Wherein We Jump the Trench
Barron Falls lived up to everything it was known for. The waterfall stretched from one end of the half-mile canyon to the other, dumping tons of water every second. The sound of cascading water was so loud that the ponies could barely hear anything above a shout. A thin mist drifted through the air, obscuring the mountainous surroundings but giving the area a sense of sereneness under the noonday sun. A bright rainbow arched over the falls and the river below, topping off a scene that an artist could spend years trying to recreate on canvas but not capture one-tenth the grandeur.
All this was lost on Applejack as she stared down the grassy cliff overlooking the canyon below. “We... hafta jump?” she said with a gulp.
Next to her, Shining Armor stared at the mare as though she were crazy. Honestly, he was half a mind on that verdict. “Uh... no. There’s a path we can take to the bottom, over there. See?” He pointed a hoof at a worn path in the grass leading down the cliff.
“Oh... I guess that works too.”
“Let’s get going. Once we get down to the bottom, it’s still a day’s trot to the Veldt.” Shining Armor glanced down to the side and placed a hoof over his son’s back. “Ready Spot?”
Spotter sniffed, his eyes puffy and his nose runny. He wiped a hoof across his muzzle and gave a curt nod. “Yeah. I guess so.”
Shining Armor patted him on his back. “You’ll do fine, because you’re my brave little soldier.” Looking over his shoulder, he said, “We should go single file. I’ll go first.”
“Just a minute, there.”
The voice came from Rarity, who stepped up to the stallion and jabbed a hoof into his chest. “I’m not going anywhere until we clear something up. I held back because we were in danger and needed to get away, but I’ll go no further with you until I get an apology.”
Shining Armor blinked, giving the costumed pony a quizzical stare. “Apologies for what?”
“For your treatment of me in the cell! You assaulted me and took off my mask. Those are things I cannot let slide.”
“That’s what you do when you’re at war, lady,” Shining said, ending with a snort. “I was doing my duty.”
“Well, you can take your duty and shove—”
The two unicorns were suddenly pushed apart, Applejack between them and forcing them away with her forehooves. “Now hold on there, you two. We can’t be fightin’ each other with the Empire on our tails.” Applejack turned to Rarity. “I know it weren’t fun back there, but you gotta let it drop. This ain’t no time to be worryin’ about that.”
“Don’t tell me what I shan’t worry about!” She stamped a hoof into the ground and huffed air through her nostrils. “My identity is the most important thing I have and this brute here caustically cast it aside!” She whirled around and began trotting away. “If this is the type of treatment I can expect, then goodbye.”
“Wait! Mare Do Well!” Applejack made to chase after her, but a tug on her tail kept her from moving. She looked behind her and saw a thin veil of pink surrounding it. Shining Armor galloped forward, past Applejack and placed himself in front of Rarity's path.
Rarity reared back, lighting up her horn and levitating her knife in front of her. “You better not think that I won’t cut you—”
“I’m sorry.”
Rarity cocked her head, though her knife remained at the ready. “I’m listening.”
The stallion sighed and looked down. “I’m a Domarian. Above all else, we are to uphold our honor and treat others with respect. Even with our enemies and especially mares. I went over the line. A lady like you should not have been treated that way.
“Understand that I did what I did for the safety of my kingdom. However, that doesn’t excuse my actions. Not completely. So, please accept my apology. I swear on my sword that I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”
The two ponies held their positions, the wind through the grass and the roar of the falls the only sounds in the area.
Rarity’s knife slashed through the air.
“Daddy!” Spotter cried. He rushed forward but Applejack grabbed hold of him before he got too far.
A bundle of blue hair fell to the ground. Rarity levitated it up even as she placed her weapon away. “Let this be a reminder. Do not cross me again.” She let go of the hair where it fluttered away in the breeze. She turned and marched back towards the cliff. “Oh, and I accept your apology, dear!”
Shining Armor’s eyes drifted up, catching sight of his forelock now cut just before it reached his horn. He gulped. “Joy.”
Spotter finally squirmed out of Applejack’s grasp and ran up to his father. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just enjoying the pleasant breeze.”
“Don’t be standing around, everypony!” Rarity called over her shoulder. “We have a deadline to meet!”
“C’mon,” Shining Armor said, prodding his son forward. “Let’s not keep the lady waiting. I want to keep the rest of my mane where it is.”
.o.O.o.
The trail leading down the cliff facing Barron Falls was narrower than the ponies anticipated. They were forced to walk single file and keep an eye on their footing. Progress was slow but steady, as no pony wanted to make a mistake that could send them over the edge. The path curved around the mountain, taking the travelers closer to the falls, until the path went behind the falls themselves. The crash of water was deafening, urging the ponies to move quickly through lest they spend the rest of the day with a headache.
That was when the piranhas attacked.
“Rrrrraaaaaagggghhhhh!”
Applejack snapped her head towards the shrill shrieks and gasped. “Incoming!”
