Twilight searched through the cave network as quickly as she could, but time was limited: she paused only to examine the largest and most complex of the inscriptions, sifting for relevant and useful information.
She paced back and forth in front of their latest find, muttering to herself constantly. Spike followed alongside her to take dictation, and to occasionally search for an entry in the reference book. Applejack and Rainbow Dash rarely saw them work together like this: Twilight spoke very quickly, and yet Spike had no trouble keeping up with her train of thought.
Dash finally stood up and went over to them. “Can we hurry this up? I think we reached the half hour mark a few minutes ago.”
“Almost... almost... argh!” Twilight shook her head. “You’re right. We should go. I’ve got more than enough to think about as we walk.”
She tossed a scroll to Spike, who incinerated it in midair.
“There. I’ve sent the Princess a summary of my preliminary findings. We’ll have to wait for a response before we explore any further.”
“What sort of findings were they, anyhow?”
“These runes are a historical record left by the civilizations who lived here. I don’t have the whole story but there were all sorts of bits and pieces, including several very significant events.”
Spike hopped up on Twilight’s back and the three ponies set out. Applejack leaned over to look at Twilight’s journal.
“So after all that, do you have the slightest clue what’s going on?”
“We know the basics,” she said. “These tunnels are located underneath a huge mountain fortress that was built around a large artifact of great power. The first people to rule over it were the ursine tribe... possibly the antecedents of the bears we’ve encountered here.”
Dash’s ears perked up. “You mean they used to run this place?!”
“Maybe. Some of the inscriptions indicate they were ruled by—or enslaved by—an outsider who caused all sorts of havoc, but was eventually defeated by an unknown enemy. After that, the fortress was inhabited by a tribe of goblins.”
“Goblins?” Applejack said. “You mean, like from the old ponytales? They always seemed kinda goofy to me... I can’t imagine them conquering anyone.”
“They probably just moved into the fortress after it was abandoned. From that point on the inscriptions are all in the Goblin language. They didn’t accomplish much while they were here... Their records are mostly cooking recipes and bad jokes. After a while they were driven out of the fortress by an unspecified enemy... or they got bored and wandered off. There aren’t many records after that, but it would seem that the ancestors of the original Ursine tribe returned. They’ve been living here ever since.”
Spike belched out a puff of magical mist, and a scroll congealed from thin air. Spike caught the scroll and held it towards Twilight with a salute. “Message for you!”
Twilight skimmed the letter, then tucked it away. “Good. The princess is passing my notes on to the university... it’ll take awhile for them to correlate something useful. Until then, we move out.”
“Awwright!” Dash reared up and kicked at the air a few times. “Time to kick some bears into next Saturday!”
Applejack arched an eyebrow. “What is it with you and weekends?”
“I dunno. Whenever Saturday rolls around I always get the itch to do something... awesome.” She scratched the side of her face. “Not sure why, actually.”
“Well you’ll have to reign it in for now. We want to avoid the bears.”
Rainbow Dash frowned at her. “But the mountain! The storms! The... everything! We gotta put a stop to it! You said the fortress was built to protect something really powerful. I bet the bears are using that power to whip up a jumbo-sized batch of extra-creamy, one-hundred-percent all-natural disaster!”
“That’s probably correct,” said Twilight. “The ursine runes describe the power source as some kind of stone or obelisk, and they ascribe it with the power to create storms of incredible destructive power. The translation is a little fuzzy, though... the Ursine’s culture was heavily influenced by weather, and they use the same word for ‘storm,’ ‘nightmare,’ and ‘warfare.’ It could mean any or all of these things.”
“So lets go take care of it! It’s just an empty ruin, right? How hard could it be?”
Twilight shook her head. “If we visit the stronghold, we’ll be facing off against the bear’s entire civilization. They have superior strength, an intimate knowledge of the environment, and they even possess magic of their own. A direct confrontation would go badly for us.”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, shocked.
“What are we supposed to do about that?!”
