Chapter 7 Lucky Little Ponies
Quizzical Greystone And The Basements Of Doom
Chapter 7 Lucky Little Ponies
“See, Girls, this isn’t so bad,” said Shadow. “A nice walk in the evening, good company, I’d say we were lucky… um, Quizzie? There aren’t any trees down here to walk into, but you still really should be paying attention.”
“What? Oh, dear, I am sorry, Shadow.” Quiz had been making entries in her notebook. “I do understand that our situation calls for focus, but I could not resist. It is just that I find one gains extraordinary insights about friendship when one is force into the company of those who do not like you.”
Diamond Tiara answered this with a derisive snort. Silver Spoon looked away.
“You could hurt a pony’s feelings saying things like that, Quizzie,” noted Shadow. “So, where do I fit in your observations?”
“You? Oh, my, I suppose, if this were an experiment then you would be the neutral control.”
“Oh, really?” It was impossible to tell from Shadow’s tone whether he was angry, or about to laugh.
Diamond sneered, “Gee, Shadow, she thinks pretty highly of you, doesn’t she?”
Quiz actually blushed. “Please do not take offense, Shadow. It is just that I hold the title ‘friend’ very dear. It is precious to me, and I do not bestow it lightly. We have only just met.”
“Well, I also hold the title friend precious and dear,” stated Shadow. “That’s why I bestow it freely, every chance I get.”
“Oh, my,” muttered Quiz. “That is quite extraordinary. I shall have to make a note of that.”
“Quiz!”
“Just a quick note, and I will put it away. I promise.”
#
The brush lining the path tore at the tips of Derpy’s wings and she winced. The trail they were running along was too narrow for a pegasus to fly. But gusts of wind from the fire would shower them with cinders, and Derpy flared her wings to protect the children ahead of her.
The ponies easily stayed ahead of the fire on the ground. But the blaze had reached the tree tops, where the wind drove the fire across the crowded canopy. The fire above them would soon overtake the ponies.
The path ended at a field of reeds and cattails. “Good news, folks,” said Shady. “We have come to the marsh at the edge of Terminal Lake.”
“Terminal?”
“It’s just a name, Fluttershy. It just means we’ve come to the end of the road.”
“That doesn’t sound any better, Shady.”
“This place is no more dangerous than anywhere in the Forest.”
“Please stop reassuring me, Shady.”
“All I mean is…” Shady stopped suddenly, and pointed at Derpy. “You might want to splash a little water on that, Dear.”
“Momma! You’re on fire!” cried Dinky.
“What? Oh, dear. But no, Muffin, I’m not on fire. I’m just smoldering a little.” Everywhere the cinders had touched they had burned holes through the barbs of Derpy’s feathers. Her wings were a smoking ruin. Since the heat had not reached the sensitive roots of the shafts, and Derpy had never felt a thing.
“I’ll stop smoking in a moment, don’t mind me,” said Derpy. A vigorous flap of her wings shed a cloud of cinder dust and burnt feathers.
“Well, clipped wings or not, we should be safe now,” said Shady, somewhat taken aback. “The Forest runs right up to the bank of Terminal Lake on the south side…”
“That’s north, Shady.”
“Um, well, yes, north. The marsh goes around the other side of the lake. The wind is blowing the fire the other way, through the trees. If we just circle the lake to the right…”
“That’s the left, Shady.”
“Yes, left, thank you Fluttershy. Anyway, we stay in the marsh and we shall reach the far side of the lake. Step lightly, everypony. Stay where the water is shallow, no more than a hoof deep. Large constrictor snakes like to lay in ambush where it’s deeper…”
“Eep!” Fluttershy cringed. “Shady, is the next thing you say going to be about crocodiles?”
“Well, now that you mention it, we better keep as far back from the bank as we can.” Shady began leading them through the marsh. “I can only wrestle one of them at a time. That might be why the crocs have taken to hunting in threes…”
“The more casually you talk about these things the more you terrify me, Shady.”
“What?” Shady was distracted by something he had spied on the lake’s shore. “Oh, good, we may not have to walk.”
He did not get to explain. The diamond dogs that had been chasing them stood in the reeds ahead of them, blocking their way.
“Hello little ponies,” said Dagget. “You have the fire on one side and the lake to another. The only safe way you have is with us. It is time to surrender.”
#
“I look ridiculous,” exclaimed Rarity.
