Chapter 15:
Courageous Loyalty
It didn't take long for Gilda and Lightning Dust to catch up to Rainbow Dash and Daring Do. The two wing pairs flew side-by-side; their presence reflected in the multitude of crystals that decorated the caverns. Lightning Dust looked over at Rainbow with soulless green eyes.
"I'm the better flyer," she said in an eerie, uncharacteristic monotone.
Rainbow couldn't help but give the hypnotized pegasus a complacent sneer. "Heh. You think that's gonna psych me out? Fat chance. If you wanna show me up, you're gonna have to show your stuff!"
Lightning Dust didn't retort, but instead veered to the left and bumped Rainbow Dash. By the time Rainbow corrected her course, the hypnotized pegasus shot ahead. Meanwhile, Gilda pulled a similar maneuver on Daring, swiping at the adventurer with her talons before darting past her.
"Looks like these two don't want to play fair," Daring observed.
"Looks like it," Rainbow agreed with a snort. "Well, we're not stooping to their level. We'll blow them away with skill alone!"
"I like the way you think, Rainbow Dash," said Daring with a smirk. "Alright, I'm your wing."
Rainbow gave the literary heroine a nod as she gradually accelerated. Daring did the same, keeping in time with each of Rainbow's movements. The golden streak of Lightning Dust was just in sight when something caught Daring's eye.
"Incoming on the left!"
Rainbow didn't need to be told twice. She adjusted her trajectory just in time to dodge a large crystal obelisk crashing down from the ceiling. Daring managed to do the same, sticking close to the cyan speedster.
"Good call!" Rainbow called back to her wingpony.
"Save the congratulations for later!" Daring hollered back. "I've got a feeling that was just a taste of what's to come!"
Sure enough, Daring was right. Several beams of light shined forth; each one reflecting off of the crystals. Up ahead, they could see Lightning Dust and Gilda passing through one of the beams, triggering a rain of javelins shooting from the wall.
"Heh, no sweat," said Rainbow, radiating an aura of confidence. "You just keep me alert to anything I'm missing, alright?"
"Can do," said Daring with a salute.
The two pegasi sped straight into the booby trapped caves, nimbly dodging every spear, axe, dart, and pendulum coming their way. They eventually caught up with Gilda and Lightning Dust, who were pulling off death-defying maneuvers of their own. Gilda noticed her old friend out of the corner of her eye.
"No way you can beat me, dweeb," she said in a monotone as she intentionally triggered a swinging log trap. Rainbow flew under the logs before they collided, scowling at the griffon.
"Oh, you're in for it now, G," she snarled, picking up the pace. Daring quickly followed, managing to stick close to her lead pony. Suddenly, she noticed that the passage ahead of them was getting narrower and narrower.
"We're coming in too fast, Rainbow Dash!" she shouted. "We can't both make it at this speed!"
Rainbow looked ahead to see what Daring was talking about. She saw that Lightning and Gilda were long gone, but also noticed a couple of brown feathers hanging on the lip of the small opening. Her eyes narrowed.
You might not care if your partner gets hurt, Lightning, but I do, she thought as she adjusted her speed accordingly. Thanks to her heeding Daring's warning, they both managed to slip through unscathed. As soon as they were through, she accelerated again, with Daring not far behind.
Soon enough, they managed to catch up with the hypnotized rivals. Rainbow glowered as she saw just what she had suspected. Gilda was still managing to keep pace with Lightning Dust, but her flight was very unstable. The griffon had clipped her wing thanks to Lightning Dust's recklessness; just as Rainbow had before when she flew as her wingpony back in the Wonderbolt Academy.
"You really haven't learned anything, have you, Lightning?" she growled. "C'mon, Daring! Let's get a move-on!"
Daring nodded and continued to keep pace with Rainbow. As they flew deeper into the caves, the booby traps became more and more frequent. As such, the two pegasi managed to keep each other informed.
"Runaway boulder to the right, Rainbow Dash!"
"Tripwire ahead, Daring! Pull up!"
"Incoming darts! Dive, dive!"
"The entrance ahead is closing! Time to kick it into high gear!"
Because of their coordination, they managed to bob and weave around the deathtraps with minimal difficulty. By contrast, Lightning Dust foolhardily plowed ahead while poor Gilda kept getting nicked, bashed, and jostled by everything. Rainbow had to wonder how the griffon was managing to keep up with the daredevil flyer in her condition.
She didn't have time to dwell on that thought for long, as she noticed that Daring was no longer behind her. She stopped and turned around to see what was wrong, and gasped at the sight. Once again, Daring had become transparent, and the sudden flicker of non-existence made it difficult for her to concentrate on flying. The olive-colored mare fell to the cave floor with an unceremonious thud. As she recovered from the ordeal, another crystal obelisk fell from above, threatening to crush her.
"Hang on, Daring!" Rainbow yelled, swooping to the explorer's rescue. She shoved Daring out of the way just in the nick of time.
"Whew. That was a close one," she said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "You alright, Daring?"
Daring opened her magenta eyes and blinked a few times. "I-I think I'll be okay," she said as she shook herself. She then noticed the obelisk standing where she had crashed. "Wow. You, really came through for me there. Thanks."
"Hey, no prob," said Rainbow with a warm smirk. "I told you before, I never leave my friends hanging. Besides, I know you would do the same for me."
Daring looked up at the ceiling and gave a smirk of her own. "You mean like right now?"
"Huh? What're you talking abou—? Yeow!"
Before Rainbow could get any further, Daring tackled her just as several stones from a massive cave-in came down over their heads. When Rainbow recovered, she looked over the rubble. The prospect of her being under the rock pile that now towered over her shook her to her very core.
"W-whoa. That was even closer," she panted. "Th-thanks, Daring."
"Hey, I don't like to leave ponies behind, either," said Daring, patting Rainbow on the back. "Can you still fly?"
"You bet," said Rainbow, flapping her wings. "Now c'mon! We gotta catch up! The way Lightning Dust is flying, she's gonna get herself and Gilda killed, whether she knows it or not."
"What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing," said Daring, lifting herself into the air and adjusting her hat. "I'm behind you all the way, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow nodded and zoomed ahead in a burst of myriad color, with Daring not far behind.