Flurries of snow billowed in strong winds, generating almost a blizzard effect. Jon Snow, along with Ghost and the Equestrian trio trekked their way across the snowy valley. They had to keep their heads down to both shield their eyes from the icy winds in their way and follow the footprints before them. Having discovered the Wendigo’s footprints earlier that day, the group followed the tracks in hopes of finding the very monster they had come all this way to find. However, the prints were growing harder to track with this blizzard blowing the prints away.
“We can’t keep this up much longer,” Quill spoke loudly, piercing through the raging blizzard. “If we don’t find it soon, we’ll need to set up camp for the night and try again tomorrow!”
“We can’t stop now!” Curtain yelled back. “We lose these tracks now, who knows how long it’ll take to track it again?!”
“Not to mention we’re in the middle of nowhere!” Atalanta spoke up. “We have no idea where to go next!”
Suddenly, Ghost stopped dead in his tracks. The direwolf immediately ducked his nose to the ground and began to sniff. Everyone else stopped in place, staring toward the large direwolf in confusion. Ghost soon snapped his head up and looked straight ahead, generating a low growl. Though the blizzard made it impossible to see what was ahead, Jon knew something was alerting his companion.
“It’s close,” Jon spoke quietly.
Slowly, the man unsheathed Long Claw and held it out as he slowly crept forward. The remainder of the group eyed nervously, but they followed the man, nonetheless. They crept alongside Jon, keeping their eyes peering in every direction. As they drew nearer, they were suddenly overwhelmed by a horrible stench.
“Sweet Celestia!” Atalanta groaned, with a hoof over her nose. “What is that smell?!”
“The stench of death!” Quill replied. “It must be close.”
“Well, if the smell wasn’t indication enough… this sure is!” Curtain stated, looking down.
The group looked toward the ground, noting a line of blood leading deep into the blizzard. They crept closer until they stumbled upon something hunched over in a crouched position. The Wendigo was nearly folded in half in its position, ravenously eating something within its grasp. The group tried to be as sneaky as possible, quietly creeping towards it. However, the creature’s enhanced hearing caused it to rapidly snap its head toward the group’s direction and unleashed an ear-piercing shriek.
Jon raced toward the monster; his sword raised at the ready. But the beast swung one claw and sent Jon flying back at least twenty feet and he crashed toward the ground. Seeing his master manhandled, Ghost snarled at the Wendigo and sprinted towards the monster. The two engaged in a mad scuffle, while the trio ran over to check on Jon. Upon inspection, it was easy to determine the huge claw marks across the fallen warrior’s chest.
They had little time, however, as Ghost too was thrown off to the side by the monster. The direwolf whimpered in pain from the damage inflicted upon him, as the Wendigo loomed over.
“What do we do now?!” Atalanta yelled in concern.
“You stay here and help Jon,” Quill instructed. “Curtain and I got this.”
“Are you insane?!” Atalanta shot back. “That thing just manhandled a direwolf!”
“We never once said we were sane, princess,” Curtain shrugged.
Quill and Curtain soon charged towards the Wendigo, who snarled at its latest challengers. The creature attempted to swipe at them, but the pair leapt over the monster and delivered two buck-shots toward the beast’s back as they landed. But this didn’t seem to faze the monster as it spun right back around and lunged toward the two stallions. The Wendigo snatched them by their throats, lifting them into the air. The stallions struggled and gasped before the monstrous face, as it shrieked loudly and revealed its jagged sharp fangs.
“Buddy…” Curtain gasped. “Breath… mints…!”
Just as it was about to finish them off, a fireball flew into the air and nailed the monster in the back. The beast shrieked in pain, dropping the two stallions before snapping its head back towards Atalanta, who stood defiantly with her horn glowing.
“Take that you walking dumpster fire!” She yelled.
The Wendigo shrieked back at her, the scream sending her mane flying and yet she held her ground with fierce determination. But rather than charge toward her direction, however, the beast bolted off into the blizzard. It moved so swiftly that one would miss it if they blinked. This left the two stallions gasping for breath and massaging their throats.
“Yep… this is why I’m not a ‘choking’ type of stallion,” Curtain groaned.
“This is going to be tougher than I thought…” Quill Cast declared.
<>
Elsewhere, dawn was just rising upon the valley where Twilight Sparkle and the Equestrian heroes slept with their new friends. Slowly, one by one, the group started to pick themselves up from their slumber, preparing to seize the day. Among the group, Manny was stirring himself awake and adjusted his trunk to feel for the baby. But all of a sudden, the mammoth’s eyes widened upon realizing that the baby was gone from his grasp. He immediately stomped over to the sleeping Diego, who woke up with a start. The disturbance also awoke the remainder of the group, startling them awake.
“Where’s the baby?!” Many demanded sternly.
“You lost it?!” Diego asked confused.
“Hold it, hold it!” Spike stepped in. “If the baby isn’t here, and Diego doesn’t have it…”
“The only other explanation I can imagine is…” Twilight realized, looking around. “Uh… where’s…?”
