Past, Present, and Future

by DragonShadow

09 - The Slumbering Secret

Chapter 9: The Slumbering Secret

The skies over Equestria were calm out here over the wilderness where even pegasus ponies didn’t go very often. Only the strong wind conjured by Twilight Sparkle’s horn made any noise other than the idle chatter she shared with her zebra friend. Despite the strange, almost frightening circumstances of their journey, the mood was light and relaxed as, for the first time, Zecora shared a couple of tales from her homeland. Including one shocking secret…

“You were married, once?” Twilight leaned forward with her eyes wide open. “Oh my gosh, Zecora! What happened? Who was he? Where is he?”

Zecora chuckled with a kind smile. “It was long ago, though I remember him still. It was long before I came to Ponyville. Our romance was strong and our marriage was swift… but then our love simply began to shift.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, Zecora. I’ve heard that it happens sometimes.” Twilight smiled and leaned against the side of their balloon. “You get so excited about love that you find it someplace where it’s not really there.”

Zecora chuckled softly. “I’m not sure that’s exactly the truth, though it was still certainly a folly of youth. Sometimes love can be tried and true, and yet still come to an end for you.”

Twilight cocked her head curiously. “Do you really think love can end, Zecora?”

“All things can have an end someday, no matter what you want, or what you say.”

“Mmm… I guess I can’t argue with that…” Twilight hugged her forehooves around her chest with a frown on her lips. “I never thought I would lose Spike… we were so close…”

“Endings come, and sometimes ponies go…” Zecora pushed off from her side of the basket to crawl over to Twilight, who smiled back. “But you must continue to let your feelings show.”

“Yeah, I don’t think there can be any doubt of that. Nothing is more important than close friends… especially when you really need them.” Twilight raised one hoof, pressing it softly against Zecora’s. “Forever we’re together, forever we’re friends…”

“A kindred friendship that never ever ends…” Zecora smiled back softly.

“Hey…” Twilight’s eye twitched down toward the map that was laid out on the bottom of the basket beside them. The enchanted map showed they were quickly approaching their destination. “We’re almost there!”

Twilight and Zecora both hefted their heads out of the basket to look ahead, spotting a tremendously large mountain looming close.

Twilight nodded. “The map is leading us to that mountain… help me look for a way inside.”

“It seems that that will be no big trick. You can simply take your pick.” Zecora gestured a bit further up the mountain face, where a great many dark caverns seemed to open straight into the middle of the mountain. Strangely, all of the entrances were near the middle to top, with none visible near the bottom, at least not from this high up. Was this intentional, to keep most ponies from being able to wander in?

“Okay, are you ready?” Twilight glanced at her friend, who nodded in acceptance. “We’re going in.”

Her horn shifted slightly, releasing the wind that had been blowing them onward in favor of taking control of the balloon directly. It was more tiring, but it allowed her more precise control over their movements as they approached the sharp, jagged mountainside. They floated close to one of the higher caverns, where the mountaintop was further back from the edge of the outcropping of rock.

Zecora leapt from the balloon with a rope clutched in her teeth, landing easily and turning to tie it to one of the large boulders on the mountain edge. Once that was secure, Twilight leapt from the balloon to join her, leaving it tethered in place just beyond the reach of the mountain.

Twilight moved up to her zebra companion, exchanging a shallow nod before they turned as one to make their way into the darkness. Twilight’s horn lit up to show the way as their hooves clip-clopped against the stone ground, her sharp eyes darting back and forth, keeping an eye out for anything strange.

Zecora spoke in a breathy whisper. “It occurs to me that this may take a long time. This mountain is massive, and we have no goal in mind.”

“We’ll take all the time we need, Zecora.” Twilight’s horn floated her map out from her saddlebag, looking over it in the light from her horn. It looked like the dot was getting smaller as they moved deeper into the mountain, becoming more precise. “Besides, it looks like we’re not going in completely blind. The dot is this way.” She turned to head down one of the more narrow passages, so narrow that Zecora fell into step behind her instead of beside her.

The winding passages through the mountain melded together as they went, but Twilight was fairly confident she would be able to find her way back. She was a master at map reading and memorization, after all, but that didn’t stop the spooky creeping feeling from running up her spine. They really had no idea what they were even looking for, and if Zecora was right, this could be a very nasty…

“Surprise…” Twilight breathed deeply and took a step back before she entered a massive cavern in the middle of the mountain. She heard Zecora’s hooves clop up beside her, but she didn’t look away from the figure that lay in the center of the mountain. Scales glittered like a hundred jewels in the dim phosphorescent light coming from the mold on the walls, as the dragon’s narrow, sleek body rested comfortably on the cold, empty stone. It was one of the smallest dragons Twilight had ever seen, only slightly bigger than Princess Celestia even with the wings on its back, but it was still undoubtedly a dragon.

Twilight whispered, “Do you think it’s friendly?”

