//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four 
// Story: The Terror of Nightmare Night 
// by Vanilla Mocha 
//------------------------------//

        "Woah..." Frost couldn't stop looking around her as the group of friends stepped off the express. Dragons covered the sky as they flew to their nests for the night. Deep red lava pools were a hazard to step in, while tall torches with flaming yellow fire kept the place lit enough to see where to step. 

"Hello, travelers, to Dragon's Cove!" A tall, buff stallion exclaimed, trotting towards the group. The earth pony had sand colored fur and short, wavy dark brown- almost black- hair. His light blue eyes stared at the group as he approached them. "Don't you fret, tourists! I'll show you around and find you a nice hotel."

Paradise's jaw dropped. So.... Muscular.... Very.... Handsome.... 

"No thanks, we know where to go." Shadow Wing declined, stepping forward. 

"Oh, hmm? That's quite interesting, not a lot of travelers know where to go. And where would that destination be?" The stallion asked. 

"To a cave... Dragon's Cave." Shadow smiled. 

The stallion chuckled. He's so cute when he chuckles, Paradise daydreamed. "Y-you're in for a treat! Ha! What, you ponies have death wishes or something?" He laughed. I don't mind dying as long as I'm in your hooves.... Paradise smiled softly as her mind carried her away. 

"Look, if you really, truly want to go there, let me accompany you. It is my job, after all." 

Shadow looked at the rest of the group, then turned his attention back to the stallion, and sighed. "Fine..."

"Great! You will all have a great time here. I'm Safari, and I'll help you get to Dragon's Cave. Sightseeing the place itself is a dangerous thing to do, but since I'm here to protect you and show you all the right way to approach things.... Why not?"

Eclipse sighed. "We're on a tight time schedule, so please get us up there fast."

"Don't fret, we'll be there quick. Let's go!" Safari began trotting into the dragon village, the group following behind. 

Paradise nudged Daffodil. "Look at him.... Isn't he so muscular and buff? So... Handsome!"

Her friend smiled. "Keep on daydreaming, Oasis."

"Hey, at least I have a good eye for stallions! You're not even looking for one yet."

Breeze stepped in. "Did I hear st-aaaaaaaaa-llion?" She winked. 

Paradise blushed. "Heh..."

Breeze grinned and flew next to Safari, landing next to him. "Hey~" 

"Um... Hi. What's up with the spider costume?"

"Nightmare Night! It's a fun night full of candy and scary, spooky stories and even more candy and costumes and more candy and even more candy and hott stallions and candy and fun and candy!" Breeze replied quickly. 

"Oh...? Well, after living here in Dragon's Cove, I've faded away from Equestrian holidays and customs."

Breeze giggled. "Well, I coul-"

Paradise nudged Safari's other side, the opposite side from Breeze. "So, you're Safari?"

Turning his head to Paradise, he smiled. "Yes. And you are?"

Blushing, the pegasus replied nervously, "P-paradise O-oa-Oasis...!" 

Safari chuckled. "Nice to meet you. Both of you." He faced Breeze, smiling wider.

"Say...." Breeze began, eyeing Paradise, "There aren't many mares around here, is there?"

Safari picked up the walking pace, going faster. "Well.... Um... No, now that you mention it."

Breeze grinned. "I don't know why more mares wouldn't risk themselves to live here among the dragons to be with you." She winked. 

Paradise grumbled. Then, an idea hit her. Smiling, she added, "I volunteer to be that first mare!"

"No, I do!" Breeze snapped back. 

"I don't think he wants a spider! He wants a beautiful fairy princess!"

"He wants a daring spider!"

"Pretty princess!"

"Me!"

"No, me!"

"Mares!" Safari yelled. The two mares became quiet. "Please stop arguing. We're almost there; just go to the back of the group and follow behind us!"

"B-b-but Saf-" Breeze began. 

Safari shot her an annoyed glance. 