It was then, upon one look toward one another, it soon dawned upon the group that the baby wasn’t the only one missing.
“SID!!!”
<>
Unbeknownst to the group, Sid was not as far away as they assumed he would be. The sloth himself currently had baby Roshan while he was lounging about in a muddy hot spring like a jacuzzi. It appeared Sid was using the baby as a ‘chick magnet’ of sorts, to attract the attention of two female sloths named Rachel and Jennifer respectively. The fact that these two were fawning with the baby more so than the sloth was somewhat of a miracle… that or his phony-baloney story he was conjuring.
“Oh, he’s lovely!” Rachel cooed at the baby. “Positively adorable!”
“Hello Pumpkin!” Jennifer spoke baby-talk. “Hello, little bunny baby.”
“Where did you find it?” Rachel asked Sid.
“Ah, poor kid was all alone in the wild,” Sid replied. “Sabers were cornering him, so I just snatched it!”
“Oh, so brave of you!” Rachel sighed dreamily.
To which Sid merely shrugged and leaned back with the cockiest expression on his face. He had these girls hooked, now it was just a matter of reeling them in.
“Yeah, well… he needed me…” Sid continued wistfully. “And I wished I had one of my own, too…”
“REALLY?!” Jennifer gasped excitedly, before calming down. “I’m… I’m attracted to that quality in a male.”
Sid was so busy having his way with the ladies that he neglected to notice that Roshan was slowly sinking into the mud hot spring.
“Who wouldn’t be?” Sid replied.
“You caring for a baby…” Rachel gushed.
It was then Sid finally noticed that Roshan was gone and quickly pulled the muddy baby out of the spring.
“Yeah, well… you know…”
All of a sudden, the baby playfully threw mud onto Sid’s face cutting him off. Not out of annoyance or an act of revenge, of course. It was just a kid having fun with the sloth, which caused them both to laugh.
“Cute kid, huh?” Sid chuckled, reaching out. “So, as I was saying ladies…”
Sid managed to grab something to wipe the mud off his face. But as he smeared his face, he realized he had actually grabbed onto… Manny’s trunk. With a gasp, he looked up and the mammoth loomed over him, giving the sheepish sloth the skunk eye. But the big guy was not alone, as the Equestrians stood beside the sloth, shaking their heads.
“Oh, hey! Hey… Manny! Girls!” Sid greeted sheepishly. “Spike… how are you doing?”
“Sid…” Spike frowned.
“What’s the matter with you?” Manny grumbled, taking the giggling baby away.
“Sid, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Rarity crossed her hooves. “Using a baby to get a lady to notice you.”
“Yeah, we were worried something could’ve happened to the little guy,” Gabby added.
“We’re terribly sorry about this, ladies,” Twilight Sparkle apologized. “As you can see, this guy was helping ‘us’ return the baby to his rightful owners. In fact, we should be on our way now… right, Sid?”
The group proceeded to leave with the baby in their possession. But not wanting to lose possibly his one chance with two of the most attractive sloths he’s seen for miles, he had to act fast.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Sid gestured casually. “You just keep marinating and I’ll be right back. Sexy!”
As the sloth clumsily climbed his way out of the springs and made his way after the group, this left the two ladies to talk about the male sloth privately.
“He’s not much to look at, but it’s so hard to find a family guy,” Jennifer admitted.
“Tell me about it,” Rachel agreed. “All the sensitive ones get eaten.”
<>
Speaking of ‘Mr. Sensitivity’, Sid desperately chased after Manny and the Equestrians drawing them to a stop.
“No, no, no. Guys, please, I’m begging you!” Sid begged. “I need him!”
“Some creature definitely has needs,” Gilda remarked.
“Sid, I don’t understand why you would drag the kid along with one of your schemes without consulting us,” Twilight voiced disappointment. “What if he got lost? Or fell in a tar pit?”
“Please Twilight, he’s my only chance!” Sid insisted. “I’ll never get this good in another lifetime…”
“… Then I shouldn’t be spoiling what happens in one of the next adventures,” Pinkie whispered to Fluttershy.
“Please guys, I’m begging you!” Sid continued. “Just give me twenty minutes!”
“Why, a good looking guy like you?” Manny remarked.
“No, you say that but, you don’t mean it.”
“No, seriously, look at you. Aw, those ladies, they don’t stand the chance.”
Confused, Rainbow Dash tipped her head to the side and used her wings to measure the sloth.
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m not seeing it…”
“You have a very cruel sense of humor,” Sid pointed out.
“Don’t let me cramp your style,” Manny remarked.
“Look Sid, speaking from experience, you don’t need anything cute to attract a woman’s attention,” Spike butted in. “If neither of them can see what a good guy you can be, they just don’t deserve you. Just ‘try’ to be yourself… maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“Oh thanks, guys, your real pals,” Sid thanked, grabbing the baby. “You are the best.”
“Without Pinky!” Manny took the kid back.
“Huh? You say something Manny?” Pinkie Pie turned back.
“Not you!”
“Manny, Manny, I need him!”
“No…” Spike circled the sloth away. “Do not be the guy that gives sloths a bad name. Just… be… yourself.”