Zecora didn’t even respond before the soft whisper made the dragon’s ear twitch, and one glowing white eye popped open, with the deep red iris turning to fix on them at the cavern entrance.

“Oh… g-gosh…” Twilight took an instinctive step back. The first dragon she’d met besides Spike had been pretty rough-tempered, but willing to listen to Fluttershy. The ones during the great dragon migration had seemed more willing to step on a pony than listen to a word they had to say. This one was a lot smaller than any of those, but didn’t look any less fierce, or less dangerous. “E-excuse me… we… we didn’t know…”

Twilight’s heart leapt into her chest when the dragon opened its powerful jaws with a snap and a deafening screech, a burst of emerald green flame erupting from its throat to surge towards them.

“Run!” Twilight whirled from the flame to charge back down the tunnel they emerged from, with Zecora running at her side. Zecora whirled down one of the smaller tunnel offshoots, yanking Twilight after her just before the blaze whooshed past the entrance. There was no time for words as they rushed down the tunnel. Twilight only cast one glance back to see the dragon peering in after them, then continuing on down the passage.

They emerged into a larger tunnel up ahead, with Twilight’s map floating quickly up in front of them. “This way! I think!” The map tucked itself back into her saddlebag before they both turned left, charging hopefully in the direction of their balloon.

Even as they ran Twilight found her mind spinning. Had Celestia known this dragon was here? Was this really what they’d been sent here to find? What good could come of this? Did Celestia mean to simply get rid of them? Would she say she didn’t know the dragon was here after it gobbled them up? No… Celestia would never plan something like that. Besides, dragons ate jewels. They didn’t actually eat ponies, did they? Then why would this one attack them?

A reflexive screech escaped Twilight’s throat when rainbow scales flitted through the darkness just on the edge of her horn’s light, moments before the emerald green flame erupted from the darkness towards them.

Twilight slammed into Zecora’s side to throw them both out of the way just in time, scrambling back to her hooves to continue running down another adjacent passageway. This mountain was like a maze. Had the dragon carved the tunnels this way on purpose so ponies couldn’t escape? What was it even doing in Equestria?

Another burst of emerald fire lit the tunnel right in front of them. Zecora lurched to the side inside of a small niche in the wall, but Twilight was too far to make it. So instead her horn pulsed with even brighter light, a powerful magenta shield blocking the flames just in time. It worked… but the second the fire touched the shield Twilight thought her brain was going to erupt. The magical fire was so intense just holding it back was pushing her power to its limits.

Twilight lurched back, but the second the fire subsided she conjured up what magic she could muster to return fire. A piercing beam of light shot from her horn, striking straight and true into the dragon’s chest, but the light scattered on contact with its rainbow scales. Pieces of her shot slammed into the cavern walls and floor all around them, punching holes in the solid stone, but leaving the dragon completely untouched.

A swift glance to her side showed Twilight that Zecora was still hiding in the small nook in the wall, but the dragon’s attention was squarely on Twilight. “You want me? Come get me!” Twilight fired another, weaker shot, but this one wasn’t meant to defend, but to anger. The dragon roared in defiance as the shot deflected harmlessly off, and Twilight turned to flee again, trying to draw the dragon away from her friend.

At first it seemed like it was working. In the light from her horn she could see the dragon following… but it stopped right where Twilight didn’t want it to, and turned to face Zecora. The zebra couldn’t even leave her nook in the wall without running right into one of its claws.

“No! This way! Come here!” Twilight fired several more shots, but the dragons jaws were already opening, emerald green flame spilling out into the air. “No! Zecoraaaaa!”

Twilight charged forward as fast as her legs could carry her, but she simply wasn’t fast enough. The flames burst forward, lighting up the tunnel in an emerald shine as they fully engulfed the zebra. Twilight couldn’t even see her anymore, but she didn’t turn around, leaping with all of her might towards the flames.

Twilight’s horn flashed to life as she came down, another shield materializing to block off the flames that roared all around her as she slammed into the cave floor. Her knees buckled under the strain, but she would not fall. She forced herself back upright, so tense and focused that her wings spread wide out to her sides. The deafening screech of the dragon’s cry mingled with the roar of the flames, for several moments locking her in a bubble apart from the world.

At last the flames died, and with them went Twilight’s shield. Her legs shook and her wings drooped, but she stared up at the dragon defiantly.

The dragon’s eyes seemed to widen in surprise as it stared down at her, darting from her face to her wings. “Princess?”

Twilight grunted when she felt the ground twitch under her hooves. Weakened by the blasts of her magic and the dragon’s fire, the cavern floor suddenly crumbled underhoof, dropping her into a brief, tumbling slide down into the darkness. She was so startled that the light from her horn faded into darkness during the descent, leaving her tumbling through the dark until she slammed into the cold, solid ground with a heavy thump.

“Nnngh…” Twilight groaned and forced her eyes open, trying to reignite the light in her horn. It took a few tries, with fatigue taking its toll, but finally the light flared to life. She didn’t want to see the first sight that met her eyes.

