//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Gem Cave // Story: Spike's Mark // by mikemuir0178 //------------------------------// Chapter 1: The Gem Cave Rarity peered through her monocle and examined a gem that she had recently unearthed in a new cave she and Spike were visiting. With a talent show being planned in Ponyville, she was determined to find rare, exquisite gems for her new line of merchandise. She suspected a lot of ponies would be coming in for costumes, dresses, frocks, hats, sweaters, and a whole assortment of other clothing…and she was determined to make them look their best. There was just one tiny problem…or large problem depending on how you looked at it. Dragons. With ponies and dragons now friends, some of the beasts had taken the opportunity to fly closer to Ponyville and try the gems in the area. Technically, it was legal since finding gems was a first come first serve basis. However, “serve” meant the gems would become the dragon’s next meal. Rarity had found that some of the caves she had frequented had been visited by dragons. She had even found Smolder’s tracks in one. They had not eaten all the gems in the cave, but all the large and rare ones were getting increasingly harder to find. One’s she had decided to hold off on until inspiration had struck would sometimes turn up missing in the cave the next day. Clearly dug up by a dragon’s claw. She also found she had to be careful if a dragon ever decided to visit the Carousel Boutique. For the dragons, her shop was more like a giant candy store. She sometimes wondered if the samples she had on display would become “samples” for dragons to taste. Fortunately nothing like that had happened, yet, but she had caught one or two dragons peering through the window and…drooling. Using exquisite fashion as snack food…Disgusting. The thought sent a shiver down Rarity’s spine. She then took a glance back at Spike who was sitting at the other end of the cavern with a basket tied to his back. He was currently facing away from her, munching on one of the lower quality gems she had turned down earlier. True, Spike was a dragon, and like all his brethren, he liked to eat gems. But he was…different…in a good way. A while back, before she even knew Spike, she never would have considered being friends with a dragon…and would have probably scoffed at the idea. But now she found it hard to be separated from him. He was kind, considerate, and enjoyed his “Rarity time” with her. Sometimes it was hard for her to believe he was a dragon. But Spike was a dragon. And here she was berating the same creature who had captured her heart. “Why did love have to be so complicated?!” Rarity shouted in her head. Hoping, to take her mind off her thoughts, she decided to break the silence. “Spike. If I may, I would like to ask a question?” Rarity inquired. Spike took a moment to finish chewing the gem he had been eating before answering. “Sure, Rarity.” “What is it about gems that dragons find so…delectable?” Rarity asked, though she had to think of the proper word to describe a dragon’s hunger for gems. “What do you mean?” Spike asked. “Well…I’ve tried ‘tasting’ gems like you have before when we go shopping, and fail to see why dragons like to eat them,” Rarity explained, “so, I am wondering what makes gems so delectable for dragons?” “Hmm,” Spike sat in thought for a moment as he scratched his head with his claw, “I don’t know. There’s just a kind of sweetness to them,” he then looked down at the half eaten ruby in his hand, “For example, this one tastes like a wild cherry to me.” “If that is so, why not simply eat a wild cherry?” Rarity asked, “I would think finding wild cherries would be easier than digging up a ruby.” Spike gave this question some more thought. “I suppose that’s true, but I always found normal food to be a little on the bland side. It just doesn’t have the sparkling taste gems do.” “Sparkling taste?” Rarity inquired. “Well…” Spike pondered this for a moment, “More like a type of spice. It’s like a sudden rush of sugar on our taste buds.” Rarity tried to ponder this for a moment. She could only guess that the dragon’s tongue was more sensitive to stones rather than normal food. “Anyway, here comes another gem. Please examine it before we place it in the basket,” Rarity said as she levitated the stone she had been examining over to Spike. Spike took a moment to examine gem before giving it a good lick. He then gave a thumbs up to Rarity. “Excellent,” Rarity cheered as she levitated the stone to the basket on Spike’s back. The basket was already overflowing and was nearly breaking apart at the seams. As soon as the stone landed at the top, Spike could feel his knees starting to buckle under the weight. “Uh…Rarity. Don’t you think we have enough gems?” “Nonsense. We will need a couple dozen more if we hope to meet the quota for the upcoming talent show,” Rarity said as she began scanning the cave for the next gem. “A couple dozen?!” Spike replied in surprise. His feet gave way the next moment and he fell to the ground with a small “thud”. “Yes. Since the dragons have eaten most of the rare gems in our other quarries, it is best for us to stay ahead of the game,” Rarity explained as she looked for the next gem she wanted. “I suppose so,” Spike reluctantly admitted. He knew about Rarity’s gem problem and the dragons. Dragons preferred the rarest of gems. The taste of a flawless Fire Ruby alone was the sweetest of sweets for a dragon. Finding a cave the dragons had not visited was tough to locate. Especially one located deep in the Everfree Forest. Spike had questioned whether journeying to the forest was a good idea to mine gems from. The forest was not