The ghostly moan of the whistling winds echoed throughout the dark walls of the cave. None would dare enter these foreboding dwellings except for Jon Snow, Ghost, and the Equestrian Trio housing it. Their recent run-in with the Wendigo left Jon with huge gashes across the front of his chest, which fortunately required only a few stitches. Currently, Atalanta was wrapping his chest in gauze while Quill Cast and Curtain Call tended to Ghost, who also received heavy damage courtesy of the Wendigo. Fortunately, Atalanta’s fireball was more than enough to scare away the beast or else they could’ve met a most unfortunate end. A sigh escaped her lips as the Princess applied the finishing touch on Jon Snow.
“You’re telling me that beast is impervious to pretty much everything except fire?” Atalanta questioned.
“Indeed,” Jon nodded. “When we first fought against it in Westeros, we stabbed it multiple times and never once had it down to one knee.”
“It wasn’t till we picked up a burning log from our fire and managed to burn it that it finally ran off into the wind,” Curtain added.
“Since then, we’ve scoured for as much information as we could gather,” Quill spoke up, scratching Ghost’s ear. “According to legend, a Wendigo’s heart is made purely out of ice. Only by melting its heart can one truly manage to destroy it.”
“It’s physical destruction anyway,” Curtain corrected. “It’s spirit needs a living host in order to rebuild a new ice heart, and it’s up to us to contain it before it truly gets loose.”
“Then why did you just charge into the fight like that?” Atalanta questioned.
“With this blizzard, there’s no way we could obtain any fire or even keep it lit,” Quill responded, approaching Atalanta.
“Thankfully, you have magic,” Curtain pointed out. “That was some quick thinking on that fireball pitch.”
“I just wish you’d told me all this earlier,” Atalanta scolded. “Maybe no one would’ve gotten hurt.”
Before the argument could go any further, a ringing sound echoed throughout the cave. Quill lifted his hoof and looked down upon his wrist where a clock-like device was ringing.
“Hold that thought,” Quill spoke quickly.
Quill ventured off toward another cave, and once far enough he proceeded to tap the device on his wrist.
“Hello?” Quill spoke to the device.
“What in God’s name are you two doing?”
“Look, I know you’re upset with us right now,” Quill replied. “But we’ve found that Wendigo we’ve been searching for.”
“You two had better finish what you’re doing soon. You are to return here as soon as possible.”
“May I ask what’s the hurry?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. All this meddling and interference you two have been up to lately has caused indescribable damage to the Multiverse. If we have any hope of restoring it, we have work to do. Get back here fast!”
And just like, the device went dead. Quill released a long sigh of frustration but knew there was truth in those words. With everything happening as of late, he knew it was a matter of time before things escalated like this.
“Curtain!” He called, walking back. “We’ve got a problem!”
“What could it possibly be now?” Curtain asked, equally irritated.
“The Doc’s not happy with us right now!” Quill responded. “We need to hurry this up as soon as we can.”
“You mean that Phantom-Dragon guy?” Curtain sighed. “If this is about the theatre needing a better quality toilet paper, I’ve told him I’d…”
“No, not Phantom,” Quill interrupted. “I mean theDoctor.”
Hearing this sent Curtain’s eyes widening with worry, as he quickly shot his head back toward the rest of the team.
“Alright, here’s the deal!” Curtain spoke quickly. “We rest here for the night, but we need to be out of here by tomorrow. We must find this monster as fast as we can.”
“Why?” Atalanta questioned curiously. ‘What was that all about? Who were you talking to?”
Quill Cast and Curtain Call looked toward each other, wondering if they should tell her what was happening or keep their mouths shut. After a moment, they turned back to face her.
“Someone who’s very displeased with all this tampering with the Multiverse as of late,” Quill responded.
“And someone who is sure to tear us a new one when we get back,” Curtain added, with chagrin. “Like my exes…”
<>
Across the valley, deep within another cave system, a series of hi-jinxes has led the Equestrian Heroes and the Ice Herd walking slowly through the ice caves they were currently trapped in. A majority of the group were still dizzy and wobbly following their tumble down the ice slides. It had been pure, utter chaos, the likes of which only Discord could appreciate. It was honestly amazing none of them were dead… if not seriously injured.