“You wanted to be grounded. Just be glad copper conducts magic,” said Tim. He had wound copper wire around each of the unicorn’s horns, then left a strand dangling on the ground. “Most of the static magic has bled off and your mane is lying flat again. You should be feeling better as well.”
“Yes, well, I do feel somewhat more settled. Thank you, Tim.” Rarity finally had the courage to take out her hand mirror, and was now looking for a brush.
“I rather like mine,” said the Professor. “You should give more consideration to the fashion possibilities of precious metals. Copper in particular, though a very handsome metal, is underrated as it is of less value than gold or…oww!”
While pushing through the undergrowth the Professor had collided with something hard. The ponies tore aside vines and branches to reveal a huge stone, about the size of a kitchen table, carved square and with a flat top.
“That looks like a… Eep!” Fern shrieked and dove for cover. “It’s an altar stone! Primitive ponies made live sacrifices on that!”
“It’s the base of a tower,” said Tim.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Fern. You can still see the mounting brackets. The stains are from rust.”
“What do you suppose it was for?” asked Applejack.
Tim stepped up to the block for a closer look. “This would have supported something relatively light, say an open frame iron work. My best guess is this used to be a windmill for a water pump. If we look around we should find what’s left of a well or a pump house.”
“If that was a windmill then all this land would have been cleared for the crops they were irrigating,” said Applejack. “Some of these trees are hundreds of years old!”
“That fits,” said Stranger. “Most ponies abandoned the Everfree a thousand years ago.”
There was a startled cry, then a muffled call from the Professor. “I believe I have found what is left of the pump house.”
The other ponies soon found the hole he had fallen through. Applejack began to ready her rope. “Hang on, Professor. We’ll have you out of there in a jiffy.”
“Actually, I was going to propose you all join me down here,” called the Professor. “Though I suggest you find a better method of descending than mine.”
“What do you see, Professor?” asked Applejack.
“I am in the building’s foundation. Beware, for the ground is unstable. The sod seems to have woven over what was once the floor. But there are tunnels carved through this basement, and there are tracks.”
“Tracks? Diamond dog tracks?”
“Yes, but also hoof prints. The children were led this way.”
“Well, that settles it,” declared Applejack. “Fern, Tim, could you please fly us down there?”
#
Rainbow Dash zoomed down from the canopy. “You were right, Stone Hoof. It’s smoke, we got us a forest fire. The kids probably started it while trying to make a signal fire.”
“It might have been started by the pony-nappers,” Infernalo pointed out. “Perhaps they are trying to drive us out of the Forest.”
Rainbow answered with a derisive snort. “You don’t know the kids like I do. I bet it was Scootaloo’s idea. Anyway, it’s time to saddle up. We need to take this fire down, Weather Patrol style!”
“Excellent,” said Navy, flexing his wings and showing off the three raindrops of his cutie mark. “I’m always up for a little rain making. Especially after all the walking around we’ve been doing.”
“How about you, Autumn?” asked Rainbow. “You do remember how to buck storm clouds, don’t you?”
Autumn shot her a fierce look. “Rainbow Dash, I’m on Fall leaf duty because I choose to be. I happen to like it. Don’t think for a second that means I can’t buck clouds with the best of you.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” cried Professor Heart. “Are you ponies serious? You want to move storm clouds around? These clouds? The glowing, magic soaked, scary clouds? Do you have any idea what will happen if you play around with them?”
Everypony looked at Infernalo, who was their magic expert. Infernalo shrugged. “Try not to get it on anypony?” he said, weakly.
“Anypony as close to the fire line as we’ll be working has a lot more to worry about than a little glowing rain,” stated Rainbow Dash.
“Maybe it’s therapeutic,” said the Mayor. She went on, dreamily, “We could build a spa someday. Ponies would come from all over Equestria to bath in our magic showers…”
“Come to the Everfree Spa, unicorns must wear hazmat suits!” sneered Professor Heart.
“Let’s get to it before the Forest burns down,” said Navy, ignoring the Professor. “We just need a signal so we can find our way back.”
“How’s this?” asked Stone Hoof. “Timber!”
Stone buck a tree hard, and it slowly fell over, thundering to the ground as it tore through other tree’s branches on the way down. “Do you think you could notice that?”
“Stone! That tree was perfectly healthy!” cried Autumn. “Couldn’t you pick an old, sick one?”
“A little forest management is a good thing,” said the Mayor. “It lets in the light, right?”
“Can we just get on with this?” demanded Rainbow Dash. She zoomed away without waiting for an answer.