a place to tread lightly in. In fact, many ponies considered it unnatural and would best avoid even setting foot in it. But Rarity was determined to find rare gems for her garments. “For fashion!” had been her battle cry as she trudged forward into the dark forest. As for Spike, his battle cry was “For you, my sweet Rarity”, though it was more of a whisper. Yet despite having prepared themselves for a long hard trudge through the forest, they were pleasantly shocked to find that their journey actually followed an old, worn path. Though the path had not been used in a long time, it was still easy to navigate and they had no trouble finding their way to a small mountain range in the forest. What was even more surprising was how the path led straight to a cave at the bottom of a ravine. And their prize. From the moment Spike had entered the cave, he could feel his stomach growl. There were plenty of rare gems throughout the cave and Rarity had to scold him once or twice not to eat one until she had properly examined it. Fortunately, Spike’s patience was well rewarded as Rarity would spare a couple of truly rare gems to sooth his hunger. As he finished the last bite of his latest meal, Spike could not help but wonder how much time had passed since they entered the cave. The journey back home would not be easy, especially with a bag that was near the breaking point. “Hey, Rarity. Don’t you think it’s time to head back yet?” Spike asked. “In a minute. This cavern is full of the gems I need. If I don’t collect them now, I may not get another chance,” Rarity explained as she peered at a rather large diamond for flaws. Spike didn’t reply. He knew that once Rarity had her mind set on something related to fashion, it was hard to break her out of her trance. Still, Spike felt a little cautious since he did not like the idea of spending the night in the Everfree Forest. Careful not to dump the bag he had, Spike slid out of the harness and made his way to the cave entrance to investigate the time of day. With any luck, Rarity would not notice he was gone for a moment. The cavern they had found their treasure in was only two hundred feet into the cave. Going out and back in would not take long. Or so he thought. As Spike made his way back, he was expecting to see something of a crude set of stone steps that led from the entrance of the cave to the tunnel he was now in. However, as he made his way forward, he began to hear what sounded like water running in the area. “Where’s that coming from?” Spike asked himself as he looked around the tunnel. When he and Rarity had first entered, neither had seen any underground springs. The sound began to make Spike feel a little unsettled. As he continued toward the steps that led to the entrance, he felt a sudden icy chill around his feet. Looking down, he saw he had stepped in a small pool that was forming on the floor. “This can’t be good.” With renewed determination, Spike launched himself into the air and flew as fast as he could to the steps that would lead outside. However, instead of steps, he saw a small waterfall beginning to form on top of the steps. Water was pouring in from the cave entrance. “This is not good,” Spike added with more urgency. He then quickly launched himself into the air and flew over the steps. He needed to know what he was about to face. When he reached the top, he found to his horror that the clear day had now been replaced by a series of black clouds. Already the storm had covered the horizon, blotting out the sun. What little he could see in the growing darkness was the rain coming down and filling up the ravine. And the cave was the drain. “This is definitely not good!” Spike cried. Without a second thought, he raced back inside. As he did, he found that the water in the cave was rising and making its way further back. If he didn’t hurry, the only exit they had could flood and both he and Rarity would be trapped….or worse. It took him only a few moments to fly back to the cavern where he and Rarity had been digging for gems. To his relief, she had not moved from her position and was still examining gems. Quickly, he flew to her side. “Hmm…I think this one will work well with a hat I’m making for Applejack,” she commented to herself. Spike quickly dove in front of her, scaring her into stepping back a few steps “Spike?” Rarity said I surprise, “What are you doing?” “Rarity! We have to get out of here!” Spike shouted as hovered in front of her, “There’s a storm coming!” “Storm?” Rarity asked in confusion. The next moment, a blast of thunder echoed down the cave. Both Spike and Rarity’s eyes went wide with surprise as it echoed into the cavern. As the sound died down, Spike was the first to recover from the shock. “We have to go!” Spike shouted as he grabbed one of Rarity’s front hooves and began to tug on it. “But…” Rarity looked back at the bag Spike had been carrying, “What about the gems?” Another large crash of thunder echoed through the cave that made Rarity’s hair stand on end. “No time!” Spike replied as he continued to tug her forward. Rarity gave a heavy sigh at leaving her load behind, but heeded Spike’s warning. She trusted in the little dragon’s judgement, especially when there was danger. As the two reached the tunnel that led to the entrance, Rarity found that her trust in Spike was well placed. Within moments of entering the tunnel that would lead to the entrance, Rarity found herself setting foot in the icy cold pool that was forming inside. As she continued to move forward, the water began to form around her knees. Even worse, she could feel that the cave floor was turning into mud and her hooves were sinking in. Desperately, she continued to