The Dive Through Danger
Daring Do opened the hatch and hoisted herself to the upper deck. The airship’s engines hummed softly as they cruised leeward. She let out a hefty yawn and tugged on the ship’s rigging. The makeshift sails strapped to either side of the envelope held fast.
Clouds hung below as the sun rose to the left. Oranges and reds spilled across the billowing landscape. Daring’s mustardy coat took on a glowing hue. It was unkempt and just a little sweaty, but it shimmered just fine, thank you very much. She reached up to her neck and touched the silver pocket watch hanging from its chain. It ticked in time with the ship’s engines, like a tiny heartbeat against hers.
A voice tickled her ears from behind. She craned her neck to see Martial at the ship’s wheel, leaning against it and singing to himself. His eyes locked on the horizon, only briefly glancing at the nearby compass.
“Gawrock melchila
Kroota kree Vakelra
Kretchwaugh Vreen
O Sheesha chakii”
Daring trotted towards him, easing to the left and right whenever the airship tilted. “That’s a pretty one.”
His head snapped to her as his beak snapped shut. “Guh. Good morning, Dr. Do. Sleep well?”
“Nope.” She leaned against the rail surrounding the deck. She popped her pocket watch open to look at the picture she kept inside. “I’ve found that the world’s a better place when I’m awake. It’s more exciting, you know?”
“I find it hard to doubt.” Martial took a pencil from behind his ear and made a mark on a pad of paper he’d pinned to the wheel. “We should be putting down in Canterlot before lunch, with this tailwind we’ve got.”
“Sweet.” The second hand passed over Time Turner’s face. She clicked the clamshell closed. “What was that song you were singing?”
Martial frowned. He crossed his arms and leaned against the top of the wheel. The airship rocked in response. “Not getting away from that one, am I?”
“I never hear you sing.” Daring turned her eyes up as she thought. “Well, not in Griffish. I’m a scientist, and this is a unique phenomenon to be examined.”
Martial raised an eyebrow. He rested his cheek against his knuckles. “You’ve got a real heartless way of being sentimental.”
“So sue me.” Daring’s wing ached. She spread it out until the joint popped with a painful twinge. “Spill it. What’s the song?”
“I don’t know the whole thing…” Martial clicked his beak as he drummed his talons. His feathers splayed to catch the wind. “It’s called ‘Sheesha Chakii.’ Papa Return, in Equestrian. My mother would sing it to me before bed. Sometimes my father would, too.”
He cleared his throat and waved a talon, drawing in the air. “Its translation’s a little choppy when bringing it over. Some of our words don’t have… exact parallels. Literally, it’s ‘Awesome, beautiful—Friend and Protector—The King with Lighting in his Wings—Oh Papa, return.’”
She could feel the warmth of the sun prickling over her skin. She shut her eyes and leaned into it, turning to let the wind cool her when she needed it. “Sounds like it’s not talking about your dad.”
“No, no.” Martial shrugged. “It’s about the One the ponies refer to as ‘The Creator.’ A bit of praise and worship. It’s also a little—a little sad, I suppose. Acknowledging that we’re not with Him. Asking for His return.”
Daring sighed. She rubbed the smooth surface of the watch, looking out over the vastness of the cloudscape. It was almost like looking at Cloudsdale before the battle with Commander Hurricane; beautiful and immense. “Feeling a little lonely?”
“Mm.” Martial lifted himself from the wheel and made a slight course correction. He marked their new location on his pad. “We all feel lonely on occasion.”
His ears fell. He glanced between her and the floor, sliding the edges of his beak across each other. “If I may be presumptuous?”
“What, you’re gonna worry about decorum now?” Daring snickered. “How many years have we been fighting the good fight, Marty?”
“Too many and not enough,” Martial said. He tucked his pencil out of the way and locked the ship’s wheel in place. “You’ve been nursing that watch for well over a year. I’ve never seen you so… so hurt by one of your ‘suitors’ before.”
“Yeah, well.” Daring favored Martial with a small smile, raising an eyebrow. “He was supposed to be the one that mattered.”
She pulled the looped chain from her neck and held the watch close. “I guess I’m trying to figure out if… If I’ll ever see him again. If he even wants to see me. If he didn’t just…” Daring swung a foreleg, whistling through pressed lips. “Vanish into stardust.”
Martial spread a wing to examine his feathers. He plucked a stray from among its brethren and tossed it into the wind. “I suppose it depends on how much you believe the old myth: When a creature dies, their hopes and dreams—fulfilled or not—become a blazing light in the night sky for all to see.”
Daring rubbed her mane. Her ears lay flat against her head. “I’ve spent enough time around Luna to know that not all dreams are made of light.”
“Indeed.” Martial checked the compass. Daring figured it was more out of habit than necessity. “Ruddy well indeed.”
“What about you?” Daring rolled a hoof as she looped the chain around her shoulders. “You believe all this starry night sky mumbo-jumbo?”
Martial frowned her way, showing empty talons. “Perhaps at one time. Now, I’m not sure. I’ve—” He rubbed his temple with a bent knuckle. “I’ve searched for a certain star, but never seen anything familiar up there. Since the dead refuse to speak, I’d say it remains an uncertainty.”
Daring opened the watch. It tick-tocked away against her hoof, framing the image of her and Time Turner. The ponies in the picture smiled, not a care in the world. “Still tantalizing to think about.”
“Quite.” Martial gripped the wheel. He didn’t unlock it, Daring noted, he just held on tight. “I suppose I’ll leave it up to you.”
Daring snorted, tilting her back over the rail to stretch it out. For a moment, she could see the clouds hover below her. “You leave everything up to me, Marty.”
“Do I?” Martial fished around in his over-the-shoulder bag and produced a vial filled with green liquid. “I seem to remember you asking me to remember to send your editor your draft.”
“Oh, shoot, that’s right!” Daring clipped the watch shut once more and scrambled towards the trapdoor. “I’ll go get it. We can send it while we’re still in the air.”
She threw open the door and hopped into the lower deck. It was cramped down below, with supplies gathered in boxes and barrels all over. Cabins sat to the aft of the ship, which required a bit of wriggling to get through the narrow lane.