#
Sky landed gently next to the rest of the party. “All that zooming around is definitely the Blue Team. They’re using the storm clouds to fight a forest fire.”
“Is that safe?” asked Mustang.
Everypony looked at Relic. She shrugged. “They should try not to get it on anypony.”
“I sure don’t want to shower in glowy magic stuff!” exclaimed one of the Chick brothers.
“The magic saturated rain is an unknown,” said Twilight. “The forest fire is a known hazard, and it has to be dealt with. Sky, you want to join them, don’t you.”
Sky nodded emphatically. “I really, really do!”
“You’ll need a signal to find your way back, or else you’ll have to stick with them,” said Twilight.
“Stick with them? You mean join the Blue Team? No way! I want to find you guys again.”
“Oh, oh, let me handle it!” cried Pinkie. “I have something that’s just perfect.”
#
“You left us to the spiders, Dr. Stalker,” said Dagget. “That was not nice.”
“They laughed at us,” whimpered Alpha. “They looked like little clowns surrounding us and they laughed and laughed and laughed!”
“Yes, that sounds like them,” said Shady. “Big Top spiders are famous for their sense of fun.”
“Shut up, Alpha,” snapped Dagget. “It is time for you and the other little ponies to surrender to us, Dr. Stalker. Unless you prefer to face the fire, or the crocodiles of the lake, you must come to us.”
Digger suddenly fell to his knees, wailing and clutching his head.
“That was a blunt tip, diamond dog,” said Valory, waving her bow. “The next arrow won’t be. Do you like jewelry? I can pierce your ears for you.”
“Valory! Is that any way to talk?” gasped Fluttershy.
“I would only ever threaten one of the bad guys, Miss Fluttershy,” Val protested. “Isn’t that permitted?”
“I think I need to speak with your parents about your reading habits.”
Dagget gave his companion a kick. “Get up, Digger! I… Digger? Are you crying?!”
“It hurts, Dagget! It hurts a lot! She shot me in the face!”
“Do not cry in front of the ponies, Digger. How are we to intimidate them if they see you crying?”
“But it hurts! It hurts worse than that other place she shot me!”
Derpy flexed her damaged wings. “I can barely get the lift to fly. I’ll never be able to carry any of the kids.”
Fluttershy looked out across the lake. “The fire is already creating wind, and it’s not safe to fly in these drafts. I might drop… if I’m carrying a child I might… I can’t say it.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Ladies,” Shady drawled casually. “We won’t need to fly to escape.”
Shady climbed a huge rock at the lake’s edge. “If you will all join me, here, we can be underway.”
The others spared a moment to look a Shady like he was crazy before joining him. The last atop the rock was Pipsqueak.
“Are we really going to run away again?” Pip protested. “But we’re the Ambush Raiders!”
“Now, Pip, you know we can’t get into a fight until we’ve gotten Angel to safety,” soothed Shady. The little unicorn lying on his back helped make his point by moaning softly.
“Yes, Sir,” said Pip, obediently mounting the rock.
“Everyone comfortably aboard? Great.” Shady tapped the rock gently with a hoof and called out. “George? Are you awake? Could you give us a ride to the far shore, please?”
The rumble that answered him was barely recognizable as a voice. “Uuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvvv kkkkkkkkkkkooooooorrrrrrrrrssssssssss, dddddddddookkkkktttttttrrrrrr Sssssssstttttaawwwwwkkkkkkkrrrrrrrrrrr.”
The “rock” rose and began to swim across the lake with the little ponies on his back.
“Wait, what are you doing?!” screamed Dagget, jumping up and down, his arms flailing madly. “Do you not understand?! You are supposed to surrender to Me!!!”
“Children, wave good bye to the diamond dogs,” said Shady. “We may not be seeing them again.”
And they all waved good bye.
#
“What do we do now, Dagget?” asked Alpha.
“We dig,” declared Dagget. “First, to get away from this fire. Then to find one of our tunnels, one that goes the right way. We will get ahead of these ponies, we will catch them, and we will teach them a lesson!”
“Can’t we just go home?” whined Alpha.
“No! And Digger? Stop crying!”
#
“I think we’re lucky ponies,” said Shadow. “I’d certainly rather be here than back at camp, cataloguing specimens.”
“What sort of specimens?” asked Diamond Tiara. “Rocs? Bugbears? Vampire vines?”
“Beetle larva.”
“Eww!” cried Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara together.
