Forced into another journey, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash find out that smuggling weasels is one thing...but working for them is another story entirely.
Respect is one thing. But with respect comes with responsibility, and when somepony needs something escorted out of Equestria, guess who's responsible for it?
Equestria's favorite smuggling duo, that's who.
It was only a matter of time before their exploits caught the attention of some very powerful ponies. And so, forced out of retirement, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy must embark on another foray into the frowned upon side of the law. Only this time, they aren't smuggling weasels...
This time, they're working for them.
**Cover Art by DayDreamerPony on DeviantArt!
**Although there will be some reference to Furry Contraband 1, you don't necessarily have to read the first in order to enjoy this one!
The hand on the clock paused for a moment. A disheartened breath caught in the blue pegasus’s throat.
Tock.
“I swear, I am going to beat the f—!”
“Excuse me, Ms. Dash!” A spectacled stallion poked his head from behind the corner, just in time to stop Rainbow Dash from committing clock homicide. “Put. The timer. Down.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow carefully fitted the battle-scarred clock back into the spot in the wall where it had been ruthlessly torn out. She fell back on her haunches, holding a punch-card in her hooves. “Sorry, boss,” she mumbled, her eyes still trained on her ticking nemesis.
“Listen Rainbow, I know you’re excited about leaving. But that doesn’t mean you have to take out your frustration on the punch-clock…again. Seriously though, this is the third time this month you’ve—.”
Ding!
Before he could finish his sentence, a rainbow-colored flash filled his vision, leaving him spinning on the floor dazed. Once his vision cleared up, he found the clock lying on the floor once again, while cries of jubilance echoed through the hallway.
Dash zigzagged through the Weather Patrol Headquarters, her smile growing with every second she was in the air. She spotted an open window at the end of the corridor, and seizing the opportunity, she rocketed toward the makeshift escape route. Folding her wings at just the right moment, she slipped through the glass and out into the open sky, almost bowling over a duo of pegasi in the process. Finally out of her white cloudy prison, Dash stretched out her limbs and let out a triumphant scream. “See ya later suckers! I’ve got a life! Whoo hoo!” With that, the pegasus jetted towards town, putting as much distance between her and the floating building as possible.
Meanwhile, the duo of flustered pegasi looked through the window, seeing a mess of spilled coffee, scattered papers, and somewhat irritated workers. One of them, new to the job, asked, “What was that?”
“Espresso, I think,” the other one, dipping his hoof in a spattered beverage. With squinted eyes and a gritty voice, he added, “Cheap name brand too. Makes me sick.”
“No, not that. What’s her deal?”
“Oh her? It’s nothin’, rook. She does that every weekend.”
It was time for Friday night to commence, and of course, that meant a nightmare for the clouds as Dash cut her way through them faster than she did when she was actually on duty. The pegasus raced high above the sky, her cries of joy booming over the town. Eventually, Dash climbed higher and higher, before pausing at the perfect spot where she was above the clouds, but there was still enough oxygen to keep her from being dizzy. And it was the perfect vantage point to look out on the landscape, bathed in an orange glow from the already setting sun.
She looked to the north, where she saw a tall forest, and the swamplands next to it. The pegasus couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, remembering the crazy adventure she and Fluttershy—Fluttershy, of all ponies!—had taken almost a year ago. It seemed like an eternity since the two trekked through the muddy waters, just for a sake of a couple of furry critters. But the adventure still brought a smile to Dash’s face, especially when the face of that fuzzy little kitten she had taken under her wing came into her mind. And of course, how he wasn’t so little anymore.
Finally, after taking in one more breath of the cool air, Rainbow Dash descended, setting a course for her home, where she’d usually take a quick nap before heading out to party all night.She eventually lighted down on her porch, her head bobbing to ‘Rainbow Dash is Freakin’ Rad’, a tune she made up in her head on the flight home.
Just as she put her hoof on the handle, a note stuck to the door caught her eye. She took the note off and began to read. “’Sorry we missed you…do you need your hedges trimmed and your branches plucked’—what the buck is this?” She quickly tossed the ad over her shoulder, muttering, “I don’t even have trees.”
Suddenly, another note caught her attention, this one hiding underneath the last one. It was crumpled and hastily torn, and the words were written in pencil by a shaky hoof. This time, Dash carefully plucked it off the door, reading, “’Dear Rainbow Dash, could you please come to my cottage as soon as you get the chance? I need some help with something. Fluttershy.’ Huh.” The pegasus raised her brow, rereading the note again for good measure. Part of her was already prepared for some late night flying and partying and all-around awesomeness. And if it was any other pony, she probably would’ve tossed the note and galloped into her bed. But not Fluttershy; not the one pony that stuck with her through the years. So, with a hefty sigh, Dash took off into the night, saying, “Alright ‘Shy. But this better be good…”
xxx
The pegasus strolled up to the wooden door and raised a hoof to knock, only to see it was already propped open. Weird, Rainbow thought. It’s already dark. You’d think ‘Shy would’ve locked herself in…and barred the windows…and barricaded the doors…and…
As her thoughts rambled through her head, her body found itself slowly stepping through the doorway. Shaking her head, the pegasus cleared her throat and called, “Fluttershy? I’m here. You needed me?”
Stepping into the kitchen, she was relieved to see her butter-colored friend standing at the counter, holding two glasses of water. “Ah hello, Rainbow. Glad you could, um, make it,” she answered with a smile.
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, before stopping in her tracks, her ears perked. Something’s not quite right, she thought, quickly scanning the room. Was it Fluttershy’s smile? Was the furniture? Maybe it could even be the glasses of water.
No… Rainbow hadn’t even noticed the room was silent. The animals weren’t chattering.
“Yes, Ms. Dash. Glad you could join us.”
She turned around, coming face to face with two shadowy figures. One raised a hoof, and in a deep voice, he said, “We just wanted to have a little chat with you two.”
Two pegasi sat scrunched together on a love seat, neither of them using it to its actual purpose. Instead, they both sat with large frowns for very different reasons. Fluttershy’s body was visibly shaking, her lips pursed together as she tried not to break down into a nervous heap. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, frowned out of annoyance, her hooves crossed over her chest as her eyes followed the burly figures pacing around the house.
Finally the two stallions, who were dressed in matching red shirts and black vests, stopped in front of the pegasi. One of them remarked, “Nice cottage. If you get past the smell of bird droppings, it’s a nice place."
“Who the heck are you guys?” Dash inquired, her frown turning into a scowl.
“Ah, you don’t need to know our names. You can just call us, uh, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”
The other stallion quickly turned to his counterpart, confusion visible in his eyes. “Why do I gotta be Tweedle Dum?” he asked in a soft, deep voice.
With a shrug, Dee replied nonchalantly, “Because you’re dumb as a sack of horseshoes, remember?”
“Oh…yeah.”
“So anyway, we’re here on behalf of our boss.” As he spoke, Dee slipped a cigarette out his vest and lit it, putting it to his lips. The stallion let out a puff of smoke towards Fluttershy, and she felt the smoke sting her eyes and burn her lungs, causing her to cough. While she continued her fit of wheezing, Dee continued, “We’ve need for ponies of your ‘services’.”
“That’s disgusting! Take me out to dinner first, weirdo,” Dash answered defiantly.
“No no no, not like that.”
