Part 6: Direction Delirium
This way and that way the map led them, to all the places Christopher Robin wasn't. But to none of the places he was. And still Rabbit refused to realize the map didn't know which way it was going.
The team trekked through rocky mountainsides and desolate outcrops. They climbed over boulders and climbed up hills. It was exhausting. It was at this part of the journey that the traveling became more tiresome.
"How long have we've been on this rescue mission?" Spike stopped to catch his breath.
"Bout eight hours." Applejack estimated. "Though, ah'm more concerned about whether we're goin' in the right direction or not."
The Main 7 were growing more and more suspicious of the legitimacy of the map. After all, Owl didn’t seem to know what he was doing when making the map. Was Christopher Robin really amongst these mountains or was just a bunch of pony- feathers.
"I don't know about this girls. It feels as if we’ve been walking forever, but we haven’t made any progress in finding Christopher Robin." Fluttershy whispered.
"Indeed, darling." Rarity sat down. "My hoofs are aching."
“I need a rest. We’ve been traveling nonstop for too long.” Rainbow complained bitterly.
While the Main 7 slowed down to catch their breaths, Rabbit confidently strutted over to a nearby cliff with Tigger right behind him.
"So we first head east by south, then south by east." Rabbit opened the map. "Of course, minus the magnetic variation, plus the wind drift. We clearly go...this way!"
The map rolled back up around Tigger's snout, who was looking at the map as well. Rabbit yanked the piece of parchment off of Tigger's face.
"I wonder if those rather forbidding looking things might be the Forbidden Mountains, where Christopher Robin is." Pooh stared off into the mist-covered mountains.
"Are you sure that's where he is?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the map does say something about mountains." Rabbit argued.
"You're right, Pooh." Piglet said.
"You found 'em, Buddy Bear." Tigger congratulated.
"Welp, guess we’re all goin' in that direction." Applejack pointed to the mountains.
“Better than putting are faith in that phony map.” Rarity said quietly.
“Christopher Robin, here we come.” Pinkie hopped joyfully.
Everyone, except Rabbit, began to traverse down the hillside to the mountains.
"But, how will we find Christopher Robin among all those mountains?" Piglet asked in concern.
"No worries, Piglet. I can find him in ten seconds flat." Rainbow boasted, flaring her wings.
"Excuse me." The others turned to Rabbit's voice. "The way to there is over here." Rabbit pointed in the complete opposite direction of the mountains.
Pooh and Tigger looked at each other in confusion.
"What?" Twilight asked, dumbfounded.
"But, Rabbit, isn't that them, over there?" Pooh walked over to Rabbit who was viewing the map.
"Yeah, that don't make a lick of sense." Applejack stated.
"The mountains are literally right there." Rainbow pointed in the direction of the mountain range.
Rabbit rolled his eyes and slowly walked over to Pooh.
"Now, which are you going to believe, this official map or you own eyes?" Rabbit asked.
"My own eyes, obviously." Rarity said flatly. "Besides, Rabbit, that map is anything but official."
"For once, I actually agree with Rarity." Rainbow said.
"That was a rhetorical question." Rabbit said sharply. "Besides, look for yourself and you'll see we're right on course. It's all right there in black in white."
As Pooh studied the map, the wind began to pickup. The written parchment acted as a sail, dragging Pooh with it.
"Why would anyone want to wander around wondering which way to go when they have a map to follow?" Rabbit gripped the map away from Pooh.
“Isn’t that the point of an adventure?” Spike asked.
“This is not an adventure, young one. This is a mission.” Rabbit countered.
"Oh, I feel a song coming on." Pinkie's tail twitched.
Twilight did a double-take.
"Wait, wha-"
"Never touch my tail, again." Rainbow hissed angrily at Rabbit.
“Also, why did you think throwing us off a cliff was a good idea?” Twilight asked crossly.
Rabbit was too busy realizing the map had been torn in half by a branch.
"AH! Oh, no! The map!" Rabbit shrieked. "Get the map! With only half a map we're...we're less than nowhere."
"I doubt that would change much." The blue pegasus teased.
"After that map!" Tigger hopped after the second half of the map.
Tigger trailed the paper as dead trees began to litter the ground. He was too fixated on the map to realize he was jumping across a fallen tree that connected two cliffs. He was in the dead center of it, trying to grab the map.
"I got it! Don't have it. I had it! I don't have it now. I want it again. I got it! I ain't got it. I don't have it. I get it! Wait, I'll get it...No! I don't...I have it!" Tigger continuously bounced against the creaking tree trying to grab the map. He was too distracted to notice the deep gorge that loomed underneath him.
Tigger bounced once more, but this time, he landed on his rear instead of his tail. The impact almost broke the tree in half. Tigger blinked and eyed his striped tail.
