Quest For Harmony

by destinedjagold

Chapter 145 - Portal

Fireflies flew in the dark and quiet cavern, their tiny lights provided enough light for ponies to see their surroundings. In front of the group was Twilight, her horn lit up and provided a faint purple light ahead, while Shining was behind the group, his horn also lit up. Aside from the echoes of each of their hooves, the silence was occasionally broken by distant water droplets.

In the middle of the group of ponies, Spike and the crusaders allowed their eyes to wander around, observing the ancient-looking cave. Dark brownish rocky walls and jagged stalactites and stalagmites that most towered taller than the traveling ponies.

Faint flapping of wings echoed. Looking up, ponies saw a few bats flying to and for, catching a few insects, and some even tried to catch the fireflies.

“Looks creepy,” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“Not really,” Scootaloo smirked.

While the two crusaders argued quietly, Spike glanced over his shoulder and saw the yellow pegasus mare following close behind.

“So um, are we getting closer?” he asked.

Fluttershy looked at him for a short moment before she whispered something that failed to reach the ears of anypony close by. A bat hovered close to her, and started talking to her. With a nod, the pegasus smiled at the bat, and the flying mammal flew away.

“We're getting close,” the pegasus replied.

Spike groaned. “You said the same thing, like, half an hour ago...”

During that time, Spike and the others told Fluttershy about the recent goings-on, and their little mission of helping Jay. She didn't believe it, but she didn't voice her opinion about it. But Spike and the others looked serious about this whole mission, so she thought that they weren't lying about it. Besides, she owe Gold an apology. She just hoped that joining Spike's crusade would be enough of an apology, even though she knew it wouldn't be.

“I'm...sorry...” she quietly said, eyes staring down on the ground and her ears drooped.

“Huh?” Spike glanced at her. “What was that?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and faced him. “I'm sorry...”

He blinked. “About what?”

She exhaled and looked away. “Well...I uh...”

He smiled. “If it's about what you did back in the snowy mountains, then don't worry about it.” He then waved a claw at her before returning his gaze on the path up ahead.

“B-but,” she stammered. She couldn't believe that she was forgiven so easily like that. “I tried to hurt you...and Gold!”

Spike only shrugged. “Nah. I don't like holding grudges and things like that.” He glanced back at smiled at her. “Besides, you had good reasons, I think...?” He shook his head and looked ahead. “But that's all in the past now! And I'm sure Jay also thinks the same way! So don't worry.”

Fluttershy stared at him in disbelief. Really? That was it? That easy? If she were to be honest with herself, she actually wanted it to be easy. She sighed, and hoped that Gold Blitz would also forgive her as easily as how Spike just did. She smiled weakly. “I hope you're right...”

“But seriously,” Spike said, and he paused after he shivered from the cold temperature. “Are we getting closer?”

“Too excited, aren't we?” Apple Bloom poked his shoulder teasingly.

Spike batted her hoof.

---

“Can you walk?” Jay asked, and felt stupid for asking such a question.

Xilfer gritted his teeth as he leaned against the wall, with only one foot as a support. Earlier, while Jay dragged him inside the cave from the chasing crystal hydra, Xilfer's knee painfully struck a rock on the ground.

“I...can manage,” Xilfer replied, though it was clear that it was a lie.

“No you can't,” Rainbow Dash argued, glaring at his wounded knee. “You need help.”

“Rainbow's right,” Jay said, “...whatever she just said, but I think she said that you can't walk on that condition.”

“I've been through worse than this,” Xilfer grinned. He then tried to put some pressure on his wounded leg, but the sharp pain almost made him lose his balance. “Tsk...”

“I've got you,” Bug said as he walked towards Xilfer, turning his flashlight off before he grabbed Xilfer's arm and put it over his shoulder to support him. “There we go,” he grinned.

Xilfer sighed in defeat and allowed him to help him.

“I'll lead the way then,” Jay said, turning around and faced the inclined path. “We good to go?”

Rainbow Dash glanced back, and saw Bug and Xilfer were already walking towards them. “Looking good over here,” she said.

“Right,” Jay nodded, and with a flashlight on one hand, he led the way slowly, Rainbow Dash and the others following behind.