“I don’t know, yet. But if we can’t settle this quietly Celestia may have no choice but to send her own cavalry.”
Dash’s voice was hushed. “Dude... war? For real?”
Twilight shook her head. “I sincerely hope not. The Ursine are powerful as individuals, but they wouldn’t stand a chance against a disciplined military... especially one with a wizard-corps and an air force. They wouldn’t last a week.”
“So we’d win?” Dash said, and quirked an eyebrow. “Then why are we so worried about doing this quietly?”
Twilight shook her head. “Celestia once told me you can never win a war... no more than you can win a hurricane. Somepony always gets hurt.”
With Spike acting as navigator, they reached the surface with no major delays. They discarded their fluorescent cloaks as soon as they hit fresh air, and Rainbow Dash’s wing-splint also came off: Her wings had recovered enough for light travel. She flew up to get a bird’s eye view, and saw several hunting Ursine parties converging around them. She cursed herself for giving away their position, but in the end it didn’t matter. The bears were consummate trackers in their home territory.
With the bears came the rain. Storms spread out ahead of them as they hunted, hindering their prey’s visibility and making the terrain treacherous and slippery. Dash caught sight of at least two hooded bears leading the charge, armed with long wooden staffs. They rushed down the mountainside at a breakneck pace. Dash’s overhead view allowed them to slip around several ambushes and Twilight’s magic repelled the first hunting party that crossed their path. Even Spike took the opportunity to throw a few small stones as he rode on Twilight’s back. In spite of their success, the enemy drew steadily closer.
They reached the rocky flatlands at the foot the mountain. Dash flew overhead and waved down at her friends. “Come on! We’re almost home free!”
“Is that so?” Applejack called out between gasps for breath. “Explain to me how being trapped in a thick jungle will make things better for us!”
“They’re too big and clumsy to follow us in there! There’s no way they can fit through the underbrush, and they won’t be able to see us!”
They galloped across the spacious forest floor, weaving between the trunks of giant redwoods. The bears leapt and bounded over the soft loam with ease. Their hooded leaders urged them on with bloodthirsty battle-cries. At last, the ponies reached the thicker foliage.
Applejack ran back and forth, searching the wall of leaves. “The deerpath! Which way to the deerpath?!”
“How should I know?!” Dash said and glanced back. “Wait-a-minute... are you girls seeing this?”
Twilight and Applejack turned around. The troop of bears were all standing in a row no more than a hundred yards away. They had stopped their pursuit. Now, they simply watched.
Applejack glanced at Twilight. “What’s goin’ on? Do they know somethin’ we don’t?”
“Maybe they don’t want to leave their territory. Maybe they don’t know how to survive in a jungle.”
Dash called out at the army. “Or maybe they know what’s good for them! Is that it? Huh? I bet it is! That’ll teach you to clash with the Dash!”
“I don’t think it’s you they’re afraid of, sugarcube. Let’s just get out of here while we still can.”
“Not afraid of me? Well, they oughta be.” Dash turned back, but paused as a twinkle caught her eye. “Is that...?”
“Dash? What are you doing?”
They watched as Dash rummaged through some of the higher branches. She returned with a stick figure made of twigs and twine, with a quartz crystal suspended within. Dash examined it, then peered back at the bears.
“I get it now... they’re afraid of these things!”
“Hey, there,” Applejack said, “let’s not do anything hasty. Don’t play with that, okay?”
Dash paused for a moment. She then thrust the figure out towards the bears. “Ah-boogidy-booga-boo!”
The savage army flinched back several steps.
Dash cackled in delight and kicked her legs in midair. “Oh, this is priceless! This is just too rich! The big bad bears are afraid of some tiny little arts’n’crafts!”
“Dash!” Applejack shouted. “This is no time for games! Let’s just get while the goin’s good!”
“Aw, fine then. Have it your way.”
Dash hovered up and over the lowest layer of brush, watching as her friends picked their way through. The bears glowered at them in silent rage.
