Wherein Spike and Stardust Salvage Sparkling Stones
The Trotscale Mountains formed a natural barrier between the lands of Fillygaro and Neighshe. No unicorn or earth ponies could climb it and no pegasi were strong enough to fly over it. Monsters prowled every square mile and the highest peaks were covered in snow all year long. The majority of the mountains had never been explored, though many assumed that there wasn’t much of anything up there to be interesting. Even the most adventurous of ponies didn’t dare to make the journey up and over the steep rocky cliffs, even for the glory of having said they had done it.
Chocobos saw it differently.
For them, the Trotscale Mountains were a shortcut. A difficult shortcut, but one worth the dangers of climbing over. The path from South Fillygaro to Neighshe, through caves, deserts and open plains took days to traverse. Chocobos on a deadline couldn’t afford to waste so much time lugging their wares through such varied landscapes. So, through the years, the chocobos had slowly worn a path through the mountains that cut the distance in half and improved their delivery time to a single day. It gave them an advantage over the pony traders forced to take the long way around and cement themselves as the go-to traders of the world.
However, the current group of chocobos scaling the mountains were not on a journey to sell their products, but to get to Neighshe to warn the town of the Empire’s growing influence on the continent. Unladen with supplies to peddle, the Returner chocobos made good time crossing over snow and ravines that would have normally slowed them down. Even still, Spike felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace.
“How much longer?” Spike asked. He sat on Stardust’s back and busied himself with fiddling with the chocobo’s feathers.
Stardust swatted him with the back of his wing. “Stop asking that! I don’t know! I’ve never been this way before.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to pass the time. It’s boring just riding like this.”
“Then hop off and walk the rest of the way.”
Spike peeked over Stardust’s back. The imprints of Stardust’s talons in the snow were deep enough that Spike would fit comfortably within them. At least as comfortably as a dragon could get with being neck high in freezing snow. “I think I’ll pass on that.”
“Then stop complaining. Jeez, and I thought that purple unicorn you hang out with was a wuss.”
“Hey! Keep Twilight out of this.”
A grey chocobo walking in front of them turned and glared at the duo. “Would you two shut up, already?” he said. “You’re going to attract monsters if you keep up that racket.”
“Sorry,” Spike and Stardust both answered as one.
The group continued, traveling higher and higher with the snow getting thicker and heavier with every mile. Visibility dropped as the winds picked up and blew snow everywhere, forcing the chocobos to stick close together. Rock formations became larger and more frequent, the towering spires of stone like frozen guardians overlooking a wasteland of ice. The blizzard conditions continued to worsen until the leader, a bright red chocobo named Razzledown, called for a stop.
“All right everychoco, let’s stop here until this blizzard settles down. We’ll camp next to one of those big boulders for now.” He pointed a wing towards the closest rock and led the others towards it. The flock of a dozen chocobos huddled up next to the boulder, picking the side protecting them against the wind. They all pressed together for warmth and settled down to wait out the worst the mountain threw at them.
Stardust and Spike were given the spot closest to the boulder, providing the best protection from the wind but also one of the coldest. Rocks weren’t known for their heat absorbing properties in the middle of a winter wonderland. Stardust grumbled over this as he made himself as comfortable as possible next to the boulder even as Spike draped one of his wings over to use as a makeshift blanket. They stayed like that for several minutes until Stardust noticed something peculiar about the large stone he was pressed up against.
“Hey,” Stardust commented and raised his head from the frosty ground. “This rock is a lot warmer than I thought it would be.” He poked at the boulder with his unoccupied wing and quirked an eyebrow when he felt some give. “Weird. Are we over a hot spring or something?” He kept poking the rock, as though doing so might reveal the answer.
He let out a surprised squawk when he got one.
