“Well, here we are.” Scootaloo announced, stopping her wings and putting a hoof on the ground, stopping the scooter in its tracks. Each of the other Crusaders stepped out of the cart reluctantly, Twilight being last.
There they were: Ghastly Gorge. The only sound present was the cold wind blowing through the depths of the abyss. No other creatures but the four fillies were around. But they all knew that strange creatures lived deep down in the dark.
Yet despite it’s foreboding presence, the more Twilight looked, the more she was fascinated. There was something awe inspiring about such a natural structure. What secrets lay within? Now she wish she’d brought a field guide or some other similar book.
The other crusaders were silent, taking in what lay before them. Even Scootaloo seemed a bit reluctant to step closer. So Twilight, spurred on by mere curiosity, went to the edge and peered down.
“Wow...” she murmured to herself.
“Can you see a safe way down?” Scootaloo asked.
Twilight turned around, facing the three. “Unfortunately not but--”
The ground below her suddenly gave way, sending soil along with Twilight down towards the bottom of the gorge. She yelped, trying to grab at the side desperately. It didn’t work.
Luckily, the other crusaders leapt into action. Apple Bloom galloped forward, almost throwing herself into the gorge in order to grab Twilight. The earth filly managed to hold Twilight’s forehooves with her own but this resulted in half of her dangling off the edge.
If it wasn’t for Sweetie Belle, she would have fallen. The unicorn had grabbed Apple Bloom’s hindhooves and was trying her hardest to pull both her and Twilight back up. Even with Scootaloo’s help though, it was of no use.
“Scootaloo: get help!” Apple Bloom commanded, her voice strangely strong considering her age and the situation.
“O-On it!” The pegasus replied, not sounding nearly as strong as Apple Bloom. Still, she was ready to obey, heading over to the scooter and leaving Sweetie Belle along to hold the other two. Stepping onto her scooter, she looked back at Sweetie, who was sweating already. It wouldn’t be long before she lost her grip.
Disregarding her helmet, Scootaloo set off as fast as her wings could take her. Without the extra passengers in the cart, she was allowed to go at full speed. Dust trailed behind her as she went into the distance.
All Twilight could do was hold onto Apple Bloom, staring up at her. “Please d-don’t let go...please!” Twilight pleaded, her voice trembling.
“I won’t Twilight. Ah promise.” Apple Bloom did her best to give Twilight a reassuring smile, “Just gotta be strong, okay?”
Twilight nodded slowly. “O-Okay...I’ll try.”
Sweetie meanwhile, was completely silent save the occasional grunt. The effort she was exerting was wearing her down fast. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt herself being dragged closer to the edge. Closing her eyes, she prayed to Celestia that Scootaloo would come back soon.
It wasn’t easy but somehow, Scootaloo was able to maintain her speed without crashing into anything, all while looking up at the sky. That signature cloud had to be here somewhere, she just knew it.
Onlookers frowned at her as she sped along. Scootaloo always thought that they looked down upon her as some sort of delinquent. She cared as much for their opinions as she did girly dresses.
A gasp broke her concentration from the air and she looked straight ahead to see a mare pulling a large cart, screaming at the oncoming filly. Scootaloo gritted her teeth and harshly turned the handlebars, sliding around the cart just barely. Thank goodness she was used to oncoming collisions.
What she wasn’t used to, however, was small objects tripping her up. A small rock was directly in front of her path, something that any other pony would have ignored. Including Scootaloo, for she couldn’t see it until it was too late.
The front wheel collided with the rock, sending Scootaloo catapulting into the air. Her wings were still going, which probably didn't help with her trajectory. The filly closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable hard landing.
It never came.
Scootaloo slowly opened an eye and soon discovered that she had found herself on none other than the mare that she had been looking for. Rainbow Dash slowed down, landing carefully on the ground to allow Scootaloo to climb off her back.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed, staying put.
“Yeah, the one and only! Now, kid, what was that all ab--”
“You gotta go to Ghastly Gorge quick!” Before Rainbow could ask why, her question was already answered, “The others are in really bad trouble!”
“What?!” The mare looked back at her passenger, “Then get off me so I can save them!”
“No! I’m coming with you!” Scootaloo replied defiantly.
Rainbow sighed, facehoofing. She didn’t have the time to argue. “Fine. Hold on.” Feeling Scootaloo hold onto her firmly, she flew into the air, facing the direction to the Gorge. Without any delay, she lowered her head and flew off. Her forelegs pointed forward, helping to keep her streamlined and speedy.
Scootaloo looked back in wonder as she saw the famous rainbow trail form behind her. The wind battered her ears, eyes and mane but it felt exhilarating. In all honesty, she found this really cool but she doubted that anyone would share the sentiment at the moment.
They were there in no time. Both hoped that would be enough.
“You gotta jump, Scoots!” Rainbow Dash commanded, the Gorge in sight.
“What?!”
“Just do it!”
Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo jumped off Rainbow Dash and immediately began flapping her wings to slow her descent. She landed safely but was still quite some way from the gorge so she galloped as fast as her hooves could take her.