The piranhas came flying out from the falling water, converging on them in a mass of fins and grey scales. Their gnashing mouths snapping at the ponies with razor sharp teeth strong enough to rip flesh from bone. Applejack, Shining Armor, and Rarity barely had time to ready themselves before they were hit with the first wave.
“Keep together!” Shining Armor yelled, even as he sliced through any piranha that got close to him with his sword. “Don’t let them separate us!”
“That might be easier said than done!” Applejack said. She braced her forehooves against the ground and kicked out in a blur of legs against the deadly fish. The piranha crumpled under her onslaught and fell off the cliff in droves. More launched themselves from the water to replace their fallen brethren, their frenzy too high to care about any danger.
Rarity wasn’t idle either, slashing with her knife in quick and precise movements. Her knife whirled through the air, and where it traveled, piranha died. Opalescence stood on her back and swiped at any fish that managed to get past her mistress’ blade.
Behind Shining Armor, Spotter crouched down to make himself as small as possible. He watched with wide eyes as his father cut down wave after wave of monsters, doing his best to stay out of the way. Since he was unoccupied with fighting for his life, Spotter was the only one to notice the large shadow descending from above.
“Watch out!”
His words came too late. A red piranha three times larger than the others burst out of the waterfall. It opened its jaws, wide enough to rip a pony in half, and lunged at Shining Armor. The stallion did the only thing he could; he levitated his sword before him. The piranha bit down.
The squeal of metal on bone filled the air. The piranha’s jaws gnashed at a frenzied pace against the sword lodged in its mouth, shearing flesh and teeth in all directions. Shining Armor roared as he pushed back with all his magical might to keep the predator away, but the momentum of the piranha’s flight proved too much. It crashed against the cliff, causing the entire area to shake and tremble. The rocky path couldn’t withstand the impact and began to crumble, bits of dirt and rocks falling into the waters below.
“Hang on!” Shining Armor cried out. He reached for Spotter, managing to wrap a hoof around his son’s neck—
—and then felt himself fall.
He heard the others give calls of distress but the cascading waters drowned out their voices, even as the falls themselves claimed him.
.o.O.o.
Her wings beat against the air, propelling her body higher. Up here, she could see the Veldt in all its glory, from the sprawling plains with its countless herds of animals, to the high mountains rising in the distance. A warm updraft hit her barrel, causing her to giggle. She spread her wings as far as they could go and let the current take her on a gentle glide. Nothing beat the freedom of flying, of rising high above the world and taking in all its splendor.
Well, maybe except baked goods. But really, what could top that?
She drifted for a few more miles, enjoying the pleasant breeze even as her eyes scanned for any stray clouds. The village was running dry on water again and they’d be so grateful to her for taking the initiative and gathering up some storm clouds to make things easier on them. They had been so happy last time she managed to bring them rain that they had hollered her name for hours. It made her feel giddy to bring that kind of joy to such nice zebras.
Unfortunately, today there were hardly any clouds in the sky. She had already flown farther than she ever had before and there were still no sign of any clouds. She lifted a hoof to her eyes to help block out the sun, but even the slightly better focus wasn’t helping her locate anything resembling a—
Something white moved below her, catching the pony’s attention. It was near a flowing river that spilled into the Veldt from the north. Perhaps the clouds were trying to trick her and were hiding on the ground? Clever, but not enough to fool her!
She brought her wings in closer to her body and started a descent. As she lost altitude, the white thing became clearer and clearer, until she made out that it wasn’t a cloud at all, but some type of animal. She sighed and her ears drooped. False alarm.
Moments before she opened her wings to rise back up into the air, the animal moved again. She was now close enough to see more details and her eyes widened at what she saw. It was a pony!
The mare giggled. A pony! Something that was just like her! This definitely needed to be looked into further.
She circled above the new pony, slowly working her way down. At last she touched the ground, folded in her wings, and approached her fellow equine. It was a colt, and a young looking one at that. The colt was laying on the ground next to the bank of the river, completely drenched and struggling to pull itself forward. She noticed a small bump protruding from his head and gasped.
He was hurt! Whenever somepony or somezebra got hit on the head, a big lump would form. She had to get him to the village right away!
She reached down and gently picked up the colt in her hooves. The younger pony didn’t even seem to notice that he was now being carried and just sputtered, “Daddy... Daddy...” over and over again.
Wasting no time, she spread her wings to their fullest extent and beat them as hard as she could. Soon, she was back in the air, carrying her new burden and flying east as fast as she could.
“Don’t worry, little guy,” she said. “I’ll get you better and then we can be the best of friends!”
.o.O.o.
A trio of antelope stood next to each other near a river, each silently lapping up mouthfuls of water with their tongues. Below them, the river flowed with a gentle current, not a ripple to be seen on its placid surface.
A hoof burst out of the river, sending a cascade of water over the bank.
The antelope yelped and hopped back. As one, they stared at the hoof with wide eyes, eyes that grew wider when the pony attached to the hoof heaved herself onto the bank.
“I’m really startin’ to hate water,” Applejack said with a groan. She coughed, hacking up a lungful of clear liquid onto the grass. “I miss my desert.”