After a while, Rainbow Dash slowed, until she was now walking beside Xilfer. “So,” she said, looking straight ahead as Xilfer regarded her with a glance. “Uh...” She shook her head to get rid of the annoying-stalling weird feeling. “What do you do for a living here?” Before Xilfer could answer, she looked at him with a smile. “Do you always do something crazy like what you did back in the bridge?”

Jay arched an eyebrow, but kept walking onward.

“Sometimes,” was Xilfer's simple answer. He then looked ahead. “I used to work as a clerk in a department store until I got bored of it.”

The pegasus nodded, despite having no idea what a ‘clerk’ or ‘department store’ meant.

Bug smiled awkwardly. “I find it weird that you two can understand this little horse with wings.” He laughed weakly. “You two really are brothers.”

“Shut up,” Xilfer gave him a side glare, even though he and the others were still wearing masks. “That reminds me,” he looked at Jay, “there aren't any mists inside this cave right?”

“I'd rather play safe, Xilf,” Jay replied without looking back.

Rainbow shook her head. “Is he always that boring?”

“You have no idea,” Xilfer grinned.

“Har har,” Jay lamely spoke. He wanted to tell them that he managed to fly with an armor with wings, and fought unicorns while falling in mid-air, but decided against it. Would they believe him? Despite everything that was happening lately, he still doubted it. He sighed. ‘I guess I really am boring...’

After a while, Rainbow continuously broke the silence by asking random stuff on Xilfer, and Jay grew more and more suspicious of why she was interviewing his brother like that. He had a random thought, but shook it off after a simple fact that a pony and a human can't be together...like that. He found it rather weird as to why so many bronies in the internet were so into that sort of fiction.

Or maybe it's possible. There is, of course, a saying ‘love knows no boundaries’, but he cringed at the thought. He slightly looked back, and saw Rainbow's large grin, and, despite the mask, he could clearly see Xilfer's frustrated frown.

“Something wrong?” Bug asked, startling Jay for a bit.

He shook his head slightly and turned his attention back on the path up ahead. “Nothing. Don't worry about it.”

Rainbow's voice broke the silence once more, this time, aimed at Jay. “Jay, if you looked at us because I asked your brother if he likes mares,” Jay stopped and froze in place, “then don't worry! He turned down the offer,” she said with a clear hint of sadness.

Jay turned at them. Xilfer waved a hand at him. “Let's not talk about that again.”

Jay sighed with a smile. “Well, that's a relief to hear.”

“But hey,” Rainbow spoke, “I'm still gonna bother him until he agrees.” She grinned.

Jay glared at her. “I won't let you.”

“Can you stop me?”

“Enough,” Xilfer calmly said. “I don't even know why we're having this discussion. Aren't there more important matters at stake here?”

Jay glared at the pegasus for a while, until a thought hit him. He turned and continued to walk as he smiled at the thought that Rainbow's going back into her world anyway, so there's nothing he should worry about.

“What were you guys talking about, anyway?” Bug asked, only to receive a sigh from Xilfer.

“Oh, hey look! The exit!” Jay said, sounding way too excited. “I'll go on ahead to see if the coast is clear.” He looked back and saw his brother shook his head.

“Don't be stupid,” Xilfer spoke. “Remember that a chopper rolled down from there.” Jay suddenly felt a very cold air swirling around him. “Whatever caused it, it might still be there.”

“O-on second thought,” Jay coughed awkwardly, “let's go out together.” He nodded quickly. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“What's the matter Jay?” Rainbow grinned at him. “Chicken?”

Jay glared at her. “Shut up.”

Jay took a breath and sighed, trying to ease his nervousness. After that, he looked at everyone for a while before he turned and walked onward towards the exit. As they got closer, Jay turned off his flashlight and brought it inside his pocket.

‘I hope Spike's on the other side. That way, things would be easier from here. I hope the heart will finally stop everything that's happening here...’

And then, they were out, and the scene before them shocked all of them. Crystal ponies, after noticing their arrival, started standing up as their black eyes were locked on them. Jay quickly turned back to the cave, but two crystal ponies already stood in their way.

Thinking quickly, he turned to where the portal was located, and there it was, but it was bigger and taller than it used to be, and what stood in front of the portal was a figure he didn't want to see.

“But of course you would be here...” Jay groaned.