Thankful for the loss of extra weight, Rainbow flew even faster. Looking down, she could see the fillies struggling to keep a hold of one another. She dived down, grim determination on her face.
It soon turned to shock as she saw Sweetie getting dragged down by the others. All three of them were hurtling towards the bottom. That was no reason to give up though. Harshly rolling to her right, she entered the gorge and saw that the three fillies were still holding onto each other. That meant that she could carry them all fairly easily...with luck.
She bit down on Sweetie’s tail just as she reached them and luckily, that was enough to take the other two with her. Yet the weight of three fillies put a strain on her neck and Rainbow found her head lowering itself, along with the rest of her. In her thoughts, she cursed, realizing there was only one way this was going to end.
Accepting her fate, she let herself fall towards the ground. She bit Sweetie’s tail harder as her wing clipped a rock but she never strayed from the course. She timed her final action before landing, which was lightly throwing the three fillies into the air. It hurt her neck badly but it would mean that they wouldn’t share her rough landing.
Before she knew it, her forehooves made contact with the ground and she was sent tumbling across in a heap. Her whole body became filled to the brim with pain as she rolled along like a useless rag doll, splashing in the shallow water. Eventually she stopped and became still.
Thanks to Rainbow’s efforts, the fillies had a fairly easy landing, all things considered. They all landed hard but it wasn’t enough to bruise or break bones. Twilight, whose eyes were closed during the whole ordeal, opened her eyes and looked to her fellow crusaders.
“Is everypony okay...?”
“Ah’m here.” Apple Bloom responded, standing up. Her legs were shaking, her body in shock from the experience.
“Yeah...” Sweetie sniffled, “Yeah.”
Both Twilight and Apple Bloom went to Sweetie, giving her a hug. The shaking each of them suffered resided and Sweetie’s sniffling soon stopped.
Twilight looked up, peering around searchingly. “So who saved--Rainbow Dash!” She broke away from the others and galloped towards the fallen mare. She gasped in horror as she saw the full extent of the damage.
Rainbow Dash’s body was covered in bruises and cuts and her left wing was in a mess, feathers sticking out everywhere. Some were on the ground around her. Her mane and tail were equally as messy, tattered and covered in dirt, as was the rest of her. Her face was contorted into one of pain, eyes clenched shut. The water around her was stained slightly and Twilight knew all too well what caused that...
“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?!”
The pegasus groaned, opening an eye to see the worried filly before her. She could also see the other two crusaders galloping towards her. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She gave them a confident grin, attempting to stand up. Sharp jolts went through her system, nearly causing her to fall a couple times.
“But you’re hurt!” Twilight cried.
“Doesn’t mean I’m out of action...” she looked around, frowning distastefully, “What is it about this damned gorge?!”
“Scootaloo said you’d been here before...do you know the way out?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yeah...but...” Rainbow looked around again, biting her lip, “That was somewhere else here...this part isn’t familiar to me.”
“We need to get you somewhere safe!” Sweetie cried, staring in shock at Rainbow’s injuries.
“I know...and we will. Don’t worry.” Rainbow Dash looked up, unable to see Scootaloo. Sighing to herself, she began to lead the way and the fillies followed without question. They went at a slow pace, all thanks to Rainbow’s limping.
What they really needed now was shelter of some kind and hopefully it wouldn’t be a host to any monsters. Rainbow Dash was wounded, yes, but in time she would easily recuperate. Out of all the pony species, pegasi had the fastest natural regenerative abilities because of the importance of their wings. They couldn’t take as much punishment as earth ponies could but they recovered a lot faster.
A monstrous roar resounded through the gorge, paralyzing everypony with fear.
“We need to keep moving...” Rainbow Dash stated, quickening her pace despite the protests of her body. The fillies sped up, looking behind them, seeing only the natural formations of the gorge.
Spike kept on running, despite the fact that Rainbow Dash was long gone by now. He couldn’t falter now though. He had to keep on trucking.
“Spiiike!”
Damn it. He thought to himself, stopping in his tracks as he heard that voice. That one voice he cherished so much.
“Now now, what is all the rush about?” Rarity asked sweetly, as Spike turned around to face her.
“Rarity, I really don’t have time to talk.” Spike said, beginning to briskly walk backwards.
He thought Rarity would be offended but thankfully she read the signs. “Is something the matter?”
“Just follow me and I’ll explain on the way.” Spike turned back around, hearing the galloping hoofsteps of Rarity alongside him. He was glad for the company, considering the circumstances. “I saw Rainbow Dash fly across the sky really fast.” Spike explained as they ran, which he soon regretted. He was getting out of breath quickly.
“I don’t see the issue with that, Spike.” Rarity replied, staring at him with an eyebrow raised.
“Yeah but...she wasn’t showing off. It was like she was desperately going to something...and also, I couldn’t find Twilight anywhere. The two might be connected...”
Rarity blinked, a gasp escaping from her. “Sweetie Belle did mention a crusader meeting at their clubhouse...oh no.”
“What?”
“Well, they’re all going to be in big trouble.” Rarity frowned.
“I hope they’re not--oh, that kind of trouble. Right.” Spike gulped. If he had to choose between being in Tartarus and being locked in a room with an angry Rarity, he’d chose the former.