Sighing, the sloth decided to take the dragon’s advice and made his way back to where he left the girls. As he hummed to himself, and brushed the top of his head, the rest of the Equestrians looked on.
“Twenty minutes…” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Heh, like he’d last ‘five’.”
“I’d be a might surprise if he lasts ‘three’,” Applejack voiced her honesty.
“Hmm… care to make a little friendly wager to see how long he lasts?” Rainbow Dash asked mischievously.
“Deal,” Applejack shook Rainbow’s hoof.
“Oh sure, when Griffins gamble we’re seen as greedy,” Gilda remarked. “But when ponies do it, it’s all fun and games.”
“What about the kid?” Spike pointed toward Manny.
“Don’t worry Spike, I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure Manny’s treating him well,” Gabby promised, fluttering by.
“I should probably go along, just to be on the safe side,” Fluttershy meekly volunteered.
“Just don’t take too long guys, we’ve burned enough daylight,” Twilight called out, sighing. “Well, we might as well start packing up.”
As Twilight Sparkle and the remainder of the group made their way back to camp, Rainbow Dash was about to follow the group when Applejack tugged her tail back.
“Ow!” Rainbow winced, turning back with annoyance. “Now what did I do?”
“Listen Rainbow, I hope you ain’t mad at me for puttin’ you up with changin’ the young’in last night,” Applejack spoke up. “I’m really proud of ya for how ya handled it.”
“Eh, it wasn’t even that hard anyway,” Rainbow brushed off, cockily. “I don’t see what every pony was complaining about.”
“Heh… I can hardly imagine,” Applejack chuckled. “But look, all jokes aside, ya got the idea of wut it’s like. If there’s anythin’ I can do tah make it up to yah, lemme know.”
“Well…” Rainbow pondered, facing a nearby spring. “Where I feel like going, the baby can’t follow if you catch my… innuendo.”
“… You have no idea wut that means.”
“Not a clue. So, what do you say the two of us jump in the gene pool and see what happens? Huh?”
“Now ‘that’ I can manage in five minutes, if you can keep up,” Applejack smirked, swatting Rainbow’s flank.
“Ow! Oh-ho-ho, you’re so on!”
The girls laughed as the raced toward one of the unoccupied springs and took a dive into the muddy depths to enjoy some… busy time. Not as if this went unnoticed by the remainder of the group.
“Looks to me like the girls are going to be a little busy, if you catch my drift,” Pinkie spoke to Rarity.
“And yet they’re still in no rush for kids,” Rarity replied, turning back. “I for one don’t know who’s going to be in more trouble. Sid… or those other sloths.”
“Ah, cut the guy some slack. So, maybe he’s a little rusty… clumsy… exaggerates a lot. But it’s not like he intentionally causes trouble. What more could he have to lose?”
Suddenly, a high pitch scream caused Pinkie’s head to turn clockwise like an owl.
“Sidney?”
<>
A few seconds earlier, Sid had just arrived back in the very spring he left the two lady sloths.
“So, ladies, where were we?” Sid asked, flirtatiously.
Unfortunately for him, he stumbled upon ‘a’ pair of creatures… but not what he was hoping for.
“Carl?”
“Easy, Frank!”
Just his luck, the two rhinos that Sid had unintentionally antagonized happened to be taking their spot in the muddy hot spring… when the sloth showed up. They growled as Sid started to scream like a schoolgirl.
“Sidney?” Pinkie’s voice called out.
<>
In the meantime, Fluttershy and Gabby were tailing their mammoth companion as he carried the baby. Initially it seemed as though the mammoth was carrying the baby back to the camp. But instead, it seemed like he was just carrying the kid some place where he could voice his frustrations about the ‘party’ he’s had to deal with.
“Pretty tail walk by, suddenly he moves like a cheetah,” Manny grumbled. “And that tiger… yeah, Mr. Greatest Tracker. Can’t even find a sloth. I get cavities every time those ponies talk, I have no idea what’s the deal with those two birds, and Spike… don’t even get me started on the guy. What am I? The wet nurse.”
The baby was merely giggling over every remark the mammoth made as he positioned the child on a rock gently. It was then he finally noticed the two girls trailing him from midair.
“What are you looking at bone bags?” Manny asked, in annoyance.
“Well, that’s a fine fancy way to say hello,” Gabby replied.
“We were worried about you,” Fluttershy voiced concern.
“And you’re obviously not referring to the kid?” Manny remarked sarcastically.
“I just don’t understand why you have to be so grumpy with everyone, especially the baby,” Gabby shrugged. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost assumed you’re intimidated by the little guy.”
“Sure, just look at him,” Manny remarked. “He’s gonna grow into a great predator, huh?”
“We’re not strangers to sarcasm, Manny,” Fluttershy sighed.
“Yeah… I don’t think so,” Manny continued, examining the baby. “What have you got? You got a little patch of fur. No fangs, no claws. You’re folds of skin wrapped in… mush. What’s so threatening about you?”