follow Spike who was hovering just in front of her. Each steps seemed to require more effort than the last as she felt the water pushing against her and her hooves sinking into the mud. “There’s the entrance!” Spike shouted. Rarity looked up the slope to what should have been the entrance, but saw only blackness at first. A moment past before a bolt of lightning lit the sky in front of the cave, showing the extent of the storm. “Come on! We have to hurry!” Spike shouted as he hovered just over the water. With his wings, he as able to ascend the slope with ease. However, before he could reach the entrance, he heard a cry from behind. “Spike!” Spike turned around to see Rarity having trouble moving forward. “Ugh! This mud!” Rarity bemoaned as she lifted her right hoof out of the water. A large clump of mud was stuck to it. “I’m sinking!” Rarity. Without hesitation, Spike raced back and landed by her side. “Hold on Rarity!” Spike said as he grabbed a muddy hoof. With all his might, he pulled and was relieved that she managed to get a few steps forward. “Help me, Spike!” Rarity cried, “The water is getting deeper!” Spike could see that the water was now past Rarity’s knees and was now running along her underside. Spike pulled at Rarity’s hoof and was rewarded as Rarity managed a few steps forward. However, his victory was short lived as Rarity’s hooves sunk again in the mud. Spike took a moment look into Rarity’s face as he continued to pull. He could see the fear in her eyes as the water pushed against her. With renewed strength, Spike pulled on Rarity’s hoof. “Come on!” Rarity whimpered, but continued to give her all in clawing her way forward. As they reached the stone steps that to the entrance, they found a cascade of water running down. Rarity felt some relief as she felt the stone steps under her feet. But the water was still pushing against her, threatening to push her back into the cave. But Spike continued to hold onto her as she took each step up. His wings beat furiously as he applied every inch of his strength to help Rarity get to the entrance. She could only imagine how much pain the little dragon felt as he continued to pull her up. Fortunately, Spike’s efforts were not in vain. Though it took a while, Spike and Rarity were able to climb each step up to the entrance. However, as they emerged from the cave entrance, they found their triumph was only brief. Lightning raced across the sky providing only a brief glimpse of what they now faced. . The storm had escalated and rain now poured down in mass. The combination of heavy rain pouring down and water running off from the ground above was quickly filling up the area. Spike took a moment to assess their situation. He knew that the ravine extended a couple hundred feet from the cave before it tampered out into open ground. But with the water steadily rising, he didn’t think it was possible to for him and Rarity to move forward. Which only left one option. “This way!” Spike motioned to the side of the Ravine. Rarity hesitated for a moment to look at the dangerous climb she now faced. Her hooves were not designed for climbing and she feared she could easily slip and fall. “I’m going to need your help, Spike!” she cried as she held one of her hoofs up. Spike nodded as he grabbed her hoof and pulled Rarity out of the water. The wall of the ravine was not vertical, but it was steep. Rarity found herself struggling to find purchase for her hooves as she pressed her body against the side of the ravine. A few times, the rocks gave underneath her and she slipped. But Spike was at her side and applied all his strength to keeping her from falling. As Spike, reached the top, he used the last of his strength to pull Rarity to safety. He then lay on the ground, exhausted. He watched as Rarity collapsed onto her belly next to him. Her coat was covered in mud and she was gasping for air. But she was safe. Spike then turned his head so he could look down into the ravine. A flash of lightning lighted up the area just enough for him to see the entrance to the cave. To his horror, it was now almost completely flooded. If they had stayed any longer…. Spike did not want to think about the outcome. “Thank you, Spike.” Spike felt Rarity’s hoof on his claw. He looked to see Rarity giving him a loving glance. “If not for you, I don’t think I would have escaped that dreadful place,” Rarity smiled. Spike blushed as he felt Rarity’s soft touch. “Now. Do you think you can get up?” Rarity asked gently as she picked herself up. With a little effort, Spike struggled to his feet. “Yeah. But how are we going to find our way home in this?” Rarity smiled. “Allow me,” Rarity replied as her horn lit up. The light was bright, but it was only able to cut through four feet of the darkness. Still, it was better than nothing. “That’s great!” Spike said excitedly. Rarity stepped around Spike so that she now stood in front of him. “Now. You better grab onto my tail for safety. The last thing we need is to be separated in this dreadful forest.” Spike looked at Rarity’s tail for a moment. “But-“ “No excuses! There is no way I’m going lose my bodyguard,” Rarity explained. Spike was still a little unsure. In pony society, it was considered impolite to grab another pony by the tail. Almost as rude as riding a pony’s back without permission. However, Rarity had been adamant in what she said. Hesitantly, Spike grabbed the end of her tail. “Excellent,” Rarity said as she felt Spike’s grip on her tail. She then raised her hoof in a war salute. “To the Spa!” “The Spa!” Spike cheered happily. The thought of soaking in a hot bath seemed so appealing now. However, he decided he would avoid the mud bath. To be Continued….