"Hmm. I wonder what's causing this tail to fail." He wondered out loud to himself. Then a depressing thought came over him. "Maybe it just doesn't have what it takes."
There was a thunderous crack as the dead tree began to give away. Tigger was snapped out of his thoughts and looked down. That's when he realized he was right over the monstrous crevasse.
"Yikes!" Tigger yelped as the tree finally split in half and tumbled down the steep cliffsides.
Tigger hovered in the air for about half-a-second before he, too, plummeted into the misty abyss.
"Christopher Robin." He wailed as the torn map slowly floated down.
Fortunately, one of the logs was able to lodge itself against two rock cuts sticking out on either side of the gorge. Tigger bounced off it then landed, grabbing hold of a branch.
The others made their way over to the cliff.
"Sweet Celestia, Tigger. How did you get down there?" Twilight asked in shock and worry.
"Uh. bounced one too many times." Tigger said sheepishly.
"Tigger, of all the safer places to be...I don't think this is one. You could fall." Pooh said.
"You think." Rainbow said sarcastically.
"Yeah. Well, you know what they say. What doesn't bounce up has got to fall down." Tigger laughed weakly.
The rock cut began to crumble against the log's weight. Tigger held on for dear life as the tree lurched and rumbled.
"Oh, no! We have to do something." Fluttershy said, fearful for Tigger's safety.
"Uh...there's no time for this. We've had too many delays." Rabbit inched carefully over to the cliff's edge. "So you just bounce out of here this moment."
Tigger laughed giddily.
"No way. The wind isn't right." Tigger tried to justify.
"But there isn't any wind." Piglet reminded.
Tigger looked up with sadness, his mouth quivering.
"Okay, okay, you've got me." He sobbed. "The truth is...my tail...just doesn't have...enough strength."
"Come on, Tigger, you can do it!" Pinkie cheered. "You just gotta believe."
"Ugh, forget this. I'm gonna go get him." Rainbow flared her wings.
"Oh." Pooh chuckled. "Don't worry, Tigger. Christopher Robin said I just have to remember you're...taller than a beam."
Rainbow snorted, trying to hold her laughter.
"This again?" She wheezed.
"Really?" Tigger looked up.
"Or was it "slower than whipped cream?" Pooh thought.
"Whipped cream?! Where?! I'm really craving whipped cream right now!" Pinkie said excitedly.
"Do you feel any bouncier now?" Pooh asked.
"No." Tigger sniffled as the log slid further down from the crumbling cliff-face.
Then an idea came to Pooh.
"Oh...perhaps your tail just needs a hand." He chuckled.
Taking his honey pot, Pooh inched down from the cliffside and onto a rocky platform that also stuck out of the cliffside.
"Could you...bounce up this far?" He held out his hand.
The platform couldn't hold Pooh's weight and immediately crumbled, causing the bear to fall.
"Pooh Bear!" Piglet leaped from the cliff and grabbed hold of a root sticking out from the rocks and grasped Pooh's foot.
Rabbit, Eeyore, and the Main 7 all gasped as Piglet held Pooh upside-down. He desperately clung to the root and planted his foot against the rocks for support.
"Well, that's not good." Rainbow said awkwardly.
The rock cuts crumbled once again causing the tree to slip farther. Tigger crawled up the log.
"Ooh. How about now?" Pooh asked.
"No, no, no. Thanks for trying." Tigger replied sadly. "I'm goin' out the way i came in."
He slowly grabbed the end of the log, sobbing as he did so.
"A second-rate bouncer." Tigger sniffled.
The root Piglet was holding suddenly snapped and both bear and pig began to fall.
"Oh, Piglet!" Rabbit leapt after the two.
"We have to save them! Come on, everypony!" Twilight cried as she jumped after Rabbit.
One by one, Pinkie, Rainbow, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy all jumped from the cliff and grabbed hold of each other. Eeyore, on the other hand, try to grab the other half of the map, but Spike grab ahold of his tail, pulling the donkey over the edge. Eeyore was able to grab the root with his mouth, breaking the freefall the rest of the gang was in. Now they hung precariously against the slippery cliffsides. The root tore down the cliffside a little which let Pooh closer to Tigger. Meanwhile, Tigger was sobbing his eyes out, waiting, through snorts and sniffles, for his inevitable demise.
"Um...Uh, Tigger." Pooh tapped his friend's shoulder."
"Hm?" Tigger looked up and bumped noses with Pooh. "Oh...Okay."
Tigger relented and grabbed onto Pooh's hand. Just as his grasp was secure, the rock cut gave way and the entire log dropped into the abyss below. Now the gang were left to dangle helplessly amongst the rocks and vines.
"Look at the biceps on that bear." Tigger said wistfully. "I don't deserve to dangle from the same precipice."
