//------------------------------// // Adventurers Still Take Breaks // Story: Fluttershy Digs Deep // by MagicS //------------------------------// A winding and cramped tunnel was soon found after they had begun exploring the shore on the other side of the underground ocean. Fluttershy directed them all to it, and after drying off for a few more minutes, the party started traveling down it. The floor of the tunnel was both wet and uneven and they all slipped and stumbled a few times going down it. No one was exactly in the mood for a song right now either. Too cold. Still too wet even after drying. Angel Bunny was back to riding on her back too, annoyed with Fluttershy and her new friends and making sure she knew it. “This tunnel is basalt. Like obsidian it is also formed by the rapid cooling of lava,” Maud suddenly said, breaking the silence. All the other ponies and Angel looked at her. “I thought you would want to know.” Fluttershy managed a smile. “Thank you, Maud. That’s very kind of you to keep us informed. It might be helpful to know in the future, so please, if you see anything interesting or unusual with the rocks around us, don’t hesitate to speak up again.” “Okay,” Maud nodded. Daylight Gleam took a deep breath and kept her light up, still being their living torch. “Anypony else getting hungry?” “I had some flowers not that long ago but it was only just enough to fill my stomach,” Fluttershy said. “I could eat a trough,” Amethyst Star grumbled. “I wouldn’t mind some rock soup,” Maud said. And Angel Bunny squeaked in Fluttershy’s ear to remind her of how much he wanted carrots right now. “Well then maybe we’ll get lucky soon. Sounds like we could all use a bite to eat,” Daylight said. “Just kept paving the way ahead with that light and we’re bound to come across something at least,” Amethyst Star said. Daylight Gleam frowned at her. “You could always take up light duty you know?” “You seem to have a knack for it,” Amethyst shrugged. “Okay now,” Fluttershy cut in before the two could get back to their old selves. It’s not like they had said anything bad yet but they were going in that direction. Fluttershy had been around Rainbow Dash and Applejack enough to see that. “I think that’s enough. We’re all friends now, remember?” Daylight ground her teeth a little bit but eventually relented and sighed. “Yeah, sorry.” “And uh—I’m sorry too. My bad,” Amethyst Star said. “I can help with the lights.” “Thanks,” Daylight smiled at her and the two unicorns joined up at the front, the both of them now illuminating the path for the others. “You’re good at conflict mediation,” Maud said to Fluttershy. “Guess that makes sense considering who you are. And how you’re a teacher at the School of Friendship. And how Pinkie Pie tells me you’re repeatedly teacher of the month.” Fluttershy increasingly grew redder as Maud continued to praise her. “P-Please, I’m really not that special. There’s nothing out of the norm about being a little kind like that.” Maud raised an eyebrow at her. “Then why does it seem like it’s so difficult for so many ponies? I couldn’t do what you just did.” “But Maud I know you’re very nice and well meaning too. You have your own way of being kind. Just like how I couldn’t do things my friends could doesn’t mean you should judge yourself based on what I do.” “See? You’re doing it again,” Maud told her. “Oh...” Fluttershy frowned and looked at the ground, embarrassed and unsure of what to say. “Don’t feel bad. You’re just being kind. Sorry for making it awkward.” Fluttershy looked back up at her and smiled. “It’s okay. I know you’re just trying your best too.” Maud was silent for a bit longer (which wasn’t a surprise to Fluttershy, in fact she was more surprised that Maud was talking this much at all) before she opened her mouth. “When I first met you I was surprised at how well you got along with my sister. Since you’re so different. You’re very quiet, almost like me or Marble, and Pinkie is very, very, loud. But I got it later, you get along so well because you’re both very nice ponies that just want others to be happy.” “Oh… thank you Maud,” Fluttershy gave her a quick hug that Maud only slightly murmured at while Angel rolled his eyes and gagged. “Hey! I think we’re coming up on something!” Amethyst Star called from ahead. Both Fluttershy and Maud looked, seeing the two unicorns inspecting a new narrow tunnel further down the tunnel. They hopped over the rocks to join them, the party of four now pausing just outside the tunnel. Fluttershy noticed that it was hardly the only way to go either. There were numerous branching paths and small holes going off everywhere now. All of them looked pretty dark and foreboding, just like this one, it was half collapsed by the look of things, a narrow triangle in shape with cracks spreading out at the top. The tunnel they were in was already cramped enough but in this one they’d have to go single-file for sure. “Why this way? What’s special about