The entire boulder shifted, raining clumps of snow onto the startled chocobo and his dragon rider, and appeared to grow bigger. Stardust and Spike gasped when two thick protrusions separated from the main body of the rock and stretched towards the sky. A low rumbling moan came from the rock, sounding somewhere between a sigh of relief and a yawn. The two protrusions dropped back down and through the haze of snow and wind, Stardust suddenly realized that they were arms. The creature stood up on legs as wide as tree trunks and turned around. Stardust gulped as a yeti covered in thick white hair looked down on him.
“Um... hi?” the chocobo squeaked.
By this point, all the other chocobos became aware that they were not alone.
“It’s the monster of the mountain!” screamed one.
“It’ll capture us all and make us into chicken wings!” cried out another.
“Everychoco run!” yelled a third.
The panicked chocobos scrambled to their talons and ran off in whatever direction they were currently facing. The only chocobo that didn’t move like his life depended on it was Stardust. He gulped loudly, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
“Stardust,” Spike said urgently. He nudged Stardust in the rear, trying to get a response from him. “Stardust, we gotta move!” Spike poked harder as the yeti’s shadow fell over both of them, its height double that of a full grown chocobo.
The yeti reached out with a massive blue-skinned hand towards them. Spike gave up on Stardust and took a deep breath. Just as he readied himself to summon his spear, he felt Stardust lift a wing and dip his beak into the pouch located under the appendage. The hand was only inches away when Stardust came back up, holding a long bone in his beak. The yeti hesitated, staring at the offered piece of bone before it. Slowly, the huge snow beast reached forward and took the bone between its blue fingers. The yeti brought it close to its face, twisting it around and inspecting it with deep interest. After a few seconds of this, the yeti gave a pleased grunt and palmed the bone in its hand.
Stardust and Spike let out a relieved sigh, only to yelp when the yeti lifted a hand and stretched it towards them. They had no time to react as the hand came down—
—and patted Stardust gently on the head.
“Good... birdie...” the yeti rumbled. “Thank... you.” With that, the yeti turned and trudge through the snow and was soon lost within the falling snowflakes.
The chocobo and dragon stared at the space the yeti had left just moments before. Gradually, the other Returner chocobos returned and joined in with their own expressions of surprise.
“What did you give him?” one of them asked in a daze.
Stardust let out a shuddering breath and shrugged helplessly. “J-just a femur I picked up on the way here. It was the first thing I found in my bag to pull out.”
A collective silence followed. How long the chocobos would have stood around was left to debate as the distant cries of wolves reached their ears. Razzledown jerked to alertness and called out, “We better get a move on. No sense standing around here. Come on.”
There came no argument from the others. Soon, the chocobos resumed their trek through the mountains, now more wary of their surroundings.
.o.O.o.
“Hey! Everychoco! Over here! I found a cave!”
The Returner chocobo jumped up and down and waved his wings to gain the attention of the group. The snow and wind had picked up even more since their encounter with the yeti, making even loud noise and movement hard to hear and see. It took several more attempts to get his fellows to notice him, and one by one, the chocobos filed into the dark cave located in the side of the mountain.
The chocobos wasted no time pulling out twigs and dried grass to build a spot for a fire. Spike was more than happy to provide the spark to get it up to a roaring blaze. In less than a minute, the travelers huddled around the fire and sighed as all the snow trapped in their feathers slowly melted away.
“Looks like we’ll be staying here for a while,” Razzledown said. He looked down the tunnel that stretched beyond the light from the fire. “Let’s hope if anything lives here, they won’t notice us. Nochoco go wandering off now, ya hear?” He got affirmative nods from the others. “Good. Now, get some rest because we still have a ways to go. We’ll draw for first watch.”
Razzledown stood up and grabbed a few twigs set aside for the fire in a talon and held them up. Each chocobo took a twig and compared their stick’s size with the others. Stardust groaned when he realized he had the shortest one. “Don’t worry, kid,” Razzledown said to him. “We’ll rotate every hour so you won’t have to stay up long.”
With the watch order settled, the chocobos found a spot to lay down and were soon fast asleep. Stardust sighed. “This is not what I was expecting coming all the way up here. Stupid pegasus making me come with you guys when I could have stayed in South Fillygaro.”