“Not yet anyway.” Dum let out a deep chuckle, only to be cut short by a hoof smacking the back of his head.
"We got a reputation to keep up, meathead, what're you doin'?" After glaring at his partner for another minute, Dee clarified, “Ahem, word has it that you two…are the best damn smugglers this side of Equestria.”
“Oh no…” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she shrunk back into the already cramped chair.
“Oh yes! You’re the lil’ ponies who slipped past Princess Luna and rainbow-nuked half of her soldiers. You’re infamous around these parts.”
“It was way more than half,” Dash corrected. "If you're gonna flatter us, at least get the facts straight."
“Whatever, let’s just cut right to the chase. We need you two to get something up north.”
“I-I’m sorry sir,” Fluttershy finally piped. “But we’ve retired from that, er, business. We’ve been retired for months.”
“Well then…I guess you just came out of retirement.”
“And what are you gonna do about it?” Rainbow Dash shot out of the chair, hovering in front of Dee, pressing her snout uncomfortably close to his eyeball. The stallion simply raised his eyebrow, slightly pushing the mare backwards with his hoof. Then turning to his comrade, he began to whisper in his ear, every now and then pointing to the pegasi watching them confusedly. “Hey…heeey…I’m right here. You wanna say something, say it to my face.”
Dee looked at the floating pegasus with a cynical smile, saying, “Alright miss, I think it’s time we made you an offer you may or may not refuse. You see—.”
“Uh, boss,” Dum interrupted. “I think the line is ‘can’t’ refuse. Why would you give them something they are able to refuse?”
“I’m just trying to be nice and givin’ ‘em choices, okay? What are you doing anyway? You’re supposed to stand there and look tough and let me to do the talkin’, remember? Shut ya trap.” Another smack to the back of the head. “So anyway…I’m gonna make you an offer of an undisclosed nature.”
On that note, Dum grabbed something from behind one of couches, revealing a little furry creature trapped inside a wire cage. The white rabbit inside angrily rattled on the cage, spewing the equivalent of bunny expletives toward the brute. But the stallion furiously shook the tiny prison, causing Angel to bump his head and fall over dazed. A whimper sounded from the love seat. “You do what we want, and the bunny stays safe,” Dee stated, motioning towards the incapacitated creature. “But if you don’t…”
“You really think a bunny is gonna--.”
“Okay! We’ll do anything, just please don’t hurt Angel!”
“Fluttershy!”
“What? It’s Angel!”
The stallions let out a sinister chuckle, and Dee said, “Perfect. We’ll see you two on the outskirts of the Everfree at midnight, a nice march from this here cottage. In the meantime, we’ll keep your little furry friend here safe and sound. I’d suggest you get ready. Come on Tweedle Ditz!” He began to walk out the room, only to realize his partner wasn’t following him, caught up on a cage of colorful birdies. “Hey! Meathead!”
“Oh uh, coming boss!” Dum quickly stomped out of the room with Angel’s cage in tow. With a wink, Dee slipped out as well, slamming the door and leaving two very conflicted pegasi alone in the cottage.
Rainbow Dash smacked a hoof to her face, plopping down on one of the couches. “Aw what the heck, Flutters. And I was actually looking forward to the weekend.”
“I’m so sorry, Dash. I know we promised to never do this again after the elephant fiasco…but they were going to hurt Angel.” The timid pegasus leaning forward on the chair, nervously brushing her mane out of her face. “W-what are we going to do?”
“I was thinking we go beat ‘em up, but you always say no, so…”
“W-who do you think they’re working for?”
“Well judging from the clothes and the bad Istallian accent, I’m guessing some foreign mob boss or something.”
“W-w-what?”
“Oh, don’t sweat it, ‘Shy. This ain’t the first time I’ve dealt with the mob.”
She let those words hang in the air for a while, before Fluttershy responded with a quiet, “…What?”
The rainbow-maned pegasus sat down next to her friend, placing a hoof over her shoulder. Letting out a sigh, she said, “Listen, I guess we’re kinda roped into this now. And as much as this sucks…like really sucks…this is literally the worst thing that could ever happen to us—.”
“I think I, um, get it, Dash.”
“But as long as we do this, everything’ll be okay. I know they’ve got this dumb honor code thing. So if we just do what they say, they’ll stay true to their word.”
“How do you know? I didn't even know there was a mob...”
“I read it in a Daring Do book.” Dash could feel the rather disapproving glare coming from Fluttershy’s eyes, so she shrugged and replied, “Hey, they’re technically nonfiction now. Don’t worry Fluttershy. If we can handle sneaking manticores and timberwolves over the border, this’ll be a piece of cake. Heck, they’ll probably give us something easier to handle than animals...like money or drugs.”
“Drugs?”
“So like I said, no sweat.”
~~~
The duo of pegasi trekked through the shadows underneath the moon perched in the heavens. They donned familiar saddlepacks filled with food and water and dark cloaks that draped over their shoulders. Rainbow Dash even had a black beanie fit snugly over her head, wisps of her mane sticking out from underneath.
Finally, after a couple minutes of skirting the border of the Everfree, they spied a pair of large shadows leaning against a tree. “There they are. I could see those stupid-looking vests a mile away,” Dash whispered with a smirk. She looked over at her friend, and despite the darkness, she could see Fluttershy’s eyes darting around anxiously. “Hey ‘Shy. Don’t even sweat it. We’ve dealt with baddies a billion times worse than these guys. We’ll get Angel back just like that.”
Fluttershy gave a meek nod, replying, “Yes…I know. But I can’t help but be a tad worried.”
“Well don’t be! We’re the best smugglers this side of Equestria, remember?” Dash remarked, mimicking Tweedle-Something’s accent, succeeding in drawing a small smile from her quiet friend’s lips.
They landed in front of the waiting mob member, the stench of a lit cigarette filling the air. For a quick moment, the glowing embers cast an orange light on the four, until the stub was stomped out with a muscly hoof. Fluttershy looked at Tweedle Dum, who still had Angel on his back. She exchanged a comforting glance with the scared critter, before saying, “You’ll keep him safe, right?”
“Of course,” Tweedle Dee replied. “You got our word. You finish this job up right, and the bunny will be waiting at your cottage, safe and sound.”
“Right, right, code of honor and all that,” Dash piped. “So anyway, you said we’re going up north, right? How far are we talking, here? Vanhoover, Crystal Empire, what?”
The stallion scoffed, shaking his head as if Dash was speaking gibberish. “Of course not, too easy. We’d do this ourselves if it was that close.”
“Then where are we going?”
Dee nodded toward his dimwitted companion, and after a couple seconds of blank staring, the brute took out a map. Snatching it away, Dee unfolded the map, letting another cigarette illuminate the paper. A faded line marked with pencil snaked north, past Vanhoover, past the Crystal Empire, and going right into the range of mountains at the top. “Wait,” Fluttershy said, her eyes following the line. “You want us to go to the Crystal Mountains?”
“Through it, actually.” The stallion quickly rolled up the parchment, tossing it at the hooves of the mares. “You’re going to follow this river until you reach the Crystal Empire, then head over the mountains to cross the border into the Northlands. That map'll tell you where to go once you're in.”
“Y-you want us to scale the Crystal Mountains? Nopony’s supposed to venture there! It’s far too dangerous.”