Blankety Blank snoozed in his cot, muttering to himself in his sleep. Daring smiled at him as she tip-toed to her area. A chest waited for her, locked by a key, containing a few essential valuables.
Her typewriter was cushioned by sheets and pillows, kept from being jostled apart by storms and turbulence. Sheets upon sheets of new paper lined the bottom of the chest. Her draft was bound together by twine, right on top for easy retrieval.
Daring Do and the Raggedy Stallion
And the Book of Impossible Things
And the Lost Light
And the Stupid Evil Viscount with the Stupid Science Experiment Who Needed to Die! Die! Die! Die!
Daring Do pursed her lips and nodded as she read over the last crossed-out title. “That one sounds like a winner. Yep. I can totally see that one fly right off the shelves—and into the bargain bin.”
She balanced the draft on her back and trotted her way towards the upper deck. “I’ll get Vel’s input. She’ll know what to call it. She’s good with that. Real good.”
“You’re t-talking to yourself again,” Blankety muttered.
“It’s ‘cuz I’m a good listener.” Daring swatted at his hind leg as she passed. “And look alive, will yah? We’ve got a meeting with the princesses when we land.”
“B-be still my humming ventricles.” Blankty’s eyelids fluttered open. Daring caught the slightest glimmer of insectoid blue before his enchantment reasserted itself to its usual pink. “I’m up, I’m up. When’s b-breakfast?””
“Soon as you make it.” She hauled herself up the ladder, nudging the trapdoor open with her forehead. “So get on that; I’m starving.”
The pages landed with a thump at Martial’s feet. He flicked a lever at the top of the green bottle, and bright sparks flared. “Ready?”
“When you are,” Daring said.
Marital Paw lifted the bundle with one hand and held tight to the bottle with the other. His thumb reached over and pressed the switch. Sparks spilled forth, coating the paper in crackling magic. The paper transformed to smoke before their eyes and shot off into the bluing sky.
“Dragonfire.” Daring crossed her forelegs and grinned. “The cheaper alternative to the Pony Express.”
Martial unlocked the ship’s wheel and leaned it to the right. “Spike doesn’t mind burping up entire books at a time?”
“The kid’s got a good set of lungs on him.”
She strode forward until she was at the prow. She leaned against the front of the ship and squinted. She could just see the tallest spire of Canterlot Castle poking out of the untamed clouds. To the right, the scattered remains of the City of Cloudsdale bustled with colorful pegasi, building, working, playing.
In the middle, underneath a rare clear spot in the heavens, was a tiny city, crowned with a sparkling crystal castle.
“Welcome home, Time,” she said. “Welcome home.”
***
Button Mash trudged through the city streets in the early morning. His chest ached, but it was no longer an open wound. Scar tissue ran as a jagged line along his ribcage, surrounded by a bare patch of skin. He covered it with a jacket brought from his parents’ house. The other bruises and breaks had been taken care of by the ambrosia—a scant few days of healing was all it needed.
He glanced at Carousel Boutique as he passed. Its door was crushed in, and its windows were dark.
“Dude!” Snips charged out of his barber shop and swung a foreleg around Button’s neck. “Button, hey, great to see you.”
Button jolted and looked away from the boutique. He faked a smile by showing a few teeth. “Snips. What’s up?”
“Not much, not much, hey—” Snips pushed him forward, forcing Button’s lanky legs to hobble along. “—hey, it’s time for my lunch break. Why don’t we get a bite, huh? You ’n me.”
Button frowned and looked at the sun. “It’s not even nine in the mor—”
“Early lunch. Brunch. Whatever you wanna call it. Second breakfast.” Snips never took a breath as he carried on, his eyes locked straight ahead. “Hayburger sounds good. You want Hayburger? Yeah, Hayburger would be great. I’ll get a Hayburger, extra pickles.”
Button winced as Snips jolted the tender muscles around his ribcage. “I kinda just wanna go home and rest.”
“Rest! Hayburger is restful!” Snips clicked his hooves against the pavement as his expression took on an unhinged twitch. “Loudmouth patrons and small children aside, it’s the best darn relaxing fast food franchise Equestria has to offer!”
“Snips, what are you doing?”
“Me?” Snips forced a chuckle. He kneed Button in the foreleg. “I’m just spending time with my good buddy, Button Mash. We’re gonna eat together and have a good time and maybe meet some chicks.”
“At Hayburger?”
“You’d be surprised.” Snips shielded his eyes with a hoof as he peered down the street. “There she blows: The greatest burger joint in town!”
“Snips, please—”
“I recommend the potato fries. Hay fries are nice at first, but it all tastes like flour in the end.”
“Snips, I don’t want to—”
“You know who’s cute? Their new waitress, Alula. She’s got just the waviest darn tail in the—”
Button dug in his hooves and screeched to a stop. He pulled away from Snips’ grasp, stomped in front of him, and did his level best to keep his voice down. “What is your problem? I’m tired. I’m sore. I’m in no mood to go girl-watching. I appreciate the thought, but—”
Button shut his eyes tight and squeezed his head between his hooves. He breathed slowly.
Snips bit his lip. He sat down and scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry. I’m just—you just almost died, man.”
Button shook his head. He touched a hoof to Snips’ shoulder. “I’m fine, Snips. I’m not dead, thanks to you.”
A small laugh trickled up despite the pressure on his chest. He patted Snips and released him. “I get the feeling you’re gonna be saving a lot more lives in the Fire Brigade.”
“Button,” Snips said, “I resigned.”
Button Mash jerked his head around. His mouth fell open to blurt out a “What?”
“I resigned.” Snips cleared his throat before it could get too gravelly. “I talked with Big Mac about it yesterday. It’s official.”
“But—but why?” Button Mash blinked as he looked from one hoof to the other, physically sorting through his thoughts. “We were always gonna be a team. Make something of ourselves, be pillars of the community, that sort of thing! You’re a certified hero now, man!”
“No I’m not.” Snips’ swallowed hard as he pointed at Button’s chest. “I—I just saw you lying on the floor with all your insides outside. I—I pushed my own two hooves against your chest to keep the life in you. I just went in and did my job. I did everything I could, so now I’m done.”