Dash spun around and pulled her mouth wide open, dangling her tongue back and forth. “Blaaabda-bla-bla-blaaa!” She spun around and spanked her flank in their general direction.
The leader of the bears roared with fresh fury and charged towards them. The others gave him a startled look but followed dutifully in his wake.
“Whuh-oh!” Dash zipped over the treetops and called down. “Might wanna hurry, girls!”
“What did you do?” shouted Applejack. “Oh sweet Celestia’s mane! What did you do!?”
“Nothing! I’ll tell you later! It’ll be hilarious, I swear!”
“It’s not hilarious now, Dash! Not even remotely!”
They scrambled through the dense jungle. They could barely see each other through the leaves, and the branches and shrubs tripped and tangled their every step. Dash stared in shock as the bears began crashing through the forest, tearing through the branches and vines easily. She looked down at her friends, soon to be overrun. Twilight was caught on a vine and Applejack was struggling to pull her free. It was only a matter of seconds.
What have I done...?
Dash rushed over to pull at the vines. “I’m sorry, you guys... this is all my fault.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” said Applejack. “Not for this. Those monsters were howling for blood anyways.”
“I just wish there was something I could—” Dash flinched at a nearby roar.
Twilight fixed her with a strong gaze. “Dash. You can carry us to safety, can’t you?”
“But I can only carry one of...” Dash’s face froze in shock. Tears dribbled from the corners of her eyes. “Oh, no! Don’t make me choose! You... you can’t make me!”
Applejack nodded to her. “You won’t have to chose, Dash.”
“Right,” Twilight said. “Save me.”
“No way, no how, Twi. She’s saving you, and that’s... wait. What?”
Twilight leaned close and whispered in Applejack’s ear. “And then here’s what you’re going to do...”
Rainbow Dash hauled Twilight into the air, flapping as hard as she could. Her wings were still bruised from her previous battle... the injury hadn’t bothered her when she’d been flying solo but now, with the extra weight, her wings burned with effort. They finally reached a nearby redwood and Dash deposited Twilight on one of the massive, shelf-like branches. They could see through the layered forest for a mile in every direction: the canopy above obscured the sky, but a few breaks allowed shafts of dim, golden light to fall through. Dusk was drawing near.
Dash wiped her brow. “Wasn’t sure I’d make it.”
“Oh my goodness, look!” Twilight pointed at the crook where the giant tree branch met with the central trunk. “There’s a little deposit of dirt up here with little trees growing in it! It’s like a tiny little forest!”
“Twilight? We flew up here in plain view. Aren’t they gonna know exactly where we are?”
“Can you see what the bears are doing?”
Dash squinted at the ground below. “Looks like they forgot all about Applejack. They’re just oh-mi-gosh they’re climbing the tree you never told me they could climb trees why didn’t you tell me that!”
“How far up are they?”
Rainbow Dash glared at her. “How can you be so dang cool about this?!”
“Seriously, Dash. I have a plan. How high up are they?”
“Not very, but they’re gaining fast! You want me to move you to another tree? Maybe give Applejack time to run away?”
“She isn’t running at all. She’s sticking to the plan.” Twilight laid down on the branches. “Rest up a bit and tell me when they’re all at least halfway up.”
Dash stared down the trunk of the tree, occasionally glancing back at Twilight.
“Okay... okay, they’re getting close. Really close.”
“Good! Now, take me back to ground level.”
Dash and Twilight hooked their forelegs together and sailed off the branch, gently gliding down. As soon as they did, Applejack bolted out of the brush and ran for the base of the tree.
“All right then, you varmints! Time to see if this apple... can handle those apples!”
She spun around at the last moment and slammed her hind hooves against the trunk. The gargantuan redwood was no ordinary tree... but Applejack was no ordinary pony. She’d been bucking apples out of trees for more than half a lifetime, and long years of farmwork surged through her every muscle. Not a single iota of her strength went to waste, and when the kick connected it sent a jolt clear through her bones and her vision greyed from the force of the impact.