“Aw, come on, it hasn’t been that bad,” Spike said from his perch on Stardust’s back. The little dragon hopped to the ground and patted one the chocobo’s legs. “I’m not feeling all that sleepy, so I’ll stay up with you. How’s that?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
“So, what do you think of all this, huh? The Empire and the Returners and stuff, I mean.”
Stardust shrugged. “I don’t know. Kinda over my head. It’d be nice if my clan could get freed and then we could go back to trading. I guess helping these Returner guys is the best way to do that.”
“Yeah, that’s gotta be rough,” Spike commented. He spotted a rock large enough for him to sit on a few steps away and took a seat. “I know I wouldn’t want that to happen to my family. With that esper in Neighshe though, it’s only a matter of time before the Empire tries to get it again. We’ve got to get back there and get prepare...”
Stardust looked over to Spike when the dragon trailed off. Spike was staring off into the tunnel leading further into the mountain. Stardust furrowed his brow and walked over to him. “Hey, what’s the matter?”
Spike didn’t answer. Instead, his nose twitched, followed by a dreamy expression to spread on his face.
Stardust poked him with a wing. “Hey, don’t be falling asleep on me now. You said you’d stay up.”
“Gemssssssssss...”
The chocobo snapped back his wing as though it had touched a hot poker. “Wha-what are you—hey!” Stardust cried out, Spike having bolted down the cave tunnel. He hesitated for only a second before running after him.
Spike ran as though he were possessed, a deduction Stardust would have agreed with if he weren’t concentrating on keeping up with the surprisingly fast little dragon. The light from the entrance faded, forcing Stardust to rely on his other senses to avoid crashing into stalagmites or walls. So focused was he on staying close to Spike that the sudden increase in brightness took him completely by surprise. Stardust shook his head and blinked rapidly to allow his eyes to adjust to the unexpected light. Slowly, he opened his eyes fully and took in his surroundings. Immediately, his eyes widened and drool dribbled down his beak.
They were in a large cavern, big enough to comfortably hold the entire population of South Fillygaro. The cave walls glowed with an eerie blue light, the source of the illumination. However, the light from the walls highlighted the source of Stardust’s attention: mountains and mountains of gems.
Gems of every color imaginable sparkled from one end of the cavern to the other. Every single inch of space on the floor was covered in rubies, emeralds, diamonds and many more types of gems. Their glittery surfaces matched Stardust’s own eyes as he beheld the most marvelous scene he had ever witnessed.
“It’s... beautiful...” he breathed out.
His legs moved on their own accord, bringing him closer to the colossal treasure of shiny things. Distantly, he noted that Spike was already having the time of his life, swimming through the gems as though they were a pool of water. Stardust ignored him and stepped up to the first gem in his path, a bright yellow topaz. He flicked it up into the air with a talon and caught it with an outstretched wing. Gazing into its depths, Stardust was delighted to see his own fractured reflections beaming back at him. He giggled happily and placed it in his pouch. Stardust took another step and came across a deep purple amethyst, greedily picked it up with his beak and added it next to the other gem. Another step brought him next to a blue sapphire and in it went into his bag. Soon, his pouches were bursting with jewels and he hadn’t even reached the first huge pile of gems yet.
A cry of delight brought his attention back to Spike. He looked up to see Spike standing on top of the largest mountain of gems in the cavern and holding up a gem the likes of which Stardust had never seen before. It was completely white and seem to glow with an inner light. Spike had the biggest smile on his face as he gazed lovingly at the gem.
“Spike!” Stardust called up to him. “That’s amazing! That one’s got to be worth a fortune!”
Spike ate the gem in one bite.
“Spike, you’re an idiot.”
Spike’s response was to give a satisfied belch.
“How dare you!”