“Oh, come on!” Button threw a hoof to the side, turning his face to the sky. “We always knew it could get gruesome. It’s the sort of thing first-responders have to deal with—”
“I didn’t expect to see my own best friend—” Snips’ voice broke. “—dead and pale on the floor!”
Snips wiped his eyes and turned away, walking back a few steps down the sidewalk. “You know what Big Mac said? He said he was proud of me. Not only for doing what it took to save your life, but having the courage to know when I’m done. To know when enough is enough and stop before I have a real breakdown.”
The pain in Button’s chest shifted to his throat. “I’m sorry for snapping.”
“It’s fine.” Snips rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry for dumping my issues on you. It’s just… It’s too real, now.” He cracked a half-convincing smile. “I joined the Fire Brigade for the chicks, you know. Not for, I dunno, saving the world or minotaur mounds like that.”
“I’m shocked,” Button said. He heaved a sigh, scuffing his hoof along the roadway. “I guess you gotta do what you think is right, but…”
“You should resign, too.” Snips scrunched his muzzle as Button grimaced. “Don’t give me that look. You got your heiny handed to you. I think you’ve paid your dues to society.”
Button tightened his jaw. “I’m not quitting the Fire Brigade.”
“It’s not quitting, man!” Snips smacked one hoof against the other. “It’s not some game where you’ve got like ten lives before a game over. You got one life. And I don’t want you to go lose it!”
Button looked right at Snips, his brow furrowing. He sucked on his lips before he found a response. “I’m going home. Thank you for the offer of breakfast.”
Snips scowled. He stood to his hooves and walked back towards his shop, flicking his stubby tail. “Yeah. Great to see you up and about. Get well soon and all that jazz.”
It was a short walk from there to Button’s little house. He pushed open the door and dropped his bag to the side. He locked the door as an afterthought and stumbled into his bedroom. He fell face-first onto the mattress with a grunt of pain. New injuries and sudden impacts didn’t mix.
He turned his head to the side. His game systems waited for him, hooked up to a magiscreen. Tales of daring heroes and daunting challenged loomed. A thousand victories on a thousand battlefields.
He turned his head to the other side and looked at his array of puppets. Monsters and demons, heroes and kings. Ancient tales and fantastical legends. Touching romances that waited at the end of the journey.
He saw River, the first Bearer of the Element of Magic, standing proud before a hydra, unafraid. Backed by her friends. Cheered by her people. Blessed by powers above. A true Equestrian hero.
He reached across the small room and pulled his blinds down. They couldn’t quite keep out the sun, but they left his house dark enough to rest his eyes.
Heroes of old with their victories in the face of astonishing terrors.
And then there was him in the middle of it all.
He looked at his scar as he pulled the covers over his body. He was no hero. He couldn’t even stand against one pony. He couldn’t save Sweetie. He threw himself into it and still failed. It was the end of his story. A footnote for some other hero’s tale. He was done.
But then why did Snips’ words make him so furious?
“Quit the Fire Brigade.” He muttered to himself and rolled onto his side. He regretted it a moment later and rolled back. “I’m not giving up just because I got hurt. Just because Snips—”
He let his head thump against the pillow. He pulled a notepad from the bedside table and read it over. The scattered pieces of a song lay upon it, jumbled and nonsensical. “What do you want from me? Everything went perfect and I still managed to botch it up. What do you want from me?”
He stared at the paper. The paper might have had the good sense not to stare back.
He scribbled across the page, his eyes flicking to River on the top shelf.
What do you want from me?
What do you want from me?
Why can’t you show me the light?
Why can’t I find what you plainly see?
Such inspiring stories
Such amazing glories
Lost to the annals of time
Gone and forgotten and faltering
His pencil tip trail down as he slacked his grip. His ears burned as he brought a memory to the forefront, from just a few nights earlier.
“But you should do your best,” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s all anyone can ask.”
Button shoved the pencil in the corner of his mouth and bit on the eraser. Grape flavored, he noticed. He hated grape. He spat the pencil out and let the notepad fall to the floor.
His eyes rose to River once more, to the little wooden pony who played such a large part in his country’s history. “Have I given my best yet? Or is there actually more to it?”
He tossed the covers off and trotted to his kitchen. He grabbed a carrot from the fridge and munched it as he paced. There was a prickle in his skin, a fire that had nothing to do with the ambrosia still sizzling through his system. It wasn’t Snips’ words frustrating him. Not alone. “I haven’t done enough. I can’t quit when I haven’t done enough. I haven’t given everything I have. I need to—”
He bit deep into the carrot and let it crunch nosily. His best. Sweetie deserved his best. Whatever that was. Maybe he could figure it out on the way. He couldn’t just sit around when she was in the grip of some slimy kidnapper. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t—
He looked down at himself, from the scrawny legs to the ragged coat. “What the heck am I doing? I can’t go on an adventure. I’m recovering. I’m recuperating. I’m…”
He held the carrot in his mouth. He wouldn’t go alone. He’d be with Spike, and Rumble, and that Royal Guard lady, and whoever else got roped into the battle. Just like River, he’d have his friends by his side.
“I’m seriously trying to rationalize this.” The carrot trailed from one side of his mouth to the other. “My conscious mind is actively trying to get me killed.”
Still, he wasn’t without skills. He could contribute, somehow. Someway. Some when.
“I’m really bad at rationalizing.”
He sat down at his table for two, one chair included. He leaned his foreleg across it and stared into his room. He could just see his array of puppets waiting, watching, silently judging him. Or maybe he was just projecting.
He pressed his hoof against the edge of his nose. “I just wanna do my best. That’s all.”
He clicked his tongue. “So do it.”
He stood up and grabbed his jacket. He didn’t need it in the summer air, but he figured the less people that stared at his scar, the better. He trotted out the door and down the street, hustling to his destination before he could think better of it.
***
Spike awoke to a fire burning deep within his gut. His cheeks bulged as they filled with the magic blaze. His eyes sprang open, searching the area in front of him for a safe spot to send his incinerating burp. He was facing the unlit fireplace, in the library’s sitting room. Perfect positioning.
He opened his mouth, and the belch rocked the very roots of the tree. It was followed by the dull thud of hundreds of pages of paper thumping to his feet. He slumped in the couch, letting out a small sigh of relief.