The buildings of Ponyville gave way to grassy expanse and trees and then to the gorge itself. They slowed themselves down and both of their hearts sank when they saw Scootaloo, all alone, pacing near the edge.
“Scootaloo!” The pair yelled in unison, grabbing the filly’s attention, who went to them at once.
“What happened?!” Spike asked, rather loudly too.
“It’s a long story but...Rainbow Dash saved the others--Sweetie, Apple Bloom and Twilight--but they haven’t come back up yet...”
Both Spike and Rarity sighed deeply and both silently thanked Celestia and Spike was doubly thankful that Twilight wasn’t alone. They had to be alive, they just knew it. Now they just needed to be found...
Spike carefully approached the edge of the gorge and steeled himself for what needed to be done.
“Spike, what are you doing?” Rarity asked worriedly.
Spike looked at his claws, thinking. “I’ll climb down.”
“Well don’t you dare think of doing it alone!” Rarity chided, joining his side.
“But I’m the only one that can climb down!” Spike retorted, then blinked in surprise as Rarity climbed onto his back without warning. She wrapped her forelegs over his shoulders, keeping herself secure.
Spike sighed, narrowing his eyes. “You’re not getting off are you?”
“Not at all. I simply would not be able to live with myself if I didn’t help.” She turned her head to see the remaining filly. “Scootaloo darling, you should stay here.”
“No way!” Scootaloo stamped a hoof in defiance, “I’m coming with you because...of all that stuff you just said.”
“I’m not carrying you too.” Spike deadpanned.
“No need.” Scootaloo smirked and ran off the edge. The pair’s faces went from terrified to amazement as they saw Scootaloo flapping her wings furiously, making a slow descent to the bottom.
“Right...our turn.” Spike gulped, peering down.
“Come on darling, we--you, can’t stand here forever.” Rarity said, giving Spike a light tap with her hind leg.
Spike delicately slid off the edge, digging his claws into the rock wall. Once he was sure that he wouldn’t budge from his position, he made his slow climb down. It took a lot of effort but he was thankful that his size saved the day.
Considering the speed of the climb, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk. “Um, Rarity?”
“Yes Spike?”
“You know this whole...wish thing?”
Rarity was silent for just a few seconds. “Yes, yes I do.”
“Well er...the next shooting star is tomorrow and Princess Celestia ordered me to...you know...”
“Make a wish?”
More like the wish. Spike nodded anyway.
“I see...” Rarity trailed off. Then she gave Spike a hard slap in the face. The sound of the smack resounded off the gorge walls.
“Ow!” Spike yelped, resisting the urge to rub his now red cheek. “What was that for?!”
“For telling me something that important when we’re scaling a gorge!” Rarity berated, while Spike grumbled. Yet after a short while of silence, Rarity’s demeanor seemed to have completely changed as she gave Spike a soft kiss on the same cheek that she had slapped.
Spike couldn’t help but blush. “And that...?”
"That was for being so honest. Not just now but those couple days ago. It can’t have been easy.” Spike swore that after Rarity had said that, her grip on him had tightened.
A soft smile appeared on his face and he kept on scaling down. They were both silent the rest of the way, enjoying the moment. Then he realized what tomorrow meant.
And his heart sank.
Rarity would probably never remember this moment. Spike knew that he would, considering he had all his memories intact. He wondered if Rarity suspected the same thing.
But maybe...there was hope? After all, Rarity had said that her was her ‘best friend. Always and forever’. Things can always change.
Eventually they reached the bottom, where they found Scootaloo waiting for them. Rarity got off Spike, patting him on the back as a thanks. He nodded in return then looked both ways down the gorge.
“They went this way!” Scootaloo exclaimed, pointing down one side.
“How do you know--” Spike answered his own question, spotting the trail of blue feathers down the shallow watery path. The three all shared worried glances before heading off.
Spike and Rarity were quite alert, which meant that the conversation was somewhat lacking. However, Scootaloo was the quietest of all, looking down. This was something that had not gone unnoticed by Rarity.
“Scootaloo dear, everything will be alright.” Rarity spoke with a motherly tone, trotting past Spike and going besides the filly.
“It’s not that.” Scootaloo replied, intentionally looking away from the mare.
“Then what’s wrong?”
Scootaloo mumbled a response. Rarity’s ears twitched but she failed to completely hear what she had said.
“A bit louder darling.”
“It’s all my fault, okay?!” Scootaloo shouted in a rather unexpected outburst.
In contrast, Rarity kept calm and collected. “How is it your fault dear?”
“It was my stupid idea to come here...if I had just kept my mouth shut, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Her eyes began to water, yet no tears formed. “I didn’t want this...”
Spike kept silent, seeing as Rarity seemed to have this covered. The mare put a hoof around Scootaloo comfortingly. “We will find them and get back home safely. Soon you can forget about all of this. None of us are mad at you but...” she paused in order to pick her next words carefully, “Next time, try to be more careful, yes?”
Scootaloo nodded, wiping her eyes. “Yeah, I know that now.”