The furious cry echoed throughout the cavern, rattling the mountain of gems under Spike’s feet. He gave a cry as the gems cascaded down in an avalanche of rainbow rocks. He landed with a plop at Stardust’s talons and oohed at all the gems with wings swirling around his head.
“You will pay for eating from my hoard!” the booming voice continued.
“That’s our cue to leave!” Stardust announced and picked up Spike and quickly placed him on his back. He whirled around—
—only to let out a horrified “Kweh!” as a figure jumped down from above and landed in front of him.
“Prepare to die!
"... why are you laughing?”
The new figure, a light blue male dragon twice the size of Spike, arched an eyebrow at the sight of Stardust and Spike rolling on the ground, rocked with uncontrollable laughter. “Hey! Don’t ignore me! I’m threatening you here!”
The squeaky, high pitched noise that was the dragon’s voice only made Stardust and Spike howl harder with mirth.
“Y-y-y-you’re the *gasp* big b-b-b-ad *snort* dragon of the *snortle* mountain?” Stardust managed to get out in between fits of laughter.
“Heh, heh, heh! I’ve got sisters that are bigger than you!” Spike added and slapped the ground with a claw. “Oh, my sides!”
The dragon stared at the two, his jaw slack and hanging. Slowly, his features contorted into a fierce look of rage, though his cheeks had a tinge of pink to them. “You... you jerks! You laugh at me, one of the Dragons of Destruction?! Fools! Taste the might of the Ice Dragon!” With that, the Ice Dragon took a deep breath and spewed frigid air at the duo.
The shock of cold heading towards them snapped Stardust and Spike out of their laughing fit. Stardust swiftly picked up Spike in his beak and dove out of the way of the incoming blizzard breath. The pile of gems directly behind them became encased in ice within seconds. Unwilling to know what a chococicle felt like, Stardust launched himself towards the Ice Dragon. The unexpected move caught the Ice Dragon completely by surprise, allowing Stardust to use the dragon’s head as a springboard and jump over him. The chocobo landed and took off down the tunnel leading towards the exit.
“Come back here!” the Ice Dragon bellowed and chased after them. However, his short and stout legs couldn’t keep up with Stardust’s much longer and faster strides, and he quickly fell behind.
Stardust raced through the cave, the sounds of the Ice Dragon falling away. However, he didn’t slow down for a moment. The cave was no longer safe and the Returners would need to be woken up so they could escape before they became a dragon’s frozen dinner.
“Oh, I don’t feel so good...” Spike moaned on Stardust’s back. “Don’t move so fast...”
Stardust ignored him and navigated the cave as best he could with the limited lighting. Soon, he saw the light from the opening before him. With renewed vigor, Stardust pushed himself harder, nearly throwing Spike off of him with the sudden burst of speed. He finally stopped when he was right in the middle of the sleeping Returners.
“Get up! Everychoco get up, now! Hurry!”
Two chocobos bolted awake while the others groggily yawned and blinked their eyes open. Of the two alert ones, one of them was Razzledown. He rushed up to Stardust and asked, “What’s going on? Is there a problem?”
A roar that rattled the entire cave woke up the rest of the group.
“You could say that,” Stardust said.
Razzledown turned away from him and addressed the others. “Grab what you can and clear out! Now!”
He didn’t have to say it twice. Each chocobo put on their sacks as quickly as possible and rushed for the entrance. They screeched to a halt when a tall, shadowy figure stepped in front of them, blocking the entrance.
The yeti gave a happy wave. In his other hand he held the bone that Stardust had given him earlier, though now it had been sharpened to a point, resembling a small dagger. Another roar came from the cave, closer than the last time. The yeti stepped aside and motioned for the chocobos to go past him. “Run...” he grumbled and pointed towards the north. “Top of mountain... there...”
“Th-thanks,” Razzledown stuttered. He darted past the yeti, followed closely by the rest of the Returners.
Stardust and Spike were the last to approach him. “Um... hey, big guy,” Stardust said.
“You’re... not going to fight on your own... are you?” Spike managed to say as he clutched his stomach.
