Writer's Training Grounds Entries

by Yukito

Prompt # 10 - The Journey Home (Mane 6, Sebreeze, OCs) [Random, Comedy, Adventure]

Prompt: Something went wrong, and now the Mane 6 are sealed on the other side of the portal! Somebreezie lets slip about an emergency exit, long forgotten...

---

“Something went horribly wrong! The portal’s closed behind us!” Twilight screamed, assessing her and her friends’ situation.

“We can see that, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Now do try to calm down. Panicking will not solve everything.”

“I beg to differ!” Twilight shouted. “But I suppose you’re right. I just have to think here… There has to be a way out of here…”

“There is,” Seabreeze said, gathering the group’s attention. “Yeah, there’s this emergency exit passage my grandpappy set up way back when, back in the days of our lord and saviour Tirek. Not many breezies still know of its existence, but I can take you there if you’d like.”

“That would be great!” Twilight exclaimed with cheer in her voice. “… Wait, what was that ‘lord and saviour’ thing again?”

“Right! This way, everybreezie!” Seabreeze led the way with the group of ponies-temporarily-turned-breezies following closely behind. They arrived at a large wooden, much too big for a breezie to open on their own. “We built this door to let our lord and his minions in back when he promised us eternal life. You should be find going through as ponies.”

“Uh, yeah… thanks,” Twilight said, casting the spell to turn herself and her friends back into ponies. “Well, I guess we should get going then…”

“Thank you again for all your help!” Seabreeze said. “May Tirek’s blessing reign upon you all!”

“Thanks!” Pinkie Pie replied. “I don’t know who this ‘Tirek’ is, but he sounds like somepony I wanna party with!”

“Well, let’s not outstay our welcome,” Twilight said nervously, grabbing Pinkie Pie and urging her and the rest of her friends to follow.

“Where exactly does this tunnel lead?” Applejack asked.

“I think it comes out in what you ponies refer to as the ‘Everfree Forest’,” Seabreeze answered. “It may be dangerous out there. Perhaps you should take this.” Seabreeze offered a crossbow tot eh group.

Rainbow Dash reached for it but was stopped by a slap from Twilight’s hoof. “We’ll be fine, but thank you anyway,” she said, opening the door and rushing everypony through it.

“Take care!” The door slammed shut behind Seabreeze via Twilight’s magic, and the six ponies were left on their own in a dank, dark tunnel.

“Well that was rude,” Rainbow Dash said with a flat stare.

“Look, I just felt uncomfortable around that guy,” Twilight said as her horn illuminated the area and she led the way. “It took forever to get those ‘Nightmare Policy’ cultists to leave me be, I don’t want to have to go through it again with these Tirek worshippers.”

“It sure is warm in here,” Fluttershy noticed as the group continued to walk further into the cave. “A little… too warm.”

“Yeah… it’s gettin’ pretty hot in here,” Applejack agreed, removing her hat and wiping the sweat from her brow.

The group entered a large cavern filled with lava and stopped abruptly. “Well… that solves that riddle.”

“There’s no safe way across,” Twilight said as she looked around the room. “Oh, please tell me we don’t have to go back.”

“Of course not!” The group yelped and jumped back as a large, bulky red minotaur emerged from the lava and landed before them, shaking the entire cavern as he stomped down and began flexing his muscles. “I am the Spirit of Fire! Fear me for I burn all within my path! Worship me for I bring warmth on a winter’s night! Answer my riddle, and you may pass!”

The Spirit of Fire blinked as he felt something touching his waist and looked down to find a towel being wrapped around himself in a blue magical aura. He looked back at the group to find six blushing mares awkwardly looking away from him, the white one’s horn alight with magic.

“Answer my riddle, and you may-”

“We heard you,” the six ponies deadpanned at the same time.

“So what’s this riddle already?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It’s kinda hot in here and we wanna get going.”

“VERY WELL!” the minotaur screamed, almost knocking the six mares off their hooves in doing so. “Then, hear my brilliant riddle and prepare to be stumped! I am hot, beautiful, and necessary for life, yet untamed I spread destruction and mayhem! What am I?!”

“Fire?” Fluttershy asked.

The Spirit of Fire gasped and took a step back. “Remarkable! Over ten thousand years I have posed that riddle to all that crossed my path, but none have ever solved its complexity and ingenuity!”

“How many others have come through here?” Twilight asked, genuine curiosity on her face.

“You are the first!” the Spirit of Fire declared.

Twilight slammed a hoof into her face. “… Well then, since we solves the riddle, can we please get going now?”