“Sweet Celestia!” Rarity groaned, wobbling along. “My head’s still spinning from all that sliding about.”
“No kidding!” Twilight Sparkle agreed.
“Aww come on guys, that was the most awesome slide I’ve ever been on!” Rainbow said happily. “We should look into building something like that in Equestria!”
“Heh, couldn’t agree with you more Dash!” Gilda chuckled.
The two delivered a hoof/claw bump as they pressed onward through the cave.
“Ah’m sure Apple Bloom and the other crusaders woulda loved somethin’ like that,” Applejack commented. “Maybe ah’ll talk tah Big Mac about fixin’ somethin’ like that up at the farm next Hearth’s Warming. On a smaller scale ah course.”
“Meh! Give me a good jump into the lava springs any day,” Spike shrugged.
“That reminds me, you still need to show me that new triple corkscrew backflip you’ve been working on,” Gabby smiled at her boyfriend.
“Oh yeah… right,” Spike smiled awkwardly. “I’ve totally got that nailed.”
To which Gabby merely gave a sly smile and a raised eyebrow toward him.
“You haven’t practiced at all, have you?” Gabby asked.
“Actually… no,” Spike confessed. “It’s been so busy lately with all the trips we’ve been going on that I haven’t made time to practice.”
“It’s alright,” Gabby smiled. “I’m just glad you make time for dates.”
Gabby leaned close toward Spike and nuzzled along his side as they walked. Casually, Spike brought one arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.
“For you… always,” Spike smiled back.
Eventually, after a lengthy walk, the group noticed that the ice along the caves seemed to shift into stone the further they walked. Soon enough, they emerged from the mouth of the ice cave into a larger stone cave system. What amazed them most was the sight from all around the cave at every turn. Every wall was etched with an assortment of cave drawings of great variety.
“This is amazing!” Twilight gaped with wonder. “History documented in real, authentic cave paintings. You know, during our previous trips, I did a little reading on these. Apparently, these cave drawings won’t be discovered again for another forty thousand years or so. Most cave art consists of paintings made with either red or black pigment. The reds were made with iron oxides, whereas manganese dioxide and charcoal were used for the blacks.”
A loud yawn stopped her from going further as Twilight turned around spotting both Rainbow Dash and Gilda yawning in boredom.
“Seriously Twi, is there any time when you aren’t going all egghead on us?” Rainbow questioned.
To which Twilight Sparkle turned her head and kept walking, now with her bottom lip stuck out in a frown. As Sid carried little Roshan along, they passed a nearby wall depicting an encounter between the sabretooth tigers and antelopes.
“Whoa, look, look! Tigers!” Sid pointed out. “Eesh!”
Sid cringed over the depiction of the tigers actually eating the antelope. This scene caused little Roshan to whimper as he tried to bury himself further into Sid’s fur. Noticing the little guy’s distress, Pinkie Pie bounced over and tried to comfort him.
“Don’t worry Roshan, they’re just paintings,” Pinkie smiled assuredly. “Ooh! How about a funny face? Will that help?”
Pinkie Pie proceeded to make a few funny faces while blowing raspberries for Roshan.
Seeing the pink pony acting silly made the baby giggle and clap his tiny hands happily. At that moment, Gabby approached the group.
“Don’t worry little buddy,” Gabby spoke sweetly. “You’re perfectly safe with us. Ain’t nothing going to happen to you while we’re around.”
Gabby reached up with her paws and started tickling the baby, which made him giggle heavily. From the sidelines, Spike watched Gabby playing with Roshan and he couldn’t help but smile. ‘She is so great with kids’, the teen dragon thought to himself. He could already picture what it would be like when they have kids of their own.
Eventually, as Pinkie Pie and Gabby followed the remainder of the group, Sid was left carrying Roshan.
“See, it’s alright,” Sid assured the baby. “The tigers are just playing tag with the antelope… with their teeth.”