Spike was keeping an eye on the feather trail, which didn’t bode well for Rainbow Dash’s status. Some of the feathers were red in places, not terribly so but it was enough to cause some alarm. The trail took them further ahead for a good distance, before leaving them in front of a cave. The way ahead was blocked by rocks, leaving the cave as the only viable route.
“They must have taken refuge inside.” Rarity said, peering into the darkness.
“Only one way to find out.” The dragon took the lead, taking small unsure steps inside.
Suddenly, something leapt upon Spike from the dark. The creature pinned him to the ground and Spike barely had time to register what had happened before the thing took a swipe for Spike’s face with its paw.
Spike grabbed his opponent’s paw, which he had now recognized as a diamond dog, and the two were now locked in combat, each pushing against each other. They seemed equally matched...until Spike realized he had a trick up his sleeve.
Or rather, in his mouth. His belly warmed up as he opened his maw and green flame escaped from it, burning his attacker’s face. The diamond dog shrieked in pain, jumping off Spike and covering its face. It wasted no time in fleeing, heading out of the cave, whimpering like a pup.
“Foul mongrels.” Rarity grimaced, then her face changed to one of concern, “Are you okay Spike?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Spike answered as he got up, dusting himself off. He was rather impressed with himself for managing to fend off the attacker and so couldn’t help but smile proudly.
“If Diamond Dogs are here...we need to hurry!” Scootaloo exclaimed from behind Rarity, who had been guarding the filly the entire time.
Spike’s smile vanished. “Agreed. Let’s go.” Signalling the others to follow, they all ran into the cave. Rarity’s horn lit up, providing light to combat the darkness before them. They couldn’t have been far away from the others now. Or, at least they hoped so.
The initial blackness of the cave hid the true nature of it, for deeper within was a hidden subterranean wonder. Twilight and the others stared in amazement as they saw brightly glowing mushrooms growing off the walls, lighting up the way for them. Both stalagmites and stalactites were present and Twilight was the only one who knew what the difference between them was. Many of the stalactites dripped with cold water, creating tiny puddles on the ground. Even the smell was different than before, it being something that everypony could only describe as ‘kinda gross’.
Rainbow Dash had hoped that this cave would be a shortcut of sorts but so far, it just seemed to be a pretty cool place to shelter. At least they were safe here.
“I hope we don’t see a bat...” Sweetie Belle shivered. The deeper they went in the colder it got.
“Bats are weird.” Apple Bloom commented.
“I think they’re fascinating...” Twilight added, fascination replacing anxiety at this point.
“Eh, they’re not as cool as tortoises.” All the fillies blinked in confusion at Rainbow Dash. “What?”
“Nothing...” the crusaders all replied.
Rainbow’s ears twitched. “Wait. I hear something.”
All of the ponies went quiet, listening intently to the sounds of the cavern.
“Gah, I could really use some crystals now! I’m starving!”
“Yeah, your stomach made that loud and clear!”
The rough voices could have only belonged to diamond dogs. That much was confirmed when one of them barked at the other. Their voices only got louder, which meant that they were getting closer and closer.
“Hide, here.” Rainbow whispered, leading the fillies to a spot behind a large rock. Hopefully the two dogs wouldn’t notice them if they kept quiet.
The two dogs then came into view, both being roughly the same size, that being slightly bigger than Rainbow Dash. One was covered in black fur and the other in brown.
“I don’t even know why we’re patrolling...” the black one grumbled.
“You can never be too careful!” snarled the brown one, smacking the other’s arm. “Do you want a quarry eel to get us?”
“But--”
“No buts. We can’t mess--wait.” The brown dog sniffed the air. “I smell something.”
“What?” The black one sniffed too, catching onto the same scent. He then cackled. “Long way from Ponyville aren’t we?”
“Come out come out wherever you are, my little ponies...” the brown dog snickered sinisterly, continuing to sniff, “They’re close. So close...you might just fill your stomach after all.”
“Hahaha! Excellent!” The black one licked his lips, dripping saliva everywhere.
The fillies became paralyzed with fear to the extent that they didn’t notice Rainbow Dash get up and appear before the Diamond Dogs.
“Okay, you found me,” she said tauntingly, despite her limping, “but can you catch me?”
“You’re wounded...haha, this will be an easy hunt.” The brown dog smirked, readying his claws.
“You’re miiiiine!!” The black one screamed, leaping towards Rainbow Dash. Such a blunt move was easily dodged however, even if Rainbow was injured. Yet it barely gave her enough time to duck under a swipe by the brown dog, aimed for her head. She could even feel one of the claws move through her mane.
The fight snapped the crusaders out of their fear and they all shared glances with each other. Grimly determined to do what must be done, they all nodded at each other and stepped out from behind the rock. They had to act fast: Rainbow Dash couldn’t hold out forever, each dodge causing her sharp pain.
Sneaking up behind the brown dog, Sweetie Belle knelt down, allowing Apple Bloom to jump off her. Once the earth filly did, she gained incredible air and managed to land atop of the diamond dog’s head and cover his eyes with her hooves.
“Aaah! I can’t see!” The brown dog started running around in havoc but Apple Bloom managed to keep her grip.
“It’s on you!” The black one pointed out. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but snicker at the confusion.