In response, the baby wrapped his arms around the mammoth’s trunk, and he stopped instantaneously. His eyes started to widen, and his face softened as the baby hugged the trunk.
“Aw…” The girls sighed, smiling.
While the girls found this sequence adorable, however, Manny was quick to change his expression as he lifted the baby to his face.
“Hey, does this look like a petting zoo, huh?” Manny asked.
The baby nearly slipped off the mammoth’s trunk when he grabbed onto some nose hair. The mammoth screamed as the hairs were pulled off and the baby landed unharmed back on the ground. The baby giggled as he waved the nostril hair at the mammoth. Manny, however, was not going to have it.
“Okay, all right, wise guy,” Manny spoke, picking up the baby. “You just earned a time-out.”
Manny proceeded to pick up the baby and positioned him on the branch of a nearby tree. But the baby merely giggled, as the ponies watched the guy trying to assert some form of authority.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Manny eyed the baby. “How about this?”
The mammoth proceeded to position the baby upon the highest branch on the tree. The fact that such a thinly branch could hold such a plump bundle of joy was a miracle.
“You’ll be a little snack for the owls,” Manny declared.
“Is he joking?” Fluttershy asked Gabby.
“I don’t think he knows how to joke,” Gabby shook her head.
Whether the mammoth could hear the girls or not, it didn’t matter. He just stood by just to at least make sure the baby didn’t fall. And yet, through it all, the child wasn’t even scared of this predicament. If anything, this was the most fun he’s had since the trip began.
“You’re a brave little squirt, I’ll give you that,” Manny admitted.
<>
Suffice to say, things were not looking too well for Sid. The poor sloth was running for his life with those two angry rhinos literally on his tail. He hadn’t run very far, however, when he found Diego and Pinkie Pie.
“Sydney?” Pinkie Pie gasped. “What happened now?”
“Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness…” Sid sighed, then yelled. “OH NO! A TIGER! HELP! HELP!”
“Where’s the baby?” Diego questioned sternly.
“Did he get lost? Did he get eaten?” Pinkie asked rapidly. “Oh, Twilight won’t be happy if he’s eaten…”
“Oh, he’s fine!” Sid whispered. “Manny has him.”
“Oh… that’s a relief,” Pinkie whispered back. “I know the baby’s not everyone’s favorite, but even Roshan wouldn’t deserve…”
“Pinkie, Pinkie, listen! I need you to do me a big favor!” Sid spoke frantically. “Just put me in the tiger’s mouth. Hurry up!”
Diego looked on incredulously as Sid was pretending that he was eating him. Even Pinkie Pie seemed a bit confused, scratching her head with her tail.
“AAAAOOOOOHHHHHH!” Sid screamed. “HE GOT ME! Oh, help…”
“Get away from me,” Diego muttered, walking away.
It was then that one of the pony’s ‘Pinkie Senses’ started to kick in… that, or she could feel the ground shaking beneath her hooves. She stretched her head up to the sky like a giraffe, and that’s when she silently gasped at the sight of the two rhinos charging towards them.
“He went this way!” Carl shouted. “Over here.”
Realizing that somehow Sid landed himself in a pickle again, and out of desperation, Pinkie Pie proceeded to deliver a quick buck to Diego’s hindquarters. The sabertooth growled and lunged to attack. By the time the rhinos arrived, they skid to a halt toward a frantic sight. A sabertooth tiger clutching onto Sid’s neck and that pink pony running about frantically, wailing her head off.
“NOOOOOOO… SID!!!” Pinkie wailed, waving a handkerchief. “YOU MONSTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?! SPEAK TO ME, SID! SAY SOMETHING!”
Sid slowly lifted his head up, pretending to die while Diego clutched his neck tightly.
“Oooh… Sylvia…” Sid feigned dying. “I lo… lo… ACK!!!”
And just like that, Sid dropped his neck as if he finally died as Pinkie Pie dropped on the knees of her hindlegs.
“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Pinkie cried dramatically. “THE HORROR! THE HORROR!!!”
“Oh, Carl!” Frank groaned. “The tiger beat us to him!”
“Wait a minute…” Carl voiced suspicion.
As the rhino called Carl went over to investigate Sid, all this drama hadn’t gone unnoticed. Gilda and Spike happened to be flying by when they heard all the screaming. They happened to be within that part of the valley to investigate.
“What in Celestia’s name is going on—SID!!!” Spike shouted. “Diego, what have you—”
Spike was about to fly over to confront the sabertooth when Gilda stopped him with one wing.
“Just a minute, drama king,” Gilda spoke.
The two retained their position as they watched Carl sniff Sid. From what the griffin could see, he was trying to determine if this sloth was really dead. He backed away a few inches, irritated by the sloth’s smell. It was as though this guy hadn’t had a decent bath in weeks.
“How stupid can that rhino be?” Gilda remarked. “I can see him breathing even for miles.”
“Are you sure he’s, okay?” Spike asked, concerned.
“Dude… he’s literally holding his breath.”