With a mighty heave, Applejack raised her other forehoof and pulled out a second pony, this one wearing a soaking purple outfit. Rarity flopped onto the river bank, letting out a low moan that was echoed by the cat clinging to her back. Applejack wasn’t done as she grunted with effort and lifted a hind leg, revealing a unicorn stallion clutching her leg with his forehooves in a vice-like grip. A quick buck dislodged Shining Armor, sending him up and over to land next to Rarity. Finally, Applejack climbed out of the river herself and collapsed next to her companions.
“Dear me, what are these things?” one of the antelope said.
“They look like ponies,” another one replied.
“Oh crabapples. There goes the plains,” the last one stated.
“Shaddap...” Applejack said weakly. She turned over on the ground until she was able to glare up at the antelopes. “If y’all knew what we’ve been through, ya wouldn’t be so quick with the comments.”
The three antelopes looked at each other, shrugged, and bowed their heads. “Sorry, m’lady,” one said. “Pardon our behavior.”
Applejack sighed and waved a hoof. “Doncha worry about it. Say, ya wouldn’t have seen a little colt the color of that guy—” she nodded towards Shining Armor “—would ya?”
“Can’t say that I have,” the middle antelope answered. He scratched his chin and looked at his fellows. “Either one of you chaps know anything?”
“The only pony I know of is the one that lives with the zebras,” the third said. He lifted his head and tapped his chin with a hoof. “Come to think of it, I did see that pony flying off not too long ago. It looked like she was carrying something small and white. I dearest say it was the size of a colt. You might take a gander there.”
Applejack’s ears perked up. “Really? Wherein could I find ‘em?”
“They’re on the other end of the Veldt, way eastward. A good day and a half travel by my reckoning, lass.”
The earth pony sighed. “Figures.” She heaved herself up and walked over to where Shining Armor lay. She prodded him with a hoof until he groaned and creaked open his eyes. “Partner, you’re going to want to listen to this.”
.o.O.o.
Traveling through the Veldt wasn’t as arduous a journey as Applejack had feared. Their flasks were full from the river that had deposited them in these lands and food was plentiful. All one had to do was bend down and forage on the endless sea of grass until satisfied. While an apple would have been nice to spice things up, Applejack was content with what she had. The traveling was easy, as the plains were as open as her desert but nowhere near as hot. Even the local herds of animals were pleasant to them and readily offered directions whenever asked.
Shining Armor was the only one not enjoying the trip.
“We shouldn’t have left the river. He could still be back there, looking for us right now. What if he gets eaten by alligators or tries to find us and gets lost? What am I going to do?!”
Applejack lowered her head and bit her tongue. She sympathized with him. She really did. Reuniting with Big Macintosh had been one of the best moments of her life and being separated from him after only a short time was gnawing at her. Sure, he was a big stallion and could take care of himself, but that didn’t make the worrying any easier. Shining Armor had every right to fret, especially with how much younger Spotter was and the unpleasant business that had happened at Domare.
“We need to turn back. Right now! C’mon, we’re wasting time!”
“Sugarcube, settle down,” Applejack said. She slowed her pace until she was even with Shining Armor and placed a hoof over his withers. “We looked everywhere back there, from tip to top. Nothin’ turned up about where he is. The only thing we got goin’ is this here zebra place. If we go back now, we’ll lose all the time it takes to go back and then have to come back this way again.”
“I... I know. It’s just... I can’t help but think the worst. He’s all I got left...”
“Let me ask ya somethin’. What does yer heart tell ya?”
Shining Armor looked ahead, staring off into the distance. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That he’s okay. I don’t know how, but... I think he’s doing okay.”
Applejack smiled. “Then keep thinking that. We’ll find him, sure enough.”
“Thanks, Applejack,” Shining Armor said, a small smile of his own forming.
The group continued on, a noticeable spring appearing in Shining Armor’s steps. Nothing appeared in their way to hinder their progress, even in the untamed wilderness they had been dropped into. Finally, after a day of travel, a series of bumps appeared on the horizon. As the ponies moved closer, the bumps revealed themselves to be grass huts, with equine forms moving between them. Coming even closer, more details became clearer, with the equines appearing with black and white stripes on their coats and various jewelry pierced in their ears and noses. It wasn’t long before Applejack, Shining Armor, and Rarity were walking up to the zebras, but stopped short when a pair of stallions with spears in their mouths barred their path.
“Uh, howdy!” Applejack greeted. She held out a hoof towards one of the zebras, but he didn’t make any move to shake it. Grimacing, she continued, “We, uh, are lookin’ for a little pony. White, about yea big, and has a little horn on his head. Ya seen ‘im?”
One of the zebra blinked, but otherwise didn’t move.
“Um... either of y’all understand what I’m sayin’?”
The other one blinked.
Applejack sighed and turned to her companions. “We ain’t gettin’ anywhere here. Either you two know how to speak—”
“Daddy!”