At that moment, Diego walked up behind Sid.
“Come on Sid, let’s play tag,” Diego spoke menacingly. “You’re it.”
“Eh heh, heh, sure,” Sid chuckled nervously. “Alright, where are the sloths? You know you never see any sloths. Have you ever noticed?”
“No worries, Sid, sloths will eventually get their spotlight moment in time,” Pinkie Pie called out. “They’ll get a few supporting roles in movies at first, and next thing you know they’re the main characters of their own story. Though I question why they’d make a sloth a horror character in that sorority movie without explanation… eh, I blame the writing…”
While Pinkie Pie kept rambling ahead, something caught Sid’s eye and he felt as though he needed to share.
“Oh! Look Manny, a mammoth!” Sid pointed out.
“Ooh! Somebody pinch me,” Manny replied uninterested.
“Hey, hey, this fat one looks just like you!” Sid pointed. “Aw, he’s got a family…”
Manny immediately froze at the mention of family, something that Spike, and the others were quick to notice.
“Oh, and he’s happy!” Sid described the painting. “Look, he’s playing with his kid. See Manny? That’s your problem. That’s what mammoths are supposed to do.”
“Sid…” Diego spoke up.
“Find a she-moth, have little baby mammoths…”
“Sid!” Diego and the gang shouted, ceasing the sloth’s rant.
“W-What?” Sid asked.
“Shut up.”
“But… Oh…”
Eventually, Sid finally caught on to everyone’s concerns. All eyes stared toward Manny, seeing him so spaced out by this one drawing. Spike and Twilight Sparkle followed Manny’s gaze toward the painting. It seemed like a random sketch of two adult mammoths and a tiny calf of sorts. But as they stared at the drawings, the art seemed to come to life, and it wasn’t long until they were able to see what Manny saw.
<>
In that very painting, the mammoth family were playing happily in a lush meadow. The parents were eyeing proudly over the young mammoth calf as he trumpeted and bellowed about merrily. It raced toward its father, to his warm embrace. Soon as the young mammoth raced off, the father was left to embrace his mate, who’s coat was as white as snow. The father bore a great resemblance to Manny, just as the calf resembled his father. The mammoth indeed seemed happy, content with nothing else but the loving embrace of his family.
But sadly, all good things were coming to an end…
The calf stopped and ran away, bellowing in horror and his cries drew the concern of his parents. To their shock and horror, a horde of human hunters were rushing toward the mammoth family wielding spears. The mother and child escaped, leaving the father to fend off the humans. But their numbers were many and before long, they surrounded him with their spears keeping the mammoth in place. Worse still, the terrified scream of his mate and their child drew his attention.
The mammoth could only watch helplessly as his family were trapped against a rock wall by humans aiming their spears at him. Another group of hunters stood atop the wall, ready to rain heavy boulders upon them. Watching the mother and son crushed before his eyes, hearing their cries of anguish and pain, the father bellowed in horror as his precious family was destroyed before his very eyes…
<>
By the time he woke back to reality, Spike had collapsed upon his knees as the truth overwhelmed him. Twilight and Gabby leaned upon Spike for emotional support, but they too were overcome by what they saw. These cave drawings, and the memories captured within them, were so horrible and it felt so real. And as their eyes turned toward Manny, they could see him breathing heavily while trying to regain control of his runaway emotions.
But the truth was clear as the ice: The surviving mammoth in the drawing was Manny himself, it was him who’s family were killed by humans. And as the group’s eyes watched with worry, they slowly turned back to the painting and cleared their throats uncomfortably. That explained why Manny was walking toward the forming glaciers while all the other animals were migrating. Manny was walking into the Ice Age… to die if it meant being with his family again.
Manny’s eyes kept staring toward the cave drawing, his gaze fixated towards what they could only presume to be his late child. Slowly, Manfred raised his own trunk toward the illustration, stroking across the painting as if wanting to stroke his child’s back, one last time.