In the meantime, Diego kept his eyes on the rhino while keeping his jaws locked on the sloth. He was determined to maintain this claim that Sid was his own kill, hoping the rhinos would buy it. Even Pinkie Pie started to sweat as she clutched the handkerchief tightly. Seeing that he and Frank were too late, Carl turned toward Pinkie Pie.
“Tell the cat he can eat him,” Carl told Pinkie Pie. “We’re done.”
“What?!” Frank complained.
“And you’re absolutely, positively sure that my poor little friend is dead?” Pinkie Pie spoke teary-eyed.
“He’s dead alright,” Carl confirmed. “As for you… hope you’re fast. Come on, Frank.”
“Oh, carnivores have all the fun,” Frank sighed, walking away with Carl.
All three pairs of eyes watched as the rhinos made to leave, especially Sid as he slowly lifted his head while their backs were turned. It was only after they finally disappeared that Sid finally gasped for air after holding his breath for so long.
“And… that’s a wrap, people!” Pinkie Pie declared, clapping a movie slate. “If that doesn’t get us a Tony, the system is definitely rigged.”
“Gosh, I hate breaking their hearts like that,” Sid sighed. “But you know how it is.”
Sid was just about to release himself, but the sabertooth’s jaws would not budge. Instead, Diego was holding Sid tightly.
“Okay, kit-cat, thanks for all the help,” Pinkie giggled nervously. “You can let him go now.”
Pinkie Pie reached out and tried to use her hooves to pry the tiger’s mouth open. But Diego stubbornly locked his jaws against the sloth, who tried vainly to pull himself free.
“Manny!” Sid gasped. “Manny!”
“Guys, I thought we were in a hurry!” Manny called out, approaching.
“I swear Sid, I know you have girl issues, but we really need to…” Rarity paused, catching the scene. “What in Celestia’s name is going on here?!”
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Gilda replied, landing on the ground.
It wasn’t long till everyone and every pony made it just as Pinkie Pie fell back after failing to release Diego’s jaw from Sid’s neck. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash, their hinds caked with hot mud strolled onto the scene equally confused.
“Diego, spit Sid out now!” Fluttershy ordered, assertively.
“Ya don’t know where he’s been,” Applejack added.
Reluctantly, Diego spit Sid out giving the sloth a chance to breathe.
“Unbelievable!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “We can’t have two minutes to ourselves and not leave you alone anywhere. What the hay happened?”
“I was attacked!” Sid answered. “I was attacked by two…”
“Two… hundred, vicious rhinos!” Pinkie Pie emphasized dramatically. “And Diego had to save our friend by pretending to eat him before they got the chance.”
“Really…?” Gilda raised her brow.
“Are you okay now, Sid?” Twilight voiced concern.
“I survived,” Sid replied.
“Great. Now, if we don’t have any further delays, can we please make our way to Glacier Pass while it’s still open?”
“Yeah, of course we’re ready!” Pinkie Pie smiled assuredly. “As soon as every pony gets… a candied turnip!”
Pinkie Pie swiftly pulled out two hoof-fulls of turnips from her mane, presenting them to her friends with a toothy grin.
“Candied… Turnips?” Spike’s brows dropped.
“Sure! We obviously have to stuff our cheeks if we’re going to be walking five hundred miles… or so.”
“Pinkie…” Gilda loomed toward Pinkie. “You… are… so… random!”
“Thank you! That’s the nicest thing you said about me,” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Well, best be running! Don’t want to miss the people!”
Pinkie Pie started humming a cheery tune to herself as she proceeded to snack on the candied treat. The Equestrians just looked toward each other and shook their heads with a sigh. The majority of the group proceeded to walk on until mainly Sid and Diego were left behind.
“Boy… for a second there, I actually thought you were gonna eat me,” Sid spoke to Diego.
“I don’t eat junk food,” Diego answered bluntly, walking away.
“Thought you were gonna… I thought you were gonna… were you?”
Sid just stood there pondering on what the sabertooth was actually planning, as Applejack and Rainbow Dash passed by cleaning off most of the mud.
“So… does this count as part of the bet or what?” Rainbow Dash asked Applejack.
<>
After a series of random events, the Equestrians and their allies spent the rest of the day trudging across the landscape to carry Roshan to his family. By now, the snow had been falling at a rapid pace and the grounds was starting to pile with the frozen ice for miles. Poor Sid struggled to keep up with the group, waddling behind and pushing his way through the snow.
“Come on, wait up! Wait up!” Sid called out. “Come on, come on. Can you wait a second, please? Hey Fellas!”
Eventually, Sid had finally caught up to the group who stood waiting for the sloth by a single geyser.
“Phew! Thanks for waiting!” Sid sighed.
Sid proceeded to lay upon the geyser to catch his breath. It was then that Manny, Diego, Spike, and the girls started counting…
“Three, two, one…”
Within seconds, the geyser shot Sid into the air and the sloth screamed as he flew.
“Sure is faithful,” Manny declared, walking away.
Fortunately, before Sid fell straight into the geyser, Gabby managed to catch him as the sloth’s eyes rolled in all directions.