"Would you quit your whinin', Tigger." Applejack yelled from above, holding onto Twilight's hoof.
"Now what do we do?" Spike asked, straining has he clung to both Eeyore's and Fluttershy's tails.
"I don't think I thought this through." Twilight admitted, holding onto Piglet's feet.
"There was no time for thinking. Only acting." Rabbit argued, clinging to Rarity's right front hoof and Applejack's back hoof.
"Whatever you can think of, make it quick, cuz this is starting to hurt." Rainbow winced.
Fluttershy had grabbed ahold of the Rainbow Dash's tail while she held Pinkie's back hooves. The pink mare held onto Rarity's back hooves.
"I'm too beautiful to die like this." Rarity wailed "Why me?"
"Oh, brother." Rainbow grumbled.
Up above, Eeyore gripped the root with his teeth as hard as he could. His tail stretched and tugged on his hide, causing him to mutter something in pain with his gritted teeth.
"What's Donkey Boy saying?" Tigger asked.
"I said "Ouch." Eeyore grunted, this time as clear a voice as possible.
There was a couple seconds of silence.
"Eeyore, please tell me you didn't let go of the root." Twilight said cautiously.
The donkey's eyes widened. As soon as the realization hit him, the chain of friends plummeted into the foggy crevasse. Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, being winged ponies, were able to take flight and completely avoid the frightening descent altogether.
"Ha! Good thing we have wings." Rainbow boasted.
"But they don't! Fluttershy screeched as she watch her friends dissipate within the fog. Their screams of terror echoing throughout the gorge walls.
Before the three could do anything to save them, they heard a tremendous splash and the screaming stopped. Fluttershy began to tear up.
"Applejack! Tigger! Pinkie!" She wailed as she descended rapidly toward the ground.
"Oh, Celestia. No." Twilight whimpered "What were we thinking?"
The three ponies descended to the bottom where they we met with a muddy creak.
"Where are they?" Rainbow searched the riversides.
T-They can't be..." Fluttershy trembled.
Just then, a flower began to rise from the water along with something covered in mud. Fluttershy hid behind Twilight, scared that whatever the mud thing was would attack them. It turned out to be Piglet, shaking the muck off his body. He rubbed his eyes and looked around.
"Piglet! You're okay!" Twilight pulled Piglet out of the riverbed with her magic.
"Oh, dear. I-I-I think so." He stammered. "Yike!"
Piglet noticed something else was beginning to re-emerge from the water.
"Now, don't worry, Piglet, it's only me." Pooh wiped the mud off his body along with his honey jar.
"But, what about the others?" Rainbow wondered, desperate to find her friends.
Piglet breath a sigh of relief until he saw several more mud-covered beings come up to the surface.
"Yike!" He yelped holding onto Twilight.
"Now, don't worry, Piglet, it's only Tigger and Rabbit and Eeyore." Pooh reassured.
"And Applejack, Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie!" Twilight shouted happily.
"Oh, thank goodness you're all okay." Fluttershy hugged Applejack.
"Don't worry yourself, Flutters." Applejack wrung out her hat. "Gonna take more than a simple fall take us down."
"Speak for yourself." Rarity cried. "My mane is absolutely ruined!"
"That was fun. Let's do it again." Pinkie hopped excitedly.
"Let's not. that was more scary than it was fun." Spike said just before Twilight enveloped him in a hug.
"Oh, Spike. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." Twilight sobbed.
Spike was a bit taken aback by his caretaker's crying. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
"It's okay, Twilight. I'm not hurt." He reassured.
Twilight's body wracked in sob after sob as she protectively hugged her little dragon. She felt as if she failed him again. That's when the other half of the map floated down from above.
"The map! Whoo-hoo, we have it! We can go now!" Rabbit snatched the parchment out of the air.
Piglet clapped happily, but that was short-lived as a familiar, distant growling could be heard.
"Worry now, Piglet, it's the skullasaurus." Pooh said fearfully.
Fear struck the entire gang. Twilight put Spike on her back and Piglet climbed onto Pooh who grabbed the honeypot. With the thought of the skullasaurus on their tracks ,Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Pooh, Piglet, and the Main 7 all ran splashed through the muddy creak and into the distance as fast as they could, frantic to get away from the monster.
To be continued
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Who touched her wing?
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Rabbit. Guess I should’ve made that more clear.
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And What part of his musical number did he do it?
11716927
Maybe I should change it to ears or something. Trying to add new lyrics probably isn’t the best idea.
This chapter describes me, when I get mixed signals of any kid.
I’m hoping the next chapter will have “wherever you are”
"Gonna talk more than a simple fall take us down"
Shouldn't talk be take?
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Fixed.
Usually when there's a song clip for fics like these, the context usually gets described. Here there is a little bit of a skip from one scene to the other, but I did get the gist otherwise.