As he stroked the back, his trunk touched Roshan’s tiny hand, the boy also touching the drawing gently. The boy stood on his feet, propping himself against the cave wall. Surprised, Manfred pulled back his trunk and blinked toward the little human boy. Roshan stroked the picture of the baby mammoth with his fingers, glancing back at Manny as though he was connecting the two in his mind. The baby suddenly stumbled toward Manfred, who caught the baby with his trunk. He slowly lifted the boy off the ground, eyeing the precious child curled in his trunk. After a moment’s pause, he hugged Roshan close, nuzzling his cheek against the baby’s head. Sid sniffled, wiping snot from his nose with his paw onto Diego, much to the cat’s annoyance.
At that same time, both Spike and Gabby faced each other, their tearful eyes watching each other. They held each other close for comfort, as Twilight Sparkle and the others joined in. The only one uninterested in the moment was Gilda.
“Ugh! Can we move on already?” Gilda groaned. “We’re not getting back home by just standing around.”
The grumpy griffin started walking off to a corner of the cave with a huff. This hadn’t gone unnoticed by a certain cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash broke away from the group hug and slowly hovered up and over alongside her fillyhood friend. Gilda could hear the faint flapping of wings beside her and turned her head toward Rainbow before turning away.
“What?” She grumbled.
“Look Gil, I get it,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “You think it’s easier to play the big, bad, tough girl than to actually show you care for others. Trust me, I thought that way a long time ago too. But as much as you try to hide it, you really do have a caring heart in you.”
Gilda merely released a sarcastic chuckle as she looked toward her friend.
“You’re really trying to do this, huh?” Gilda asked sharply. “Trying to analyze me, Doctor Dash? Well, you can keep your sappy talk for your pony friends.”
“Cut the act, Gil!” Rainbow replied sternly. “That macho façade of yours may work on others but not me! I remember back when we first met, when you first showed up to Junior Flight Camp and you were so shy at first when…”
Rainbow’s sentence was abruptly cut off when Gilda grabbed her and slammed her against the stone wall of the cave, glaring with fire in her eyes.
“Never talk about that!” Gilda hissed. “You swore you’d never bring that up again!”
“Why is it so bad if I do?” Rainbow retorted.
“Don’t toy with me, Dash!” Gilda warned. “I’m not above smashing this wall down with your face.”
“Seriously, what’s up with you?” Rainbow asked.
“Nothing!” Gilda replied quickly.
“Why are you always such a jerk?!”
“Shut up!”
“Why can’t you just learn to be nice?! You’d think after what happened in Griffinstone, I’d figured you put in the effort to…”
“BECAUSE I’D LOOK WEAK AGAIN!!!”
The scream was so loud everyone off the side immediately jumped and looked toward the girls with concern. Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock, as did Gilda’s. The griffin finally lowered the Pegasus back to the ground and turned away again. But clearly Rainbow Dash was far from finished.
“What do you mean you’d look weak again?” Rainbow questioned curiously.
Gilda released a deep sigh as she sat on the floor. Rainbow Dash approached her side and took a seat beside her.
“You wouldn’t understand, Dash,” Gilda said quietly. “You didn’t grow up the way I did. Whenever I’d come to your house when we were kids, I remember how your parents always praised you for every little thing, even for something so small. Yet they gave you the confidence that you were the best at everything. Me… I had none of that.”
As Rainbow Dash listened to her friend talk, she spotted something more rare than any gem in Equestria. A small tear ran down Gilda’s face as she spoke.
“You know my parents died when I was little,” Gilda continued sadly. “I spent my entire life living with Grandpa Gruff, and you know he’s not exactly nurturing. Every time I’d get sad or show any kind of happiness, he’d tell me, ‘You’re too soft Gilda. Griffins are supposed to be tough as rock and you’re soft as rice pudding.’”
The more Gilda talked, then the more tears rolled down her face.
“I had to harden up really fast. I buried all my emotions as low as I could push them. I was always made to believe emotions were weakness, and I swore I’d never look weak for any creature again. So, there you have it, Dash. You want to know why I’m a ‘jerk’ all the time? Why I can never be nice to any creature? Look at me! It’s as plain as I can give it.”