it?” Fluttershy asked. “Smell,” Daylight said and pointed at it. Fluttershy stuck her head in the tunnel and took a whiff. Immediately she was bombarded with some very familiar smells. “Vegetation...” she whispered. “It smells like the forest.” “Right? There has to be something to eat like flowers or moss or something down here,” Daylight said, smiling. “Or it could be something really weird and crazy like a giant underground rose garden,” Amethyst Star said. She blinked a few times down the tunnel and then turned around to see everyone staring at her. “What? It could happen. Fluttershy’s seen weirder stuff than that down here.” “Let’s just go find out,” Fluttershy said. “It doesn’t smell rotten or weird or anything, I think this is a good bet.” “I’ll take point then since I can still light up the most,” Daylight Gleam said. “Okay,” Fluttershy nodded and the rest of them got in a line behind Daylight. Fluttershy immediately behind her, with Angel on her back, Amethyst Star behind her, and Maud (and Boulder) bringing up the rear. It really did start to smell more like a garden the further they went in. Pretty much the exact opposite of the powerful fungal smell Fluttershy remembered from when she came upon the Singing Mushroom Brothers. Fragrant, familiar, and inviting. For Fluttershy especially probably more than the others since she lived right at the edge of a forest. At the front, Daylight only paid attention to the ground in front of her, not losing focus for a second to make sure this place was safe for everyone to travel through. You never knew when there could be a sudden drop off or pit or low hanging edge that you might accidentally walk smack into. Fluttershy was trying to be as calm and leaderlike as possible right behind her. Even though there were still things she wanted to panic over she was doing a decent job of avoiding that lately. Angel was sniffing in the hopes that he would smell the scent of carrots. Amethyst Star was staring off into space with the expression that said a tumbleweed was blowing through her mind. And lastly Maud was still looking around and feeling up the rock walls. Still basalt all around them. “Hey, hold on! I think there’s light coming from up ahead!” Daylight suddenly said to the rest of them. “Light? I wonder if it’s more biolumiscent fungus or something like that,” Fluttershy said, trying to peak past her shoulder. “Oh! Maybe it’s sunlight from the surface that’s been reflected by crystals through holes thousands of feet deep until it gets to here!” Amethyst Star suggested. Maud blinked. “It’s possible.” “Whatever it is, we’re getting close.” Daylight said as she dimmed her horn a bit so the natural light could be more easily noticed. Fluttershy now saw ahead and found that a cracked exit to the tunnel awaited them, cloaked in bright light from outside of it. Daylight took the first step to the outside, hopping onto a little ledge that was right below the tunnel’s exit. Fluttershy hovered above her to give the others some room so Amethyst and Maud could both stand on the ledge too. The ponies and rabbit looked around the new chamber they were in, all of them pretty darn happy with what they saw. It wasn’t especially large, with a cracked ground and several treacherous crevices that went deeper, and rocks jutting out from the walls all over, with an uneven ceiling as well. But almost every last inch of unbroken ground was covered in green vegetation. There must have been a layer of soil over some of the rocks or some kind of nutrition that allowed all these plants to flourish. Some sprouted right out of little cracks in the walls too. Either way Fluttershy was greeted with the sight of leafy greens and vines and even a bed of grass or two in the chamber. All of it looked good to eat. It wasn’t quite the carrots or vegetables that Angel Bunny and them all would have really wanted, but it was still edible for them. “Well this is something,” Amethyst Star said and stepped down further towards the plants. “Careful where you step, there are a lot of cracks and holes in the ground,” Daylight said. “I know, I know, I’m looking.” Fluttershy floated down too and started walking beside her, Daylight and Maud following while Daylight turned off her spell completely since it wasn’t needed anymore. Fluttershy looked up to see what the source of light was down here, where was it coming from? There were a few shafts of light coming down from holes in the ceiling that answered her question. It wasn’t anything like torches or glowing fungus. Maybe Amethyst Star’s “theory” actually held some weight… Taking a look around the rest of the small underground chamber she saw that there was another tunnel on the far end from where they had come in. That was going to be their next route no doubt. But for now the party was surely just going to eat for a little bit and maybe rest. After getting tossed around in that ocean they could use some rest. Maybe even some actual sleep. Fluttershy was