She shook her head and looked straight up. The whole tree was wavering back and forth. Or maybe... maybe she was just extremely dizzy. One thing was certain: the bear’s grip had held.
Applejack reared up and kicked the tree again. And again, and again, with a steady, regular rhythm. The shift was barely noticeable at first but gradually built up. The tree began swaying back and forth, and a cloud of leaves and debris shook free. With one final kick, the bears lost their grip and fell to the ground.
“Yeeee-haw!” Applejack reared up on her hind legs but fell to the ground in a heap. Her eyes wobbled in different directions. “Ooh... kay then. I think I mighta broke something.”
A heavy impact startled her to alertness, and she scrambled upright and stumbled away. The bears plummeted to the ground around her, roaring in pain from the impact. A few managed to stand for a few seconds before promptly collapsing.
“Jeez! Think you overdid it a bit?” Rainbow Dash swept down and picked her up. “Come on! I dropped Twilight right next to Spike. I’ll take you to them.”
“Sounds great... but could you leave off all the loop-de-loops and barrel-rolls?”
“I’m not doing any—” Dash glanced down at Applejack’s wobbly eyes. “Nevermind. Let’s get you out of here.”
“We made it, right? The plan worked?”
Dash looked back over her shoulder. A second group of bears, twice as large, were charging towards their injured kin.
“The plan worked great. But I don’t think we’re outta the woods yet.”
They pushed through the underbrush as swiftly as they could. Dusk fell, and the forest was soon plunged into darkness. Spike’s claws snipped through the vines with ease but he could only be in one place at a time. It wasn’t long before the sound of enraged roars and snapping trees began to close in from behind them.
Twilight paused in a clearing and assessed the situation. She was in good health herself but the magic of this place was wild and untamed: there was no telling how it might warp or distort her spells. Applejack still hadn’t recovered from her biggest buck to date, and there was a sharp pain in her hind leg... no way to know if it was a harmless sprain or a hairline fracture. Rainbow Dash’s bruised wings were no better: her aerial weightlifting had aggravated the injury.
Twilight watched as Applejack and Dash stumbled along, trembling from the stress and exhaustion of the last two weeks. Twilight summoned a trace of magic and cast a purple light over their surroundings.
“Spike. I need you to take one last letter for us.”
He wrung his claws. “You’re not really serious, are you? We’ll get out of this, won’t we?”
Twilight’s face was serene. “The princess needs to know what happened here. Regardless of what happens to us.”
The quill trembled in Spike’s hand. “You know, we could, ah... ask the Princess for help. Maybe.”
“If she can do anything to help us, she will. If not, then that’s the way it goes.”
Spike swallowed. “That’s the way it goes?”
She smiled at him. “We all have to go someday, don’t we?”
Spike’s eyes hardened. He held out his hands and his tiny, razor-sharp claws gleamed in the light of her horn. “Not this day.” He stepped forward with the faint but genuine air of a reptilian predator.
Twilight moved to pull him back, but hesitated. “Did you hear that...?”
Spike blinked. “Hear what?”
They stood there, perfectly still and silent. The only sound was the snapping of trampled trees.
“Stay back,” she said, “I think there’s something in the woods.”
“Oh, there’s something in the woods all right! A dragon who had his nap interrupted!”
“I’m serious, Spike. Stay back!”
Spike stamped his foot. “But I can’t stay back now! Not after I used the line!”
“The line...?”
“Yeah. You said, ‘we all have to go someday.’ And then I said... ‘not this day.’ It’s like, the best line ever!” He bounced on his toes, clenching and unclenching his tiny fists. “You gotta let me at ’em!”
Twilight scanned the forest, in spite of the obscuring leaves and encroaching nightfall. The roaring continued, but there were also sounds of conflict.
“Spike. Stay on my back.”
He hopped onto her and held on tight. Twilight crept forward, leaving her two exhausted friends behind her. There was a rush of air as something charged through the branches to her left.