“Oh, grubs aren’t that gross,” said Shadow. “But the work is almost as exciting as it sounds. What can I say? Grubs are important to a forest’s ecology, and there are a lot of them. On the plus side, if I discover a new species I get to name it. How does Melolonthini diamondtiarii sound?”
“Um… gee, thanks, Shadow. But, maybe you should name your grub after Quiz instead.”
“Anyway, you can see why I’d rather be here. How about you, Gals?”
“Yeah, I guess this is better than being home alone, in my room, with nothing to do,” grumbled Diamond.
“You are grounded again, Diamond Tiara?” asked Quiz.
“Yes, but it’s not your fault this time, Quiz-ik-al!”
“It was never my fault, Diamond Tiara.”
Diamond ignored her. “I wouldn’t have been caught if my best friend had been there to help look out for the truant officer.”
“I told you I couldn’t play hooky with you!” protested Silver Spoon. “I couldn’t afford to get caught. If I was grounded tonight I’d miss…oh, never mind.”
“That’s right, Silver, you’re going to miss your little game tonight anyway.”
“What are you missing, Silvey?” asked Shadow.
“Go on, Silver. Tell Shadow about your big night,” sneered Diamond. “While you’re at it, tell him about what you do every week in the back room of the Ponyville Hotel.”
“You knew about that?!”
“Girl, you can’t keep secrets from me! You should know better than to try. Go on, tell Shadow what a little closet nerd you really are.”
“Don’t worry about it, Silvey,” said Shadow. “Like I said, I get excited about naming beetles. And Quizzie…”
“Is Quiz!” giggled Diamond.
“…is not going to look down on anypony for being nerdy,” finished Shadow. “Really, who in this tunnel is going to judge you?”
Diamond Tiara snorted, but withheld comment.
They could hardly hear Silver Spoon’s answer. “I was going to the Gaming Convention.”
“You play Advanced Destriers and Delvers, Silver Spoon?” asked Quiz.
Silver shook her head. “I don’t play much anymore. I run the games. I’m the Game Master.”
Quiz and Shadow were still trying to come up with a response to this confession when Silver began to cry.
“It’s not fair! The Guild of Story Tellers accepted my module for the tournament final. I was so proud! And it was going to be so much fun! Only the best of the best role-players make it to that table. Players like Big Macintosh. He’s the greatest. That’s so much better than the munchkins and power geeks I have to put up with just to get a game most weeks. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to tell Snips and Snails I wouldn’t let them roll up alicorns! But none of that stuff tonight. Tonight was going to be the best time ever. Now it’s ruined! Dumb diamond dogs.”
There are times even Diamond Tiara can tell when she’s pushed a pony too far. Shadow moved to comfort Silver Spoon, but Diamond reacted first. She went to her sobbing best friend, and gave her a little nudge.
“Come on, Silver. You know your game will get rescheduled. Your friends in the Guild of Geeks wouldn’t trust their precious final to some loser alternate. They need their star Game Master.”
Silver tried to wipe away tears with her hooves. Shadow handed her a handkerchief. “Do you really think so, Diamond?”
“Well, duh! Besides, they’ll be missing most of their players. Those geeks all think they really are bold adventurers, so most of them volunteered for search parties and stuff. You know Big Mac did, ‘cause he’s crazy stupid over Miss Cheerilee.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right, based on the gamer nerds I went to school with,” said Shadow, chucking.
“I agree.” said Quiz. “And I sincerely hope that is correct. Otherwise, that you have been robbed of the great moment you deserve is yet another crime we may charge to Chief Bowser.”
Silver Spoon wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Thanks guys. Thanks a lot.”
“I feel I must confess, I now feel some jealousy of you, Silver Spoon,” said Quiz.
“Jealous? Of me?!”
“Certainly,” said Quiz. “To be able to craft stories, to create worlds, with little more than your imagination, is a talent I admire very much. It is a talent I am saddened not to have.”
“Wow, thank you, Quiz. Um, do you play AD&D?”
“I have long had a fascination for the game. The volumes of rules, the dice of geometric solids, and that they let you make maps on graph paper. I find all that attractive. But I have been told that I miss the point of the game.”
“Well…” Silver Spoon failed to suppress a laugh. “Yeah, kind of.”
“The Magic Academy I attended before coming to Ponyville had a very active gaming society. But I was never invited to play.”
“Oh.” Silver Spoon could think of nothing she wished to add.
“Not a big surprise,” muttered Diamond Tiara, under her breath.