Gilda quickly wiped away the tears along her face and tried to put on her stone cold expression again. But a hoof upon her shoulder made her turn her head toward Rainbow, who looked at her softly.
“I’m sorry, Gilda,” Rainbow spoke softly. “I had no idea that’s how things were for you.”
“Yeah, well… now you know,” Gilda huffed.
The two sat there for another few moments, letting everything that was said sink in. Finally, Rainbow decided to break the silence again.
“You know Gil, it’s never too late to change your outlook,” Rainbow spoke honestly. “I know it can’t happen overnight, but I’ve already seen a little of it. I mean you were pretty quick to jump in and rescue Roshan on that ice slide.”
Gilda couldn’t help but chuckle over that.
“Maybe I just wanted to enjoy the ride,” Gilda joked.
To which Rainbow chuckled over that statement as well.
“Seriously though, that shows you do care,” Rainbow emphasized. “You could try to make the excuse that we need him in order to go home so we had to rescue him. But clearly, you care more than that. Believe it or not, showing others you care and being nice to them won’t kill you.”
Gilda gave another glance toward her friend, before she faced the ground with another sigh.
“I just don’t want to be looked at like I’m weak,” She confessed. “I embarrassed myself enough at Flight Camp, and I made a fool of myself when Pinkie threw that party. Then after I couldn’t get our sacred treasure back…”
“I know Gilda… I know,” Rainbow nodded. “But acting tough and uncaring all the time won’t make anyone think you’re strong. They’ll just think you’re a jerk. There will always be others telling you who you are your whole life, but you can’t let them turn you into something you’re not. You need to push back and say, ‘No, this is who I am’. I’ll let you think about that a bit. But now, let’s get going.”
Rainbow Dash stood back up and walked back toward the rest of the group. Gilda sat still for another moment or two, pondering what Rainbow said to her. Finally, she got back up and walked back toward the others who were heading out of the cave. The only one who stayed behind was Diego, the tiger took another look toward the painting on the wall. Many thoughts ran through his head, particularly about this whole scheme of his. It was as though Diego was starting to have second thoughts after seeing someone else’s pain.
Eventually, Diego turned and started to follow the rest of the herd out of the caves. It was plain to see that everyone had so much to ponder after this experience. But in a way, somehow this moment granted them this chance to learn something.
<>
Deep within the glacial valley, Runar led his fellow hunters across a snowy plain. The hunters had their wolves by their leashes, their animal companions sniffing the ground like hunting dogs. The humans stopped beside a set of footprints for the wolves to examine, but then they shook their heads sadly. These were not the tiger tracks they were tracking. The wolves sniffed around, digging their noses in the snow, but they seemed very confused.
Runar tightened his grip on one wolf’s leash—it was hard for him to admit that the wolves had lost the scent. One of the hunters approached his chief and took the leash from Runar’s grip. With a deep sigh, the chief looked down toward his son’s broken necklace in his hand. Their search for the boy had been in vain, and it was clear to him that his wife was dead too. He shook his head, having lost all hope of seeing his family again.
Right now, Runar had to think what was best for his tribe and lead his people through Glacier Pass to their settlement on the other side. With the snow growing rapidly, the trip would be impossible, and time was not on their side. With a heavy heart, Runar led his hunters back toward the rest of the tribe ready to leave his pain behind him.
<>
Unbeknownst to the Neanderthals traveling in the valley below, on a higher plain above, the Equestrians and the herd had finally emerged from the cave system. They were currently in the process of crossing a long stretch of icy plain. All eyes could see Half Peak and Glacier Pass just beyond the valley. The end of their journey was fast approaching.
“Well, would you look at that!” Manny said surprised. “The tiger actually did it. There’s Half Peak, next stop, Glacier Pass. How could I ever have doubted you?”
Beside the mammoth, Diego continued onward without even looking toward Manny. Though he refused to show it, a seed of doubt had been planted in his head since their venture in the caves. After learning about Manny’s past and hearing Gilda talk to Rainbow about her issues, so much was going on inside his head. But for the moment, Diego tried to focus on the task at hand. He couldn’t afford to turn back now; this trip couldn’t be for nothing.