“Gotta admit, that there’s an effective wake-up call.”
Spike’s cheeks blushed bright purple. A warm fuzzy feeling draped itself across his shoulder. Two amber eyes stared into his, twinkling like polished apples in a sunrise.
“Apple Bloom.” Spike squeezed his hand, running his claws along the dead scales on his chest. “You been there all night?”
“I think so.” The couch springs squeaked as she shifted her weight. “I think I fell asleep around the time we realized we knew absolutely nothin’ about any of the kidnappers.”
“You lovebirds were freaking adorable.” Rumble leaned over the back of the couch, hovering his head between theirs. “Come on, Captain Carrot just got word from the princesses. We’re meeting A.K. Yearling at some snooty soiree in Canterlot tonight. Bring your fancy clothes.”
Apple Bloom’s smile tilted to one side. “Truly, this adventure shall be fraught with peril.”
“You’ll do fine.” Spike patted her back as he stood. He picked up the enormous pile of pages he’d help deliver. A note sat atop. “Spike, please give this to that old granny you call ‘Mom.’ Love, Aunt Yearling.— P.S. Keep this stack away from Rainbow Dash.— P.P.S. Keep it even farther away from Quibble Pants.”
Rumble angled his wings as he looked the manuscript over. “This gonna take a while?”
“Nah. I’ll drop it off on the way to the train station.” Spike tucked the unfinished book under his arm and waddled his way into the library proper. “I’ll go pick out a suit. I have a reputation to uphold.”
Apple Bloom hung her forelegs over the back of the couch. “Keepin’ up with the Pantses, huh?”
“If it gets the show on the road…” Spike shrugged, then headed for the staircase.
The door rattled just as his foot met the bottom step. He glanced over his shoulder to the sign hanging on the door, marked “Closed.” “Hay Rumble, where’s Care?”
“Taking a walk around town, getting her thoughts together.” Rumble poked his head out from the history section. “’Zat her?”
Spike set the manuscript aside and scuttled across the floor on all fours. He clicked the door open to find not Care, but another familiar face: Button Mash. “Button! Great to see you out of the ho—”
“I’m coming with you,” Button Mash said. “I’m gonna help rescue Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”
“—spital.” Spike brought his eyebrows together and shook his head. “What are you talking about? You just got discharged, Button.”
Button pushed his way past Spike and into the library. He took a seat beside the front desk and craned his neck. “I’m coming with you. I’ve been tangled up in this since literally day one, so I’m gonna see it through to the end.”
“What planet are you on right now?” Rumble fluttered over the counter and landed behind it. His muscular legs folded up beneath him as he leaned over Button. “We’re going up against some real actual murderers, dude. You wouldn’t last five minutes. Heck, you already didn’t.”
Spike snorted steam. “Rumble!”
“Don’t ‘Rumble’ me!” Rumble reached down and noogied Button in the scalp. “I’m being realistic. I don’t wanna see my buddy Button get hurt again.”
“I already had this conversation,” Button said with a pitiable stomp of his hoof. “Twice. I’ve made up my mind. I’m coming if I have to hitchhike.”
“Well, yeah, but—” Spike held his hands to the sides. “Come on, what do you hope to accomplish? Scoots and Sweetie are in good hands, here. You really wanna put your life on the line that way?”
“Heck yes.” Button nodded. “And please agree with me before I change my mind.”
“Aha!” Rumble spread his wings with a triumphant flap. “You’re doubting! You’re indecisive! Allow me to sway you with reason and logic.”
Button leaned back to look at Rumble. “Is that what you’ve named your biceps?”
Rumble fell silent, staring into the distance. He muttered to himself as he lowered his head.
“Seriously, though.” Button Mash hopped to his feet with only a tiny wince. He circled around the library entryway, a hoof held to his chest. “I’ve spent five years in the Fire Brigade. I’ve been a first-responder to countless emergencies. I’m a fighter of fires, a champion of CPR, a saver of cats from trees.”
His ears drooped. He licked his lips as his voice grew quiet. “And she means a lot to me.”
“Oh my gosh, that is so adorable an’ romantic!”
Spike, Rumble, and Button turned as one. Apple Bloom leaned against a precarious bookshelf, scrunching her cheeks between her hooves. When she caught sight of the blank looks the boys were giving her, she sent them a light sneer. “So I got a heart for that sorta thing. Come on, guys, you’re lettin’ me join. Why not Button?”
Spike held up a finger. “Because you are an extremely physically capable earth pony who is related to Big Macintosh, the pony who once moved a house off its foundations.” He pointed that finger at Button Mash. “And he plays video games and presents puppet shows.”
“Fire Brigade.” Button Mash kicked out a hind leg in a vague imitation of a carrote strike. “I’m not gonna slow you down. I’m not gonna need babysitting. I just wanna be there to help however I can. First aid, at the least.”
He jutted his stubbly chin. “And nothing you say will convince me otherwise.”
“Cool.” Rumble propped his head up on his hoof. “But you’re not the one who needs convincing.”
Button Mash leaped onto the front desk, starling Rumble into backing off. Button held his head high, placed his hoof on his chest, and belted out.
“It’s clear that I’ve never seen action
I’ve not a fraction of your skill
Yet here I am to join your faction
We’ll rescue them or we’ll be killed”
Rumble rolled his eyes. “Yeah, killed. It’s what we’re trying to avoid—”
Button scuffed his hoof across the countertop and drew close to Rumble’s face, gritting his teeth.
“Destiny’s call’s ringing loud in our ears
Destiny says take a chance, face your fears
You know
The way to go
We sally forth
We tally ho
We step outside to the unknown
“We’re on a dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through danger!
“Although it’s true I risk a maiming
And though I find my resolve straining
I’m not complaining
“It’s a dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through danger!
“My fear’s a beast that needs some taming
A dive through danger brings us there”
Button stood tall, his head above the others’, as he looked on with steely eyes. “Any objections to that?”
Spike rubbed his forehead, swishing his tail to and fro. He beseeched Button with a hot breath.