“S-Spotter?” Shining Armor said. He pushed past Applejack and charged forward. The two zebra guards crossed their spears and barked a warning.
They never stood a chance.
Both were knocked aside, flying in different directions like discarded dolls. Shining Armor never noticed, his attention completely on the colt running towards him. In two great bounds, Shining Armor stood in front of his son and scooped him up in his forelegs, hugging him to his chest.
“Spotter! I-I’m so glad you’re okay!”
Spotter grinned and wrapped his own legs around his father as best he could. The two stayed that way for some time, with even the zebras giving them their space. After a few minutes, Spotter looked up and his eyes bulged. Every pair of eyes in the village was looking at them. He squirmed.
“Um, Daddy. You’re embarrassing me in front of everyone.”
“Huh?” Shining Armor looked up himself. A crowd was gathered around them, with some of the zebras wiping their leaking eyes with a tissue. He smiled sheepishly, patted his son one last time on the back, and set him down before him. “What happened to you?”
Spotter grinned and began hopping up and down. “I got rescued! A pegasus found me and brought me here and took care of me. Let me go get her!” He shot off into the village, leaving Shining Armor behind.
“Wait! Don’t be taking off again so soon!”
“You have one excitable kid, you know that?” Rarity said as she trotted up to him.
Applejack came up to him next and slapped Shining Armor on the back. “Hey, at least he’s alright. Who ya reckon he wants us to see so badly?”
The ponies didn’t have to wait long. The zebras parted, revealing Spotter dragging a grey coated pegasus with blond hair towards them with his hoof. Once he got close enough, he said, “This is the one that found me!”
~ Covered in scorch marks, eyes oddly... odd.
A peculiar pegasus perpetually producing pandemonium... ~
“Hi!” she said with a smile. “I’m Derpy Hooves! Wow, more ponies. I never would have thought I’d meet so many!”
Shining Armor trotted over to her and bowed. “You have my eternal gratitude for saving my son. I’ll do whatever I can to repay you.”
“Oh, wow! Does that make you my servant now? I’ve never had one before.” She scratched her chin with a hoof and looked off into the distance. One of her eyes lazily drifted out of focus, earning a few stares from the group. “Ah! I know! You can help me with the village!”
“I think that’s reasonable,” Shining Armor said, keeping his focus on her good eye. “What do you do here?”
“I’m the weathermare! See?” She swept her hoof, indicating the entire village.
Now that she had brought their attention to it, Applejack, Rarity, and Shining Armor balked. They had been so distracted that they hadn’t taken the time to properly look over the village itself. And now that they did, they wondered how they had missed it in the first place. Several huts sported blast marks or were tilted at an odd angle as though having suffered through high winds. Puddles were strewn everywhere, with a stream of water running through the very center of the village. A group of zebras were working frantically to dig a trench to redirect the water away from the huts not already flooded. Finally, the gardens—spots where rainwater was needed the most—were dry and wilted.
“... I do see,” Rarity stated. “All too clearly.”
“C’mon!” Derpy said. “Let’s get to work while there’s still light.”
She made to fly off but a female zebra rushed up to her and said something in her native language. Derpy cocked her head, then nodded and turned back to the group. “She wants to know what you all are doing here.”
“Well, we were lookin’ for Spotter,” Applejack said. “And now that we found ‘im, we need a way to get to Neighshe. Pronto.”
Derpy nodded and translated for the zebra. The zebra’s eyes widened and gained a mischievous twinkle. A few more words were exchanged, Derpy occasionally trying to get a word in with things like, “You sure?” and “But what about...” and finally, “If you think that’s best...” With a noticeable drop in enthusiasm in her tone and her ears pinned back, Derpy faced the ponies and explained, “They know a way for you to get to where you want to go. It’s the Hydra’s Trench. It’s an underwater current that runs from this place all the way to Nikhay. You just need some special bubbles over your head to breathe so you can make it.”
“That’s great!” Applejack exclaimed. “Nikhay’s just a short hop to Neighshe. Where can we get these bubbles we need?”
“The zebras have them and will make some for you. On one condition.”
When Derpy didn’t continue, only looking down and pawing at the ground, Applejack asked, “And that would be, sugarcube?”
The pegasus sniffed while tears began to form in her eyes. “They... they want me to go with you.”
Applejack and the others blinked. “Come again?”
“They... they want me to get out in the world a-and experience more.” Derpy sniffed one last time before letting out a piercing wail. “But I don’t wanna leave! I like it here and have so many friends! It’s not fair! WAAAAAAHHHHHH!” A steady stream of tears gushed out of Derpy’s eyes. The zebra next to her was ready and raised up a small umbrella.
Applejack, Shining Armor and Rarity all looked at each other with confused expressions, while Spotter busied himself with consoling Derpy. An unspoken communication seemed to pass through them, culminating with all of them giving a shrug. Clearing her throat, Applejack stepped up to the still crying pegasus and said, “Well, uh, this is a might unexpected, but we really need to get to Neighshe. A lot of ponies’ lives depend on it. We’d... love ya to come along.”