“Not so fast!” the Spirit of Fire declared. “Only one of you answered correctly! For you all to pass, you must each answer one of my brilliant riddles!”

“Great,” Rainbow Dash said. “Can’t I just fly over?”

“Not if you wish to be smited into the lava below,” the minotaur answered. “Now, riddle number two! I am ferocious, furious, and yet compelling to stare at! I am-”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “Are all of the answers going to be ‘fire’?”

“… Yes,” the Spirit of Fire answered.

“Theeeen, can’t we just cross? I mean, we obviously all know what the answers will be now.”

“Would it kill ya to hang out with me for just a few seconds?” the minotaur asked with a sigh. “All I’ve had for company in the last ten thousand years are those breezies, and even they stopped showing up eight thousand, two hundred and eighty-three years ago.”

“Sorry to hear, but we really must get going.”

“I understand.” The Spirit of Fire raised a hand and snapped his fingers. A stone bridge appeared suddenly that stretched over the lava. “Fine, take care, I guess. Whatever,” the minotaur pouted, turning around and folding his arms.

The six mare pressed on across the stone bridge, but not before Pinkie Pie stopped to give the Spirit of Fire a hug and a flower headband. The minotaur smiled and put the ornament on. When the ponies left the room, he shattered his bridge and decided to return to his lava home. The flowers burned up as he descended into the lava and he cried.

---

The girls entered a large chamber with wind shooting out of vents sticking out of the ground. It was considerably more chilly than the previous chamber and each mare shivered simply from entering.

“I see you passed my brother’s challenge,” a feminine voice said. The girls looked forward to see a transparent pony without legs floating above the ground. “Welcome.”

“EEP!” Fluttershy screamed as she took refuge behind Rarity.

“Are you…a ghost?” Applejack asked with a gulp.

“Oh don’t be silly,” the mare said with a laugh. “I’m a spirit.”

“… Ain’t that kinda the same thing?”

“To be more precise, I am the Spirit of Wind,” the mare continued, ignoring Applejack’s second question. “If you wish to pass me, you must first prove your worth with a simple test.”

Twilight grinned and her eyes sparkled. “A test? Well then, I’m just the mare for the job!”

“This will be a test of courage,” the Spirit of Wind explained. “Only one of you may take this test.”

“If you’re looking for courage, I’m your mare!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed.

“To pass my test, you must approach my dear pet and stroke his fur.” The ground shook as something large and terrifying approached behind the Spirit of Wind. The group’s eyes all widened and the colours drained from their faces. “He is a wind demon, and he-”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Everypony cringed as the high-pitched noise threatened to destroy their eardrums. “HE’S SO CUUUUUTE!”

The Spirit of Wind gasped and ducked out of the way of the incoming yellow blur. She turned around to find Fluttershy petting the wind demon’s nose with a big smile on her face. “W-What-”

“Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy? You are!”

“… Okay, that was unexpected,” the Spirit of Wind admitted. “Nevertheless, a deal is a deal. You may all pass.”

“Wow. Guess we lucked out on that one,” Applejack said as she passed the transparent mare.

“Good thing it was a dragon,” Rainbow Dash said as she followed.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie were next, and finally Twilight, who grabbed Fluttershy’s tail with her magic and dragged her along.

“Just five more minutes! Pleeeeease?!”

“We have to keep moving,” Twilight said. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

---

“Yay! Visitors!” The six mares watched in complete bafflement as a brown-coated filly bounced around the room and stopped before them. “I haven’t visitors in like a gazillion years! Did you come to play with me?”

“N-Not really,” Twilight said. “We’re just passing by.”

“Oh, that’s fine too! But first, you gotta pass a challenge!”

“Imagine that,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes.

“So what, we gotta find some kinda treasure or something?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Nope! You just gotta beat me at hide-and-go-seek!” The filly giggled and turned around. “I’ll go hide, and you guys count to a hundred! No peeking!”

Twilight nodded to her friends and they all covered their eyes with their hooves as she counted out loud to one hundred. When she was done they all uncovered their eyes and looked around. It didn’t take long for all of them to hone in on the filly hiding beneath her cardboard box with eyeholes. “… We found you,” Twilight said.

The filly jumped out her box and chuckled. “Impressive. But now the real challenge begins!”

“You mean we’re not done yet?” Applejack asked. “But ah thought-”

“Now you guys hide, and I count to one hundred!” The filly turned around and started to count. “Oooone! Twooooo! Threeeeee!”

Twilight and her friends all exchanged looks and nodded to each other in silent agreement. The six of them trotted past the counting filly and continued down the tunnel.