“Your wounds made us scream bloody murder
But if they hurt her, they’ll be dead
Our friends are waiting for a savior
Let’s all try not to lose our head”
Rumble fluttered up to Button’s height and squeezed the shorter pony’s shoulders. “See, I think what Spike is trying to do here is let you down gently—”
Button shrugged him off and hopped down, looking from Spike, to Rumble, to Apple Bloom as he moved around the library.
“Destiny’s call thunders within your heart
Destiny’s chosen you to stand apart
We’ll start
To load our cart
We’ll make a change
We’ll play our part
We’ll make adventuring our art
“We’ll take a dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through danger!
“I know the prospect seems quite frightening
To battle through the hail and lightning
Your jaw is tightening
“In the dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through danger!
“From hereon in the tension’s heightening
A dive through danger brings us there”
Spike shrugged. “Well, what can it hurt?”
“What?” Rumble bumped noses with the dragon. “How can you say that? He’s had no military training, and he’s got no weird pony superpowers like Apple Bloom! He’s gonna get shredded!”
Button hefted his front legs onto Rumble’s back. “But when you get shredded, you’ll be happy to have me to do a little repair work.”
Spike glanced at Apple Bloom and cracked a smile. “He would be the only one of us who’s had any real medical training in the last couple years.”
Rumble threw his forelegs in the air. “Fine. We’ll ask Captain Carrot when she gets here. Final decision is hers.”
“Never thought I’d hear that from you,” Care said as she trotted through the door. She glanced around the library, stopping to narrow her eyes when they found Button. “Is there something else you wanted to add?”
“I want to join the mission.” Button saluted—in a fairly sloppy fashion, if you asked Spike. “I have training as a Fire Brigade recruit, and am versed in first-aid and other responses to medical emergencies. And I really wanna help Sweetie Belle.”
Care frowned, then glanced up at Spike. “What do you think? We’re pretty civilian-heavy already, but… You know him better than I do.”
Spike rested his hands on his hips. He looked Button over, from his head to his tail. There was a firmness in his stance. A sureness in his eyes. A fire in his heart. “Something tells me… we should bring him along. He’s not lying about his skills, and he’s got the heart for it. I mean, he’s already put his life on the line for Sweetie and Scootaloo…”
He smiled. “I say go for it.”
Button broke out into a large, ear-to-ear grin. “Dive!”
Spike tilted his head towards Rumble. “Dive?”
Rumble sighed, but nodded all the same. “Dive.”
All three burst out in synch, in perfect harmony.
“Through danger!
“A violent evil we’ll be chasing
Our limbs are pumping, hearts are racing
It feels amazing
“On our dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through danger!
“With all our righteous anger blazing
Our dive through danger takes us there”
Care Carrot’s eyes widened. She took a few steps back, easing her way to Apple Bloom’s side. “Did I miss something?”
Apple Bloom waved a hoof. “Just go with it.”
Button stood together with Spike and Rumble, holding them around the waist as they stared out the door and into the sunrise.
“Destiny’s voice whispers deep in the night
Calling to Button Mash, Rumble, and Spike
Tonight
We make our flight
To journey on
To start a fight
An end to Caballeron’s blight
"We’re on a dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through Danger!
“Our fellowship shall not be broken
With every hidden tomb we open
Don’t think we’re jokin’
“It’s a dive!
Dive!
Dive!
Through Danger!
“Our enemies we’ll all be routing
We won’t be faltering or doubting
This battle cry is what we’re shouting!
“The dive through danger brings us there!”
***
Flurry Heart pushed her scrambled eggs around on her plate. She’d long given up on eating them, and it’d been almost as long since she stopped trying to make them a work of art. Food wasn’t the most malleable medium.
“Flurry, is something wrong?” Twilight Sparkle paused in her systematic dismantling of a hash brown or twenty. “You barely touched anything.”
“I’m fine,” Flurry lied. She spread an oversized wing and wrapped it around her torso. Images flashed through her mind. Images of a dark beast, a jagged dagger, and the screams of a heart torn in twain. Nightmares by the night, each worse than the last. “Is my daddy coming over soon?”
“Probably not,” Twilight said. “He’s really busy with the whole changeling thing in Canterlot. I’m sure Celestia will have everything sorted before you know it.”
She winked. “Until then, you get to stay with your favorite aunt.”
Flurry Heart twisted her lips into a wicked snigger. “Oh, is Aunt Yearling coming over?”
“Hay, now, she’s my favorite aunt.” Twilight Sparkle looked up as a Royal Guardspony entered the room. “Yes, Commander Skyhook?”
The batpony bowed at the neck. “Your Highness, Merry Mare has arrived for her ten-o’-clock appointment.”
“Oh, yeah.” Twilight Sparkle glanced at the wall. Flurry saw the clock; it was a few minutes until ten. Enough time for Twilight to swallow, but that was about it. “Thanks, Skyhook. Can you stall until I get there?”
“As you wish,” he said, and vanished from the dining room.
Twilight Amore nudged Flurry in the ribs with her wingtip, giggling. “But one day, Buttercup realized that when he said ‘as you wish,’ what he really meant was ‘I love you.’”
Stella clasped her talons together and beamed. “I love that story!”
Silver Lance bobbed his head as he chewed on his toast. “I like the swordfight.”
“Me, too!” Stella picked up her fork and fenced with it, warding off imaginary foes. “I am not left-hooved!”
Stella and Silver laughed as their meal dissolved into an adventure of epic proportions. Twilight Sparkle blushed as she glared at Twilight Amore. “I’ll have you know, Amore, that our relationship is strictly professional. And, at times, slightly doctor-patient.”
Corona spoke up for the first time since the meal began. “So you do play doctor?”
Twilight Sparkle’s face burned at a slightly cooler temperature than the surface of the sun. She slid her seat back and folded her wings tight against her sides. “I am studying his tribe, and also his capabilities as an individual—”
“Twilie,” Twilight Velvet said, “you’ve dug yourself deep enough, honey. No need to grab the shovel.”
“Right.” Twilight Sparkle breathed a huff and stomped out of the room. “Meeting with Merry. Much preferable.”
Flurry leaned across the table to whisper to Corona. “What’s ‘playing doctor?’”