Derpy’s crying began to settle down upon hearing Applejack’s words. “Really?”
“Really! And there’s nothin’ saying you can’t come back to visit, ya hear?”
“Visit?” Like a faucet being turned, Derpy’s flow of tears stopped and she gave a bright smile. “Oh! So it’s like a vacation! I could really use one of those. Yeah, and I can send ‘thinking of you’ cards while I’m gone!” She sprang into the air and hovered next to the female zebra. “I accept!”
The zebra wiped her brow and let out a relieved sigh.
Derpy zipped around and spread her arms wide. “I can’t wait! When can we leave?”
“Well, I would assume when the zebras have these bubbles ready for us, dear,” Rarity said. “In fact, why don’t you all work on that while I get us some supplies.”
Applejack nodded. “That’s a good idea. Thanks, Mare Do Well.”
“Not at all, darlings. I’ll be back in a jiff. Ta-ta!” With that, Rarity trotted away.
“Guess we’ll be stayin’ till y’all are ready.”
Derpy lept up and pumped a hoof into the air. “Great! I can show you all around while we wait. Let’s go!”
.o.O.o.
“Signed, Rarity.”
With one final stroke of a quill on paper, Rarity finished her letter. She used her magic to fold the letter into an envelope and levitated it over to a zebra waiting patiently for her to finish. He took the envelope and then accepted a small bag of gil. The zebra turned and gave a shrill whistle through his teeth. Within seconds, a hawk flew down and perched on a bird stand jutting out of the ground. The zebra expertly attached the envelop and sack to the hawk’s talons, gave it a hoofull of birdseed and then spoke a few words to it. With a screech, the hawk flapped its wings and took off towards the east.
“Thank you, good sir,” Rarity said as she watched the hawk fly away. She reached into her cloak and hoofed over another bag. “This should cover things.”
The zebra opened the bag and found it full of herbs and spices. He looked up and gave a nod.
“Excellent. Cheerio!”
.o.O.o.
“... And over there is the gathering hall and that’s the new outdoor square and way on the other end is the market...”
Applejack nodded mutely as Derpy Hooves pointed out each highlight of the village as they passed by them. Honestly, she couldn’t tell one landmark from the next since every hut looked exactly the same: sticks and grass. She was sure that if she were to look hard enough, Applejack could tell each house apart from the different wooden masks and cloth that decorated some of the homes, but for the life of her the zebra village was the same no matter where she looked. Applejack kept a lid on her opinions, hoping that what they needed would be ready soon and Rarity would get back in time to head out.
“And here we are!”
Applejack started from the sudden halt. She looked around and blinked. “Ah, where exactly?”
“Back at the beginning!” Derpy said. “We’re where we started. I showed you the whole village!”
“Swell. Uh, Derpy, any news on those bubbles or whatever that we need?”
“Hang on, lemme check.” The pegasus trotted away towards a group of zebras working over a large black cauldron. She was only a dozen hooves away when one of the zebras spotted her, gasped, and quickly blocked her path. A few words were exchanged, culminating with the zebra pointing back towards Applejack. Derpy gave a happy nod and walked back. “They say it should be ready soon. Wow, they have every shaman and potion master working on it. They must really want to help you out!”
Shining Armor, who had been following the tour with Spotter at his side, mumbled, “More like get rid of somepony.”
“You say something?”
“Nothing!”
“I’m baaaaaack!” came Rarity’s airy voice. She trotted up to her companions and flourished her cape. “How are things coming along here?”
“Just about done,” Applejack answered. “We should be on our way, lickety-split!”
Derpy scrunched up her nose and gagged. “Ew, why would you want to lick your spit?”
“... It’s an expression.”
Before the pegasus could contemplate that further, a shout came from behind them. All heads turned to the cauldron, which was now bubbling over with a pink liquid. Zebras on all sides dipped clay bottles into the mixture and stopped them up with corks. As one, they rushed over and gave each pony a bottle. The zebra that hoofed over Derpy’s bottle also gave her a strip of cloth with writing on it.
“Oh, instructions!” Derpy exclaimed after looking over the cloth. “They really thought of everything!” Her smile slowly reversed itself, becoming a deep frown. Derpy looked up at the zebras surrounding them, her lip quivering. “I-I guess... t-this is goodbye, then...”
One of the zebras nodded rapidly and pointed out towards the expanse of the Veldt.
“I understand. I... need to leave now. You’ve all been so nice to me. I d-d-don’t know w-w-what to say...” Derpy drooped her head, tears dripping from her face and falling to the ground into a growing puddle.
A hoof draped over her withers, causing her to look up. A zebra was next to her and gave her a reassuring smile. It gently guided Derpy towards the other ponies and repeated its fellow’s action by pointing outside the village.
“You... you’re right,” Derpy said. She sniffed, and for a moment, her eyes became completely focused. “This is no time for being a baby. I need to go and see the world.
