Urohringr

by Imploding Colon


A Hop, Skip, and Jump

"Blast it..." Bellesmith hissed between her teeth.

"What?!" Elma stammered, halfway between two different equine forms. A pair of bright green eyes winced under pelting raindrops. "What is it?"

"This gap is too large," the mare replied, staring across the space between their rotating temple and the circular structure in the center. "All it takes is one leap... but I'm afraid it's a leap I can't make."

"Maybe..." Elma gulped, its fangs showing with a nervous wince. "Maybe if we wait long enough, this platform will bring us past another structure that's closer to our goal."

"Or it could smash us into another careening temple altogether." At the sound of thunder, Belle stared up towards the swirling summit of Stratopolis. "This place is so chaotic as it is. I'm afraid of waiting for too long."

"But you said it yourself," Elma stammered. "It's not a space that you can jump."

Belle blinked. "Not me, no..."

"Bellesmith...?"

With a grunt, Belle lowered her body. Elma slinked off of her, leaning back on its haunches. She jerked in surprise when it felt the mare holding its hooves delicately.

"Elma... I've asked you to put faith in me. Now I think it's time I put some faith in you."

"Huh...?" The changeling gulped. It glanced at the looming structure, then at the tempestuous winds between them and their goal. "Oh, Bellesmith, no!"

"Every second we waste is another second closer to death. If we want to see our friends again—if we want to make it out of here safely, then we have to move and move now."

"But I-I can't!" Elma quivered, her shell rattling as she stared fearfully at the gap. "I can barely hold myself up!"

"Yes, you can, Elma," Belle said. She smiled hopefully. "You single-hoofedly carried my beloved to safety, did you not?"

"Y-Yes! Of course! But..."

"But what?"

"That was d-different!"

"How so?"

Elma winced, avoiding Belle's gaze.

"In what way, Elma?"

"I just..." Elma whimpered. "I-I just don't want to give anyone more reasons to h-hate me anymore..."

"Look at me."

"Somewhere, someplace, Miss Boreal's family is waiting for a turtle who will never come home and—"

"Elma..." Belle tilted the creature's chin up. Their eyes met. With a soft smile, Belle said, "Does this feel like hate?"

The wings on Elma's backside twitched. It exhaled shudderingly. "No..."

"You are as strong as you need to be," Belle said. "Even stronger. I wouldn't believe in you if that wasn't the case."

Elma gulped. Half of the changeling's face developed stripes while the other side formed tattoos. "You r-really... haven't given up on me?"

"No, Elma." Belle gently shook her head. "Neither have I given up on them."

Elma nevertheless twitched. "How... h-how could somepony be so loyal?"

"I'll give you one guess," Belle said.

Elma's shivers stopped. The changeling blinked, and immediately its shell morphed to a fuzzy blue coat. Sniffling, Rainbow Dash frowned, sprouting muscular wings in a burst of green flame. "Pffft. This is foal's play."

The pegasus stood up straight and grasped Bellesmith's shoulders. Her wings spread as she faced the inner structure on their platform's tightest turn.

"That's more like it, Elma!" Belle said in earnest. "Just a hop, skip, and a jump—"

"Please." Rainbow smirked devilishly as she began flapping her feathers. "As if I'm not that amazing."

Belle stifled a giggle. "Not quite the right word, but it's close enough."


"Mmmfnngh!" Eagle Eye threw himself onto a craggy platform's edge. Wincing, he pulled with every inch of his forward muscles, rolling himself slowly onto even ground. He slumped on his back, panting.

Lighting flashed, illuminating the puddles around him in a bright strobe of heated energy. The crackle of thunder felt too close, and he immediately winced.

"Blessed Spark, one of these days, would it be too much to ask that I wake up with wings?" He sat up, levitating his sword beside his skull. "I promise, I'll mostly use them for accessorizing."

Suddenly, his eyes twitched.

"Bombastic ballerinas!!" He scampered towards the platform's edge and stared down below at a steep seventy degree angle. "Hey! Heeeeeeeeeeey! Belle! Rainbow! Up here!"

Far below, two bodies could be seen lunging from one platform to another. Gliding through the air for the space of five wet seconds, they landed safely on the outer rim of the large circular structure. Without hesitation, the two mares scampered for cover, taking shelter beneath the outstretching balcony.

"Hey! Look up! Look up! It's Eagle Eye! The cute one, remember?!"

It was too late. As thunder rolled and the magical currents carried Eagle's platform further from the central structure, he realized there was no chance in making visual contact once more.

"Eeeeughhh..." He slumped against a pillar, blowing at several loose strands of damp mane hair. "Who'd a thunk I'd be so desperate to chase mares down." He went cross-eyed, then slapped his own skull. "Darn it, old stallion! Get outta my head!"

Glancing to his three o'clock, he saw a large platform looming in the path of his platform's rotation. Breathless, he scampered across the granite stretch of floor and prepared to make another death-defying leap.