Corona’s beak snapped shut. She turned her head to keep one eye on the rest of the diners, and the other eye on Flurry. “How old are you again?”
“Twelve.” Flurry leaned on her forelegs. “Why? How old are you?”
“Sixteen.” Corona waved a talon in Velvet’s general direction. “Young enough to sit at the kids table, old enough to resent it.”
“I guess I’m not quite there yet.” Flurry kicked her hind legs beneath the table. “I dunno. I don’t think even Spike resents the kids table. And he’s like, twenty or something.”
Corona’s eyes unfocused. She blinked them back into alignment. “Spike the Hero sits at the kids table?”
“I mean, sometimes.”
Corona wrapped her talons around her beak. Holding it shut? Or something else? Flurry wasn’t quite up-to-date on griffon body-language, she supposed.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Corona said after a moment.
“Shoot.” Flurry nudged her eggs around on her plate, watching the puffy little globs tumble. “I’m game.”
“What do you know about dreams?”
Flurry’s fork fell from her telekinetic grip and clattered. She scooped it back up with a flash of magic, hoping nopony noticed. At least, she decided to ignore the concerned looks everybody was giving her from down the table. “I know a thing or two. I guess. I’ve been studying a little bit at school.”
Corona nodded. She hushed her voice so that only Flurry could hear. “My father’s been having terrible nightmares for a long time. Almost as long as I can remember. Some nights he’s fine, but others he wakes up screaming. Or roaring. Or… or crying.”
Corona drummed her talons against the tabletop. “He thinks he’s hiding it, but he’s not. He can’t.”
Her eyes narrowed. Her red-tipped feathers flared at the ends of her wings. “And neither can you.”
Flurry’s heart fell deep into her stomach. She twiddled her forehooves, looking away from Corona’s piercing eye. “So… what? You think we’re having the same dreams?”
“I don’t know.” Corona smoothed down the feathers just behind her wrist. “But I do know that a few of the world’s most magical creatures have dreams with meaning.”
“Meaning,” Flurry said, thinking back to the images of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle being torn from their home. “That’s a word for it.”
Corona tapped the tips of her claws together, clicking her beak. “I was hoping… I was hoping if you could explain your dreams, I could help my father with his. But…”
Corona leaned heavily on her elbows, brushing her head feathers back. “I don’t know. The changeling mystery, the dreams, the relationship between our countries… there’s so much I don’t really understand, but… But if I try to understand them, maybe I’ll be ready for them when I succeed my father.”
“Your father’s not immortal?” Flurry Heart snapped a hoof over her mouth. Her eyes grew wide as she squeaked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I just thought King Andean was—Is he?”
Corona looked away, her ears laying across her head. Her eyes found Stella, who crossed forks with Silver in a battle for the ages. “I don’t know. He’s… very old. He has ruled for five-hundred years. Only recently did he actually… take a wife. But she—”
She snapped her talons. For a moment, Flurry saw a spark flare between them. “I’ve never expected anything to last forever. I’ve never had the luxury.”
Flurry felt her ears droop alongside her wings. “I’m sorry.”
Corona sigh caused the feathers on her chest to shiver. “What do you dream about?”
“Terrible things, mostly.” Flurry sucked in her lips. “Ponies being kidnapped. Monsters stealing hearts. Assassins hurting Auntie Celestia. Evil spirits haunting the mountains.”
Corona rolled her eyes and tilted her head. “My father would say we live in interesting times.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Flurry hugged herself tight. “And as far as I know, they’ve all come true.”
“Really?” Corona’s eyebrows lowered. “How quickly?”
“One came true the day after I had it.” Flurry slipped a bite of egg into her mouth. Cold, rubbery, and gross. Bad idea. “That was this Thursday.”
“I guess I wouldn’t know when my father’s come true. If they do. I never…” Corona tilted her head back and forth. “I never had the courage to ask him.”
“Maybe you should.” Flurry smiled. It kinda felt like she was Princess Twilight Sparkle, giving a friendship lesson. Or maybe a daughtership lesson or something. “If he knows it’s something you’re worried about, he might be able to explain it to you. I think he’d want to. I know he loves you.”
Corona made a fist and leaned her cheek against it. “We don’t get many opportunities to talk these days.”
“Yeah.” The vigor in Flurry’s heart died down with a fizzle. Her smile leaned heavily as she blew a breath. “Okay.”
Corona shrugged. “But I can try.”
Flurry bobbed her head in a noncommittal acknowledgement. At least, that’s how it looked in her imagination. Her ears twitched as she caught a few notes of Twilight Sparkle’s voice drifting into the room. Her eyes followed the sound and she saw her aunt in all her glory, the frazzled look in her eye notwithstanding.
Beside her was the face of evil.
It was a pony pulled straight from the most horrific of nightmares. A mare with no equal in what she would do, who she would hurt. It was a mare who stomped demons beneath her hoof and laughed. Who hated everybody Flurry loved.
Flurry Heart’s blood ran cold as Twilight Sparkle laid a wing across the mare’s back.
“Have you met my family, Merry?” A little light returned to Twilight Sparkle’s eyes as she pointed to each diner at the table. “That’s Silver Lance, my nieces Twilight Amore and Flurry Heart, and of course my mother Twilight Velvet. And these are Their Royal Highnesses Corona and Stella of Felaccia.”
“No, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” Merry Mare looked straight at Flurry. “Until now.”
“Merry Mare used to be Mayor of Ponyville until Applejack took office.” Twilight Sparkle’s wing lifted from Merry’s back a little too hastily to be altogether friendly. She gave her mother a pointed look. “She’s helping with the case you’re on right now.”
Velvet stood up, shoving her plate aside. “I guess that means the fun time’s over, kids. Play nice and don’t scare the guards too much.”
The three mares left, leaving the kids in a cold, cold atmosphere.
“She…” Silver Lance glanced at his older sisters, his mouth moving slowly. “She was very scary. Why was she scary?”
“Flurry?” Corona reached across the table to touch Flurry’s wing. “Why do you look like that?”
Tears collected in Flurry Heart’s eyes, before pouring down her cheeks. Every hair seemed to stand on end. Her feathers fell out of alignment as her wings ached to fly far, far away.
