//------------------------------// // What You'll Discover // Story: In A Time Unfamilar // by Sumiye //------------------------------// "Absolutely not." "Come on Rarity!" Rainbow Dash pleaded, wrapping her hooves around the unicorn's forelegs. "Just a little trip into the Everfree Forest? It won't take long, I promise." Rarity swatted the pegasus off, swinging her head up high as she began her Sewing Machine for the fourth time. "Darling," she began, ignoring the annoyed groan. "I highly doubt you are just going to stumble upon frozen ponies behind the bush." Rainbow grunted, bringing herself up to standing position. "But we might." she defended. Rarity shook her head, levitating the machine into a cupboard below the station. "I'm sorry, but today is just too important to miss." Rainbow cross her front hooves, sitting on her hunches. "What? It's a Tuesday." she deadpanned. Rarity let out a sputtered squawk as her body froze. "Just a Tue-no it is not!" She humphed as a blast of air whirled from the open window. "Today, is when I collect my most precious jewels." she explained, horn glowing as a delicate basket was laid by her side. "I need to go if I want Sweetie Belle's play dress to bring the audience to cheers." "Don't you mean tears?" Rarity shook her head. "No dear, why in Equestria would I want tears? My little Sweetie would believe they didn't like it. I'm going for cheers." The pegasus dropped on the window stil, angered by her friend's refusal. "Whatever," she muttered. "Give me a call when you actually want to help Pinkie and I." she bounced outward, wings unfurling into the crisp air. She shot off, barreling away with each passing second. Rarity sighed, closing her eyes as she brushed her mane into place. "So reckless..." she muttered, opening her eyes and moving her way down the spiral staircase. Her basket followed in suit, and she pushed the door opened with her pristine hoof, careful not to lose her grip on the small gem holder. The harsh wind brushed by her body as she lightly shivered, gently setting the basket down. A wool coat wrapped around her, Rarity comforted by the warm materials. "Alright, now let's get going!" She trotted forward, the wooden basket leveling on her back as her tail swished in sync with the blowing air. Rarity locked her vision upon a soft area of dirt, but paused as she was about to begin. She chuckled. "Oh, dear me! I can't dig up gems with my hooves!" Her horn flashed bright, and she felt the surge of energy and the change of atmosphere as she shut her eyes tight. A minute later she opened them, sweat beading her forehead. Rarity plucked different items away from the only messy corner in her room, smiling as the familiar glint of emeralds poked out. She floated the shovel out, grazing her hoof over it softly. "Beautiful for a tool used for such a horrid manner..." She murmured. Rarity held it close to her chest as the rush of reality flew by her. She heaved at the magic use, kneeling on the planted ground as she tried to catch her breath. The shovel dropped, and Rarity stilled as a hard headache sluggishly traveled through her mind. She groaned, snatching her horn and forehead. It finally passed, the unicorn releasing a breath as she pushed herself up. The shovel and basket were back by her side, and Rarity began to preform the spell she had grown accustomed too. The gems glimmered under the earth. Rartiy's eyes sparkled as she squealed in joy. "Wonderful!" she said, plunging the shovel downward. The particles broke, giving her a single view on a glittering Sapphire. She easily pulled the gem out with her magic, rubbing it abasing her cheek before placing it on the middle of the basket. She continued on, the basket slowly filling with sparkling gems of all colors. "Sweetie will be so thankful." Rarity spoke as she pointed her horn down once again. The shovel punctured the ground, Rarity focusing hard to rip them out. But she cried as a blast of magic made her entire body lurch forward. She shrieked, falling to fight back as it stopped and went unexpectantly. "Oh my Celestia!" she cried, flinching as she slammed a hoof against her horn to stop the power flowing from it. She yelled out as she abruptly stopped, sending the poor unicorn sprawling on the dirt. Rarity whimpered as the particles encased her body, but chose to ignore the problem as she scrambled to her hooves. "What in Equestria happened?" she inquired to the open air, thoroughly confused about her predicament. She winced when her horn sparked to life, but calm spread through her body as it only pointed down, the object seemingly too far under to be seen. Rarity's mind whirled as she levitated the shovel over, grunting as it pushed down. "This will take far too long." she said. "Then maybe we can help!" Rarity shrieked, tumbling back as Rainbow laughed at her misfortune. Pinkie smiled obliviously as she held out a hoof for the mare to latch onto. "Pinkie?" Rarity