“Did you hear that, little fella?” Sid said to Roshan. “You’re almost home.”
As the remainder of the group trekked across the plains, Rarity walked behind the herd where Gabby and Spike were walking. What no pony or creature else knew was that she secretly had something on her mind as well. Something she’d been wanting to get out for a while but not having another chance before. Now, it seemed today was as good a time as any.
“Pardon me, Spike, but would you mind if I had a private moment with Gabby?” Rarity asked sweetly.
Spike took a look toward the marshmallow unicorn, raising a curious eyebrow.
“Sure… but why?” Spike asked curiously.
“No need to fret darling,” Rarity assured him. “I just need a moment to talk with Gabby about… girl things.”
Spike turned toward Gabby, who walked at his side. The giddy griffin merely smiled with a single nod. Spike nodded in return and walked a little faster to catch up with the remainder of the group. This left Gabby and Rarity completely alone to talk.
“So… Gabby,” Rarity began. “How are you and Spikey—uh, I mean… Spike. How are things between the two of you?”
“Oh, it’s been amazing!” Gabby smiled happily. “Spike is amazing! He’s so dreamy; he’s considerate! And he’s a hard worker! He makes me feel like one in a million! Or as he puts it, his ‘Diamond in the Sky’… so romantic.”
“That’s wonderful,” Rarity smiled.
“Rarity, would you mind if I tell you a little secret?” Gabby asked seriously.
“Of course, darling,” Rarity nodded. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“Well, as you know, Spike and I have been seeing each other for a few years now,” Gabby informed Rarity. “Things couldn’t possibly be any better between us. He might not think I know, but I believe he’s planning on proposing sometime soon.”
This caused Rarity to pause for a moment, her eyes widened with shock.
“Are you quite serious?” Rarity asked bewildered. “How did you know?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I do know he’s been jewelry shopping,” Gabby smiled. “I know if he does ask me, there’s no doubt I’ll say yes. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I can’t wait to spend the remainder of my life with him. Building a life together, having at least four kids, growing old together. It’s a dream come true.”
“Hmm… well, I’m happy for you two,” Rarity smiled sadly, which didn’t go unnoticed.
“W-What’s wrong, Rarity?” Gabby asked in concern. “Something I said?”
“No, don’t get me wrong darling,” Rarity replied. “I’m happy that both you and Spike are an item, that you both want to marry. Not to mention you’re already talking about how many children you’ll be having. And I suppose the baby is good practice for the two of you. It’s just…”
Rarity took a deep breath before releasing the feelings she had pent up for so long.
“I still feel bad for the way I treated Spike in the past!” Rarity exclaimed. “Before I met Erik, Spike is—was a gentleman to me. So attentive to my needs, ready to partake to my every whim, all to… win my affection! But in the end… it was all for naught.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I love him as a… a best friend. I never meant to pawn off on him; I just didn’t know how to let him down easily. Then you came and… I saw how happy the two of you are together. I knew if any creature could really take care of Spike, it’s you. I felt relieved at first, since… I’ve spared the burden of… breaking Spike’s heart.”
Rarity choked on her words, remembering that it wasn’t the case.
“Unfortunately, I just couldn’t leave well enough alone… for the two of you,” Rarity cried.
Feeling sympathetic for the unicorn, Gabby wrapped a wing around her for comfort as Rarity continued.
“I got in the way… between the two of you. I stole Spike from you and worse still, I drove you apart. All because I missed having Spike in my life… and still do. To this day, I regret what I did. I don’t know how I can ever truly amend myself after that…”
Rarity quietly cried into her hooves, while Gabby stroked her soft feathers across Rarity’s back for comfort.
“You know what we really like about you?” Gabby asked. “Your generosity and how you care about everyone’s feelings besides your own. Well, except that time between us, but still… who says we can’t be friends?
