//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Return of a King // by Fullmetal_Pony //------------------------------// They reappeared in the middle of the frozen north a ways away from the Crystal Empire. After getting his bearings Silver lead the others toward the direction of the cave. They finally reached it and looked inside. The others were surprised to find that the cave was lit with glowing crystals on the walls acting as natural light sources. “Alright were here, let’s go.” Silver took a couple steps forward before stopping, having remembered what lay ahead. “On second thought everypony besides the royalty and me should stay behind.” “Why’s that?” said Applejack. “It’s too dangerous, like I said before this cave is inhabited.” “Inhabited by what exactly?” said Dash. “Giant spider creatures, many bigger than a pony with naturally forming crystal around their bodies and limbs acting like armor, I barely made it out last time so I only think that the prince and princesses have the strength to fend them off should we have a run-in with them . The cave itself also happens to be a naturally forming labyrinth and the less of us there are the less chance we have of being separated and getting lost.” “Maybe the rest of you should stay behind,” said Shining. “Sounds like a plan to me,” said a nervous Spike. Rainbow Dash had an irritated look on her face. “Fine.” “Be careful, Silver.” “I will, Daisy.” And with that they made their way into the cave. King Sombra laid back in bed with a smug sense of self-satisfaction and his hooves behind his head. Fluttershy was on the other side facing away from him curled up and silently crying to herself, then came a pounding at the door. Sombra sounding annoyed made his way over and opened it. “This had better be…important?” Taking a short pause he noticed that one of the guards at the door was without armor or a weapon. “It is your majesty, the prisoners have escaped!” “WHAT!? HOW!?” “Somepony knocked on the door to the dungeon, when no one answered we took position and opened it.” “When we did all we saw was a couple of hooves bucking us in the face.” “It happened so fast we didn’t see who it was before we were knocked out cold.” Sombra growled in anger, realizing that they must have gone after the Crystal Heart. “Mobilize the troops, we must prepare for their return.” They saluted and ran off. He quickly turned his attention toward Fluttershy who had overheard the conversation and was looking back at him. “As for you my dear let’s see how far your friends are willing to go to protect you.” The four ponies made their way through the cave in an eerie silence. It had many passages and tunnels going left, right, up, down with twists and turns going every which way. Cadance was the first to break the silence. “Sooooo how is it you know which way to go?” “I left clues to help me find my way out, like leaving a trial on the floor or carving arrows into the walls, all I have to do is follow them in reverse.” Just as he finished they came upon one of his arrows pointing the way they just came opposite another passage in the wall to the right. “Down that way.” After several minutes of walking down several passages the group finally came to a large open chamber with some holes in the floor leading to more tunnels. “Mind your step now….I buried it in here in the center of the room.” Shining used his magic to scan the underground for it. After a few seconds he found it and dug it out of the ground. “We found it!” Twilight said excitedly. “Good now let’s get going,” said Cadance. They were about to leave when a couple small rocks fell from the ceiling. Silver looked up and his eyes when wide. “Oh sweet Celestia.” The others look up as well and what they saw was over a dozen of the creatures that Silver had mentioned, many descending on silk threads and down the walls. “RUN!!!” They made a mad dash for the exit but one of the spiders jumped down in front of them and blocked their path. With the others starting to touch down on the ground they had no choice but to fight. As they were touching down Silver made a quick observation. “Aim for their heads and joints!” Upon closer inspection Shining noticed that their heads and the joints in their legs were unprotected by crystal, so their sight would be unobstructed and to allow their mouth and legs freedom of movement. Shinning starting blasting one of them in the joints, it let out a squeal of pain from its legs being crippled and temporally unable to move. He then used his magic too pick the spider up and hurl it at another one Cadance was fending off. The fight continued for several minutes. Twilight, Cadance, and Shining were easily fending them off with their magic while Silver was having a more difficult time only armed with a spear. A spider was bearing down on Silver and he thrust his spear forward at an angle impaling it through the mouth and out the top of the head. Another one got behind him and he bucked it in the head leaving it momentarily stunned, he whipped around and impaled him as well. By this time the spiders that weren’t dead began scouring or limping away but one stayed, it turned around and pointed its rear toward Twilight. Silver took notice of this and knew something was about to happen. He leaped forward and pushed her out of the way, the spider shot out its web and it latched on to his armor and he started being dragged while the spider went down one of the holes in the floor. Twilight grabbed his hooves and tried to stop him but he still kept going, Shining also grabbed on but all they were able to do was slow him down a little. Cadance tried to sever the thread with a blast of magic but the spider silk was too strong. “Let me go or you’ll be dragged down with me!” Their grip was begging to slip. “Don’t you give up on me solider, where not leaving you,” said Shining. “It’s ok. Just tell Daisy I love HERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!” They lost their grip and he slid across the floor and down the hole. The others just sat there and gave him a moment of silence before they started making their way out of the cave.