“What’s on me?! I can’t see because it’s hugging my face! It’s like...some kind of face hugger!”
“It’s a little pony! Hold on, I’ll get it off for you! Just stay still!” The brown dog obeyed and stood still, snarling. Apple Bloom watched the black one approach and cheekily blew a raspberry at him, her head resting on top of the dog’s. Enraged, he threw a punch directly at her but before he hit her, she moved her hooves away. The result was a black eye for the brown dog.
“Ow! My eye! You idiot!” The brown one growled, rubbing his injured eye. Apple Bloom then leapt off, grinning victoriously.
“It’s gotten off, get it!” The black one yelled, pointing at the earth filly. Before he could charge though, he felt something poking his back. He turned around, looking down at an innocent looking Sweetie Belle. “Ack! Another?! Come here you little...” He mumbled his next words, swiping at the small unicorn. The attack was sluggish, so she was easily able to gallop away unharmed.
The two once fearsome diamond dogs were reduced to stumbling idiots, running after two fillies. Rainbow Dash broke into a laughing fit, enjoying the whole charade. Apple Bloom and Sweetie were easily running rings around the dogs, who put all their focus on getting them both.
In fact, they were so focused they were completely unaware of each other’s presence. The two fillies gave each other a wink and galloped towards each other. Once they met, they waited for a few seconds before dashing off together in another direction. The dogs, thinking that they had their prey, collided together, sending themselves onto their rumps.
While they were down, Twilight copied Apple Bloom and leapt onto the brown dog’s face, much to his annoyance, although unlike the earth filly, Twilight’s whole body was on the dog’s face.
“Again?! Really?!”
“I’ll get it off for you!” The black one stood up, readying a punch.
“Don’t bother! I’ll do it myself.” The brown dog cackled, turning slightly. He was blinded again but he knew what he was facing. “How much do you like wall?!” He charged for the side of the cave but before he made contact with it, Twilight simply dropped off and darted to the side. The dog’s face met the wall of rock extremely hard, creating little cracks in it. He shook his head, his movements now dazey and soon fell to the ground, completely unconscious.
With his friend down, the black dog whimpered and fled deeper within. “Warn the others! Warn the others!” He repeatedly yelled until he was out of earshot.
The trio of crusaders all hoofbumped with each other, cheering at their success. Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from her eyes, the laughing dying down.
“That was amazing! And hilarious!” The fillies beamed proudly at the mare. Instead of smiling with them though, she frowned. “Never do it again. You might not get so lucky next time.”
The trio looked down, nodding. “Okay Rainbow Dash...” they all said in unison.
“Still, nice job. Now...” Rainbow looked down where the diamond dog had ran off to, “We better get out of here.”
“Mhm.” Twilight agreed, staring at where they came from. She blinked, spotting something. “What’s that?”
Twilight pointed to what she was peering at. Soon, all of them could see it. A light blue light shone in the distance. Sweetie was instinctively drawn to it, approaching the light. It looked so familiar...
“Sweetie Belle!” Before she knew it, Sweetie was wrapped up in her sister’s forelegs. Rarity hugged her protectively, then set her down. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” She began to closely inspect the filly. “You are okay, aren’t you?”
“More than that now you’re here!” Sweetie cheered, attacking her sister with another hug, which she eagerly returned.
“Spike!” Twilight cried, galloping towards the dragon and burying her face in him, hugging her dear friend tightly. In her happiness, she failed to see Scootaloo hiding behind Spike.
“Twilight!” Spike laughed as Twilight collided with him, “Thank goodness you’re okay. I was really--”
“I hate to break up the happy moment guys but we gotta move. Now.” Rainbow grunted, limping slowly forward.
“Rainbow Dash darling, you look simply awful!” Rarity said, her voice full of concern.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Thanks. I feel it too.” She kept on limping, only to soon find herself walking on air. Before she could protest, Rarity was carrying the pegasus on her back. Twilight couldn’t help but be a little envious; Rarity made levitation look so simple.
“Perish the thought of you walking all the way back!” Rarity went forward, seemingly not minding the extra weight. Then again, pegasi were the lightest species of pony.
Everyone else followed Rarity, while Rainbow Dash was the only one keeping an eye on behind them. The crusaders all formed up around Scootaloo, having now spotted her, and all leapt upon the pegasus filly playfully. The weight of them was too much for her and she fell down, as did the other three. They all laughed, even Scootaloo, although in her case it was forced. The others could tell too.
“What’s wrong Scootaloo? Aren’t ya glad to see us?” Apple Bloom inquired.
“I am but...” Scootaloo trailed off, looking at the rest of the crusaders, “Aren’t you mad at me?”
The three others each responded in turn:
“Eenope.”
“Nope!”
“Not at all.”
Scootaloo looked away from them all. “Well you should be.”
“Now why in the hay should we be?” Apple Bloom kept looking at her friend’s face, despite her shying away.
“It was a silly idea, yes, but don’t we all make those in our lives?” Twilight said and although Spike wasn’t intentionally listening in on their conversation, that part stuck out in his mind. Truer words were never spoken.