What was that? Is there something else in the forest?
Spike let out a squeal of terror and grabbed her mane. She turned and saw one of the bears directly next to them. It wasn’t flesh and blood at all, but a tree in the shape of a bear: its claws were curved thorns and its shaggy coat was white moss.
Spike took a short breath. “Okay. That? Is just creepy.”
Twilight stared at the shape. There wasn’t a trace of magic about it. It was a normal, healthy tree. The heavy hoofbeats churned past again, and another rush of air buffeted them. There was a shuddering impact and one of the bears cried out in pain.
“Okay,” Spike said, “I guess we don’t have to follow up on ‘the line’ after all. Back to Ponyville for strawberry-wheatgrass smoothies?”
Twilight moved forward. “We have to see what’s going on. We have to find out.” She knew that wasn’t true. Not entirely.
The shadow rushed past them again and again, with a storm of heavy hoofbeats. Even with Twilight’s magical light, they saw only brief snatches of silhouettes. Whatever it was, it galloped through the jungle at full speed.
They came across a few more incapacitated bears: One was wracked by violent seizures, and another was aged and grey, decrepit to the point of frailty. Another had been turned to stone. All without the slightest trace of spellcraft... or at least, no spellcraft that Twilight knew of... which didn’t leave much unknown. The bear’s battle cries gave way to terrified screams, receding into the distance.
Twilight came to a small clearing and saw a clear silhouette of the shadowy menace: a massive stallion stampeding through the dense jungle bush unhindered. It seemed to have a second torso, complete with two slender arms and a smaller head of its own. The arms whirled a long wooden shaft capped with an ugly bludgeon. Despite the shadowy creature’s enormous size, the bears were larger still.
The monstrous stallion charged back and forth between its foes, refusing to be outflanked. It was swift for its size and whirled its polearm with alarming ease and grace: the bludgeoned end caught one of the bears on the chin and sent it flying backwards. Without delay it whirled around and jabbed at a second foe behind it, and the slight tap sent the bear crashing to the ground. The shadow hurled a small object to the ground and a massive oak tree sprang from the earth: it reached full grown height in seconds, with an explosive force that knocked several attackers high into the air. The figure thrust both hands out and a horde of giant insects filled the air. Those caught in the buzzing swarm clutched at their necks and faces. The bears charged the lone shadow, wave after wave, only to be cast aside one at a time.
“It’s all so horrible!” Spike said, “I don’t think I want either side to win!”
Twilight spoke through clenched teeth. “I’ve seen enough. Let’s get out of here before—”
Spike reached out in a panic. “Look out behind you!”
The shadow beast’s upper body spun around to look at Spike, rendering his warning less than useless. One of the bears lashed out with its claws and tore the shadowy creature’s upper-half clean off. There was a piercing scream and a rumbling neigh, and the headless lower body charged off in a wild panic.
Spike clamped both hands over his mouth. “I’m gonna be sick!”
“It’s not a monster at all!” Twilight said as she bolted ahead. “It was a pony carrying a rider!”
She charged into the fray as a hooded bear closed in for the kill. The slender rider shot to its feet and whirled its polearm with a flourish, but the bear swung its staff out and knocked the tiny foe through the air.
Twilight’s horn shimmered and an aura of sparkles tugged at the bear’s arm and hurled him off balance. When the bear recovered, he aimed his staff at Twilight and launched a jagged spear of lightning at her. Lightning: one of two fears nearly all ponies shared. Twilight hurled herself to the ground in terror and the lance of blue fire streaked just overhead, singing her mane. She felt an icy shiver as the bear aimed his staff at her, crackling with energy.
The small rider spun its polearm and knocked the bear’s staff up several degrees, and the lightning sailed harmlessly over Twilight’s head. The polearm continued to spin and—with an elegant economy of motion—struck the bear squarely under the chin. The bear’s body disintegrated—unraveled—from the head down, reduced to a shower of little wet blobs. A cascade of frogs and toads scattered over half the clearing and began hopping away, filling the night air with a chorus of peeps and croaks. Except for the staff and a few bits of tattered cloth, there was nothing left of the bear.