“I-I-I saw that mare in a dream.” Flurry looked Corona in the closest eye. “And she was the one who wanted to hurt Auntie Celestia.”
Stella hopped into the air, her wings spread. “We have to tell Princess Twilight! And Grandma Velvet!”
“No!” Flurry almost screamed the word. She lowered her hooves. “Wait. We can’t tell them while Merry Mare is here. She might try to hurt them.”
“What can she do?” Twilight Amore said. “Aunt Twilight is an alicorn and she’s just an earth pony.”
“No.” Silver Lance tapped his horn. “No, her magic is different somehow. It’s weird. And cold. And slimy.”
“Of course!” Amore stood atop the table and gritted her teeth. “The magic of a killer!”
Flurry bit down on her sister’s tail and dragged her back. “The point is, we have to wait until she leaves. Then we can go to the adults.”
Silver trotted around the table, a pronounced frown on his muzzle. “But until then, we’re all still in danger. So maybe we should watch her.”
Stella hovered over his head and pumped a foreleg. “Yeah! Keep tabs on the perpetrator. Learn her little secrets. Be ready to sound the alarm in case of monstrous magic!”
“Hold it!”
Flurry nearly jumped out of her skin at Corona’s bellow. She hugged her middle and forced her wings to fold across her back. “What do you mean?”
“This idea is several flavors of horrible.” Corona counted down on her talons. “One, she might actually not be the mare from your dream. Two, this dream might not actually be true; we have no way of knowing. Three, if she really is dangerous, we’re just kids! We shouldn’t be sneaking around; we should be finding somebody who actually stands a chance against her.”
“So—” Silver Lance lit his horn to gather up a few plates, stacking them atop each other. “—so like the Royal Guardsponies? I could call Commander Skyhook and we could tell him.”
“Maybe?” Stella alighted the back of a chair and hunched her shoulders to keep balance. “Would he believe us, though?”
“Yeah.” Silver tossed his mane, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because we’re just kids.” Stella clasped her talon around her beak, scratching at the sharp edge. “In the stories, the adults never listen to the kids.”
Twilight Amore’s eyes lit up. “Unless we throw a tantrum!”
“No screaming,” Corona said with a low voice.
“We have to do something.” Flurry Heart stood from her chair and pushed it in. She circled around the table, rubbing the base of her horn. There had to be a way to protect everyone while still nabbing the villain. The alleged villain, she supposed. There was definitely something fishy about Merry Mare.
“We need proof of some sort.” She went from eye to eye, from her siblings to their new friends. “But we’re not gonna look alone. Silver and Stella, you need to talk to Commander Skyhook about this.”
“Got it, sis.”
Stella hugged him tight around the neck. His eyes bulged. “Gawrock, we’re a team!”
Flurry pointed her horn with a spark of magic. “Corona, Amore, we need to keep an eye on Merry and make sure she’s not hurting anyone. If the three of us stick together, at least one of us can fly and get some real help.”
She held a hoof out to the elder griffon princess. “If you’re with us.”
Corona clasped her talons together beneath her beak. “Well, I wanted to learn how dreams work. Time to find out.”
“It’s like a real adventure,” Stella squeaked. She hugged Silver even tighter. “This is so cool!”
Silver would have said something in response, had he the ability to speak.
Stats
Page generated in 0.035 seconds
Total duration
1,022 users online
274,671 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
The contrast between Snips and Button is pretty sharply felt, here. Snips can't handle his friend almost dying, so even though he was more than adequate to help him he just... falls apart emotionally...
And Button feels ashamed he couldn't help and doesn't just jump at the chance for adventure, but goes and finds a cliff to jump off of.
You did hammer home in that he doesn't know what he's doing and is expected to just be a support role... But I doubt it's gonna be that simple. I also fully expect puppeteering to be important at some point, just so you know, if you have that planned, I'm on to you.
Also, a wild Button tag appears! Hooray.
... Wait. Andean is five hundred years old?
Did... we already know he was really old? It feels like new information but I also have a niggling feeling that we already knew how old he was and I just forgot?
Is it a special child-power to know that Merry Mare is a terrible person, or does Twilight also know but just thinks that it only applies to mundane things?
Is this the last story in the series?
Wait, the kids are onto Merry Mare? About time someone figured it out! I'm looking forward to seeing how their plan goes. And if they can provide any proof.
This chapter is definitely Gawrock.
I love the songs, especially the ones by Button and friends, it reminds me of "Off on a Hero's Journey" from Galavant (anyone who loves the Heart's Promiseverse will probably love Galavant). I think we all kind of expected Button to stallion up like this, but it is still cool to see. Kind of surprised they're only bringing along Apple Bloom for her great strength though. She's a journeyman alchemist who could probably whip up a bunch of tanglefoot bags, thunderstones, etc to knock Kiln out of the fight before she gets close enough to punch him.
Daring Do remembering her husband was bitter-sweet, and very touching. I definitely love learning Griffish.
The big reveal is of course, that Flurry Heart's figured out that Merry Mare is evil. If this is the start of a subplot of the royal kids going all Scooby Doo around town to figure out Merry's secrets.... Count me in!
The one thing I'm surprised about is that Flurry Heart is scared of Merry. Yes, her alicorn magical senses tell her that Merry has weird magic. But come on, this is Flurry Heart! Depending on your headcanon, either she's the first natural born true alicorn since Celestia and Luna, or the first one ever. Since in this verse the Regal Sisters were basically grown in a lab, there's a good chance that in raw magical might Flurry is the strongest pony who has ever lived, or at least will be once she's matured. Even at 12 years old I would give her like 3 to 1 odds in a fight with Merry, and that's with everything I know about Merry.
Also, re-reading last chapter, I found this gem:
I'm imagining a young male member of the Andean's personal guard, listening in on those bed time stories and becoming a huge fan, even though they are intended mainly for little fillies.
7872634
I wanna reply more later, but right now I gotta say...
The reason she's afraid of Merry is because her dream was basically this chapter of DayBreak. Except she didn't see the real(?) Platinum.
7873451 Ah, ok. That would be pretty darn terrifying. And Flurry probably can't tell which magic belonged to the siren and which magic belonged to Ba'al.
Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier: I really love what you did with Snips. He quit being a firefighter, but Big Mac was smart enough to thank him for knowing his own limits. It's nice to see him as something other than the but of a joke.
Just when I thought I'd seen every possible horse-related pun this fandom could come up with, this happens. Well done!
I feel I should say, the one criticism I have for this story (and by extension the series as a whole) is that the musical numbers just don't do it for me. It's not a mark against your ability to write. On the contrary, it's clear that your songs are very skillfully written and composed. But musicals are an auditory and visual medium, and in a purely written form, they simply don't work. Thus, I find myself just skimming past all the songs. Though, I suppose some part of it is on me as well. Musicals are simply one of those genres that I've never really cared for.
In spite of this though, I'm still enjoying the story and look forward to seeing how it progresses!
7870337
Sometimes I feel like contrast is the only tool I use to showcase character traits. Then I realize that if it works, why fix it?
A huge goal here was to present Snips as a respectable sort of person, even if he's kinda a flank-hole sometimes. The dude has a real heart, even if he would never admit it.
If puppeteer isn't important, I shall eat my special-import edible hat.
It's flavored like peppermint.
My life is complete, even if my story isn't. I retagged so many stories. I think my favorite retag would be In the Absence of Sunset Shimmer, where the character tags for both Twilights and Spikes are symmetrical around Sunset's.
It's new information. It's been hinted at, but never stated. After all, Andean has said he knew what the world was like when the Griffons were a proud warlike people, unhindered by Celestia's dominance. That was all the way back in Lord Mayor Applejack. This is a revelation with long-ranging consequences, let me assure you.
We'll see in a chapter or two, but Twilight does not like Merry as a person. This is wholly fueled by the way Merry has treated Applejack during her stint as mayor. Twi sees her as a petty mare with too much time on her hands, and often works to defuse the occasional mob of supporters.
Flurry's dreams are what led her to single out Merry as actually evil. Silver Lance's little question of “She was very scary. Why was she scary?” comes from his own special talent. More on that as it develops.
7870544
No. Not if I can help it.
7872634
They say you're truly bilingual if you can dream in Griffish.
That's a pretty fun song. I've always wanted to see Galavant, it seems right up my alley. Right up my alley, down my lane, and over my roof.
I probably wasn't clear enough. They recognize her many talents, to be sure, but they also know that in order to survive, you've got to be able to take a punch or two. She's got the beef to do just that.
I like the scene a lot. I've found that Daring's are some of my favorite scenes to write. I just really love the version of her I've come up with. *I mean, maybe that sounds big-headed, but it's true. There's something warm about her, while sacrificing neither the edge nor the wit.
I've sort of been writing her as an older Rainbow Dash, while understanding she's had different life-experiences and goals. That kinda sums up Daring.
My only real concern here is that it's almost enough to fill a novel by itself, but here it's a B-plot. If this was a Marvel Movie, the kids would be searching for an Infinity Stone. It's build-up, in a way.
Although, let's not discount the fact that at long last, Merry's been found out. Kinda.
Also, I really wish somebody had pointed out that I made the "There's something fishy about Merry" joke. That's the most groan-worthy joke in the chapter! Even after the carrote pun!
Flurry's greatest foe is her own self-confidence, friend.
His favorite character is Fluttershy, after her struggles in "Hurricane Fluttershy." No, not that Hurricane. He hopes one day to meet her in real-life so she can sign his personal first-edition copy of Friendship Reports, by Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle, MagD.
(It's the one before all the revisions made to include Starfall. He still hasn't gotten over her redemption, ten years later).
I was really dangerously close to--not the butt of a joke--but still being mean-spirited in how I treated him. I'm happy with how it turned out. I knew I just needed to show respect for the character and situation.
Kinda like how I'd want to be treated in such a situation, you know?
7879312
Thanks.
I think I've been using that one since Scootaloo Will Fly!, and I'm still not quite sure if it's good or not.
Well, what can I say?
I realize that musicals are visual, auditory mediums, yes, and that you can't write a book and expect it to be a musical. However, as an author, I have the opportunity to describe all five senses to the reader, rather than just two. It's possible to describe a sound, and a taste, and a touch with mere words. I'll never be able to shove an entire song into a story without merging mediums, but it doesn't mean I can't describe the song.
A song, after all, is the music, but it is also words.
Essentially, I've decided to approach each song as a piece of poetry. Rhythm and Rhyme make a poem. Meter and merit. Sometimes it's an abstract poem, sometimes it's a simple ABAB. In the endt has its place.
Music would take it to the next level, yeah. So would voice acting, moving pictures, perhaps an orchestral score... Lack of sound is a limitation, but it need not be an obstacle.
If it's good enough for Tolkien and Jaques, it's good enough for me.
Don't worry. There shall be plenty for you to enjoy in the coming story!
7887072
Well, those constructs in the changling city that can be controlled remotely....
Eh, I dunno. It's a light-hearted musical adventure-comedy with romance, character growth and themes of redemption, so probably nothing like anything you're interested in.
It's all streaming on Netflix now if you have Netflix, I can tell you that.
Ok, good, just wanted to make sure Bloomy was bringing her alembic and portable alchemy set and what-have-you.
This chapter also implied having a bear-butt is the Griffish equivalent of being an alicorn. I wonder if you have to be born with it, or if someday Corona discovers new Gawrockishness, and her dad appears to her on the astral plane, where he sings to her in a baritone as her hiney suddenly triples in size and a bear-tail pops out.
An older version of what Rainbow Dash would be like if she'd never been part of the Elements of Harmony, I think.
.....And now I'm salivating! I mean, not only are the kids going to go around town, running into a certain shady bar-tender, but Merry probably has her own agenda. Thanks to Button's heroics, her husband didn't get away clean, and hot pursuit is heading off after him. Merry may well be looking to obscure information about Poni, either because it could delay the search, and/or because it could lead back to her.
Well, I assume that Merry doesn't have fish parts, that Adagio and friends only had those fish-bodies because they were merponies before they became sirens.
"Just pretend she's the Crystal Heart, Flurry!"
I think that guard ask to be transferred to another post after the story where Twilight became an alicorn.
That's a pretty good rule for most situations, I've found.