Twilight continued, “Anyway, it was my foolishness that got us down here.” she admitted. There was a tinge of regret in her voice but not to the extent of Scootaloo’s.
“No, it’s all my fault!” Scootaloo flared her wings, looking at Twilight. “If I had never persuaded you to come here, things would be better!”
“How about we settle for a combination of factors then?” Twilight suggested, carrying on when she saw Scootaloo nod, “Point is, don’t beat yourself up about it. We’re all together now. We’re almost out of this.”
“Yeah...yeah you’re right.” A small smile managed to creep up on Scootaloo’s face.
“Don’t think you’re escaping punishment though.” Rainbow Dash stated, “That goes for all of you. It may have been Scootaloo’s idea but you shouldn’t have gone through with it you know. Some things sound awesome in theory but in practice...” She flinched as she recalled some of the crashes she had experienced in her life.
“Don’t be too harsh, Rainbow.” Rarity said, not bothering to turn her head back.
“I’m just saying!” Rainbow huffed, “We all know it’s gonna happen sooner or later. So, Scoots,” she pointed at the filly in question, “no flying lessons for a week.” Scootaloo nodded in understanding.
“Rarity, will I get punished?” Sweetie asked. She just had to know.
“We’ll discuss that when we get home, darling.” Rarity answered, her voice giving no hint to her intentions. Sweetie just grumbled, kicking a pebble along the ground.
When they reached the light at the end (or start) of the cave, all of them squinted their eyes as if they had been living underground for years and were only seeing daylight for the first time. They weren’t safe yet though, as a way out was still needed.
With the way up ahead blocked, the only option was to go back down where they came. Rainbow winced as they went past where she landed and she saw the evidence of the damage that had been done.
She looked at Spike, remembering that their last conversation didn’t exactly go smoothly. She had to say something...but what could she say?
“Uh, yeah Rainbow?”
The pegasus mare blinked a few times, realizing that she had been staring at Spike this whole time. She smiled sheepishly, trying to laugh it off. “Hi...”
Her mind went through five rapid facehooves that day. Words...she was never really good at them. Rainbow was a pony that spoke her mind and when her mind refused to cooperate, she got stuck.
“Do you need something? You’re kinda creeping me out with that stare of yours.”
Damn it! Had she paused again?! Okay, this time, she was going to go for it.
“Spike, I’m sorry.” she said bluntly. It was simple but it would do.
“For what?” Spike replied, his question causing Rainbow to grit her teeth.
“For being a bi--” she stopped herself from going further, aware of the presence of four young minds, “Big...stupid...er...face.” She finished with a sigh. If she could move her wings without pain, they’d definitely be covering her face. Spike tried not to laugh so instead he just nodded.
“I may have jumped to conclusions and let my emotions get the best of me so...yeah, for that, I’m sorry,” Rainbow continued, sincerity slowly replacing awkwardness, “And thanks for saving our flanks. I didn’t think anypony was coming for us.”
“Hey Rainbow?” Spike asked, a small smirk forming on his face. “It’s cool.”
Rainbow laughed lightly, having said her say. With that sorted she felt...better, somehow. Like a weight had been lifted off her that she didn’t even know she had. Smiling contently, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep on Rarity’s back.
“I’m hardly surprised she’s fallen asleep,” Rarity commented, having heard the pegasus’ snores, “Poor thing must be exhausted.”
“Even heroes need their sleep.” Spike uttered. He had to admit, Rainbow looked a little endearing when she was asleep. He’d never say that out loud though.
Rarity chuckled. “Don’t let her hear you say that.”
“Daring Do...boulder...gallop gallop gallop!” Rainbow mumbled in her sleep, making everyone else burst into a fit of hushed giggles.
“I hope an actual boulder doesn’t come for us.” Twilight joked, “Although the chances of that happening are extremely small.” Spike rolled his eyes. Twilight seemed to have a knack for ruining jokes. “We’re more likely to run into a Quarry Eel!”
“The chances for that are still really small right?” Sweetie asked, then looked at everyone as they just suddenly stopped in their tracks and looked to their right. They were all staring at a huge hole in the gorge’s wall. All of them knew what lurked within. There was only one thing that would.
“Sometimes I hate it when you’re right, Twilight.” Spike muttered.
“Maybe it hasn’t noticed us! Maybe it’s just sleepin’. Maybe it's not even there?” Apple Bloom suggested, finding it hard to look away just in case a quarry eel did gobble her up.
The roar from within the hole confirmed everyone’s worst fears.
“Sometimes I hate it when you’re wrong, Apple Bloom.” Scootaloo snarked, receiving an annoyed glare from the earth filly.
There was another terrifying roar and a pair of yellow eyes slowly opened up, staring menacingly at the group. Everyone took this as a cue to run and without anyone leading the way, they legged it.
Due to Rarity’s galloping, Rainbow got bumped around on her back to the extent that it forced her to wake up. “Huh...wha’s going on...?” she mumbled in a tired haze. She soon got her answer: a quarry eel slithering its way out of its nest. Rainbow gulped. “I’ve had worse wake up calls...”
Spike ran as fast as he could but today’s running had worn him out due to that fact that he had gotten no moment to rest, which was starting to take its toll. His breathing was already heavier than the others and he soon began to fall behind.
