//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: The Realization 
// Story: Escape from the Crystal Caverns 
// by Lucario247 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 1: The Realization

The reception was going perfectly. The hired DJ was doing her job, almost too well. Pinkie Pie was regulating the party concessions and goings-on. Twilight was drinking her fifth glass of punch, her throat needed liquid after singing that song. She downed the glass and then wandered the crowd, having quenched her thirst. She spotted the newlywed wife and trotted over to give her congratulations. 

"Hey there Twilee!" said her brother, Shining Armor.

"Why hello there Twilight. It's nice to see my new little sister." said Cadence

"Oh! That's right!" said Twilight. She'd forgotten about the whole "sister-in-law" thing. "I guess we're sisters now. Haha."

They both laughed at the forgetfulness of the unicorn mare.

"So, my new sis-in-law. I've been meaning to ask you this: what happened to the three unicorns that tried to stop us when we left the caverns?" asked Twilight

"You mean the bridesmaids?" asked Cadance.

"Yeah."

"Well as I recall, they jumped after the bouquet that I threw into..."
the realization dawned on the newlywed Princess

"The depths of the caverns." finished the lavender mare, who also had the sudden epiphany.

"Oh. Crap."

Cadence quickly told her husband about what happened and what the two mares were going to do. Then she and Twilight ran to the castle gardens. Behind the maze, obscured by some bushes was the entrance to the caverns. They crawled through the small hole and fee treed the place that had trapped them for a long time. 

"It's not really a good feeling to be back." said Cadence with a shudder

"Yeah..." replied Twilight, "But it's best not to dwell on the past and focus on the task at hand." 

"You're right." said Cadence with restored confidence

Then the two sisters went on their spelunking/rescue mission.





Colgate was feeling very guilty. She had failed to save the pony who was a friend of Cadence. She didn't even know her name...

"C'mon stop thinkin' about her." said Lyra who was sitting on a rock in that weird slouching way she always sat. 

"She's right. I need to get my mind off of her and focus on waiting for help." thought Colgate

She walked over to a crystal wall and started observing her teeth. Smiling, snarling, anything to give a good angle of observation, tilting her head as well. After the 10/10 check up, she pulled out a packet of gum from a pocket she had in her bridesmaids outfit. She popped a price into her mouth and began chewing, the mintyness overloading her senses.

Then she sat and waited. The two unicorns had to have waited for over an hour now, and Colgate heard a rumble coming from Lyra's stomach, which caused her stomach to growl. Lyra got up and walked over to one of the walls that head some ledges on it and began climbing.

"What're you doing? We gotta wait for help." asked Colgate kind of rudely.

"Nopony has used or even mentioned these caves for years. If somepony didn't get lost or trapped themselves in here, they wouldn't even know where this place is."

"But the princess wouldn't forget about us."

"She probably thinks we're dead!" she replied, raising her voice, "Now I'm leaving this place! If you wanna join me that's fine! Just don't try and stop me."

Colgate thought about what the mint green unicorn had said. It was probably true. There most likely wasn't any rescue coming. 

With this thought in her head she hurried after Lyra.