“Look Rarity. Spike and I forgive you, even though what you did was… unexpected. But it’s not like you didn’t do the right thing and tried to fix it. The fact you’re going through this much length to ensure our happiness, for us to take our relationship to the next level, that really tells us how much of a friend you really are!”
Rarity smiled lightly upon hearing the griffin’s forgiveness. But now came the moment of truth, to have the griffin something valuable.
“Here… I… consider this my… wedding gift for the two of you,” Rarity said.
Gabby looked in her claws to discover a beautiful golden choker, with a blazing ruby, carved in the shape of a heart, embedded in the center.
“Wow! It’s so pretty!” Gabby smiled. “What is this?”
“It’s a Fire Ruby,” Ruby explained. “Well… specifically Spike’s… Fire Ruby. It was… his birthday present… until it was stolen from him. But I found it, and I’ve kept it safe until… the day it would return to him… from you.”
“Wow, Rarity! That’s so thoughtful of you!” Gabby hugged the unicorn. “We’ll cherish this treasure and remember you as the bestest friend anyone could ask for! Always!”
On the outside, Rarity smiled for Gabby’s hug and happiness. But on the inside, she was crying and could feel her heart shatter seeing the Fire Ruby leaving her. She actually loved that ruby. But deep down, she knew it wouldn’t be right for her to hold onto it. It was always meant to be Spike’s birthday meal until she manipulated it off of him.
And now that Rarity was married to someone else, with a child of their own to love, what value does a ruby have for her when they have something more precious than all the treasure in Equestria?
The pair eventually made their way towards the remainder of the herd, and everyone continued onward. After another few moments of walking, Sid felt something odd beneath his feet. As if suddenly, it felt very hot on the ice. He looked down and saw his footprints in the snow started to glow a bright orange.
“My feet are sweating,” Sid announced.
“EW! TMI, dude!” Rainbow commented.
“Seriously, do we have to get a news flash every time your body does something?” Diego asked, irritated.
“He’s doing it for attention,” Manny brushed off. “Just ignore him.”
“Seriously!” Sid exclaimed concerned, hopping back and forth due to his burning feet. “My feet are reallyhot! Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
But Sid wasn’t the only one hopping about in pain. Pinkie Pie started copying the sloth, jumping around on her hind legs.
“I’m feeling it too!” She groaned. “Hot hooves, hot hooves!”
“Guys, if they say the ground feels warm, it must mean—” Twilight Sparkle began.
Suddenly, a low rumbling cut off the princess of friendship. Everyone else stopped in their tracks, looking around with concern.
“Tell me that was your stomach,” Manny told Diego.
“Shh!” Diego hushed, listening.
“M-Maybe it was just the wind?” Fluttershy guessed nervously.
“Ah don’t reckon so, Fluttershy,” Applejack shook her head. “Ain’t no clouds in the sky, and it ain’t no storm either.”
“I’m sure it was just thunder,” Sid replied positively. “From under… ground?”
Suddenly, a huge geyser of fire blasted through the snow right behind the herd. It was though a volcano was erupting below them.
“RUN!!!” Twilight yelled.
The entire group started zig-zagging their way across the ground. The ice started to fall beneath them, revealing a river of lava running across the valley. Fortunately, most of them managed to avoid the geysers. But the ground crumbled in front of Diego, leaving the tiger stuck on a platform. For everyone else, it was a race for survival.
“Come on, keep up with me!” Sid said urgently.
The sloth’s legs moved at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, he wasn’t going anywhere as his feet were just slipping in place on the ice.
“We would if you were moving!” Manny said loudly.
Sid finally collapsed when his legs had given up under him. Eventually, Diego leapt across to join the group.
“Nice jump, Diego!” Gabby chirped impressed.
“Yeah, I wish I could jump like that,” Sid agreed.
“Wish granted!” Manny replied.
Manny proceeded to punt Sid with a kick so powerful it sent the sloth flying and screaming across the gap. The sloth slid across the ice and finally smashed into a rock.
“Ooh!!!” The Equestrians cringed.
“That’s going to hurt in the morning…” Spike remarked.
“Come on, move faster!” Diego spoke anxiously.