“But I’ll be back someday! I promise!” With that, Derpy nodded one last time, whirled and marched out of the village, her head held high. The other ponies followed close behind and soon, the land of the zebras was far behind them.
Derpy didn’t look back, even when she could have sworn she heard a rousing cheer come from her old home.
.o.O.o.
“So, accordin’ to this here note the zebras gave you, we have to cross the whole Veldt to get to some mountains?” Applejack asked, her attention on the grey pegasus whirling around above her.
“That’s what it says!” Derpy said, twirling around and coming to a hover next to the earth pony. “It’s the best place to jump into the Hydra’s Trench.”
“How long you reckon it’d take for us to get there?”
Derpy tapped a hoof to her chin as she considered. “Well, I’ve flown from one end of the Veldt to the other in less than a day. Too bad the zebras couldn’t give you wings. But, I’d say two days at this rate.”
Applejack grunted and gave a nod. “I s’pose that’s the best we can expect. The whole war’s goin’ to be over by the time we get back.”
“War? What war?”
“Oh... yeah, Ah forgot that you’re in a kinda backwaters place. No offence.”
“Offence for what?”
The farmer shook her head and waved a hoof. “Forget it. I guess I’d better fill you in. Though, if I were you, I’d just forget about fighting with us and go on your world trip. No sense in getting you mixed up in all this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Derpy asked in a low tone.
“Now don’t be takin’ this the wrong way sugarcube, but we’re going to be up against some nasty types. I just don’t want you in the way and getting hurt.”
“Hey!” Without warning, Derpy landed in front of Appeljack and thrust her muzzle into the earth pony’s face. “You make it sound like I can’t fight!”
The rest of the group stopped and watched the two ponies squaring off. An uneasy silence followed.
“Now... now I told you not to take it the wrong way,” Applejack said as sweat began to roll down her face. “It ain’t no picnic where we’re going.”
A contemptuous snort escaped from Derpy’s nostrils. “Oh yeah? The Veldt can be a bad place too. I’ve even come up with ways to stay safe. Watch!” She launched herself high into the air and began to scan the area. She spotted a pack of manticores stalking in the grass less than a mile away and flew in their direction. As she got nearer, her wandering eye came into proper alignment, sharpening her vision beyond any eagle. Every movement and every twitch of a whisker that the manticores made were captured and imprinted within her brain. She soared past them, circled around, and flew over the manticores again. Derpy banked sharply to the east then landed within the tall grass, disappearing from sight.
The stillness and tranquility of the Veldt returned. The only sound was the slight breeze through the grass. Rarity walked forward and peered out at the expanse of the massive plains. “Uh, do you know what that was all about, darling?”
Applejack shook her head. “Not a clue.”
“What now?”
The answer came when Shining Armor started trotting forward, Spotter riding on his back. “I say we keep going. She’ll catch up to us when she wants to. She can fly after all.”
“I concur. We’re on a timetable as it is.”
Applejack couldn’t argue that logic. Sighing, she fell into step with the others and continued on their way. The sun was setting and night on the plains grew chilly. They would need to start thinking of finding a spot to camp soon before—
“RRRRAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRRR!”
Something burst out of the brush and tackled Rarity to the ground. Within seconds, Applejack and Shining Armor rushed to her side and knocked the figure off the unicorn. The pony-sized creature hissed back, then scampered into the grass as quickly as it appeared. Rarity was helped to her hooves, her body trembling from the sudden attack.
“Form a circle!” Shining Armor barked out.
Doing as instructed, Applejack, Rarity, and Shining Armor put their backs to each other, placing Spotter between them, and waited for the creature to make another pass.
Uncontrollable giggling was not what they expected to hear.
A grey and yellow figure rose out of the grass on Applejack’s left. The pony had her hooves covering her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to keep her laughter in. “Y-You should have seen your faces! I got you all!”
“Derpy Hooves!” Rarity screeched. She marched up to the pegasus, yanked on one of her ears with her magic, and dragged Derpy back to the others. “You nearly gave me a heart attack with that stunt! What were you thinking?”
“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Hey!” Derpy swatted back at Rarity, but with nothing to hit other than her own ear, she was forced to endure the punishment. Derpy was spared her ear when Rarity dropped her between them all.
“Now, explain why you gave us all such a fright,” Rarity said.
With barely contained eagerness, Derpy bounced to her hooves and gave a grin that stretched ear to ear. “I just wanted to show you my neat talent! You see, I’ve been living here for so long that I’m able to figure out how all the different animals move. All I have to do is watch really close and I can match anything they can do! The zebras can’t explain it either. They just say that my mind can remember these things really easy!” She stopped and tapped a hoof to her chin, her brow creased. “They also said I can’t remember which day is, ‘don’t send hail and sleet over the village day’, but hey, you can’t win them all!”
The group blinked.
“So...” Applejack began, “You can copy a critter’s moves just by watchin’ ‘em?”
“That’s what I just said. It’s how I snuck up on you without you seeing me.”
“Right. Just making sure.” The earth pony looked up and frowned. “Well, glad we got that all cleared up, because we need to be findin’ someplace to spend the night. It’s almost sundown, now.”