“And that’s why youse two are the ones going, not us.”
“You’re crazy!” Dash yelled, prompting violent rustling from inside the Everfree. Fluttershy quickly hushed her companion, so through gritted teeth, Dash continued, “You want us to risk our lives like that for some stupid package? I mean, I’m usually all for that stuff. But I ain’t becoming an ice cube just for some delivery.”
“Well miss, I’m afraid you don’t got much of choice. We work for some very powerful ponies, you know. So you’d best do this thing right, because she’s very important to the boss.”
Rainbow raised her brow. “She?”
Tweedle Dee responded with a simple nod, then knocking a hoof on the tree behind them, saying, “Hey. You ready back there or what?”
To Dash and Fluttershy’s response, the tree answered with a quiet—and somewhat annoyed—whisper, “Yeah…hold on a sec.” To their surprise, a small figure started to appear from behind the trunk, draped in a black cloak matching their own. The being stood pat just out of hoof’s reach from Tweedle Dee. A dainty hoof appeared from underneath the cloak, slowly pulling the hood back.
Fluttershy and Dash simultaneously took a step back, caught off-guard by the face underneath the hood. For it obviously wasn’t a manticore, or timberwolf, nor a sentient box of drugs. It was a pony. And not just a pony…but a young unicorn, probably a couple years younger than the pegasi themselves. Fuchsia fur covered her body, and her blue eyes were turned to the side in disinterest. Her mane and tail, both carefully braided, were slightly darker than her coat, with purple streaks flowing through like violet rivers. She was just an inch or two shorter than the pegasi; if it wasn’t for the circumstances, they would have guessed she was just another teenager from Ponyville.
Tweedle Dee, who for some reason maintained his distance from the mare, motioned towards the smugglers muttered, “So…Ivy, say hi to your best friends for the next couple of days.”
She looked at the duo for a quick second, and said half-heartedly, “…Hey.”
“Uh…hey,” Dash replied, while Fluttershy remained silent. “So uh…what’s with the kid?”
“She’s it,” Dee replied.
“It?”
“She’s the package.” A pair of puzzled eyes turned towards him. “Any problems with that?”
“No…” Fluttershy whispered. “W-we just weren’t expecting the ‘package’ to be a…pony.” Ivy rolled her eyes and gave a soft scoff, turning her head away once again.
“She ain’t just another pony. She’s very important to the boss…Daddy’s little girl.”
“You know you’re not supposed to call me that,” she interrupted, prompting Dee to clear his throat and back away.
“You’re gonna make sure she gets to where she needs to go safe and sound, you hear? The boss is waiting up north for her. Something happens to her, you can bet this bunny ain’t the only thing getting hurt, understand?” He took a menacing step towards Fluttershy, slowly shifting his hoof across his neck. Fluttershy got the message, responding with a silent, trembling nod. “Good. Now then…I think everything’s been covered. Go. Scram. And never forget who you’re dealing with.”
“Same goes for you, pal,” Rainbow Dash spat, helping her friend from the fetal position back to her shaky hooves. After taking one final look at the duo of mobsters, Ivy crept forward, walking past the pair of pegasi without so much as a glance or word. And with no other choice, the duo reluctantly followed with map in hoof, making their way to the north.
One the trio of mares disappeared into the night, the stallions started to trek in the opposite direction. “It’s ‘bout time we got that kid outta our hair,” Dee murmured, running a hoof through his mane.
Dum asked, “You think they’re gonna make it, Dee?”
“Maybe. Probably not, heck I don’t know. I just gotta feeling with those girls…anything’s possible,” he replied, stamping out his last cigarette, plunging the world into darkness once again.
The walls of Canterlot Palace resonated with the clip-clopping of hooves, almost as though they were built specifically for dramatic echoing. The loud clopping came from two alicorn princesses coming from opposite sides of the hall. One was coming from the direction of the throne room, while the other smaller figure had just descended from her lofty tower, where she had just raised the moon. With starlight streaming through the windows, Princess Celestia greeted, “Good morn…I mean, evening, Luna.”
With a scoff, the younger sister replied, “You would think I have been here long enough to get that right, sister!”
“It’s been thousands of years and I still get that wrong. I don’t think it’s changing anytime soon!”
The two exchanged chuckles, after which Luna asked, “Anything I should know about tonight?”
“No, nothing today. It’s been a slow month, which is a good thing, I should say.
“Yes…I suppose.”
“Luna,” the elder pony said, tilting her head disapprovingly.
“Sorry, Celestia. While I was upstairs, I was just reminiscing about those days when we fought dragons and hydras and mad shadow kings in giant crystal palaces as warrior princesses.”
“Luna…that never happened. Where did you get that from?”
“Some of our subjects have vivid imaginations, you know.”
The sun princess could only nod in agreement, knowing all too well what Luna meant. With fatigue starting to crawl into her millennia-old bones, she placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder and said, “Listen Luna, the chances of something happening tonight is extremely slim, you know that. But if anything comes up, make sure you tell me.”
Rolling her eyes, Luna answering snappily, “I appreciate your concern, but you know I am perfectly capable of handling dire situations.”
“Ahem…the wall…”
“Yes, okay, you are never going to live that one down are you?”
With a smirk of satisfaction, Celestia simply said. “Good night, Lulu.”
The princess of the night watched as her older sister climbed up the stairs, until her hindlegs were finally out of sight. Blowing out a hot puff of air, the princess mocked in a not-so-regal whisper, “Good night, Lulu…bleh.”
xxx
A couple of hours into the night, Princess Luna found herself strolling down the Echoing Hallway yet again, her head drooped with absolute boredom. She managed to leave her guards back at the throne room, giving her space to do her favorite pastime: lonely skulking. “Royal duties include: strolling through dark hallways, getting midnight snacks, and occasionally sitting down…hmm, actually food doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.”
Heeding the pleas of her belly, the princess made her way into the kitchen, which was empty for the night. Humming a song about playing your part or something like that (‘Goodness, why is that song so catchy?’), she creaked open the refrigerator.
To her surprise, a furry object quickly pounced out of the fridge, trying to attack the princess’s face. But the alicorn was too fast for the unknown assailant, and the object quickly sailed to the floor before scurrying out the door to terrorize the hallways of the palace.
And sitting on the shelf above was a ferret.
Luna’s eyes quickly lit up at the sight of the tiny creature, and using her magic, she levitated the animals so that his snout was in front of hers. “Jeffery! Oh hello! I thought I lost you! You have been hiding in the fridge this whole time? Hmm, I probably should not have forgotten about that game of hide-and-seek.” The little critter started to chatter furiously, letting his deepest rage pour out over a slew of tongue-clicks and screeches.
“Oh, I missed you too, Jeffery. Look at you, you’re all dirty! Come, let’s clean you up.”
Princess Luna took the ferret to a large kitchen sink, placing aside the dirty plates to make a tiny bathtub. But just as she began to scrub the creature’s fur, a sharp jolt went through her skull, causing her to shriek in pain. One of her batguards quickly trotted through the doors, having heard her shriek down the Echoing Hallway. “What happened, Your Highness?” he inquired urgently, paying no heed to the thrashing ferret in the sink.
Leaning against the counter, the princess began to rub her temple. “I sense…a disturbance.”
“In the force?”