“There you are!” the squeaky voice of the Ice Dragon cried out. His eyes filled with hate the moment he saw the two creatures responsible for humiliating him. “Die!”
All at once, the yeti picked up Stardust and Spike and hurled them out of the cave. He turned and charged the approaching Ice Dragon.
Outside, Stardust and Spike coughed and sputtered out all the snow they had swallowed when they landed. They rose to their feet just in time to witness the cave entrance freeze over completely by thick ice.
“Oh no...” Spike groaned and started towards the sealed up cave. “This is... all my fault.”
“You two!” the distant cry of Razzledown came to them from further up the mountain. “Come on, move!”
“Let’s go, Spike,” Stardust said gently. He bent down, picked up Spike in his beak and placed him on his back. “He wanted us to leave so that’s what we’ll do.” Stardust gave a final salute to the cave with a wing and rushed off to catch up with the Returners.
They reached the others within minutes. Razzledown looked the two over quickly for injuries then urged the group to continue on. “We scouted ahead and we’re actually closer to the top that I realized. Just over that next ridge and we can start climbing down.”
The very mountain shook from the roar of a very angry dragon.
“Did I say climb? I meant scramble!”
The flock of chocobos ”Warked!” in unison and took off, not daring to look behind them. They ran and jumped their way up the last ridge and at last came to the top of the peak. Below them, a long stretch of snow fields led to the valley connected to Neighshe.
“All right,” Razzledown said. “Going down should be easier but watch your step and—”
“Hurk!” Spike suddenly covered his mouth with his claws. His mouth bulged as though he meant to throw up, which was exactly what he did. A loud belch proceeded a stream of ice that Stardust barely ducked in time to avoid. The super cooled air traveled down the slope and instantly froze the snow into a smooth, glistening road of ice.
“... I guess that works too,” Razzledown finished. He turned to Spike and said, “Can you keep that up?”
Spike moaned and wiped his mouth with the back of a claw. “Ugh, I don’t know. My breath can change with gems but it doesn’t last long. I... I don’t know what I ate back there—ULP!” His mouth clamped shut and his cheeks bulged again in a desperate attempt to keep in his breath.
“Don’t waste it here!” Razzledown zipped behind Stardust and pushed the startled chocobo and his ice-breathing companion onto the sheet of ice. Stardust cried out in dismay as he slid down the ice head-first. Just as the two reached the end of the ice slide, Spike spewed out another ice cold breath, making the improvised path longer. “C’mon! Follow them!”
One by one, the chocobos jumped on the ice sheet and skidded down the mountain. Spike continued to suck in air and blow out more ice to keep the slide going. Luck was with them as there were no rocks to impede their way, allowing for a smooth ride all the way down.
That is, until they reached a cliff.
“Hold on!” Stardust yelled as they careened over the edge and into the open air. The chocobo spread his wings but that did little to slow their fall. Stardust squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the splat that would end his life.
The splat never came. But a splash did.
“Gah!” Stardust kicked his talons on instinct and managed to keep his head above the river he and Spike had fallen into. The strong stream carried them for a minute before it settled down and brought them to a river bank. Stardust trudged out of the river and shook himself, dislodging Spike who collapsed to the ground. Behind them, the rest of the Returners emerged from the river.
“I say, that was the most insane experience of my life, and I’ve been around,” Razzledown said, dripping water but with a huge grin on his face. He came up to Stardust and Spike and pat each on the head. “You two are going to get yourself killed one of these days, but by Roc it’ll be one heck of a ride.” He stepped away and took in his surroundings. “Well, I’ll be. It looks like we took the Lete River after all. We’re just a quick sprint to Neighshe!”
A rousing cheer came from the chocobos and they congratulated each other on a successful trip. A few minutes later and they headed off towards the the north and their ultimate destination.
Stardust and Spike stayed behind. They both looked up at the Trotscale Mountains they had just escaped from, their eyes searching for any signs of movement on the snowy peaks above.
