of treasures that filled the ship, he turned back holding a small bush. "These plants grow plentiful in this ship, it's a bit strange! For some reason, they only ever seem to grow on the rotting planks, but with sea water of all things!" Spike snapped out of his confusion, taking the book back from Fluttershy.
"Wow, we can really have these?" Spike asked in astonishment.
"Of course, darlings! Especially if you're all friends with that little Unicorn that helped me. She was just a gem!" He twirled his blonde moustache. "And just look! It grew back fabulously!" The group began picking the berries off of the bush carefully, storing them in Sweetie Belle's bag.
"Actually, we're doing this to help her! In a way." The serpent smiled giddily.
"Wonderful! Please, tell her I say thank you again! Just a generous little pony she was." Spike nodded as he finished picking the berries. The serpent placed the bush back by the pile of gold and gems, moving to reveal a large collection of plants that were growing up the sides of the ship's interior. Spike shook his head to prevent himself from drooling over the pile of gems that rested atop the gold.
"Thank you very much, Mister Serpent!" he said as he began to head out of the ship.
"No problem, dears! My pleasure!"
"So are you glad you came YET, Cranky?" Spike asked once they had returned to the campsite. The donkey sighed.
"I suppose Matilda will enjoy the stories I tell her… I still miss her, but I guess it's been kind of fun while it's lasted." Spike sighed in relief.
"Well, that's better than nothing! I'm sure Matilda will love the stories you have!" Cranky forced a half smile as Spike patted him on the back, afterwards heading back to his tent. There, the ponies were looking exhausted, the day's journey being incredibly long and tiring.
"Now that we'll have all of the Elements, we can finally go find Rarity!" he said with a smile.
"Assuming we know where to go…" Sweetie Belle said, flopping onto her side.
"Won't we just go back to the Thousand Year Door?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess so." She yawned, stretching out on her bed. "I'm too tired to think or care about anything. We can plan more on our way back, alright? There will be plenty of time on there."
"Maybe too much time…" Scootaloo muttered, already lying in her own bed.
"But you guys are excited? Right guys? It's exciting!"
"I think it's time for bed, Spike. We're all really, really tired. Not that we aren't excited, though." Fluttershy began to pet the little dragon on his head, attempting to lull him to sleep. "Good night, Spike. We can be excited with you in the morning."