“What the…? No, I don’t even know what that is. I can sense…something is not right.”
“What could it be, princess?” Jeffery claws continued to scratch the stainless steel, but with less energy as before.
“It’s almost as though…two ponies, pegasi to be exact, are trekking northwards in the dead of night, trying to deliver a very important…thing…across the border into the Northlands!”
“That was…oddly specific, Your Highness.” The scratching stopped.
Luna sniffed the air, adding, “And judging by the smell…they also possess strawberry strudel in their packs!”
“I…I’m not sure how that…is important, Your Highness.”
“Not now, Metalface.”
“My name’s actually—.”
“No time for semantics. Don’t you see what is happening? Not only have they made a poor choice of strudel filling, they are smuggling something across the border! It must be the same two pegasi who caused me so much humiliation months ago!”
Princess Luna quickly stood herself up, and the guard could see the fires burning in her eyes. She stood erect, her ethereal mane flowing more furiously than it had been only minutes ago. With a raised, commanding voice, she uttered, “Quickly. Assemble the troops as fast as you possibly can. We are not going to lose them again.”
“But princess…”
“Go, soldier! Now!” The command echoed throughout the hallways, following by the sound of flapping wings as the guard took off toward the barracks. Luna was left alone in the kitchen, her mind already formulating the plan to capture those elusive smugglers. With a devious smile playing on her lips, the monarch of the night whispered, “They are mine now. I’ve thought about this for a long, long time. No amount of rainbow warfare will save you this time, smugglers! Come Jeffery, our army awaits! Jeffery? Jeffery? Wake up! Jeffery! Come now don’t be a pansy…”
Meanwhile, only a couple miles away from the mountain Canterlot was perched upon, a trio of ponies marched northward with only the moon to light their way. Next to them was a steadily flowing river, their guide as they traveled further away from civilization. The smallest of the ponies was actually in front with her hood pulled over her face, while the pegasi stayed just a few yards behind. The yellow pegasus couldn’t help but keep her eyes on the young mare in front, unsure of what to make of her. “This is…different.”
“Listen, we just gotta keep doing this thing like we’ve always been doing it. Sure she’s a…nother pony. But the game’s still the same. We’re just kinda transporting her, like the animals.
“But…but she’s not an animal. It’s different.”
“You’re just bein’ shy, Fluttershy. Really. We just gotta get her to the destination. We don’t need to make friends or get along or whatever. Strictly business. Now come on.” Rainbow Dash quickened her pace, catching up to their ‘package’.
A couple seconds later, Fluttershy followed suit, mumbling under her breath, “That’s what you thought about Fluffy…”
The young mare only took a few cursory glances when the pegasi took their places on either side of her, keeping her eyes mostly trained on the ground. Dash was the first to speak, saying, “So your name’s Ivy, right?”
Surprisingly enough, the unicorn answered quietly, “Crimson Ivy actually. But yeah, just Ivy for short.”
“That’s a pretty name,” Fluttershy remarked.
“I guess it would be, y’know, if I wasn’t named after the mafia.”
“Wait…the Crimson Mobsters?” Dash said incredulously. “And your dad’s the head of it?”
“Yeah…” Ivy let the word trail off into silence, her hood covering her narrowed eyes and furrowed brow.
“I’ve never really heard of them.”
“That’s good! Usually by the time you’ve heard of them, it’s too late. Oh…wait that’s not good for us…whoa, Fluttershy? Hey Fluttershy you okay?”
“Y-yeah, my lungs just tried to jump out of my mouth is all…”
“That’s cool.” The trio walked in silence for about ten more minutes, during which Dash could feel the awkwardness growing like a tumor. So using noise like a scalpel, she cut through the silence and said, “So hey…kid.”
“…”
“Do you know why you’re supposed to be heading north?”
“No,” was the curt, almost hostile reply.
“They didn’t tell you anything?”
“Nope.”
“…You like jokes?”
“…Nope.”
Letting out a forced chuckle, Dash answered while slowing her pace, “Heh riiiight, that’s cool. Ahem, Fluttershy, can I talk to you again?” Without waiting for a reply, the pegasus quickly grabbed her friend and pulled her back just out of earshot of Ivy. Her fake smile replaced by a very real frown, Dash whispered, “Okay you were right.”
Scratching her head, Fluttershy replied, “She’s not really the, um, social type I suppose.”
“Heck, I think the animals had more personality than her.”
“Rainbow!”
“What?”
Pointing stealthily towards Ivy, Fluttershy defended, “She’s just a child. I’m sure this situation is just as difficult to her as it is to us!”
“I dunno, she seems to be handling it just fine. Maybe she’s just naturally a stone,” Rainbow Dash uttered with a skeptical roll of her eyes.
“Or maybe…maybe she just needs somepony to talk to her.”
“I just tried that!”
“You just asked her if she liked jokes.”
“And she said no!” The pegasus threw her hooves up in the air, not noticing a pair of ears perking up on Ivy’s head. “Who doesn’t like a good joke? And I’m like, the queen of awesome jokes, okay? I know what I’m talking about.”
“All I’m just saying is—.”
“Why do we spell ‘waffle’ with a w?”
“Not now, Rainbow.”
“Ugh. You too?”
The brash pegasus spread her wings and began to hover away, but Fluttershy clenched her teeth around Dash’s tail, pulling her back down. “You can’t just give up so quickly, Dash,” Fluttershy pled through clenched teeth. “What if you gave up on me all those years ago after three sentences?”
Letting out a sigh, Rainbow Dash replied, “Listen, you can go make friends with her all you want. But we don’t have to get along to finish this journey up. I know that.”
“But it would help!”
“Then go right ahead, Flutters. Me, I’ll spend my energy flying.” And with that, the rainbow-maned pegasus took off into the troposphere, scouting the land ahead. Fluttershy started to follow, but she shook her head, keeping her hooves on the ground.
Meanwhile, just a couple yards ahead, a young mare had her eyes trained on the shadow flying overhead, Dash’s words still ringing in her ears.
xxx
“Gross, strawberry strudel. No thanks,” Dash said, wrapping up the pastry and putting it back into her pack.
“You don’t like strawberry strudel?” Fluttershy inquired.
“Nope. Especially not after having AJ’s apple strudel delight. Once you go apple, you ain’t never going back...le.”
Fluttershy started to nod her head, only for a shiver to jolt her body. Cold bit into her skin and stung her cheeks, her breath condensing in front of her snout with every breath. The group had long since diverged from the river, which had been frozen solid when they left it. Now, a slight wind blew twinkling particles of snow around their heads, which Rainbow Dash tried to catch on her tongue.
"If I had known we were going so far north, I would have packed something w-warmer," Fluttershy said, pulling her cloak tight. “What about you, Ivy? Do you want anything?”
“Um, no not really. Not hungry.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, really, I’m fine,” the unicorn replied, letting the timid pegasus nibble at the pastry awkwardly. Fluttershy only turned her head down for a second in dismay, but in that second, she found herself tripping over Ivy’s robe, who had come to a sudden stop.
Dash quickly helped her friend up, at first disturbed by the blood-like substance covering her friends cheek, and even more so when Fluttershy started to lick it. While her friend wiped the strawberry filling off her face, the brash pegasus asked, “Hey kid, what’s your deal?”