briefly unconscious for a bit earlier today, but that was it. All of them might need to get a few hours of real shuteye. “Hey! I almost don’t believe it, but this is parsley!” Amethyst Star said as she stood over the small leafy plant growing out of the ground. Without hesitation she leaned down and took a big chunk of it out with her teeth, swallowing it down. “Mmm! That’s good!” “I found yarrow too,” Daylight said as she inspected the plant growing from a cracked boulder. “Well I would have preferred some fruits or vegetables like carrots and lettuce, or hay too, but this will at least keep us from growing hungry,” Fluttershy said as she went down to eat some of the parsley too. Angel Bunny sighed and hopped off her back, also looking for something tasty to eat. “I don’t think we were ever going to find hay down here,” Daylight said. “Although who knows what with all the other craziness we’ve found.” “Who cares, at least it’s food,” Amethyst said as she happily chomped on some more greens. “Careful to not eat anything poisonous,” Daylight rolled her eyes. “This chamber was likely formed by an earthquake of some sort. It looks like parts of it collapsed, closed up, and opened all at once, allowing dirt and seeds to enter. Eventually leading to this,” Maud said as she started to nibble on the leafy frond of another plant. Angel was chewing up the roots of something too, all of them quietly chowing down. Fluttershy smiled at it all. Just small moments like this were so pleasant, with everypony relaxed and nopony worried about anything. This was the kind of atmosphere she wished her whole life could be filled with, relaxing and having a good time with some of her friends. It was reminiscent of some of her more pleasant memories up above. Perhaps Fluttershy didn’t fully realize it until just now, but she was sincerely happy ever since finding Angel Bunny. Things were just so much better. Even with the unknown ahead of her she surprisingly wasn’t feeling down. “What do you all say we take a break here?” Fluttershy asked the others. “A break?” Daylight raised an eyebrow at her. “Shouldn’t we keep moving?” “Actually I think it’s better to rest. We can’t waste too much time but we need to make sure we don’t exhaust ourselves too. A nap will do us all some good, I want to make sure we’re all a-okay,” Fluttershy said. “I guess so. I mean, even though the moles need food like you said, we’re not really in a huge race against time. And we don’t even really know how much further we have to go...” Daylight rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s a good idea.” Maud said. “We wouldn’t want to overexert ourselves while spelunking. That leads to problems.” “Works for me,” Amethyst shrugged and kept eating. “Alright then… but after resting and before we leave we should definitely gather up some of this stuff and take it with us. We might need the food for later,” Daylight said. Fluttershy smiled at her. “I agree.” “Huh, after the ocean everything seems to be turning out pretty well,” Amethyst Star said. “Oh, wait—I should probably shut up to not jinx us again, right? I’ve got at least enough self-awareness for that.” “Yes,” Daylight Gleam glared at her. Angel too. Amethyst Star nervously chuckled and went right back to eating. The whole group was having a good time, eating and sitting down together on one of the grassy patches of the chamber. Even Angel Bunny’s mood had improved considerably now that he had had something to eat. Maud was busy pressing some blades of grass up against Boulder… Fluttershy and the others chose to ignore that. “Umm, does anyone have any stories to share or something to talk about?” Fluttershy asked, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. “Just to pass the time is all...” “Not really,” Maud immediately said. Which didn’t surprise Fluttershy. “Naw, I only have really embarrassing stories to tell—so no thanks on those—or talking about my boring day to day life in Ponyville,” Amethyst Star said. “I already told you some and while I have more to tell they aren’t exactly the kinds of stories to relate when we’re trying to relax,” Daylight Gleam shrugged. “Oh, well that’s okay,” Fluttershy pawed at the ground, a little disappointed that her efforts to start up more conversation failed. She still didn’t know these three super well (except for Maud a little bit) so she wanted them to all get to know each other a little better. Without her having to be the one to talk. Although now that there was no choice… wasn’t this an excellent opportunity to work on her shyness? She certainly had loads and loads of stories to tell. She didn’t want to be the center of attention as she told them her stories but maybe that was a good thing? Doing something she didn’t want to do to try and overcome that part of herself. And she was supposedly the leader right now so maybe it was her duty. “A-Actually,” Fluttershy gulped. “I have some stories I’d like to tell you all. T-They’re not about big