Further into their walk, it was Sid’s turn to carry Roshan. The baby proceeded to poke the sloth along his neck, trying to play with him. At first, Sid tried to ignore the kid. But after getting poked again, the sloth got his attention. Sid poked Roshan back, but the baby poked him once more. It started out friendly at first, but soon it turned into a tense poking match between the two. Roshan squirmed as he kept poking the sloth.
“Don’t make me look back there!” Twilight Sparkle warned.
“Yeah, well, he started it!” Sid complained.
“I don’t care who started it, I’ll finish it!”
The group continued their walk when they stopped upon seeing a geyser blow out a red colored amount of steam. They were just about to move when they saw a huge glacier roll past them. It was as though they were looking at a train made of ice.
“I’m… not going to question that,” Rarity spoke, eyes widen.
“Me either,” Applejack agreed.
After the glacier rolled by, the geyser blew out a green colored amount of steam. It was confusing, but the group was far from worried having seen their share of weird events.
Moving on, they travelled past a giant slab of ice that dropped onto a cliff due to the group’s combined weight. But just as most of the group got across, the slab went back up like a seesaw and Sid, the only member left, flew back where he came.
Later on, with Sid behind them, the group continued their journey. Sid, having an idea to entertain himself, picked up a snowball and threw it at Manfred. The mammoth turned back, and Sid pointed towards Roshan. But Manny preferred to ignore their antics, for the time being. The group’s walk led them to a monument which resembled Stonehenge.
“My… what an interesting formation,” Rarity admired.
“Maud would love this,” Pinkie Pie nodded.
“Modern architecture,” Manny murmured. “It’ll never last.”
“Don’t be so sure, Manny,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “We have many places in Equestria as old as the princesses. You’d be surprised how long they’ve stood the test of time.”
Later, Diego spotted a tiger’s pawprint, an indication that his pack had passed by here. But the last thing he wanted was for the remainder of the group to know what he was up to. Quickly, he changed the pawprint into a human footprint to show the gang they’re heading the right way.
Meanwhile, the gang stumbled upon some ice struggling to make their way across. Sid and Pinkie Pie were making this easy as they skated around the group. Sid kept the baby on his person as he skated. For everyone else, it was a struggle to get across the ice and Twilight found herself in a familiar predicament. Diego practically clawed across the ice, but if they didn’t know any better, he looked pretty scared.
“Hiya, Manny!” Sid greeted, as Manny fell.
“Hi, Diego!” Pinkie greeted Diego. “Hiya, girls! Hi Spike! Hi—”
But Gilda lifted one leg and ‘accidentally’ tripped Pinkie who proceeded to skid across the ice, waving her hooves comically as she screamed. She soon slid right into Sid, and they crashed into a wall. The baby slid unharmed across the ice as Spike slid over to pick him up.
“Hey, Sid! Hey, Pinkie!” The ponies spoke as they passed.
After having their fun, the gang made their way across a four-way. Scrat happened to be in the region, once more attempting to bury his acorn. But at the moment, the group had their own problems.
“Face it, Diego,” Rainbow Dash groaned irritated. “You’re lost.”
“No. I know exactly where I’m going,” Diego insisted.
“Ask him for directions,” Manny addressed Scrat.
“I don’t need directions!” Diego argued.
“Well, we do!” Fluttershy spoke up. “If you won’t ask him, I will.”
Deciding to step in, Fluttershy approached Scrat, who held his acorn behind him as an act of defense.
“Hello, little friend!” Fluttershy greeted politely. “Have you seen any humans come around here?”
To which Scrat shook his head meaning ‘no’. But then Scrat made a motion with his arm and his face, indicating he had an idea.
“Oh, I love this game!” Sid stepped in. “I love it!”
“Me too!” Pinkie Pie joined in. “Okay, let’s see… three words. First word…”
Scrat proceeded to step on his foot.
“Uh… stomp!” Pinkie Pie guessed.
“No, no! Stamp, stamp, stamp!” Sid butted in.
Scrat angrily jumped around, trying so hard to communicate with the group. He even put his acorn over his back trying to emphasize his sentence.
“Let me try,” Manny offered. “Uh… pack!”
To which Scrat nodded his head.
“Good on, Manny!” Sid congratulated.
With the first word out of the way, Scrat was now pretending to be a sabertooth tiger.
“Pack of… long teeth and claws…”
As Sid attempted to figure it out, Diego took one look at his claws and arched them back deep in his paw. He was starting to get worried as the group started making random guesses.
“Pack of… wolves, pack of…?” Sid guessed.
“Pack of bears?” Manny suggested.
“Pack of coyotes?” Applejack added.
“Pack of fleas!?” Manny spoke.
Scrat could hardly believe how dense this group turned out to be. Angrily, he kept pointing at Diego trying to inform them that he meant ‘Pack of tigers’. But clearly, they weren’t getting the picture.
“Pack of whiskers?” Sid guessed.
“Pack of donkeys?” Pinkie guessed.
“Pack of… noses?”
“EW!” The girls groaned.
“Pack of raptors?” Spike shrugged.
“Pachyderm…” Manny guessed.