She and Paradise slumped to the back of the group. Sighing, Paradise walked alongside Daffodil. Sighing, she whispered, "He was so attractive when he yelled at us..."

~~~

The group trudged up a rugged mountainside, anxious to get to Dragon's Cave. Safari pointed out many landmarks along with various breeds of dragons along the way, making everything even more interesting for the ponies. 

"And that one," he pointed to a large navy blue and black dragon, "Is called a Midnight Ocean, because of its dark scale colors and amazing ability to swim." 

"Hey, Mr. Safari, is this edible?" Garfield asked, picking a flower from the ground. "It looks like lasagna." It was a short fat flower, its orange stem thick for its height. Its wavy pedals were almost square shaped, colored in light orange. Layered in more pedals in the same way, the flower did begin to look like the pasta. "Mmm, even smells great!" The cat said with a smile, licking his lips. 

"No, wait!" Safari turned around to see that the small orange cat had already eaten it. "That's not lasagna, that's poison!"

Garfield smiled. "I don't feel any different." Within seconds, he put his paw over his mouth, as if he was about to puke. "O-oh, Celestia..." 

"Orange cat?!" Safari ran to him, and laid him down. "Rest, lil' buddy, ok? Rest..."

Garfield choked. "It's too early in my life for me to die..."

Safari rolled his eyes. "You're not dying. You just ate a strange kind of dragon poison... Luckily for you, it's worse on ponies than anything... So you'll be fine. Anypony mind carrying him? We've got a little more to walk." 

Paradise smiled. "I'll do it, Safari!" She flew to the cat and picked him up in her hooves. 

"Thank you, Breeze." The stallion replied.

Paradise's smile faded. "My name is Paradise..." She grunted. 

Safari trotted to the front of the group. "Just a little while longer until we get there!" 

The ponies and cat made their way through the rough mountain, climbing over steep rocks and sharp boulders. The soft grass at the bottom of the mountain is what their hooves longed for, but was not growing on the mountain. As they went higher everything around them became darker as the small village below got further and further away. Tacitus lit his horn to reveal a soft blue light to help the ponies see. 

Safari stepped on the top of the mountain. "Here we are! The perfect sightseeing view of Dragon's Cave, from its sister mountain next door!" 

Eclipse grunted. "We don't want to sightsee, we want to go to the actual cave!"

Charming Thunder gasped. Pointing to the cave, everypony else froze. "The cave... Is under a volcano?!" He finally exclaimed. 

Nodding, Safari replied, "Of course! This is an old volcano that erupts every five hundred years. The last time it erupted was around four hundred or so years... That's why it's too dangerous to go by it. Not to mention that the guardian of the dragons lives inside... He protects a very precious jewel, as told by myth."

Quillton grinned. "What is the myth?"

"It's of a jewel that is supposed to give somepony power, like an amulet or some sort. I'm not so sure myself, but dragons love their shiny possessions... And that gem sure is shiny!"

Quillton nodded. "And what would happen if that gemstone was to be taken out?"

"The guardian would go crazy! He hates it when anything of his is taken... The shinier the angrier. Why do you ask?" Safari looked at Quillton suspiciously. 

The pony chuckled. "No reason, dearie. I am just curious." 

Shadow Wing approached Safari. "We need a better look at that cave, sir- our friend is in danger and the only way we can help her is by that cave."

Safari put his hoof to his chin. "Nope. Sorry, I can't allow it."

Breeze jumped into the air before Shadow could reply. "Says who? C'mon, let's get Mocha back!" 

"Says me! Don't move!" Safari shouted. 

Breeze flew into his face and smiled. "Sorry, hottie! Now go to the back of the group!" After booping his nose, she flew down the mountain. 

Safari grunted, angry. "I'll get you, Paradise!"

Breeze chuckled. "I'm Breeze! You know, the spider!"

By that time, the other ponies were flying and running down with Breeze. 

"That was so amazing how you stood up to him," Frost commented, "I thought we came all this way for nothing, for a second!"

Breeze smiled. "I wouldn't ever let my friends down, even if their 'scary' parties are kinda lame. But this is great! Now, to Dragon's Cave!" 

Garfield opened his eyes to see that Paradise Oasis was carrying him down the mountain. "Um... Why are you flying so fast? Hey, I just climbed all the way up there! Did you... Rescue me from death? Is that why we're going downhill?"

The Pegasus mare chuckled. "Nope. We're getting away from Safari!"

"Why? Isn't he taking us to... That place?"

"Dragon's Cave? No, he wasn't. We're getting there on our own!"

"Well, ya didn't have to be so shaky! I was in heaven eating casserole and chocolate molten cake!"

Paradise sighed. "Then go back to sleep." 

As the ponies reached the bottom of the mountain, they slowed their run. Exhausted, they sat down on the ground. 

"Don't stop!," Galaxy warned them, still running towards the cave, "Safari's not far behind!" Just as he had told them, the stallion was briskly running down. 

Eclipse, who was panting, began to run again. "We have to save Mocha!" 

The only thing that stood between the group of friends and the cave was a long valley... A long valley of lava. 

"We have to cross! Let's move!" Shadow Wing yelled. 

Lava surrounded the outside of the cave, and was surprisingly not inside the cave. The dark orange substance bubbled slowly; it was almost relaxing to the ponies if it wasn't for their circumstances. 

Breeze smiled. "I can fly one of you over with me. Who's riding?" Frosted Shard nodded. "I can take somepony, too!" "I can, too!" Shadow Wing added, with Galaxy and Eclipse agreeing. 

"I'm taking Garfield!" Paradise flew above them, carrying the cat to the cave. 

"I'm your travel buddy...," Quillton said as he ran towards Galaxy. Putting his hoof on his pegasus friend's shoulder, he said, "...Today, you get to be the blue box that takes me places." Galaxy smiled, and with the earth pony on his back, he flew across the valley. 

"Frost! Can you give me a ride?" Daffodil Spark asked, panting hard as her running slowed down. "Of course!" The blue mare in the samurai costume replied.

Shadow, Eclipse, and Breeze stood by the lava, waiting for the last two ponies to catch up. Panting, they arrived. 

"Don't worry about us," Tacitus said, his horn still glowing. "We both know teleportation spells."

Charming Thunder nodded in agreement. "We took longer because we were making sure that travel guide couldn't get to us in time."

Shadow lifted an eyebrow. "You set traps?"

"Well... Not exactly traps." Charming smiled, "They're more like... Obstacles."

"No harm. All the adventurous ponies in seven hundred A.D. used to do it in races of all sorts to prevent their opponents from getting ahead just by rearranging sticks and stones." Tacitus explained. 

"I bet he's singing that song now!" Breeze commented. 

"...what song?" Eclipse asked her. 

"Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me...!"

~~~

With all ten ponies... And one cat... Across the valley of lava, all that was left was the cave itself. 

"Stoooooooooooooop! Don't go in there! It's too dangerous!" Safari yelled from the other side of the pool of lava. 

Eclipse pulled out the mirror. Sighing, he gave it to Galaxy. "Take care of her while I go inside."

"Wait... You're going in?! Now?!" Galaxy accepted the mirror. 

"What else did we come here for?"

"Wait, Eclipse! It is dangerous to go inside!" Charming Thunder agreed, stepping next to Galaxy. 

However, it was too late; the stallion had already darted inside the dark cave.