The unicorn didn’t answer, gazing at something in the far off distance. Rainbow followed the unicorn’s awestruck glare; it didn’t take long for her to understand why she had stopped.
Although they had quite a way to go, a ridge of craggy mountains could be seen on the horizon, covered by thick snow. And in the middle of it all, a gargantuan mountain dwarfing all the others protruded from the earth for what seemed like forever, the tip obscured by dark clouds. But most impressively, the crest of jagged rocks seemed to shimmer, even in the bleak night.
“That’s…that’s where we’re going,” Rainbow Dash said, mesmerized.
With a quiet voice, Ivy responded, “Yeah…the Crystal Mountains.”
Very soon, bullets of ice and snow flew through the air in a massive white storm, the strong wind threatening to send the trio of ponies flying like helpless twigs in a tornado. They squinted as they sloshed through the powder at their hooves, staying near each other so as not to disappear into the blizzard. Suddenly, a particularly violent gust of wind nearly caused Fluttershy to lose her balance; she felt herself be lifted into the air, only to be snatched by a blue hoof, which helped her find the cold ground again.
“Th-thank you, Rainbow,” Fluttershy remarked, her voice barely audible.
“I ain’t letting some storm take ya,” Dash replied. “Oh man, we picked the wrong day to travel.”
After one final check to make sure their footing was stable, the duo turned around, only to find that their third party member was gone. “Ivy?” Fluttershy called, her voice slightly panicked. “Ivy? Where are you?”
Cursing under her breath, Dash replied, “Come on Fluttershy, she must’ve kept on going. Can't lose her yet.” The two hastened their pace, calling out the young mare’s name, most of which was drowned out. But soon, a faint figure started to appear from the bleakness, and Fluttershy let out a cold sigh of relief.
The pegasi reunited with the mare, who had stopped due to a large rock wall in her path. Ivy glanced back, saying, “There you are.”
“That was pretty dangerous kid. Goin off in this crazy blizzard like that,” Dash scolded.
“Well I'm still alive anyway.” The unicorn’s eyes moved up the rock face, but she was only able to make out a couple feet above her. “I think this is where the mountains start.”
“The moment we get off the ground, the blizzard’s going to blow us away,” Fluttershy observed.
Readying her wings, Dash crouched low and replied, “Yeah? Well no blizzards gonna push me around!”
“And you’re telling me I’m being dangerous,” Ivy remarked under her breath, running a hoof along the wall.
Folding up her wings with a snarl, the cyan pony shot back, “Alight then, smarty pants, what’s your idea?”
“Dee and Dum mentioned there are paths carved into the mountains for ponies to travel through,” the unicorn answered. “So if we keep following this rock face, we should find one of those pathways.”
“That’s a good idea, Ivy,” Fluttershy complimented, to which Dash let out a scoff and rolled her eyes. But with no other idea at hoof, the trio crept along parallel to the rocky wall, the wind now blowing at their backs. After only a few minutes of marching, the trio found a crack in wall wide enough for a pony to squeeze through, just as Ivy had said. The unicorn was the first to slip through, followed by Fluttershy, then a grumbling Rainbow Dash.
“Crack in the wall, whatever…totally coulda just flown up or something.”
“What was that, Rainbow?”
“Nothin ‘Shy. Nothin…”
They continued through the passageway, shielded from the wind by the tall rock walls. For a smaller pony like Ivy, the space was manageable. But Dash and Fluttershy struggled to squeeze through, trying to press their wings as close to their bodies as possible—and stones still managed to prod their sides and catch their cloaks. And throughout it all, the sound of the eerie wind reverberated through the crevasse, sending chills down Fluttershy’s spine.
“Come on, Fluttershy, it’s just the wind. We can’t slow down,” Dash said, her wings aching to be spread.
“Okay I know. It's just...off-putting.”
“We’ve been through way worse than this, you know. You live at the edge of the Everfree Forest for crying out loud!”
“D-don’t remind me.”
Eventually, the pathway began to widen, giving some well-needed stretching room. While Rainbow Dash contorted her body into rather peculiar positions, Fluttershy trotted up to Ivy, who was leaning against the wall. The pegasus gave a warm smile, saying, “I suppose we’re going to take a short break now. How’s that?”
“Fine,” was the short reply. The unicorn pulled back her hood just a tad, enough to reveal her pink horn.
Trying to brush up on her small talk (because apparently a certain lavender unicorn told her she needed to), Fluttershy asked, “You have horn! Magic, yes?”
“Um…excuse me?”
“Ahem, I mean um….do you know any good magic spells? I was just wondering since you’re a unicorn and…all that…stuff, um…”
The pegasus started to blush, but luckily the young unicorn didn’t seem pay any heed, replying, “No, not really. I’m not…too good with magic.”
“Why not kid? You had to have learned something by now,” Dash prodded, painstakingly stretching out her quadriplexius dorsidashius muscles.
“Well I haven’t. Nopony’s been around to teach me.” Ivy shot a glare at the brash pegasus, who simply returned the favor with a steely stare of her own.
Fluttershy quickly added, “It’s okay, Ivy. Just because you’re a unicorn doesn’t mean you have to be good at magic. I’m not at all a good flyer.”
“You got that right…” Dash muttered, walking towards her friend.
“But, um, if you don’t mind me asking…what do you mean by nopony being there to teach you?”
“Well I,” Ivy began to explain. But the words caught in her throat, and instead she turned her head away, saying, “Well, no it’s not that important. I just…haven’t been able to is all.” In doing so, a small trinket slipped out of the folds of her cloak, hanging around her neck. It was a tiny gold bauble shaped like an oval, attached to her neck by a glimmering golden chain. There was a small indentation where it seemed a photo would go. But the necklace was empty, no more than a simple flattened piece of metal.
The gleaming jewelry certainly caught Fluttershy’s eye, and she remarked, “Oh, what a pretty necklace.”
“Yeah, nice kid. Looks expensive.”
“Uh, thanks,” Ivy replied, quickly fumbling the jewelry back into her cloak.
“Where did you get it?”
“It was a gift. I always wear it.” For a split second, Fluttershy could’ve sworn she saw a sliver of a smile pop up on Ivy’s face. But before she could be certain, Ivy’s lip quickly devolved into a frown, her eyes downcast. The young mare slowly began to walk forward through the passage once again. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh and mumbled, “Let’s just…go, okay?”
And she certainly would have, if her hoof hadn’t run out of ground.
She opened her eyes find her front hooves hanging over fifty feet of air followed by the welcoming sight of stalagmites pointing out of the earth like knives. She sharply inhaled, the breath stinging the inside of her throat, causing her head to spin as her body careened forward.
Just before Ivy could slip off the edge, two pairs of hooves latched onto hers, pulling her away from the dizzying drop. Ivy sat back on her haunches, her breath coming back to her in the form of gasps. Fluttershy put her hoof on her shoulder, and she whispered, “That was a close one.”
“Y-yeah,” the fuchsia mare replied, her heart pounding. She finally took a gander at the scene before her; the passageway’s other opening had been carved into the side of a chasm, and they were standing on an outcropping only a few feet wide. The chasm was rather dim, as it seemed the snow and ice had formed a ceiling above them, where only tiny pockets of light shone through. In fact, the only way to go was a ledge that moved along the chasm’s edge. Seeing this, Dash remarked, “Well, guess we’re going this way.”