“Pack of llamas?” Rainbow jumped in.
“Pack of lies?” Sid guessed.
“Pack of reindeer?” Fluttershy spoke nervously.
“Pack of troubles?”
“Pack of falcons?” Twilight guessed.
“Pack of wallop…?!” Sid jumped in.
Eventually, Diego flicked Scrat toward the mountain slope while everyone was still guessing.
“Pack of fossa?” Rarity guessed.
“Pack of birds?” Gabby guessed.
“Pack of yaks?” Pinkie added.
“Pack of flying fish…!” Sid jumped up.
“I’m surrounded by idiots…” Gilda shook her head.
Poor Scrat flew so far that he eventually landed upon a snowy hill. His acorn also landed on the hill, only now it was rolling down creating a snowball. Scrat caught into the snowball, only to roll down the hill with it as it grew bigger by the mile.
As for the group, the Equestrians and their friends continued their journey in search for the humans. Sid, once again mischievous, putting Roshan on a rock and picked up a snowball. He threw it toward Manfred, who got irritated and swiftly turned around. This time, however, Roshan pointed towards Sid. The sloth got nervous, worried of what Manfred might do, before seeing a snowball fall from the sky. It landed right on him, burying the majority of his body in snow. Roshan giggled at Sid’s misfortune while Manfred, though irritated with Sid, couldn’t help but give a slight smile.
However, this adventure was not without its problems. A blizzard soon crossed their path, leaving the group shivering. But still they marched on, determined not to stop for anything. Diego led them across the blizzard, getting ice on his saber teeth. Manfred, on the other hand, had icicles growing along his tusks while Roshan rode atop his back. Sid had icicles on his nostrils as he shivered in the freezing cold. While Spike and the girls were cold too, the former keeping warm due to the fire within him, they refused to stop until Roshan was returned to the humans safely.
<>
Further into the journey, Diego marched a great distance from the group, looking for where to travel next. But when he looked up, he spotted the human tribe, not far away. The tribe was slightly smaller than he last saw them, minus one human, two stallions, a big wolf, and… whatever the female companion was. Still, he was surprised to even see the group come this far at all.
Diego turned back toward his group marching up the hill. Diego couldn’t afford to let them return Roshan to his rightful owner so soon. Diego turned toward his left and spotted a cave he passed by. Thinking fast, he decided to stall them as he raced back.
“Hey! Great news!” Diego called out.
“What is it, Diego?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Did you find the other humans?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Even better,” Diego smiled. “I found a shortcut.”
“A… shortcut?” Gilda squinted.
“Uh-huh! Right over there,” He motioned.
All eyes turned toward the cave. Roshan slid along Manny’s trunk, the mammoth caught up and put him back on his head.
“What do you mean shortcut?” Manny inquired.
“I mean ‘faster’ than the long way around,” Diego frowned.
Roshan slid off Manny’s head again. The baby was acting rather fussy today, trying to climb back up. This only made Manny slightly irritated.
“Ow! I know what a shortcut is,” Manny groaned.
“Just get to the point, darling,” Rarity sighed. “We’ve been wandering around this frigid wasteland for hours.”
“Look, either we slip through there and beat the humans to Glacier Pass,” Diego explained. “Or we take the long way and miss them.”
“Through there?” Gabby questioned curiously. “Are you sure?”
“C’mon, trust me on this,” Diego insisted.
“Trust you?” Spike pondered.
“Yes, trust,” Diego inquired. “It’s what friends do, isn’t it?”
The ponies, Spike, and the griffons looked at each other.
“And you’re sure there’s another way out of this cave?” Gilda inquired.
“I am sure,” Diego answered.
“If ya say so, sugar cube,” Applejack shrugged.
“Better than walking through another storm again,” Rarity agreed. “What do you think, Twilight?”
“If Diego is certain we catch up to the humans, we might as well go in,” Twilight sighed. “Spike?”
“I don’t know, Twilight,” Spike mumbled. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
It was then the dragon felt Gabby put an arm around his back.
“C’mon, Spike,” Gabby grinned. “It’ll be fun.”
The way the griffin batted her eyes toward the teenage dragon, Spike suddenly felt his cheeks blush.
“Okay, okay, you got me!” Spike chuckled. “I’m in!”
“Yay!” Gabby embraced him.
“Oh brother,” Gilda rolled her eyes.
“Hold on,” Manny stopped them. “This all sounds too good to be true. What do you take me for, tiger?”
“This time tomorrow, you could be a free mammoth,” Diego smirked. “Or a nanny. Personally, I never get tired of peekaboo.”
Roshan grabbed hold of Manny’s eyelid. The poor mammoth tried to pry him off, but the baby refused to let go. The others merely giggled at the scene.
“I think Roshan’s growing attached to you, Manny,” Fluttershy giggled.
“You don’t say,” Manny grunted, till Roshan gripped his eyelid. “Ow! Let go.”
“Hang on, I’ll help you,” Twilight chuckled.