The others, too wrapped up in their hysteria, failed to notice this until the dragon stumbled and tripped to the ground. Twilight was the first to stop, wasting no time in going back for him. She desperately tried to nudge him up but he wasn’t having any of it.
“Go! Go...I’ll be fine.” Spike lied, waving a claw dismissively. If this was it then...better him than her.
“No! I won’t leave you here! Not now, we’re so close!” Twilight cried, continuing her futile attempts to get Spike back up.
The marauding quarry eel was certainly enjoying this charade and had slowed down slightly to revel in the moment. Using the most of this opportunity, Rarity used her magic to put Spike back up on two legs. This gambit only served to make the eel pursue them faster, it narrowing its eyes in pure anger.
“Run Spike!!” Twilight screamed, not leaving Spike until he did. Her legs quivered in fear as the shadow of the beast overwhelmed them both. It grinned, bearing its sharp teeth and dripping saliva onto the ground.
Without a moment’s pause, Spike picked up Twilight and threw her ahead. He didn’t care if it was a rash decision. All he cared about was whether it’d save her life or not. Rarity quickly caught Twilight with her magic and gently lowered her to the ground. All of the group stared at Spike, all feeling a combination of worry and terror.
”Just what do you think you’re doing mister?!”
Everyone, including the monster, stopped. Spike looked back at the massive eel, which stared at him back. Both were as confused as the other.
”Up here!”
Everyone looked up and one after another, jaws were dropped. Hovering in the sky was Fluttershy, forelegs folded, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth shaped into a scowl. Every one of her wingbeats was strong, giving her a powerful presence. Spike thought it was terrifying. Luckily, it was only the quarry eel that was in for the wild ride.
”Now answer my question.”
The eel began shying away, the group’s terror seemingly having been transferred to it. Nopony dared to suggest that perhaps quarry eels couldn’t talk, lest they face Fluttershy’s wrath.
”You were trying to eat my poor lost friends weren’t you? How DARE you even CONSIDER such a thing?!” Fluttershy flew closer to the eel, it now frozen in complete fear. ”Would you like it if you were lost in a scary place and something kept trying to eat you?! Well?!” The eel had no answer, although it was very easy to see it gulp. ”Now go back to your nest and think about what you’ve done or you’ll have my butterfly friends to answer to!”
At those words, the eel suddenly seemed to regain its courage, the sinister grin appearing. It raised its head, looking at Fluttershy directly at eye level. She didn’t back down and neither did it. Perhaps mentioning butterflies was not the best of ideas.
Then Fluttershy let out a sharp whistle that echoed throughout the gorge. The eel’s grin grew even wider and it let out an almost deafening roar at Fluttershy. Her mane and coat were blown about by the sheer force of it but amazingly, Fluttershy still had her angry demeanor.
The quarry eel’s jaw then suddenly dropped and it wasn’t because it was about to devour Fluttershy. Up from above, thousands of butterflies were flying in close formation together, creating a colourful blob that was in constant motion. Spike and the others had no idea what the butterflies could even do but they all didn’t want to find out. Their sheer form was threatening enough.
When the group looked back to the eel, it was gone. It was amazing how such a big creature could make that quick and stealthy of an exit.
“That was...awesome. Even with butterflies.” Rainbow Dash commented as Fluttershy flew down to the others, her butterfly army flying just above her. She looked at everypony in turn, unsure of who to hug first. In the end, she settled on the fillies, grabbing them all in her forelegs and squeezing them tightly.
Twilight was the only one who had managed to escape and was hugging Spike protectively. He returned the gesture, saying nothing. He didn’t need to.
Fluttershy though, wasn’t as quiet (somewhat ironically). “Oh my gosh oh my gosh! I was so worried when I saw that quarry eel! I...I thought you’d get eaten! Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright!” She gave the fillies one last squeeze before dashing over to Rarity and hugging her. The trio of crusaders let out huge sighs of reliefs, thankful that their rib cages were still intact.
“Um, Fluttershy, thanks for the save and all but...can we get out of here now?” Rainbow Dash asked, then rolled her eyes as soon as she saw Fluttershy look at her with dire worry.
“Rainbow Dash are you okay?!” It probably wouldn’t take much to give Fluttershy a panic attack now. “You look really hurt!”
“I kinda am so could you kindly get me somewhere safe, like a cloud?” Rainbow sighed. There was no use in trying to get Fluttershy to calm down.
“Oh, yes! Sorry, sorry!” Fluttershy looked at her butterfly friends and gave them a short nod, after which, a group of them disbanded from the rest and surrounded Rainbow. Before she could protest, the butterflies lifted her into the air and carried her out of the gorge.
“I’ll see you at the hospital!” Fluttershy cried out, everyone watching Rainbow go.
Rainbow had gone out of view but clearly she had heard her friend: “Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!”
Everyone (except Fluttershy) was dumbfounded, especially Scootaloo. It wasn’t exactly normal to see your hero get carried away by a bunch of butterflies. “Are we all going to get carried by them?” The filly asked.