---

“Alright, so we’ve dealt with fire, wind and earth,” Twilight recounted as she moved quickly through the tunnel, desperate to reach the end and return home to a nice, hot bath. “I’m going to take a wild shot in the dark and say that the next spirit is-”

“Water!” Rainbow Dash cried in joy as she pushed ahead of Twilight, submerging her head into the glistening pond that lay ahead of the group.

“Excuse me,” a voice called out. Twilight and her friends stopped and gasped at what they saw, whilst Rainbow Dash brought her head up and looked up at the one addressing her. “Would you please not drink my home?”

Twilight could hardly believe what she was seeing. She raised a hoof, pointed it forward, and shouted, “Trixie?!”

“Actually,” the blue mare said, “I am the Spirit of Water. I simply assume the form of your greatest desire when gazed upon. I should appear differently to your friends.”

“I see cake!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, drooling at the pile of delicious looking confectionery before her.

“It’s me in a Wonderbolts outfit!” Rainbow Dash said, squeeing at the sight before her eyes.

“I don’t see anything,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t think I have any desires. Or I lost my contacts earlier.”

“Jewels!” Rarity screamed, stars in her eyes. “So many lovely jewels! Oh, of all the things this is the best, possible THING!”

Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack with a grin. “Let me guess: an apple, right?”

Applejack frowned. “Ah resent these allegations that ah’m obsessed with apple jus’ ‘cause they’re on mah flank!”

“Then what do you see?” Rarity asked.

“… Bushel o’ apples,” Applejack grumbled.

“So how do we pass?” Twilight asked, eager to get whatever stupid challenge lay ahead of her over with.

“Hm? You just walk by me,” the Spirit of Water said.

“… That’s it? No riddle, no test of courage, no hide-and-go-seek… nothing?”

“Let me guess: my siblings have been making up challenges for you in order to pass?” The Spirit of Water laughed. “Yeah, they were just messing with you. You’re free to pass by whenever you want.”

Twilight groaned. “Fine, whatever. I don’t care. Let’s just get out of here already!”

“Somepony sure is crabby,” Rainbow Dash said before turning her attention back to herself ina Wonderbolts outfit and admiring what she saw. “Hey, just give me a few more minutes, would ya?”

Twilight grabbed Rainbow Dash’s ear with her magic and pulled her along. “Let’s. Go.”

“Owowowowow! Okay, okay, I’m comin’ already!”

---

Twilight slammed the door to her library open and stepped inside. “Finally. Home sweet home.” She walked over towards the nearest cushion and collapsed onto it, sighing at the relaxing feeling that it gave.

“Twilight, welcome back!” Spike greeted as he ran into the main room from the kitchen. “The princess sent a letter while you were gone! Looks like another big adventure for you guys!”

“… Spike?” Twilight called out, her horn lighting up. The scroll in Spike’s claw was ripped from his grasp by a purple aura and thrown into the fireplace, which was set alight by another purple aura. “Didn’t I tell you not to run? Now you destroyed the important letter from Princess Celestia. Oh well, guess we’ll just have give this one a miss.”

Spike scratched his head as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. “Uh, okay? Well, I do remember what was written on there, so-”

“Spike, there’s fifty bits on the counter. Go down to Sugarcube Corner and treat yourself.”

Spike gasped and jumped into the air, delighted. “Really?! Whoa, boy! Thanks, Twilight! You’re the best!” Spike ran out of the room and grabbed the money resting on the counter, returning to give Twilight a hug before rushing out of the library at top speed.

Twilight smiled and settled into her cushion, yawning as she let sleep overtake her. “Dear Princess Celestia… I sleepy time now…”

Author's Note:

Yeeeeeah, so this one sort of just adopted a life of its own as I was writing it... I really had no idea where I was going with any of it, it just sort of flowed into... this (hence the random tag :P)

Check out the other submissions by various authours here: http://www.equestriadaily.com/2014/03/writers-training-ground-010-it-aint.html

Comments

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I love Twilight's deepest desire. So, so you. :D Anyway, great 'tests'.

[Seether00]

Yay, random!

[Mooncalf]

Random and silly. Very funny. And yes, 4030031, I agree on that. Actually, I thought that the challenge in that case would have been to be able to walk away from your greatest desire, but they seemed to have no trouble with that, besides RD. Well, Twilight might be in denial.

A bit rushed, though. There were a whole bunch of small mistakes, with typos and missing words, like this one:

“Good thing it was a dragon,”

I'd recommend tidying it up a little. No point in looking sloppy.

[djthomp]

Well, that was random, but also pretty hilarious.