The alicorn princess proceeded to activate her horn and carefully moved Roshan’s hand. This allowed the baby to release Manny’s eyelid which smacked his eye. Manny put the baby on his back again before massaging his eye.
“Thanks,” The mammoth moaned.
“No problem, Manny,” Twilight spoke humbly.
Just then, Sid, along with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash came by holding icicles.
“Hey guys, hey guys!” Sid called out. “Check this out.”
Sid proceeded to place the icicles on his neck, groaning and making funny faces. The two pranksters started to join in.
“Oh, the pain! The agony!” Pinkie feigned moaning.
The others merely rolled their eyes, groaning with annoyance.
“Oh, sweet Celestia! Help me, A.J.” Rainbow cried dramatically. “I’m dying! Everything’s getting dark!”
“Oh, knock it off!” Applejack bonked Dash’s head.
“Jeez! I was kidding!” Rainbow rubbed her head.
“Sid, girls, the tiger found a shortcut!” Manny mentioned.
“Where?” Pinkie looked around.
Soon, Sid, Rainbow, and Pinkie stopped as their eyes gazed upon the cave. Pinkie’s cheerful personality dropped as her fur started quivering with fear
“Uh no-no-no! Very, very, very bad idea every pony!” Pinkie denied, shaking her head. “My Pinkie Senses tell me we’ll be barricaded when we first step in that cave!”
“No, we won’t, Pinkie,” Applejack assured. “Diego’s certain there’s another way out.”
“The cavern, huh?” Rainbow scolded the tiger. “I don’t think so.”
“Do you have a better option?” Diego groaned.
Rainbow squinted her eyes for a second, for a moment she was suspicious of the tiger. But unable to find a better idea, Rainbow sighed with defeat.
“You better be right about this, cat,” Rainbow warned Diego.
Pinkie Pie got in Diego’s face. The tiger was uncharacteristically uncomfortable with this pony being so close.
“Do you Pinkie promise?” Pinkie warned.
The pony proceeded to wave a hoof near her chest, crossed her heart, and placed that same hoof over her eye. Diego stared at her for a moment or two. But not wanting to risk this pony’s rather, he sighed regrettably.
“I will make sure to find an exit when we go through,” Diego mimicked Pinkie. “Pinkie promise.”
As bad as the imitation was, the Equestrians smiled with approval. Manny, on the other hand, still kept his suspicions on the tiger.
“Sid, you with us?” Twilight asked Sid.
Poor Sid had been staring at the entrance the entire time. He seemed to study the edge of the cliff for a moment. Soon, he dropped the icicles as fear swept over him.
“No thanks,” Sid denied. “I choose life.”
The sloth was prepared to leave in a hoof when Diego jumped in front of him.
“Then I suggest you take the shortcut,” Diego snarled.
“Are you threatening me?” Sid narrowed.
“MOVE, SLOTH!!!” Diego yelled angrily.
Diego’s shout could be heard across the entire area. All of a sudden, the ice above them started to crumble.
“Way to go, tiger,” Sid patted Diego’s head.
“What did I tell you!” Pinkie shouted. “My Pinkie Senses are never wrong!”
Soon, ice started to crumble off the cave. A sheer sign that an avalanche was coming.
“Quick, inside!” Manny shouted, running for it.
“C’mon, every pony!” Twilight ordered.
Having no choice, the group raced into the cave just before the snow fell to the ground covering the entrance. They slid to a stop upon seeing the frozen ice-shards above. The vibration from the avalanche was making them shake.
“Go back! Go back!” Spike yelped.
They raced in the opposite direction only to find the entrance entirely blocked. Twilight Sparkle quickly generated a forcefield around the group, preparing for the falling shards of death. But fortunately, the shards along the ceiling stopped shaking as the vibration came to a complete stop. The group sighed with relief as Twilight lowered the shield, thankful that none of the shards fell. She pondered what would’ve happened if she hadn’t used her magic in time, the icicles piercing through them… a terrible thought.
“Wow!” Gilda admitted. “When Pinkie senses stuff, she senses them really good.”
“Uh-huh!” Rainbow murmured in agreement.
“Okay, I vote shortcut,” Manny declared.
“Guess we have no choice but to move forward,” Twilight agreed. “Let’s go every pony.”
Soon the group proceeded to walk their way through the cavern. There was no point in going back the way they came. A single rock sealed the passage completely, blocking the airflow. Even if they could clear the entranceway, it would put a strain upon the group and an untimely move could send the shards falling. All they could do was move forward hoping not to run into any more surprises…
<>
Earlier…
Quill Cast, along with Curtain Call and Princess Atalanta, were nursing Jon Snow and his direwolf Ghost following that encounter with the Wendigo. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too severe, but they had to tighten the bandages around the wounds to prevent infection. The majority of the time, the search for the Wendigo had been fruitless and the trail was difficult to track. They were getting closer to Glacier Pass, knowing the human tribe was working their way there, and it seemed as if they weren’t making any progress. While applying the finishing touch, they heard a shout and felt a rumbling, more than enough to cause them to turn toward some activity with confusion.
“Did you hear something?” Curtain Call asked Quill Cast.