//------------------------------//
// 20 - Scaling the Depths 
// Story: The Apple Falls Far from the Tree 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Applejack held up a hoof silently and cocked an ear. They all went quiet and listened. It was quiet, but there were sounds coming from beyond the door. Low and sibilant conversation, though the words were hopelessly lost through the door.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head and spoke softly. "We should try saying hi."

Applejack looked quite uncertain, but the alternative hardly seemed better. She strode towards the door and raised a hoof, knocking against the door in a soft rapping. "Excuse me, We come in peace y'all."

There was a pause in the conversation before the door opened sharply, revealing a reptile not unlike the ones they battled beneath the manor. The short figure looked between them with a sword at the ready. It hissed something in an unfamiliar tongue.

Sweetie Belle waved a hoof. "Hi there! Do you speak our language?"

The door closed.

Scootaloo softly huffed. "Well that didn't seem to work."

Apple Bloom tapped at her chin. "Maybe they went to get a friend that does speak our language?"

They waited with mixed patience. They were rewarded when the door opened again. The new figure at the door was significantly larger, and seemed to be more snake than dragon. He even had a cobra-like hood and long pointy teeth as he spoke. "I am informed you wish to parley? What do you want, warmbloods? I confess surprise, most times your type do not wait to engage in civilities. Your hot blood leads to hot heads, and dead warriors." His voice was filled with subtle hisses and his penetrating gaze moved slowly from one pony to the next, until Sweetie drew it back on herself.

"Well hello, Mister...? I'm Sweetie Belle, and this is Applejack, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sunflower! We're on our way back up." She pointed towards the ceiling. "We don't have anything against you nice folks. Oh! Do you have a stick or some rope handy? We'd be really appreciative of that." She batted her lashes and turned up her adorable as high as it could go.

He was quiet a moment before he nodded. "You wish to trade? We have both things. Do you trade with the gold coins, or do you have a more immediate means of barter?"

Applejack took a half-step forward. "Ah reckon we'll stick ta coins fer now. How much?"

They were soon the proud owners of  a new length of rope and a ten-foot pole. Applejack stowed both away. "Mighty thankful. We'll be right back."

Sweetie was quick to add. "Will it be a problem if we come through? We won't mess anything up, promise. We just want to get back to the surface."

"I suppose you would." The snake man softly hissed and glanced back at his fellows. "That will cost more, but if you remain polite, we may tolerate this for a time. Knock again when you are ready to proceed."

The door closed as the conversation came to an end. Apple Bloom tilted her head. "He never said what his name was."

Scootaloo shrugged. "I don't think he wanted to share."

Sunflower shook his head. "We're lucky he said as much as he did! Snake people aren't, uh, known for having huge conversations that don't end in dead people."

Applejack turned back towards the trapped sphinx. "Come on. We'll assume they're on the up and up fer now. Ah think they were as surprised that we came up politely as we are at them. No reason ta spoil that now."

Sweetie Belle shook her head as she walked along. "They didn't do anything wrong to us. Why wouldn't we be polite? I bet there's song magic that'd let me speak whatever crazy language that littler dragon one was using."

Scootaloo moved beside Sweetie. "How do you learn more? You don't have a spellbook like the rest of us. It confuses me."

Apple Bloom looked significantly less confused about it. "Different kinda magic. Hers is inside her. Hay, some ah yours is inside you too! Ah don't need anything but supplies to cook up mah bombs, but it's a bad idea to cook up potions without being sure on the recipe. It's trickier than it looks."

Applejack shook her head. "Ya saying it's safer to brew up bombs than a potion that heals ya? This world is upside down sometimes."

"Simpler, not safer."

They retraced their steps to find the door had locked itself just as surely behind them. Sunflower had it open and they stepped back into the sphinx's room. She smiled on seeing them. "I thought you may well have wandered away as soon as you felt safer."

Applejack pulled the pole off her back. "Nothing doing. We made a promise and we ain't about ta go back on it. Ya ready ta be free?"

"Please." She let out a slow breath, looking quite eager. "I suppose you have earned my name. I am Shale. A pleasure to meet you, ponies and cat."

Sunflower took a hold of the pole and flew up at the half-broken ward. He jammed the pole into the small space provided by the dislodged center gem and began to work the pole back and forth, forcing the gem out bit by bit. The pole proved more resistant to catching on fire than the tiny threads of the rope, though it smoldered and smoked under the dangerous magic of the gems.

With a final wrench, the gem popped free and fell to the ground, to be caught with a flying dive by Scootaloo. She quickly pocketed her valuable-looking find.

"Freedom!" Shale stretched out luxuriantly, then hopped down off her cushion. "You have given me a grand gift today, one I mean to return. Ask a question and I will do my best to answer it. It is in our nature to know much of anything."