“Have you noticed the river of lava?!” Manny retorted.
With all the steam bursting from the lava, which was slowly melting the ice beneath their feet, Roshan started to whimper with fear.
“It’s okay, squirt,” Gilda patted his head. “Princess… a plan would be nice right now!”
“Okay, anyone who can fly grab someone who can’t!” Twilight Sparkle ordered.
Twilight Sparkle proceeded to carry Rarity over the ice, while Rainbow Dash carried Applejack and Flutershy grabbed hold of Pinkie Pie. The non-flying ponies dangled as they eyed the ground nervously while the fliers proceeded to fly across the gap. Manny leapt next and just barely made it. By the time it was Diego’s turn, he leapt as far as his legs could push him… but didn’t quite make it.
Diego found himself hanging over the edge, barely keeping hold of the ice with his paws. Manny and Gilda looked back, seeing the severity of the scenario.
“Hold him!” Manny instructed Sid, handing him Roshan.
“Hang on, Diego!” Gilda called out.
Manny cautiously inched his way toward Diego, as Gilda hovered over the mammoth. Together they reached out with trunk and claw toward Diego, who struggled to reach for them. Suddenly, the ledge broke, and the tiger nearly fell… until Manny and Gilda grabbed both his paws.
“Gotcha!” Gilda shouted.
The rest of the group looked on with worry, Pinkie was so nervous she started chewing her own hooves. Slowly, the ledge beneath Manny’s feet started to break as Diego tried to climb along Manny’s trunk. In an act of sacrifice, Manny hurled Diego and Gilda, who still held onto Diego, to safety. But just as Manny started to march, the ledge fully gave way… and he fell.
“MANNY!!!” Everyone shouted.
All eyes looked on with worry, as Manny’s trumpeting faded. It seemed as though they had lost a major part of their traveling part… until Manny was launched high in the air by a powerful geyser. The mammoth hovered over the sky briefly until he landed toward his friends with a hard thud. By the time the dust cleared, the Mammoth lay on the ground, and he appeared to be unconscious.
“Oh my gosh, Manny!” Twilight Sparkle gasped.
The whole team rushed over to check on him, praying that Manny was alive.
“Manny! Manny, Manny, Manny!” Sid cried out. “You okay?!”
“Come on, Manny, old buddy, old pal!” Pinkie begged. “Please say something, anything!”
Mumbling escaped Manny’s lips, but at first, they couldn’t tell what he was saying.
“What? What?” Sid asked anxiously. “We can’t hear you.”
“You’re standing on my trunk,” Manny whimpered.
Sid realized he was standing on Manny’s trunk and stepped off, as the mammoth took a big gasp for air.
“Oh, you’re okay!” Sid cheered. “You’re okay!”
Relieved that their friend made it safely, they all raced toward the mammoth to hug him, as the big guy was laying upon the ground without a single argument.
“We’re so glad you’re alright, Manny!” Fluttershy smiled tearfully.
“And that I can agree on,” Gilda nodded, with a small smile.
“Why did you do that?” Diego asked Manny and Gilda, shocked. “You could’ve died, trying to save me. And… I know we don’t have the greatest track record Gilda, so why stick your neck out for me?”
“That’s what you do in a herd,” Manny answered. “We look out for each other.”
“And friends always have each other’s back,” Gilda added.
“Well… thanks,” Diego smiled.
“I don’t know about you guys, but we are the weirdestherd I have ever seen,” Sid declared.
“Sid… normal is overrated,” Pinkie Pie replied.
Pinkie Pie’s little remark actually got everyone to laugh, even Gilda couldn’t help but chuckle. As scary as it was, barely surviving a near death experience with lava, this moment demonstrated that when they put their minds together, they could accomplish anything. Never in the history of this Ice Age had there ever been a herd such as this. Herbivores and carnivores, even a human, all together and all knowing that if they lost their way, they would either fall to the freezing cold of the Ice Age or miss their chance of returning a child to his family. Worse still, finding themselves in the shadow of an equally dangerous obstacle.