She managed to make do with the somewhat wider space, hovering just above the ledge while the other two followed her. On one side was the sheer rock wall, and on the other was a drop into the icy crevasse below. Rainbow Dash whistled, saying in awe, “Wow, would ya look at that? It’s a long way down, huh? A loooong way down. Like, a looooooooooong way down. You’d probably have a lot of time to think about your impending doom while you fall, huh?”
“I’m feeling dizzy,” a timid voice mumbled.
“Are you afraid of heights?” Ivy asked. “And you’re a pegasus?”
“Like she said, kid. Not the best flyer.”
As the cavern began to widen, the sound of the blizzard outside began to grow with intensity they bounced off the icy walls. Taking note of this, Dash shouted, “Hellooooo!” and the walls replied with a greeting of their own. “Heh. Rainbow Dash is awesome!” she added, and she was answered by an echoing ‘Dash is awesome, awesome, awesome’. With a smirk and a delighted chuckle, the pegasus remarked smugly, “And don’t you forget it!”
Suddenly, what seemed to be a loud roar shook the cavern, causing Dash to pause in her tracks. Fluttershy and Ivy stopped as well, and the yellow pegasus turned around and said, “Oh, you startled me Rainbow. How did you do that?”
“Uh…Shy? That wasn’t me.”
Then came another sound, this one more like a thump, accompanied by a sudden jolt. Ivy stumbled, her hindleg slipping off the ledge. Holding onto Fluttershy for support, she said, “I-I think we need to move.”
Just as she said that, a cacophonous mess of sound pierced their ears, bouncing off the icy walls until it seemed like they were engulfed in it. And amidst the noise and the shaking, Dash could make out a web of cracks behind them—and they were quickly approaching. “I’m with you kid!” she cried, and taking Fluttershy and Ivy’s hooves, the trio began to race through the cavern, hoping to find an exit further down.
As she held onto Dash’s hooves for dear life, Ivy took a quick glance behind to see the icy walls beginning to collapse inward, no longer able to take the pressure of the violent winds and heavy snow outside. The cracks were moving dangerously fast—faster than they were. “You might wanna fly faster, Rainbow!” the unicorn yelled, keeping a vice grip on Dash’s hooves.
“I’m trying!” the pegasus yelled, beating her wings as fast as she could. Just up ahead, she spied a beam of light shining into the dim cavern, a glow where the ice seemed thinner than the rest of the wall. “Hold on!” she shouted, setting her sights on the glowing bull’s-eye.
She began to accelerate, her strong wings beating as fast as they could, straining to propel both her and the two ponies she had in tow. The collapsing walls still closed in on the trio, the cold wind starting to nip on their behinds. The light still seemed so far, and yet Dash pressed on, her beanie flying off her head. A roar began to build from her throat, the burning in her muscles contrasting with the coldness on her skin.
Slabs of ice began to fall around them, one landing dangerously close to Fluttershy’s head. Cupping her free hoof over her head while frantically beating her own wings, Fluttershy cried, “Rainbow!”
Letting out one final yell, the pegasus propelled forward like a rocket, her jet stream blowing away the falling debris. Their exit was quickly approaching, just like the collapsing tunnel behind them. Lowering her head and positioning her shoulder, Dash aimed straight for the small circle of light.
Bull’s-eye.
With a loud crash, the trio burst through the wall, just as the collapsing cavern sealed up behind them. They spun through the air, finally unable to hold onto each other, before crash landing in snow. Fluttershy slowly stood up, shaking white powder out of her mane. “I-is everypony okay?”
Popping out of a pony sized hole, Rainbow Dash replied, “Aside from snow in places it shouldn’t be, yeah. Surprisingly.”
Spitting out mouthful of snow, Ivy added, “I’m okay. Whew, that was…”
“Amazing? Spectacular? Dasherific?”
“Crazy…”
“Oh uh…well yeah I guess that too.”
As the unicorn got up to brush herself off, her hoof instinctively moved towards her neck. She let out a gasp when she realized it was bare. “W-where’s my necklace?” She began to frantically burrow into the snow, her eyes scanning the white for a glimmer of gold.
“Hey kid.” Ivy turned around to see Dash hovering in the air, a gold necklace dangling from her hoof. “It flew off while we were spinning. Lucky I saw it.” She tossed it over to the unicorn, who let out a relieved sigh. Landing next to Fluttershy, Rainbow whispered, “Don’t even get a thank you.”
“Oh hush, Dash. We just escaped an avalanche, we’re all a bit weary.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
The three ponies cast weary glances at each other, surveying the rocky, snowy terrain they had landed in. They were somewhere in the middle of the Crystal Mountains, that much they knew. Craggy outcroppings and tall peaks covered up most of the overcast sky. Wind still whished through their manes, although not as strong as the blizzard outside. No, somehow inside the mountains the snow fell gently from above, tickling Fluttershy’s snout as they landed.
Fluttershy sneezed, causing the flakes to fly off her head. “Ahem, so where do we go now?”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes scanned the rock walls, until her eyes lighted upon a series of ascending ledges covered with a thin layer of snow. The pegasus pointed her hoof and replied with a simple, “Up.”
Flapping her wings, Rainbow Dash leapt up to the first ledge, snugly plopping onto the white snow. “I’ll lead to make sure the ledges are safe,” she called, poking her head over the ledge.
“Uh, I’m kinda not a pegasus…remember?” Ivy replied with raised eyebrows. “How do I get up there?”
“Oh yeah…I dunno, climb I guess?” Dash answered, only half-serious.
Fluttershy stepped forward, saying, “Don’t worry, I can carry you up there.”
“Really? You sure about that?”
“I’ve pulled along a hot air balloon full of our friends. I’m positive I can do this too!”
“Alriiiiight. Come on up then, it’s safe up here.” Dash looked up at the sky, adding, “And let’s try to find some shelter quick. Who knows when a blizzard’s gonna start up?”
Nodding, Fluttershy took Ivy’s hoof. Flapping her wings as hard as her body would allow, she lifted Ivy into the air, and made her way towards her rainbow-maned friend.
After thirty seconds, Fluttershy found herself a foot—maybe fourteen inches—off the ground, and already sweat was starting to pool on her brow. Her teeth were clenched, a slight gurgling sound emitting from her throat. Ivy dangled there, letting out an unamused sigh. From above, Dash smacked her forehead, mumbling, “So much for quick…” She flew down and took Ivy off Fluttershy’s hooves, stating, “Maybe it’d be best if you check the ledges, and I’ll carry Ivy up.”
“Alright…phew…sounds good…whew,” Fluttershy panted, slowly hovering up to the second ledge.
Dash and Ivy exchanged looks, and Ivy whispered, “Not the best flyer.”
“Sure. But hey, gotta love her effort.”
For quite some time, the trio continued up the rocky wall, leaping from ledge to ledge while keeping an eye on the sky. Fluttershy looked at the mountains in awe, as they seemed to sparkle and shimmer, especially with all the snow. “I can see why they’re called the Crystal Mountains.”
Dash had been correct; the wind was beginning to pick up, making it a little more difficult to keep steady. “Hey Fluttershy? Does that map say anything about some places we can rest here?”
“N-no,” she replied, a shiver running down her back.
