//------------------------------// // 13. Recovery // Story: SweetieMash Minecraft Adventures : Return of the Nightmare. // by CristalGalaxy //------------------------------// "There... sloooooowly... that's it!" smiled Button as he led Sweetie Belle out, tenderly holding her hoof. "There ya go! All recovered!" The filly winced as the sunlight hit her. "My eyes... ugh! Staying down there was too much! Couldn't I get some piece of the sun so I'd get used to it...? You're a terrible coltfriend!" she complained, shielding her emerald eyes. "That great big cube of light ain't good for nothing!" Button chuckled and let her go. "I'll get it for you as a birthday present sweetheart." "What do you want for your birthday?" she giggled, her eyes finally adjusting to the light. She brought her hoof down and playfully nudged Button. "I'd want a penguin. Dear Celestia they've always been on my Hearts and Warming's list... Didn't ever get one though..." he frowned. "Don't know why." A high pitched although quite dull voice came to their ears as Diamond Tiara joined them, followed by the others : "Well, if you guys survive until your birthdays, I'll walk around Ponyville with a wedding dress and claim to all that I'm married to... to..." she glanced at the group. "Scootaloo!" The pegasus jumped and ran a hoof through her mane. But Applebloom just rolled her eyes : "Way to kill the mood Diamond..." Although Rumble simply squinted his eyes and slowly nodded. "I'll remember that..." He muttered a few things to himself and grabbed a notepad which had apparently been stored in his inventory, before starting to scribble a few things down. "Wh... Where'd you get that...?" asked Button, puzzled. "Oh that would be me!" Scootaloo proudly took a step forward. Something Button hadn't realised earlier, was that she was wearing a purple backpack. "I fiddled around with every item we had, plus killed a few harmless bugs and other things which means I got some more stuff to craft! And it's great! I made you each one of these!" She threw a few other backpacks on the floor, grinning widely. The foals looked at each other, puzzled. "How'd you figure out how to do that?" asked Sweetie Belle, amazed as she picked up the white backpack. "Just put some leather in the crafting table in a circle!" "What about the colours? How in Equestria did you get the dyes to do that?" Rumble grabbed a black backpack alongside Diamond, who chose the pink one. "There are flowers everywhere!" "I'm impressed, I'll admit it" nodded Button, a brown backpack settled on his back. "Thanks!" Scootaloo positioned her own purple backpack and helped Applebloom with her red one. "I try!" Sweetie Belle gave their little cave one last look before taking a deep breath. "Okay... um... guys...?" They turned to her : "Yes?" "We need to get... Helper..." A series of groans were heard. The chicken hadn't been very appreciated over the last few days, as he kept disturbing the foal's preparations to leave. Not to mention all the half hearts many lost after trying to snatch an egg away. Only Sweetie Belle and Applebloom strangely managed to stroke and play with the small chicken. The former because she was the chicken's protege, and the latter because she probably had worked with dozens of chickens in her life. "I'm not getting near that thing!" grumbled Rumble, rolling his eyes. "I just need to stuff him in my backpack! Then we're free to go!" complained Sweetie Belle, searching for some assistance in Button's eyes. "All right, all right!" muttered the colt. "We can do this! It's not any harder than fighting a monster! Sweetie Belle will grab him since," he glared at her hooves," she gets out of there cut-free. You'll catch him when Rumble and I will run after him." The mentioned colt jumped upon hearing his name and whined : "Why me?" Something hit his head and he yelped ; Scootaloo and Applebloom were eyeing him down. They hoof-bumped : "Ya want the mares tah get hurt...?" muttered one. "Yeah! Be a stallion Rumble!" The other rolled her eyes. Rumble blushed a little and picked up what they had thrown at him - Applebloom's backpack - before hoofing it back to her, avoiding her gaze. "Thanks, and... sorry..." he breathed. The cowpony snatched the backpack away and didn't reply. Rumble sighed and slowly nodded to Button, giving the signal that he was ready. "Let's do this..." murmured Button, stepping forth in the now dark cave, since they had taken the torches out. Both foals worked their way in the depths of the cave, ears perked up to catch any sound that would help them find their way. Until finally, Rumble heard a faint scratching noise. He lightly brushed his tail onto where he thought Button's body was to signal him, but a muffled groan was heard. Rumble jerked back, but then came in closer : "Whoops! Sorry Sweetie Belle!" he giggled. "Didn't know you had come with us... You silent little filly!" The colt tried rising his voice so that Button would hear, but something hit him in the right shoulder hard. A wave of pain traveled through his body and he lost his breath. Rumble staggered backwards and closed his eyes, unable to think through the unbearable pain that was shooting through his whole body. In the corner of his eyes, the grey colt saw his hearts go down... Two and a half hearts had disappeared. He desperately tried to lift up his hooves in a defensive matter, in case the thing hit him again, but found that he simply didn't have the strength to lift both. Someone screamed next to him, a mare. Oh so that wasn't Sweetie Belle after all... Rumble let a small smile escape his lips as he fell into unconsciousness. Figured...