• Published 29th Aug 2015
  • 23,468 Views, 1,689 Comments

I'll Do Anything for You - The Abyss



Twilight and Rainbow have just started a new life with their newly-adopted daughter, Scootaloo, but the filly’s old parents have returned with a vengeance.

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Rainbow's Nightmare

As Rainbow tore through the air, she spotted a familiar set of windows through the falling snow. There it is! she thought. She flapped once, shooting through the air as she made a beeline towards Cadence’s bedroom windows. She flew as fast as she could to Cadence’s balcony and nearly fell onto her side as she slid to a halt. The snow had created a slick surface, already starting to harden and freeze in the wintery air.

Rainbow banged on the window with the flat surface of her hoof, making it shatter into pieces on the fourth hit. “Hey, wake up! We need help!” she yelled through the broken window. She wanted to push her way through the hole, but the window wasn’t wide enough for her to fit through. She saw a light come to life, a single candle flickering from further in the room. She frantically looked around for a handle or door knob to use to open their balcony door, but found nothing. “Hey! Yo, hurry up already!” she called out right before the balcony door opened, letting her inside from the cold.

“Rainbow!” Shining set his light down on a table, then placed a hoof on her shoulder. “What’s going on? Why were you outside? And why’d you break our window?”

“Scootaloo’s dad is here!” Rainbow exclaimed. Her head whipped around in the darkness, trying to find Cadence.

“Here?! In the castle?” he demanded.

“Yeah! He’s with Twilight right now. Cadence had put up some kind of privacy spell that kept us from alerting the guards, and–” The sound of a door further inside their chambers made her pause. “Cadence? Is that you?”

“Yes. What’s going on?” Cadence trotted into view.

“Twilight is in danger. The castle has been breached,” Shining said.

“Yeah, and she’s all alone with Scootaloo’s dad in our room!” Rainbow blurted out. “And since she can’t use magic, she’s basically defenseless!”

Cadence’s face hardened as her tone grew stone cold. “Shining, raise the guards. I’ll go aid Twilight. Rainbow, will you go to Scootaloo’s and Spike’s bedroom to ensure their safety? I give you my word that Twilight will be kept safe.”

“Wait, won’t we need guards?” Rainbow asked. “He’s got a knife; how will I defend our little ones?”

Cadence glanced away as she thought. “Shining, give her the guards watching our chambers. We won’t need them here. Good luck, you two.” Cadence locked eyes with both of them for a brief moment before she winked out of existence.

“Alright, come on!” Shining said as he gestured towards the bedroom doors. He pushed them open with his magic, walked through, then turned around to face the two guards. “Listen up and listen well. The castle has been breached by that same threat we discussed earlier in this morning’s briefing. I need you both to go with Rainbow and lock down our guests’ room.”

“Sir, yes sir!” both said in unison.

Rainbow nodded. Shining teleported away, leaving Rainbow alone in their room. “Follow me!” she yelled over her shoulder.

“Yes ma’am!”

The sounds of beating hooves echoed through the hallways as Rainbow ran as hard as she could, trying her hardest to remember where Scootaloo and Spike were staying. She counted the doors in her head, idly wondering why there were so many bedrooms. As she rounded another corner, she noticed two guards standing in front of a single door in the middle of the hallway. She screeched to a halt in front of Scootaloo’s and Spikes bedroom door, making the two guards already there look down at her with worry. “When did you get here?” she demanded.

“Uh… we just got here, ma’am. Why?”

“Are they safe?” Rainbow pushed open their door and found the room empty. Her heart fell into her stomach as she noticed the unmade beds. “Scootaloo! Spike!” she called out, praying that they were hiding just out of sight.

Silence met her calls.

She darted back outside into the hallway then jumped into the air, flying at breakneck speeds back towards Twilight’s bedroom. She flew back upstairs then back down the hallway, around a corner, then screeched to a halt in front of the open door, the sounds of the four guards trying to keep up with her getting louder and louder from behind.

With her heart racing in her chest, Rainbow tentatively took a step forward and poked her head inside, praying that she’d see Twilight, but alas, only Cadence met her view. As she walked inside, she felt a shiver run down her back. Snow had poured in from the broken window, her quick exit robbing the room of its warmth. “Where is she?” she asked as she walked up beside Cadence.