“Zecora!” Twilight pulled herself over to her friend, who was lying unconscious nearby amid a small pile of rubble that had accompanied them down. Twilight’s heart fluttered in her chest, fearing the worst, but the zebra was still breathing… in fact, aside from some cuts and bruises from the fall, she looked physically fine. But Twilight had seen her engulfed in the dragon’s fire. How was she completely unscathed? It made no sense…

“Princess!” Twilight jumped at the sound of the dragon’s voice echoing through the cave. “Princess, there’s been a misunderstanding! Come out!”

Without hesitation, Twilight carefully nestled herself underneath Zecora to heft her onto her back. Even with her new alicorn strength, she was barely able to carry the zebra, as tired as she was. She picked her way out of the rubble and began to trot as silently as she could away from the larger cave. The dragon was getting so close she could hear claws scraping against the stone just after they left, along with the sound of echoed sniffing.

“Princess! Please! You must trust me! This is a mistake!”

Not a chance, Twilight thought to herself as she turned down another cave, trying to flee, but the voice and scratching claws were closing in behind her. Desperately Twilight turned back, letting the light from her horn fade, instead bringing up another bulb of light down the far side of the opposite stretch of cave.

No sooner did the second light appear than the dragon reached the fork in the caves, turning towards the glowing light on the far side. “Wait! I must speak with you!” The dragon took off down the passage, but Twilight sent the light flying further away from the dragon, making it bob in the darkness as if it was a running unicorn.

Hoping that the dragon’s scrambling claws and yelling would mask her hoofsteps, Twilight broke into as fast a trot as her fatigue would allow. Her horn flared to life again when she could no longer hear the dragon behind them, allowing her to pick her way through the mazelike cavern system. She didn’t bother with the map, there was nothing in here that would allow her to get her bearings now. All she could do was keep walking and hope they came out somewhere they could escape from.

Zecora’s body was starting to feel heavier and heavier the further she walked, but soon enough she was spurred onward by the sight of light at the end of the tunnel. She rushed forward, but her heart sank when she stepped, blinking, out into the light. They were still halfway up the massive mountain, and her balloon was nowhere to be seen. Of course, she had seen wings on the dragon, so the balloon was not an option for escape. If it came out looking for them, they would be sitting ducks.

Carefully Twilight slipped Zecora off of her back and wrapped her forelegs around her, pulling her towards the edge of the mountain face. Unburdened by the weight, Twilight’s wings spread wide open and she lifted up onto her hind legs, taking one last step right up to the edge with Zecora held firmly against her chest.

“If we don’t make it, Zecora… I’m sorry.” Twilight took a deep, steadying breath before leaning forward, and letting them drop from the mountain.

They just barely cleared the first patch of jagged stone in their way, gliding rapidly towards the forest. Her wings were definitely catching the air, but she was afraid to move them. Plummeting from the sky with a zebra dangling from her hooves wasn’t the time she wanted to risk a spinout, but this also meant she couldn’t exactly steer them clear of the trees that were fast coming up beneath them. So she wrapped her forelegs tighter around Zecora to hold her closer, hoping to protect her from the impacts.

Her wing scraped the top of the first branches, which sent them spinning the rest of the way down through the thickening brambles and leaves. They were so thick she felt their descent slowing as they tumbled down, but the last twenty feet were straight through open air, slamming into the ground on her back with Zecora on top of her. The breath burst from her lungs and stars formed in front of her eyes, but she could still feel life flowing through her, and a quick check of Zecora told her Zecora was alive as well, though still unconscious.

Twilight rose to her hooves with a grunt and peered up through the foliage above them. She almost thought she saw a rainbow-colored head poking out from one of the caverns, but she couldn’t be sure. She did see their balloon though, still tethered to the mountain, where it would be completely useless to them. She would have to get Zecora someplace she could be helped on hoof, and the map told her the nearest town was Fillydelphia. There would be doctors there.

“Come on, Zecora…” Twilight was panting, but she leaned down to gently nuzzle Zecora onto her back. “We’re going to get you some help… I’m sure somepony knows what happened to you.” She turned to march away from the mountain, stepping carefully but quickly. She had no idea what was going on anymore, or what Celestia was thinking. All she knew was that if Zecora was seriously hurt, and Celestia was responsible…

She couldn’t even bring herself to finish that thought.

To Be Continued

Comments

[TeddyUrsa]

nice chapter now may we please have the next one sooner please

[DARKPHANTOM13]

Green fire with the possible power of teleportation? Maybe Spike's mother perhaps?

[djthomp]

All she knew was that if Zecora was seriously hurt, and Celestia was responsible…

I'll take Assumptions for 1000, Alex.

[KARLOS1234IFY]

3801729 Perhaps.

3802152 You think she sent them to their deaths?

[djthomp]

3803483 I think she didn’t and that if Twilight comes to the conclusion that Celestia did then she is making a bad assumption.

[KARLOS1234IFY]

3803617 Makes sense.