Twilight stared, aghast. The slender figure stood still for awhile, then stumbled a few steps and leaned on the haft of its polearm.
“Ah... excuse me! Are you all right?”
The figure let go of the polearm and collapsed on the muddy ground. Twilight took a step forward, hesitated, then rushed close. The figure wore a hooded cloak that obscured her completely. Her ‘polearm’ was nothing but a broom: a crooked wooden shaft with dry branches bundled to one end.
Twilight gently pulled the hood aside, intending to check for vitals, but gasped in shock as she caught sight of her face.
“Twi? Are you there, Twi?” Applejack stepped into the clearing and glanced about. “Twilight, what happened here?”
“I don’t... know...” Twilight took a breath and steadied her voice. “We need to take her somewhere safe. There’s no time to explain.”
Applejack rushed over. “Someone’s hurt? How did you... oh mercy!” She recoiled as she looked under the hood.
“Here,” Twilight said and tossed a raincloak at her. “Take this and build a stretcher. I don’t trust my magic right now so we’ll have to carry her between us.”
Applejack rushed off, brushing past Rainbow Dash. “S’cuse me!”
Dash glanced back at her as she walked to Twilight. “Sooo... what the heck happened here?”
“I don’t know. Do you remember the sod house we came across?”
“Sure I do. What about it?”
“Do you think you could find it again?”
“Shouldn’t be too hard. If we can find the deer path, it’ll lead us right to it.” Dash tilted her head. “Why?”
“We need to take her home as soon as possible.”
“Home?” Dash looked at the lifeless figure on the ground. “You mean that was her home? What’s going on here?”
Applejack came back with a pair of sturdy sticks and began tying the raincoat between them. “Twilight, you’ll have to use your magic to lift her onto the litter. We’ll have to be extremely careful as we walk, too: If we trip, the whole thing could tip over.”
“Lift who?” Dash glanced between the two of them. She went over and looked under the hood, but recoiled with a gasp. “What is it?!”
“She’s hurt!” Twilight snapped. “She fought off a dozen bears all by herself and one of them took a swipe at her. If we don’t do something quick, she could die!”
“A dozen...?! But she’s tiny! How could she do that?” Dash stamped a hoof. “She must be some kind of monster! Look at her, she has to be!”
Twilight concentrated, and a field of glittering sparkles lifted the injured stranger onto the stretcher. Twilight and Applejack knelt at each end of it, front to back, and looped the supports over their backs.
“On three,” said Applejack. “One... two... three.”
They stood up together, in the same seamless motion. She felt almost weightless. They kept their gait exceptionally smooth and the litter barely jostled at all.
Twilight looked up at Dash. “We need you to lead us back to the hut. Pick the safest route.”
“We can’t just... what if... but you don’t know anything about it!”
“Her, Dash! She’s a her, and she needs help! Nothing else matters!”
Spike rushed ahead and bared his claws. “I’ll try and cut a path through the vines. Every little bit counts, right?”
Dash flew in front of them and stamped a hoof against the mossy soil. “Just because she fought off the bears doesn’t mean she’s our friend! What if she tries to hurt us?”
Twilight ignore the question and looked at Applejack. “Could you find the sod hut?”
She nodded. “I remember a triangle of trees where we came out of the brush. If we can find that and head west, we’ll—”
“Aaargh!” Dash hovered up and pointed at the edge of the clearing. “It’s this way. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
They followed after, with Spike slowly but surely clearing the way. The strange, slender girl gave a quiet moan and one of her arms fell limp to the side. Applejack gasped at the sight of her hand... she had five digits, all sleek and spidery, and her skin was pink and hairless as a pig’s hide.
“Applejack! Steady up!”
She resumed her cautious pace, trying not to stare. “Twi? What is she? Really?”
They carried on in silence.