questioned as she accepted the offer, grabbing the pink mare's hoof and hoisting herself up. "Rainbow Dash?" she narrowed her eyes. "What, prey-tell, are you doing here?" Pinkie answered back without stopping her movements. "Well, my back right foreleg was kicking all over the place, and usually that means somepony needs help! And Rainbow told me that you were coming out here today to find gems, so I decided to come here first!" Rarity blinked. "What did Rainbow Dash say about this?" she ventured. Rainbow snorted. "I didn't think we should've come." she surpassed Rarity's shocked expression with her own smirk. "Seems I was wrong." "I don't need your help, buffoon." Pinkie shook her head worryingly. "Please, girls! Don't fight! You supposed to be friends! How about we get what Rarity's needs done, and we'll sort this all out?" There was a pregnant pause. "Fine." both answered simultaneously, refusing to look at one-another. Pinkie plastered a large grin upon her muzzle. "Great!" She quickly pointed her mane down, Rarity's eyes widening as it began to spin. "Pinkie-drill!" Rainbow shouted as the earth pony forced down, moments later feet under where the two mares stood. Rarity gaped at the action preformed. "Did you realise she could preform such a stunt?" Rainbow waved a dismissive hoof. "Of course. Pinkie showed me once when we pranked all of Ponyville." Rarity shivered. "Ah, yes." she stuttered. "The Great Cake Massacre." Screams of terror echoed in her mind. "It wasn't that bad." Rainbow countered, stalking back a few inches. "What may you be doing?" "Pinkie always misses where she comes back up. You might wanna move." Rarity scurried backward, hiding behind Rainbow as Pinkie's laugh came faintly from the ground. Seconds later the pink pony erupted from the earth, giggling madly as she continued to spiral upward. "Down here!" Rainbow yelled, catching Pinkie's attention as she pushed herself downward. She hit the ground with earth-shattering force, then crawled out, no scratches around. "That was super easy." she commented. Rainbow smirked. "Well then, she wrapped a hoof around Rarity's neck. "Let's get going. You first, Rares." Rarity recoiled back. "I...believe you should go first, Darlings." Pinkie shook her head wildly. "Nah, I'd never take that away from you! We're only here for support, but you are the leader." Rarity flinched back at the dark void. "O-Ok." she slowly placed a hoof down, not daring to move any closer. Rainbow glared, then flew up closer. "Here." she pushed on the unicorn's back, sending her screeching into the hole. She sniggered, covering her muzzle with her hoof. "Come on, Dashie!" Pinkie bounded onto the pegasi's back, gripping her shoulders. "Giddy up!" Rainbow kept her mouth shut tight as they followed the screaming Rarity. "I'm not speaking to you anymore." "Whatever." Rainbow ignored the unicorn's glare as they trotted between another narrow patch of earth, Rarity's flickering magic the only light to be found. "At least you got down here." Pinkie kept her muzzle shut, eyes glancing nervously. "Darling, you didn't need to push me off. You were probably too ignorant to notice, but I had a huge change of dieing." Rarity snapped. Rainbow felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. "Heey!" Pinkie called out, trying to ease the obvious tension between them. "How 'bout we play a game?" Rarity nodded, eyes trained away from the pegasus. "That would be wonderful, dear. What do you suggest?" Pinkie tapped a hoof on her chin. "I don't really know." she admitted. "Any ideas from you, Dashie?" Rainbow snapped her head to the mare at the sound of her name. "How about the Silent Game?" Rarity glared her into submission. Pinkie, however, clapped her hooves excitedly. "That'd be so fun! I go first!" her muzzle shot closed, the party pony now as quiet as physically possible. Her face became a bright red. Rarity raised a brow, slightly concerned. Pinkie burst out a heave of air as she wheezed. "I...can't do it. Too hard!" she laughed, clutching her sides. "You don't have to hold your breath, Pinkie." Rainbow said. The mare had a ureka moment. "Ooh!" she startled Rarity with her words. "I knew something was wrong about the way I was playing..." she murmured. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah. There definitely was." Rarity brightened the light on her horn as she moved another block of dirt and rock away from their path. "I think we're getting close." she told the group, gesturing to her horn. "I can feel the power radiating off my horn." As soon as the words left her lips she was pulled aside, her horn dragging Rarity away, despite her protests. "After her!" Pinkie told Rainbow as they both gave chase. The magic was swift, patches of dirt swiping out of their way to make sure they never hit any parts. "She's quick!" Rainbow panted, her wings beats hard. They gripped the air as Rarity suddenly stopped, Rainbow barreling into her as they went sprawling onto the ground. "You girls ok?" Pinkie asked as the dirt flew from her hooves, which were poised strictly downward. "Never better." Rainbow glowered as she dusted herself off. Rarity copied the action. "Just fine." she told Pinkie. She moved her sight to a towering wall. "I believe we're here. Pinkie?" the mare was by her side in an instant. "On it!" her mane twisted madly once more, and she giggled as pebbles flew by her body. She was soon lost in the pitch black. "Ow!" they heard the mare's voice resonate. Rainbow now grew concerned for her friend's well-being. "You ok?" she shouted into the hole. "Yep!" she sighed, then stepped to the side as Pinkie soared back into the room. "What did you find?" "Something hard." was Pinkie's response, the mare dizzy from her landing. Rarity was no longer nervous as she courageously stepped in, horn glowing. Rainbow hummed as she followed, Pinkie stationed over her back. The paused as Rarity dropped to the floor. "Here." she said, horn brightening as it faced the dry ground. She peered as small crack formed along the wall... And jumped back in Pinkie's awaiting hooves as the dirt dissipated into small peices. "Cool." Pinkie's eyes sparkled as she left Rarity behind, making her way to the large its behind the dirt, encased in a sort of Crystal. She tapped on it lightly, holding her head as she watched the object carefully. When nothing happened, her mane twirled, dusting off the object with fascinating time. "Pinkie!" Rarity shouted as the mare tumbled back, shaking in a way very unlike her. "Speak to me, darling!" she cried in distress, rocking her hooves onto the pink pony. Pinkie Pie remained silent as she pointed a stuttering hoof to the wall she had stared at the just moments before. "Rares..." Rainbow muttered out, her mind to scrabbled to form the full sentence. "Take a look at this..." Rarity complied, and her breath hitched along her throat. An earth pony mare stared back at the trio, seemingly frozen in time. Her front right hoof was sprayed out, holding desperately as if somepony had been inches from saving them. Her figure was slim, as if she had been starved for days on end. Rarity suddenly felt truly terrifed. "Is that...a mare?" Rainbow asked timidly. Rarity bowed her head as she trotted backward. "I believe so." she mustered, refusing to rotate her gaze. But her brain continued giving her solutions. Her mouth opened despite her protests. "Is it maybe one of the assistants?" An eerie silence hung in the air. The answer clicked in their mind simultaneously. "Oh my Celestia." Rainbow cursed. "How!" she yelled out, throwing her hooves. "The Princess said they were all lost!" Rarity raised a thoughtful hoof. "Lost, darling, but not destroyed." "Then what is she doing down here, and not with her friends? Seems kinda lonely." Pinkie said, joining in on the conversation Their mouths remained closed. "Do we...try to open it?" Rarity's brow furred. "I don't really know. We should probably bring the ice to Princess Celestia. She will know how to fix this mess." All at once a blinding light flashed inside the room. "What the-" Rainbow cried, and her words died out as a small dot of cyan magic formed along her chest, bounding away seconds later. Rarity called her attention after, and Rainbow found the mare stuck in the same situation, swatting away the magic as she backed away. "Pretty." Pinkie spoke as if she was in a trance as she began to march behind the dot, losing her battle as she tripped over a small rock, landing onto the ground. "Ow." she giggled. The colors danced through the halls, rendering Rarity's light no longer useful as they zoomed back, heading straight for the ice. The phased through, each going for a different part of the mare. Rarity's light ejected into the forelegs, flowing into the body as gracefully as possible. Rainbow's cyan was a bit brash, and plunged into her stomach, disappating. Pinkie's was uncannily the calmest, and hit the earth's pony's forehead, gently pushing itself through. "Wierd." Rainbow commented. The others stared intently, waiting for another supernatural event to occur... And the ice bent. Rarity shivered as a cold substance clawed around her legs, and she stared, readying her horn for an attack. What she didn't expect was the water flowing by her body. "It's melting," she whispered, catching the others by surprise. The mare took a shuttering heave as she ice melted past her muzzle, though her eyes remained shut, with no indication they could open. The ice only held her hooves; and they wobbled as they were relased, the pony toppling over as dust rustled off her mane. And the earth pony gingerly opened her eyes, squinting at what she thought as a bright sunlight that now shone into her vision. She shuffled nervously when she found Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all staring at her alone, open-mouthed. "Do any of you have anything...I may eat?"