“So, Quizzie,” said Shadow, afraid the uncomfortable silence would stretch on, “What would you be doing if you weren’t here tonight?”
“Tomorrow I am scheduled for student teaching, I wished to review my lesson plan and brush up on the topic. It is of concern to me.”
Diamond Tiara blew a raspberry. “You’re teaching tomorrow? Well, maybe we’ll get lucky and get stuck down here all day.”
“Wait, what?” exclaimed Silver Spoon. “Quiz, did you just say that you’re concerned about a lesson?”
Quiz nodded. “It is a grammar lesson. I understand the subject, in theory. But it is something with which I have no practice at all. There are nuances that escape me. I fear you and the other students will not benefit from my teaching. You are all given to an inherent understanding that I do not have.”
“Okay, now you have my attention,” said Diamond. “What could we possibly be studying that you don’t already know all about, Quiz?”
“Contractions.”
#
Sky arrived where the other pegasi were fighting the fire, expertly sheparding a large storm cloud into place. After a moment’s study she found the perfect place to kick it, causing the cloud to pour rain on the fire.
“Good job, Sky,” called Rainbow Dash. “You have some pretty good moves for a Cloud Island pony.”
“Cloudsdale doesn’t have a monopoly on skills, Rainbow,” Sky answered.
“Hay, do you guys know anything about what this rain can do?”
Sky shook her head. “The only advice I got was not to get it on any pony.”
“Yeah, I heard that, too.” Rainbow jumped on a cloud to squeeze the last drops out of it. “Luckily, this stuff is just as wet as regular rain. A couple more passes and we should have the fire out.”
“Sounds good. Have you guys learned anything about the kids?”
“No, but we think we know where they are going.”
“We think we figured that out, too. And it was definitely diamond dogs.”
“We can exchange information after we’re done,” said Rainbow. “Enough chat, more work. Go get yourself another storm cloud, Sky.”
Rainbow zoomed away. The other pegasi soon followed.
#
The work of the Weather Patrol ponies was a study in precision. They picked just the right clouds, and surgically removed them from the rest of the front. They hardly spilled any rain, except for a bit of drizzle that just happened to fall near a diamond dog air shaft. The rain was trapped by a dam of dry leaves. This formed a deep puddle on the lip of the shaft; just waiting for the leaves to give, and for water to pour down the shaft.
#
The giant turtle came to rest against a grassy bank, and the little ponies climbed off his back.
“Thanks, George. I owe you a big one,” called Shady.
“Nnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooo, ppppppprrrrrrrrrrooooooooooobbbbllllmmmmmm, ddddddddddookkkkkkttttrrrrr, sssssssttttttttttttaaaaaawwwwwwwkkkkkkkrrrrrrrrrrrr. Seeeeeeee, yyyyyyyyyooooooooo, innnn, thuuuu, ssssssssssssspppppppppprrrrrrrrriiiiiiingggggggggggggg,”
“Right. You go find a cozy muddle wallow to sleep through the winter. ‘Night, George.” Shady watched George swim away. “Here’s some advice, Ladies. If you get a chance to befriend a giant turtle, do so. You make a friend for life, and your grandchildren’s lives, and their grandchildren’s lives.”
“He seems very nice,” said Fluttershy.
“Oh, yeah, George is a fine fella. And it was amazingly easy to get on his good side. All I had to do was listen to him. He speaks so slowly that no one wanted to talk to him, and he was just starved for some conversation. I will confess, I spent a lot of time reviewing my field note while he talked.”
“So,” began Derpy. “Where do we go now?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Shady. “Our survey area ended at the other lake shore. I’ve never been here.”
“Oh,dear,” gasped Fluttershy. She began to tremble. “The woods look so….thick…and dense…and mean…”
“Hey, look what I found!” called Valory.
It was a large hole in an outcrop, more than big enough for a pony to walk through. The inside of the hole was plugged by a boulder, but that was easily rolled aside.
“Oh, no!” cried Fluttershy. “Oh, no, no, no, NO! The Everfree Forest is not the place for exploring unknown holes in the ground.”
All around them the calls began again. “Oogie oogie, oogie!”
“Blast!” exclaimed Shady. “Normally, I’d be inclined to agree with Fluttershy this time. But it sounds as if it’s building up for another discharge. We have no choice. We have to get Angel to safety.”
Shady led the way with his torch, and the other ponies followed him into the cave. All except Fluttershy. Derpy had to go back and push her into the cave.
“Well, this seems cozy enough…” began Shady.