Fluttershy nodded a few times. “Yes. I’m not very good at carrying heavy things and flying...” She widened her eyes and looked at Rarity. “Not that I’m saying you’re fat!”
“Yes...quite.” Rarity replied.
“Let’s just get this over with then...” Scootaloo sighed, letting a group of butterflies take her up into the air.
Soon the butterflies were carrying all the grounded ponies (plus one dragon) and Fluttershy was leading the way. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle giggled as the butterflies inadvertently tickled them. Twilight had her forelegs crossed, a frown on her face as she questioned how this was at all possible. Rarity took it in her stride and Spike just rolled with it. Stranger things had happened.
By the time they reached Ponyville (Fluttershy had insisted they didn't touch the ground until they reached the town) the sky was a brilliant red, with the occasional cloud here and there. The butterflies carefully lowered their passengers onto the ground and Fluttershy gave them a wave as they flew away.
Spike watched them go and turned to Fluttershy when they left his sight. “Thanks for rescuing us Fluttershy. We don’t know what we’d do without you.” Everypony else nodded in agreement with her, all eyes focused on Fluttershy.
The shy mare blushed, looking down. “Oh w-well I was just being a good friend...”
“You were more than that. You were a hero!” Scootaloo cheered. “Just like Rainbow Dash!”
Fluttershy gasped, looking up like a frightened animal. “Oh that reminds me, I better go see her in the hospital!” She gave everyone a small wave and flew off towards the hospital.
“Well, I better take you three back.” Rarity announced and for once, the three fillies in question didn’t protest at the prospect of going home.
Instead, the Crusaders all shared a group hug with Twilight. Even Scootaloo wasn’t reluctant to do so, although she was the first to break away. With goodbye hugs done with, the three fillies went to Rarity’s side. Though she wouldn’t leave without giving Spike a hug.
“I shall see you tomorrow then.” Rarity said, giving Spike a squeeze and speaking her next words in a quieter voice, “You were simply dashing today, darling.” She gave Spike a sly wink before heading off with the three Crusaders. Spike could only wave, words failing him. Getting a compliment--especially one of that prestige--from Rarity was something to cherish.
Spike soon snapped himself out of his lovestruck trance and looked down at Twilight. “Guess it’s our turn to go home then.” Twilight nodded and the two headed to the library together in companionable silence. “Thank Celestia...” Spike sighed quietly.
The library was a welcome sight and as soon as he entered, the first thing Spike headed for was the bed. “Dunno about you but I’m hitting the hay right now.” He went up the stairs, his steps heavy and sluggish. He jumped upon the bed when he saw it, smiling contently as he sunk slightly in the mattress.
Twilight seemed to agree with this idea, as she was following Spike. She was quiet but Spike put that down to tiredness. Until he realized that she wasn’t getting into her bed but was just staring at it.
Spike raised himself, legs dangling off the edge of his bed. “Practicing sleeping with your eyes open while standing up?”
Twilight shook her head solemnly and turned her head to look at her dragon friend. As soon as Spike stared into those sad eyes of hers, the gears churned in his head.
“Aah...tomorrow.” he let out after a period of silence.
“Yeah...” Twilight finally said, facing the floor.
Spike smiled at her reassuringly. “It won’t be so bad.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
Spike froze, taken aback by that remark. It had a hint of coldness to it, which was disturbing. “What do you mean...?”
“You get your life back.” Twilight answered firmly.
“Yeah and so do you.” Spike said. The confusion was evident in his voice.
“But this is my life!” Twilight suddenly shouted, stomping a hoof on the floor and glaring at Spike.
“It is--” Spike caught himself before he blurted out those words then fumbled trying to say the next ones, “It...it...it’ll be better for you, trust me...please.”
“I won’t remember this though!” Twilight yelled, her eyes beginning to tear up.
“You don’t know that!” Spike retorted, raising his voice.
“I couldn’t remember my life before, could I?!” Twilight stared at Spike, who didn’t answer. “Exactly. So what makes you think I’ll remember this?!”
Clearly all this was doing was getting both of them riled up, so Spike decided to end it before more damage could be done. “Twilight, you’re tired. You should go to sleep.”
“I’d rather enjoy my last hours fully awake!”
Spike couldn’t just sit there and listen to her say things like that. It was wrong. “They’re not your last hours!” His claws gripped the side of the bed.
Why were they going through this again? He had thought--he had hoped--that Twilight would be done with the matter. He couldn’t deal with it now though. He was far too tired and therefore, wanted to avoid a slip of the tongue.
“Just get some sleep!” Spike ordered, a little more fiercely than he would have liked.
Twilight sniffled and silently picked up Smartypants from her bed. The tears were flowing now. “I’ll g-go read instead...”
Spike watched her go, his heart feeling twisted and knotted. He felt like he had to do something but he didn’t know what. The sounds of quiet sobs from the other room didn’t help. Hopefully the party tomorrow would lighten her spirits.
He put his head on the pillow and wrapped the bed sheets over himself. Sleep was probably the best option. It was certainly the easiest. Spike hated that. This whole wish was an easy option. He sighed, closing his eyes and trying to picture happy thoughts.
He went to sleep feeling sorely homesick.