“Oh!” Derpy raised a hoof as though trying to get a school teacher’s attention. “I saw some trees when I flew by, just over there.”
“Wonderful. Let’s head on over and get some sleep. I wanna be at the trench tomorrow, so hop to it!”
“Wouldn’t it be better to walk than hop?”
“... You’re as bad as Pinkie Pie, ya know that?”
.o.O.o.
The next day, the ponies awoke to the rising sun and continued on their way through the Veldt. Derpy led the way while occasionally taking to the air to keep an eye out for troublesome animals. The other eye... watched everything else.
It was approaching midday when the youngest member of the group clambered up onto his father’s head and scanned the horizon. His eyes lit up and he pointed a hoof over the grass. “Over there!” he exclaimed. “I see mountains!”
“That’s great, Spotter,” Shining Armor said. “But can you warn me next time you do that? You’ve got your hoof in my eye.”
“Oops. Sorry, dad.”
“Well land sakes!” Applejack cried out. “This ain’t been no vacation, but I’ve got to say that this place isn’t all that bad. Wouldn’t mind coming here again once the Empire’s taken care of.”
“Speak for yourself,” Rarity chimed in. “I for one can’t wait to get back to proper pony civilization. I’ve had about all I can stand of... nature.”
A collective laugh rose up through all the ponies, lifting their spirits and quickening their pace. Within hours, they had reached the base of the mountains. A quick flyby from Derpy found a path leading to a ledge overlooking the ocean. Minutes later, they stood over the precipice to the Hydra’s Trench.
More than one pony gulped.
“It’s... fast...” Shining Armor stated.
Below them, the water rushed by at a frightening pace. Further out, the waters were normal and calm, but the deep trench underneath the mountain caused the water to flow faster than any of them had ever seen before. Following the movement of the serpentine current, Shining Armor could see that it cut a road-like path through the very ocean itself. Ships, or even ponies, caught in the current would be swept away at a pace even pegasi would find impressive.
“We... have to jump in there?” Shining Armor asked.
Applejack took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “It’s the only way to get back to my friends.” Firming up her features, she reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the bottle the zebras had given her. “Sure hope this stuff works. Else this’ll be a very unpleasant dip. What do your instructions say there, Derpy?”
Derpy pulled out the slip of cloth and read the final line. “It just says to pour it over our heads and it will do the rest.”
“Can’t make it any easier than that. But before that, let’s make sure we all stay together.” With that, Applejack uncoiled her rope and began looping it around each pony’s torso, including Opalescence. The cat didn’t look pleased with being tied up, but a few encouraging words from Rarity settled her down. Once she was satisfied with her knots, she took off her hat and dumped the contents of the bottle over her mane. The clear liquid felt oily at first, but as it dripped down her head, it began to solidify and expand away from her face. Soon, a perfect see-through dome surrounded her head to half-way down her neck. Applejack took a few breaths and nodded. When she spoke, her voice echoed within the bubble. “It seems to work fine.”
The others each applied the liquid to their own scalps, each one forming a bubble. All except one.
Rarity hesitated, holding her bottle before her in her telekinetic grip. “Do you think this will work over my mask?”
“I don’t know,” Derpy answered. “The directions just say to use it on your head.”
“Let’s not take chances, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “If you waste it, we’ll have to get more and that means going all the way back. We’ve seen your face already.”
Rarity sighed. “This whole trip has been such a bother.” Having said that, she reached up and pulled back her mask, her purple mane falling around her white face. She tipped the bottle over and poured. Like the others, a bubble formed, sealing the air within. Rarity did the same for Opalescence and warned her not to scratch at it. “Ready.”
“Alrighty, then!” Applejack reared up and gave a loud “Yeehaw!” that reverberated throughout the mountains. Gathering herself, she leapt off the cliff, the others jumping after her. They plunged down into the waters below and disappeared from sight.
.o.O.o.
“Huh. This ain’t so bad.”
The moment the ponies hit the water, the current of the Hydra’s Trench yanked them hard. However, the rope binding them together held and soon they were all propelled down the trench. Steep cliffs surrounded them on either side, but the flow kept them in the center. Once their bodies grew accustomed to the swift waters, Applejack let herself relax and let nature do all the work.
She craned her head back and was relieved to see her companions also easing themselves into the flow. The ocean was dark but clear, allowing her to see everything within a dozen hooflengths. Small crustaceans and plant matter sped by, a kaleidoscope of colors in every direction. It was beautiful really, an experience she never would have imagined she’d get to see. With nothing better to do, Applejack enjoyed the scenery, occasionally looking forward in case of obstructions.
How long the ponies traveled down the trench, Applejack didn’t know. It was hard to judge distance or time with no landmarks to go by. She just hoped that when they reached the end, it wouldn’t become dangerous. Would the trench just end and the current petter out? Would they even know if they had reached Nikhay or gone too far?
These worries were swiftly taken out of her hooves.