There was a roar and a blast of air, and a cloud of frost formed above the pony’s heads.
“Who dares disturb my privacy?!” bellowed someone from the shadows, deep in the cave.
The ponies froze, petrified with fear, but only for a moment. A young dragon stepped into the light and began to laugh.
“Sorry, just messin’ with ya. I couldn’t resist. My name’s Drago. Welcome to my home.”
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New Dragon!
55s?:Expected some more comments by now...
I am actually offended by that. I happen to be rather proud of "optimizing", it's practically an art of its own. Besides, where's the fun in planning out a perfect build if you start off with a broken template like Alicorn, Vampire, Half-Celestial, Half-Fiend, or anything else of the sort? The nerve of some DMs, honestly.
Genius.
Seconded.
I've been wondering about these scenes... and how many ponies you have in each search party. On one hand, it's very nice to see so many fleshed out characters and it means the search parties do not consist of one or two of the mane six and an indefinite number of faceless ponies. On the other hand, they do seem to consist of a running conversation a large number of ponies that are difficult to keep track of. Kind of a repeated <dialogue><dialogue tag><dialogue> patten.
I'm wondering if they would work better with a stronger sense of a point of view character for the reader to latch onto. Who's eyes are we looking through and what do they think? This might stop the reader feeling so lost and provide more texture as you'd be forced to break the <dialogue><dialogue tag><dialogue> patten more frequently. The Quiz scenes feel stronger because we have Quiz to latch onto.
Anyway, just a thought.
GMing is hard. Glad I got it off my list of nerdy things to do.
2704682 When I speak of power geeks I don't mean good optimizers. I mean the guys who, if you ask them, "What's your character like?" they answer by talking about their sword. If you repeat the question they tell you about their stats, begining with the one they have made illegally high. If your clarify "What is your character's personality?" they look at you blankly. I have had Snips and Snails at my table.
2704842 I think you are right about everything and I shall have to work on this.
Never was any good at DMing. Just don't have the knack. I miss playing though.
Contractions. Filthy little buggers.
Can't say I don't love 'em tho'. 
Been there, done that, got the GM tee shirt. There's nothing like running a game where one player has just handed you a three-page backstory while another is still rolling dice. (Your barbarian has a wisdom of 16 and a strength of 10?)
For a minute there, I thought that Shady was Ludo from Labyrinth
2705372
Oooooh, you're talking about Pun-Pun. Filthy little bastard, but I do love the thought experiments.
I'm more of the type that would make a human chef with zero combat skills then midway through the campaign jump on a t-rex's back and claw its heart out, bare-handed. With the justification "What? The feat says I get a bonus to gathering materials and butchery. Plus the one about improvised tools. Clearly that means cutting through tough hide and bone if I can make a Tarrasque Souffle." I still love the DM that let me get away with that.
The Pun-Pun power-gamers have their place, though. Have you ever seen the look on their face when you let them have their over-powered character and you drop an Omniscificer on them? It's priceless, especially if you time it right. I haven't managed to record one yet, but that absolute despondence as Genocidicles Maximus, standing atop his castle made of Ancient Gold Wyrm bones, falls to a fourth-level elven artificer is one of the wonders of the world.
Those poor miserable diamond dogs
Pffhaaahahaha! ohgods, you're killing me man
Let me guess, the Diamond Dogs are still below that?
Uh oh...
Aww, George the Giant Turtle. I suppose this is a reference to Lonesome George?
...the mirror pool?
Whew. Just a dragon. I hope he's not too big, or Fluttershy will be petrified.
Some remarks:
> when one is force into the company
Should be "forced"
> too narrow for a pegasus to fly
there seems to be an ungodly amount of spaces between these words.
> Since the heat had reached the sensitive roots of the shafts, and Derpy had never felt a thing.
This sentence seems oddly structured, and a bit contradictory. I think it should be
"Since the heat hadn't reached the sensitive roots of the shafts,
andDerpy had never felt a thing."> Sky arrived were the other pegasi were fighting the fire
"Sky arrived [where] the other pegasi were"
How did the Blue Team know about the diamond dogs? I don't recall them finding anything that would suggest that.
"Now I'm gonna gobble you all up!" the dragon then cackled like a really cliche supervillain. And then he ate one... I dunno which, one of the little ones.
Fluttershy looked smugly at the others with a totally out-of-character snide sneer, "Told you dragons would eat a pony in one gulp!"
Shady just blinked, "Fanfictions of fanfictions are really weird!"
Me?