adventures or anything, but they’re fun stories that are really important to me and, um, I think you’d like to hear about them.” Maud blankly stared at her but didn’t say anything to refute her. Amethyst Star and Daylight Gleam shared a look and then smiled at Fluttershy. “That sounds really nice, I’d love to hear some stories from your life,” Daylight said. Fluttershy positively beamed. “Okay! Well then, umm… let me tell you about the time a dragon took up residence right outside Ponyville...” “And so I was finally able to put my hoof down in a good way and tell Iron Will that no, I wasn’t satisfied. I know that might sound a little silly but it was a very important for me.” “It doesn’t sound silly at all,” Daylight shook her head with a smile on her face. “Obviously that took a lot of strength for you to do.” “I remember when Iron Will came to Ponyville… that was, uh, not a good weekend,” Amethyst Star grimaced. “Well I also wanted to tell that story to show that I haven’t been perfect either, I did some really mean things and said some really mean stuff to my friends.” She looked over at Maud briefly. “I don’t want someone to have the wrong opinion of me.” Maud curtly nodded. “Understandable.” “And I wanted to show that if even someone like me can be mean like that sometimes, then maybe ponies who are usually mean or uncaring have the ability to be nice in them too,” she blushed. “Heh. Well I’m still a bit of a cynical pony but you may be right about that,” Daylight Gleam shrugged. “I used to be way more selfish and apathetic than I am now.” Angel Bunny meanwhile was shyly looking away, remembering the part he played in the story Fluttershy just got finished telling. Fluttershy took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling sleepy. “Oh my, I think I just realized how tired I am. Now that we’ve all eaten and gotten to relax a little I feel like I need to take a nap.” Amethyst Star yawned and lied back, putting her hooves behind her head. “I think I’m feeling the same way.” “Are we really going to sleep? It could be late at night I suppose but I’m not sure I’m actually tired,” Daylight Gleam said. “I’ve completely lost track of whether it’s daytime or nighttime but we’ve been up for at least twelve hours. Sleeping is a good choice,” Maud said. “Yeah but like I said I think I’m too excited to sleep right now. Call it nerves, I guess,” Daylight said. “Well um… I could try singing a lullaby,” Fluttershy suggested. “Haha… ha… you’re serious?” Daylight laughed but stopped as soon as she saw the blush on Fluttershy’s face. Blushing in embarrassment herself at having laughed at Fluttershy’s suggestion, Daylight quickly apologized. “S-Sorry! I was just a little surprised...” “Pff,” Amethyst Star snorted and smirked. “Shut up,” Daylight frowned at her. “It’s okay,” Fluttershy put a small smile on her face, managing to laugh a little bit herself. “It’s just sometimes a lot of the animals I take care of have trouble sleeping and a lullaby really helps them out. Right, Angel?” Angel Bunny blushed and tugged his ears over his eyes. “Now that’s another story I wouldn’t mind hearing at some point,” Daylight Gleam said as she grinned at the embarrassed rabbit. “First of all though, let’s try getting some sleep. Maud? Are you tired enough to sleep too?” Fluttershy asked her. Maud nodded. “And Amethyst?” Fluttershy looked over at the other unicorn… and saw that she had already fallen asleep sometime within the last minute. “Oh. Well that’s one of us down.” Fluttershy then cleared her throat and wrapped Angel in a hug at the same time. “Everypony else just close your eyes and try to relax. You’ll be off to the land of dreams in no time.” With closed eyes and a deep breath- Sleep my little angels, don’t be afraid~ Fluttershy’s here to watch over you~ Just rest right now in the quiet shade~ Nothing to worry about, just sleep on through~ Sleep on through and rest up well~ Close those little eyes and drift away~ Fluttershy’s here to watch over you~ Her light voice was like sunshine and cotton candy in vocal form and once Fluttershy finished her little lullaby she opened up her eyes to see the other ponies and Angel Bunny all fast asleep. Fluttershy smiled, curling up on the grass with Angel and right between her friends, closing her eyes again and getting ready to join them in sleep. The gentle breathing of Amethyst Star and Maud, and the surprisingly loud snoring of Daylight Gleam, was all music to Fluttershy’s ears as she rested. Angel Bunny’s little heart beat against her chest, the feeling causing a warm smile to grow on her face. He was the reason she started this little misadventure in the first place and it filled her with joy to have and hold him like this. With a content sigh, Fluttershy drifted off to sleep as well. Four friendly ponies, a rabbit, and a rock now rested peacefully in this underground chamber. They knew they would be busy again once they woke up, but for now that was all in the future.