“Oooooohhhhhhhh, you again!”
Applejack snapped her head up and gasped. “Oh, horseapples...”
A long, serpentine form swam just above her. She instantly recognized the luminous purple scales, the coiffed head of hair—
—and the cut off mustache.
“Here I was thinking, that if I just head south to warmer waters, then I’d be in paradise!” the sea serpent wailed. He swiveled around until he could glare straight at Applejack. He pointed a claw at her and continued, “But, noooooooooo! You just had to come waltzing in and ruin my new home. Again!”
“Ah, now hold on there, partner!” Applejack raised her hooves in a placating manner, the only thing she could think of to do. “You jest calm down now and we can work this—”
“No! I know what type you are. The horrid type that doesn’t appreciate a splendid mustache. Well, I’ll show you!”
The sea serpent snarled and lunged forward. Applejack was helpless to stop him. He lashed his tail at her, knocking her senseless and sending her careening in the water. The force of the blow was so much that it sent her and the ponies attached to her high above the trench. No longer part of the current, the ponies drifted in the open waters, each desperately trying to peddle their way back to the crevasse. However, another current, traveling perpendicular to the trench, caught them. This one was less powerful but more than enough to sweep them up and carry them away into the darkness far beyond the Hydra’s Trench.
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When I read the part introducing the newest addition to the party, I thought it was Surprise. Never thought Derpy would be the Gau of the group
Also, I love the alliteration in her introduction 
Unless that was either breaking the fourth wall or obvious foreshadowing, didn't you make it clear that Pinkie was the Setzer of the group?
The zebra village was also hilarious
Applejack had some racist overtones 
and Derpy's departure made me think of 'A Bug's Life'
Derpy as Gau... That works. She was essentially General Leo in the game.
2721704 Yes, Pinks is the Seltzer of the group. They've already met, remember? ALL the way back in chapter... six. And it's implied that they've known each other for awhile. (Maybe not as close friends, but at least as acquaintances.) She said that because Derpy is close to Pinkie Pie's energy level, etc.
(Just a coupla quotes from chapter six to help jog your memory. X3)
2722315 Now I feel like an idiot
2722351 XD No worries! It was forever ago, after all. (And since I'm part of Wyld Stallynz, it's my job to know our plot, so... Yeah, no worries!)
Yay, I guessed right! Derpy was Gau after all!
Anyway, if you're planning on showing them make it to the port town, I really hope that you'll show the dancer there flirting with an uncomfortale Shining Armor. That scene in the original game really made me laugh, so I think it'd be really awesome if you put it in your story! If, um...that's all right with you...
And my memory of this eludes me up until... the three quarters waypoint. I'm happy I can look forward to not knowing what I'm looking forward to!
I have to admit, without having played the game itself, the pace of the story seems very hectic...
I have to admit, without having played the game itself, the pace of the story seems very hectic...
3287549
It was originally a game released for the SNES back in the mid-90s... and it's Final Fantasy.. story's supposed to be long.. though in the game, it's a bit different than this story.. for one, the character's specific tasks have to be played all the way through before moving on to the next character
Ah, the cartoon character crying a stream of tears onto at least another cartoon character, who in turn pulls out an umbrella to shade itself from the tears cliche. What a classic.
And Derpy immediately goes from incompetent to...well I wouldn't say competent but at least she's contributing to the team.
Covered in scorch marks, eyes oddly... odd. A peculiar pegasus perpetually producing pandemonium...
“Hi!” she said with a smile. “I’m Derpy Hooves! Wow, more ponies. I never would have thought I’d meet so many!”
Ohh ok wow so derpy is gau another interesting choice but okay and it's cool to have her here
It’s the Hydra’s Trench. It’s an underwater current that runs from this place all the way to Nikhay. You just need some special bubbles over your head to breathe so you can make it.”
Another prediction that they also did the same thing in the movie about the special bubbles
Well then that was kind of mean but probably they have a reason I mean what did Derby did was so bad
That would be amazing if Derpy and Pinkie Pie would interact with each other oh boy it's going to be a crazy one lol
Well things are not going too well for Applejack and her teammates so they made it to the waterfall they walk through it instead of jumping but not until the monsters attack them and it became too much and then they fell but it looks like Spotter got separated from the group but until a pegasus name derpy save him and took him to the Village and the other side Apple Jack and the others try to find the kid until they finally made it to a village a zebras ( which we get to see in season 10 comic of Zecora home land ) and then finally Shining Armor and spotter reunited again Derpy introduced herself to the group and I told her about where the fastest to Neighshe and as I was hoping they had to get across the river but then they also told them that she had to join with them but they need to get supplies to prepare for the journey and I wonder what Rarity just deliver but anyway it looks like Derpy ability was was pretty cool and they finally made it to the river and jumped in things were pretty smoothly until a sea serpent came around which that would be Steven magnet it's not too happy to see Applejack for what he did for his mustache and now he's going violence with the others and basically throwing them off track hopefully they get to the town so I wonder what Twilight in the others are doing now