“Perfect…”
They continued for a couple more hours, steadily hiking upwards while venturing deeper into the mountain ridge. The further in they got, the more difficult it was to climb, as the slopes got steeper and more slippery. And with the wind picking up, they began to quicken their pace, not wanting to be caught in the inevitable blizzard.
Raising her voice over the wind, Ivy said, “I…I think I can see a cave or something on the opposite ridge.” The pegasi followed the mare’s eyes to a dark circle in the face of one of the mountains, a spot where the snow seemed to avoid. “You think you girls can fly over there?”
“Of course I can,” Dash replied confidently.
“Me too…I think,” Fluttershy responded. The two pegasi exchanged nods, simultaneously taking off from the ledge, while Ivy clung onto Dash’s back.
Despite the pegasi’s best efforts, the wind was giving quite an effort of its own. The trio unsteadily flew their way to the cave, wobbling as each gust of wind blew against their sides. One particularly strong gust blasted against Dash’s wing, and due to Ivy’s weight, the pegasi began to plummet. Luckily, Fluttershy reacted swiftly, clenching her teeth around Dash’s tail, stopping her descent and allowing the pegasi to get steady once again.
As they approached the cave, Dash said, “Well whadaya know. Guess you were right kiddo.”
They slipped into the cavern, while the winds started to howl behind them. Fluttershy’s body was still shaking, breathing warm air into her hooves. She peered further down the cave, the snowy path climbing steadily upwards. “Should we rest? Or keep going?” she inquired, waiting for feeling to come back to her legs.
“Well we’re definitely not staying by the mouth of this cave. Not with the blizzard coming again.” Heeding Dash’s words, the group ventured further inside, hoping that there was an opening on the other side.
The cave’s walls shimmered just like the exterior of mountain, illuminating the path before them. Dash led the way, taking out a strawberry strudel only to stick out her tongue and contort her lips. “Ugh, sheesh Fluttershy. How many of these things did you pack?”
“I don’t know…I didn’t know you didn’t like them. I’m sorry.”
“No it’s cool Flutters. I was just, uh, asking.”
“Well I personally like them a bit.”
“Really? I can't stand strawberry flavored thingys What about you, kid?”
“Huh?” Ivy replied, still looking forward.
“We’ve reached a dilemma and we were hoping you’d have the final say. Strawberry strudel, yeah or nope?”
“Y-yeah, of course.”
“Then I guess you can have all of them, huh?”
“Yeah…totally.”
“I don’t think you’re even listening.”
“Yeah…sure…”
“Ivy?” Fluttershy whispered. “You, um, seem to have something on your mind? Are you okay?”
Finally looking back, the young pony said, “What? Oh yeah yeah, I’m…fine.”
“If you need anything, just tell us. After all, that’s why we’re here—to help you.”
“Yeah okay…sure,” Ivy mumbled, inching herself away from the pegasi behind her. She fidgeted with her cloak, pulling it tighter against her skin even though she didn't feel too chilly.
Letting out a sigh, Fluttershy pined, “I just can’t seem to read her, Dash. I don’t know what to do.”
“Heck I’m in the same boat as you,” Rainbow replied nonchalantly. “Then again, I stopped trying a while ago.”
“I can only imagine what she’s thinking. She must have so much on her mind…”
“Well, she ain’t happy with us, I can tell you that much.”
“Maybe…” Fluttershy glanced ahead, and for a split second, she spotted Ivy looking back. It was only for a moment, but the pegasus knew what she saw. “Or maybe…she needs somepony to reach out to her.”
They ventured onward for another hour or so, idly conversing about pastries and whatnot, while the cavern seemed to sprawl on into eternity. Dash had taken to hovering, every so often knocking her head on a low hanging rock, the thump echoing throughout the cavern. As usual, Ivy stayed at the head of the chain, while Fluttershy brought up the rear.
A faint rumbling could be heard in the distance, causing Fluttershy’s ears to perk up. “D-did you hear that?” she whispered, freezing in her tracks.
“Come on ‘Shy, we’ve been over this before—ow! Dang it!” Rainbow Dash set herself down, rubbing her throbbing temple, continuing, “If you stop at every eerie noise you hear, we’re gonna take forever to get outta here! It’s probably just the wind, don’t worry.”
“O-okay then. I’ll just…keep an eye out.”
“There isn’t much to see. Just rocks, ice and—.”
“Whoa…”
“What is it Ivy…oh.”
Ivy stood at the opening of a large chamber, where large icicles hung from the ceiling, from which shimmering water droplets fell. But more eye-opening—and dangerous—was the icy bridge formed between where the three ponies were standing and the opposite side of the cavern. It was a thick bridge of ice wide enough to walk across, but on either side were black pits which seemed to swallow up the sides of the cave into darkness.
Ivy watched a droplet fall into the chasm and fade into nothingness. Her heart began to pound faster.
Dash, on the other hand, flew over her, took a good long look at the drop and exclaimed, “And I thought the other place was deep. I can’t even see the bottom!” She proceeded to fly across the bridge, feeling the water drops plop on her mane.
Fluttershy meekly extended her leg, and despite her own heart beating out of her chest, she said to Ivy, “Take my hoof.”
Ivy felt Fluttershy’s hoof brush against her own, instinctively pulling it back. Shaking her head, she replied, “No, I’m fine. I’ll just go ahead.”
“You sure kid? We can carry you,” Dash offered.
Sucking in a breath, she straightened her body and said, “Yeah. Just watch out for me, okay?”
“That’s kinda our job, so…”
The young mare took a tentative step, only for her hoof to suddenly slip forward. She let out a grunt, but managed to retract her leg and stay upright. “Whoa be careful! Are you sure you wanna…”
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine!” the unicorn replied. “I can do this.” She took another step, this time able to find some stable footing. Her hooves clacking on the frozen bridge, Ivy started to slowly march across, with Fluttershy carefully fluttering close behind.
Rainbow Dash watched the young mare make her way to the other side, and rolling her eyes, mumbled, “That stubborn kid.”
After a couple of sudden slips, Ivy was able to find a rhythm and started to pick up her pace. She made sure not to look down on either side of her, instead keeping her eyes locked on the exit ahead. Inch by inch, she thought, breathing in slowly.
“Already halfway across,” Fluttershy remarked. Ivy turned her head to look back, surprised to see the chamber’s opening so far behind.
With a chuckle, she said, “See? Not too bad.” But when she placed her gaze back on the exit, she found something strange on the back wall. It looked to be a shadowy figure; Ivy rubbed her eyes in case it was a trick of the mind. But sure enough, there was some kind of thing at the entrance…and it seemed to be getting bigger. “Uh, Dash? Do you see—?”
A booming roar echoed throughout the cavern, making the water fly off the icicles and rain down upon the trio of ponies. Out of the exit came a pair of large grotesque creatures, causing the entire room to rumble. Their bodies were covered in thick white fur, with a small head with red eyes and a misshapen nose. With every roar, they bared sharp yellow fangs, with bits of their last meal still stuck to their gums. Each creature had a pair of oversized arms which they used to move, although at the moment, they were using them to pound on the ground, shaking the bridge.
Ivy crouched low, doing her best to keep her footing on the smooth frost. Fluttershy’s eyes widened, trying to say over the roaring, “Those must be the things I heard further back!”