“You think he’s okay?” Spike asked at length.
“Don’t know,” Stardust responded. “I hope so. He’s the kind of client I want to keep around. Trading a bone for my life? Sold.”
“Yeah...”
The two stared at the mountain one last time, before following after the Returners.
.o.O.o.
“Finally, we got our own part!” Spike cheered and thrust a claw into the air.
“Yeah, and we got in a character that most players hate to use!” Stardust added.
“How’s that for improv? Welp, we’re down to two scenarios now. Twilight and her party are still on their way down the Lete River while AJ has been captured by the Domarians. Who will you choose? Let us know!”
“Chocos for life!”
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I vote for AJ. No offense to Twilight, Big Mac and Mayor Mare, but their scenario isn't really all that interesting. It's too short.
AJ and Mare-Do-Well
Back to Domare. We all know what happens when we choose the scenario with Twilight, Big Mac, and Mayor Mare
Besides, it'll be exciting to see a change of pace in a good scenario!
EDIT: I dunno if that was Umaro in this chapter, but that was cool, too. Didn't expect to see the Ice Dragon so early, neither. That thing's a PAIN to kill!!
AJ and Ra- I meant MDW
Didn't expect to see Umaro this early... Or would that be U-mare-o?...
Sorry! I couldn't resist!
Let's see AJ next!
AJ, in hopes of saving the best for last.
Didn't AJ meet Rarity in the bar, with Opal? And then meet MDW with Opal? She's not very good at making connections, is she?
Anyways, I vote for AJ and MDW.
2102804
Is that a challenge?
2102852
Got it!
2103898
Changes are happening. More to come. And yes, that was Umaro.
Onward to Domare!
2106573
2106744
Heh, Trevor got a big kick out of your pun. Congrats!
2107227
Maybe...
2112561
Maybe here, but Runic in the game was rather lackluster. We'll see if we can keep it balanced.
2129445
Ponies aren't known for their observational skills.
Overwhelming votes for Applejack and Mare Do Well this time! And that's what we'll do! Thanks for enjoying!
I vote Twilight and co, for the sake of being contrary. Also this is probably going to make me play FF6 again.
Hmmmm... rather short chapter here.
I love the idea that chocobos just pick up absolutely every random piece of junk they find, up to and including bones of dubious origin. Just in case.
vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/3/39/IceDragon-ffvi-ios.png/revision/latest?cb=20140713213801
So you made the Ice Dragon a character this early in the game? I approve.
Oh cool, I'm in the minority.
I appreciate seeing Mog/Spike meet Umaro. A little surprised he isn’t an MLP character. Maybe Iron Will. Have we seen Iron Will already, or am I just thinking of the Crono Trigger crossover I read before this? I think I am.
Oh boy I know this is a long before the movie came around but that meme I don't feel so good still haunts me when I saw the movie Infinity War
Well to be honest he was much useful when I put Umaro in my party yes I can't control him but at least he was very powerful hits and using the magic as well so I don't complain about him he was very useful
6661149
When I saw that ice dragon in the game I was like oh shoot he's one of the dragons who are the boss characters and I felt like I was under a level but I somehow defeated it either dumb luck or the dragon was pretty weak 😅
Not only that I just realized something that this yeti is Umaro
Oh wow that was a pretty interesting chapter and also good to see Spike and stardust having their story so it looks like the rest of the chocobos walk through the Snowy Mountain and it took them a little bit longer so they had to take a break until Stardust and Spike saw a Yeti which a lot of the creatures panic and run away but Stardust gave a bone to the yeti and with that the yeti was pretty nice and thank them for it a little while they still walkthrough the mountain which nightfall so they decide to take a break again but then Spike and Stardust got separated from the group and went to the cave to find a jams but unfortunately they were not alone and Ice Dragon came out and attacked them so both of them wore the other chocobos to run but it looks like the same Yeti they met earlier gave them the time to make their escape and it looks like they finally made it to the town I wonder how the others are doing