Sunflower asked from above. "Why didn't you use that to get out?"

She frowned sharply. "I could not draw on that power under its baleful gaze. That is one way I know your work has succeeded. I feel my birthright returned to me. Now, ask."

Applejack tapped her chin a moment. "Well, tha most pressing thing on mah mind is how ta get these little ones back up to tha city as quick and safe as possible."

Shale looked Applejack over a moment. "You are a kind and good protector. They are fortunate to have you as a mother."

Applejack flushed softly. "They ain't my foals, just my wards. She's mah sister." She reached out and ruffled Apple Bloom's mane.

Shale settled to the ground. "Give me peace, and you will have your answer." She closed her eyes and seemed to lapse into meditation.

While she did her magic, Sunflower busied himself with the jewels. Magic broken, the other gems offered no resistance, save being stuck, to being pried away from the wall one by one. By the time Shale opened her eyes, Sunflower had stripped the eye design completely of its valuables.

"I have seen several things. There is a tribe of lizard and snake folk between you and the most direct passage, but there is also a secret way, but it will require swimming through darkness."

Applejack frowned. "Well seeing as we made friendly with tha reptiles, we ought take the direct way. Anything else?"

Shale looked away into the distance. "I saw some kind of platform. Command it to rise with confidence. I see a powerful figure of death, avoid them. That is all I may say."

Sweetie Belle smiled brilliantly. "Will you come with us? You're not staying here, right?  I bet you'd be real popular in the city."

Shale looked hesitant. "I do not wish to be crowded... It is not our way. Still... You have shown me a kindness. I can see you to the surface, as I will want to be there myself. We will part ways there."

Scootaloo pointed at Shale's wings. "Do those work?"

Shale looked back at her wings. "Of course they do. It would be a cruel joke to give wings that don't work."

Scootaloo laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah, why would that happen...?"

They departed the room. As the door slammed shut behind them, Shale sighed wistfully. "Like the end of a chapter."

They quickly returned to the door of the reptiles and Applejack nodded. "All them lizardfolk are past here. They said we could pass if we're polite, and we got no reason ta be otherwise." She knocked on the door lightly, and they all waited until the snake man from before opened it.

"Ah, you return to us." His eyes fixed on Shale. "You've brought another. Large. It will be ten gold coin for each, twenty for the larger one. Assurance of safe passage will be given."

Applejack grumbled softly as she counted out the seventy gold worth of coins to surrender. "Here ya go. Lead tha way."

Proceeding through the door, they could see many reptilian figures. Most were relaxing, still and patient. Some were conversing softly. The only light was what they brought with them, as the cold-blooded inhabitants seemed to have little need for it. While they were pointedly ignored by the majority of the populace, eyes peered out at them from the darkness by a few that watched them warily.

Their guide moved with a purpose through the tunnels. Applejack quietly pondered how much harder it would have been if it had come to blows as they passed at least two dozen combat-ready individuals. Sometimes the peaceful way was the best way. Applejack shuddered softly as she realized her thoughts. When was the peaceful way not the best way?

They eventually arrived in a small chamber with winding stairs that ran along its outer perimeter. "Good fortune, warmbloods. I mean no offense, but do not return." He turned and departed without awaiting reply, though the Crusaders all waved farewell in unison.

Once he was gone, Shale advanced to the center of the room. "This is the platform I saw."

Apple Bloom stepped forward with her. "Looks like a floor, not a platform? I dun' get it."

Shale circled once, then reached a paw out and scraped the ground, activating a mechanism that caused the floor to slide open. A platform raised into view, a simple disc of metal. "I hadn't seen that before."

Applejack chuckled as she circled the platform. "It's like mah disc ah use fer apples, but metal." She hopped up onto it and did another circle. "Seems secure. Everypony aboard."

The disc wobbled when it was Shale's turn, but held her and the rest of the party up. Scootaloo tilted her head a little. "Alright, so, you said to command it to go up, right? So go up!" The disc needed no further prompting, and began to smoothly raise without a sound. 

While they rode the platform, Sunflower was picking through the gems he found. "I don't know exactly how much these are worth, but they have to be worth something! Maybe we have enough now!"

Applejack tilted her head. "We gave our word ta watch over that there warehouse. Twouldn't be fair ta back out at tha last moment seeing as it's just tomorrow."

Apple Bloom smiled and bounced a little in place eagerly. "We can still hand over tha money so they can get started on Sunflower's mom while we work! She'll be so proud of you, Sunflower. Ya done saved her life and yer grandma's house all at once!"

Sweetie Belle pointed ahead as they arrived at the top, a door of iron barring the way. "We're not out yet. Let's save the celebration for then."