“And the ones who made the cave collapse!” Dash yelled. “What are those things?”
“Trolls! Mountain trolls!”
A troll began to climb along the walls of the cavern, its strong arms punching holes into the ice to grab onto. The other blocked the exit, snarling at its prey. Then, with a bloodcurdling cry, they began to lob large pieces of rock and snow at the trio before them.
“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, narrowly dodging a projectile zooming past her head. “Get back to the entrance!” They quickly turned around, only to find two more trolls waiting for them, readying their own ammunition.
The four mountain trolls furiously tossed boulders of rock and ice at the trio of ponies, who remained trapped right in the center of the chamber. Rainbow Dash stayed in the air, attempting to draw the creatures’ fire. Despite the water droplets stinging her eyes, the confident flier nimbly weaved around the zooming missiles, smashing a couple with some well-timed kicks. “Is that the best you smelly freaks can do?” she cried, swatting a rock away. “A filly could throw better than you!”
“Are you trying to get them angrier?” cried a frantic Ivy, who was doing a dangerous dance on the ice. A particularly large boulder shot towards her, whizzing so close to her head, strands of her magenta mane shot backwards with it. The rock thumped against the ice behind her with a crack, and Ivy turned to find a noticeable dent in the bridge. “Uh oh...”
Just a single second—the second it took to turn her head—was enough time for things to go to hell.
A well-placed block of ice banged against the back of Ivy’s head, clouding her vision with stars, sending a jolt through her cranium. The mare toppled over and slid across the ice, the back half of her body dangling over the edge. Through her clouded vision, she could see a yellow figure reaching out to her, a muffled voice crying out, “Ivy! Grab my hoof!”
But a grey blur slammed into the figure’s side, causing her to fall off the platform and out of Ivy’s vision. “Fluttershy!” another shrill voice shouted.
She could hear her own heavy breathing and racing heart amongst the ringing in her ears. As her vision began to clear, she managed to spy a large creature making its way across the ceiling, swinging along the ceiling of icicles like it was a jungle gym. Suddenly, the monster stopped, poised directly over the bridge. It wasn’t until the troll let out a roar and began to sway that the mare realized what it was about to do.
It realized its grip, a muscly projectile set to collide with the frail bridge. Ivy’s eyes widened, as the troll slowly fell—it least it felt so slow. As he got closer and closer, she could see the tiny details of its ugly maw. The blood-red eyes, the wrinkled face, the pointed teeth ready to gnash her bones. When the colossal arm began to reach for her, there was no more time to think. She sucked in a breath, and let herself slip away.
The troll smashed through the center of the icy bridge, sending thousands of dazzling shards into the air like fireworks. The rest of the platform started to collapse as well, already cracked and weakened by the numerous missiles.
Luckily, the troll’s reach was not long enough to grab onto the young pony, and the creature descended into the blackness with a final defeated roar. However, Ivy could feel the wind rushing past her face, her insides being pulled upward as gravity pulled down. Finally, flailing her hooves, she began to scream.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy shouted, doing her best to dodge the remaining trolls’ attacks.
“Yeah yeah I got it!” Dash replied, spying the falling unicorn. The pegasus began to nosedive into the chasm, dodging the projectiles coming her way. Channeling her energy into a quick burst of speed, Rainbow Dash closed the distance between her and the screaming mare.
She first grasped the unicorn’s hood, but when she tried to pull, the only thing she found herself holding was the torn hood itself. “Aw crud!” she cried, shooting down again toward the still-screaming mare. This time, she hooked Ivy’s hoof, carrying her up to where Fluttershy was still dodging rocks.
“I know you’re not good with magic, but if you could—unh!—keep these rocks off me, that’d be—whoa!—really helpful!” Dash yelled. Ivy’s horn lit up in response, but only a tiny blob of purple magic came out, fizzling after a few inches. “Well…nice try I guess.”
“S-sorry!” the younger pony piped, frantically swatting away a stone.
Dash found the chamber’s exit unobstructed, the frost troll perched on the wall above it, and seizing the opportunity, she shot towards it. “Alright kid, looks like I’m gonna let you go!”
“Wait whaaaAAAH!” Rainbow Dash released her pony cargo, flinging her perfectly into the chamber exit. When Ivy hit the ground, she let out a yelp of pain, sliding until her back thudded against the wall. In one fluid motion, Rainbow cocked back a foreleg, letting out a vicious haymaker, which connected against the mountain troll’s already mashed face. Its head shot back before going limp, and its body careened into the abyss below.
“C’mon Fluttershy!” she beckoned, waiting for the shy pony to hover over. The pegasi retreated into the tunnel, and after helping Ivy to her hooves, they galloped down the corridor while furious howls sounded behind them.
“Wow, you really hit that troll really…really hard,” Fluttershy muttered, flinching at the mere memory.
“’Shy, that was nothing! I know you’re soft with the animals, but come on those things were gonna kill us.”
“I know. It was just maybe...a tad bit harsh.”
Soon the roaring died away, and the ponies finally paused, their chest heaving and their foreheads slick with sweat. Fluttershy leaned against the wall, a burning ache spreading through her wings and legs. She glanced back to see that Ivy had fallen behind, and as she got closer, Fluttershy realized she was limping.
“Ivy! Are you okay?” the pegasus asked, quickly making her way to the injured mare.
Sitting back on her haunches, the unicorn held up one of her forelegs, replying, “My leg hurts, I think I sprained it or something.” Hardening her voice, she turned to a certain cyan pegasus and added, “Probably when Dash threw me into the freaking wall.”
“Hey, I saved your butt too! Don’t I at least get a thanks for that?”
“Yeah…thanks.”
Before either pony could say anything particularly venomous, Fluttershy carefully took the injured hoof, causing Ivy to bite her lip in pain. The pegasus already held bandages in her mouth, saying through clenched teeth, “Don’t worry, Ivy. I think I can help.”
She started to carefully wrap the bandages around the injured joint, and Ivy looked away, ready for another shot of pain. However, before she knew it, the pegasus whispered, “Okay, I think that’s good.” The young mare opened her eyes to find her leg already taken care of, leaving her mouth slightly agape. When she pressed her hoof on the ground, her leg felt completely fine, with only a slight discomfort in the places where the bandage was a bit tight. “Don’t put too much pressure on it, but other than that, you’ll be okay.”
“Whoa. Um, thanks…Fluttershy,” Ivy said with a hint of smile, out of both gratitude and shock.
“You good to go, kid?” Dash called impatiently. “Good. I think I’ve seen enough of this bucking cave.”
“Language Rainbow,” Fluttershy chided.
“Oh it’s okay,” Ivy assured. “Hear it on the ranch all the time.”
“Oh….ranch?”
“Wha—oh, yeah…the ranch, I, well back where I lived, there used, I used to…n-nevermind.” She instinctively reached for her hood, only to paw at the torn cloth tucked behind her neck. Without another word, the young mare ambled past Rainbow Dash, who looked at her through narrowed eyes.
The pegasus then turned to Fluttershy, giving a glare that asked, What’s her damage? But the yellow mare timidly shook her head and followed Ivy, giving one more cautious look at the bandage.
“Can’t believe I’m sayin’ this,” Rainbow Dash began, gazing down the long, dark, seemingly endless passage. “But I can’t wait to get back into that blizzard.”