Cadence held up a piece of parchment with sloppy writing on it. “I don’t know, but I think she left this note. Is this her style of writing?” she asked as she held up the note for Rainbow to read.

“Uh... I think it is, yeah.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed as she read the note aloud. “Sent S. Dad to kitchens as trick. Send guards there to capture. I’m going for S and S.” She looked up at Cadence. “I was just at Scootaloo’s and Spike’s bedroom. Nobody is there.”

“I don’t think that Twilight would leave the little ones alone with such a threat. If she wasn’t in Scootaloo’s and Spike’s room, where could they have gone?


Five minutes earlier…

Spike rolled over for what felt like the umpteenth time. While he was glad that Twilight seemed to be doing better, he still felt that something was off. Perhaps it was the inner turmoil he felt. Half of him yearned to be at Twilight’s side while the other half wanted to give her and Rainbow space. His eyes came to rest on the door for a few moments right before Scootaloo let loose a horrendously loud snore, making him wonder how she was able to sleep making so much noise. He rolled onto his back and spread his arms wide, staring up at the ceiling.

He yanked his pillow over his head and pulled it tight, hoping that it’d muffle the sounds of Scootaloo’s snores. He felt a familiar tingle grow within him, making him sit up. “A scroll? Now?” He pushed himself just in time for him to burp the scroll out, the rolled-up parchment falling neatly between his legs on top of the blanket. “Why would Celestia write so late?” he grumbled. “This better be important.” He pushed the covers off of him, pushing the scroll to the floor. Spike jumped out of bed, the sound of his feet hitting the stone floor waking Scootaloo up.

“Morning already?” Scootaloo asked as she rubbed her eyes. She rolled over and lifted her head from the pillow, a yawn forcing itself past her lips. Scootaloo blinked a few times, then looked around. “Dude, it’s still the middle of the night. Why are you out of bed?” she asked.

“I got a scroll. Celestia never writes this late,” Spike said as he picked it up off of the ground.

“You think it’s bad news?”

“I hope not.” Spike unrolled the scroll and read it aloud, “Scootaloo’s mother sent her husband up to attack. Lock down the castle. Write back once safe. See you soon. – Celestia.”

“Seriously?” Scootaloo sat up the rest of the way and flung the sheets off of her. “What are we going to do?”

“Well, we have to tell someone!”

Scootaloo pushed herself out of bed. “Well, duh, of course we do! But who do we tell first?” A bright flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder made her jump.

“Uh… I don’t know. If we go tell Twilight first, we’re all still gonna have to go to Cadence’s room to wake them up and have them lock down the castle. If your dad is here, Twilight might get upset with us if we left our room without any adults. Plus it doesn’t help that Cadence’s room is pretty far away.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Okay. You go tell Twilight and Rainbow and I’ll go tell Cadence.”

“But Cadence’s room is almost twice as far as Twilight’s room!”

“Exactly! I’m the fastest filly around! That means I’m perfect for the job. I just wish I had my scooter here. I’d be there in a flash!” she said with an excited grin. “Come on, let’s go save the day!” She trotted towards the door and stopped right before it. With her hoof resting on the doorknob, she was about to turn it when she heard someone galloping towards them from further down the hall. Her eyes went wide as she fumbled with the lock, thinking it was her father coming for her. She locked it just as the mystery pony slowed to a halt in front of their door. Heavy breathing came from the other side of the door for a few seconds before the doorknob twisted to either side.

“Guys, it’s me!” came Twilight’s hushed voice from the other side of the door. “Let me in!”

“Twilight?” Scootaloo unlocked the door and pulled it open a few inches just enough for her to see who it was. She pulled it open the rest of the way, let her in, then locked the door behind her.

“Oh, thank Celestia both of you are okay!” Twilight said, her voice filled with much relief as she pulled them into a fierce winghug. “We have a bit of a situation on our hooves. Scootaloo’s father somehow made it inside—”

“He’s already here?” Spike blurted out. “But Celestia said– here!” He held up the scroll for her to read, holding it up for her with both claws.

“Celestia is coming?” Twilight’s shoulders slumped in relief for a couple of moments before she tensed up again. “She didn’t say how long she was going to take?”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He whipped the scroll around and read it again. “What do we do, Twilight?”