What Lurks Beneath The Surface

by KOTLCfan

First published

When the friends go on a camping trip for a little fun, what could go wrong? Well, maybe the creatures in the woods... and the dead bunny.

The girls are going on a camping trip and take a break. Everything is fine until it's not. It all starts with a seemingly harmless cave. What will they do once they discover the world is not what it seems? It may have to do with the dead bunny... and maybe when Spike goes missing.

Where did Spike go?

View Online

Twilight Sparkles walked along the the sides of the rivers. Pinkie-Pie was bouncing up and down the entire time and bumped into Twilight. "Sorry!" Pinkie shouted and stopped bouncing. "I was just excited! OH!! Do we get marshmallows?" Pinkie exclaimed.

Twilight looked at her bouncy friend and smiled. "Sure Pinkie." Twilight answered looking at the trail.

"Are we there yet?" Whined Spike who was carrying all of Twilight's stuff.

"Actually, yes." Twilight chirped and gestured towards the spot. Apple-Jack looked at Rarity and smiled, amused.

"Yep. I think that ya'll did a wonderful job pick'in out this area." Apple-Jack said. Angel looked at her and stomped his tiny foot. Flutter-Shy looked at the rabbit and laughed at the little creature.

"What is it?" Flutter-Shy asked. Angel ran around, frantically, while the others were puzzled. "I think Angel senses something." Flutter-Shy says.

Twilight and the group decided it was nothing and began to unpack while Flutter-Shy was talking to Angel. The group played in the stream nearby, well except Rarity who came out and frowned. "Where did Spike go?" She asked.

Rainbow Dash paused and looked at her, Twilight shook her head, smiling. "It's probably nothing." Twilight said calmly to her. "He just went on a walk, I think." Twilight pulled out a book, using her horn and came out of the stream. "He is probably on his way back now." She opened her book.

"I've been looking for him for a while so he could help me find my diamond clip." Rarity argued. Twilight sighed and nodded. "Let's go look for him, then." Rarity said after everyone agreed except for Angel. "Flutter-Shy, you can stay with him if you want."

"I think that, that would be best..." The shy pony answered. She watched the others leave the stream and head towards the pathway. Flutter-Shy settled down onto a blanket with Angel and sang a little song and time flew by. She paused as she heard a scream. Angel looked up at her, startled. "It's nothing, maybe Rainbow-Dash pulled a prank." Flutter-Shy said, feeling anxious for her friends. "Maybe, we should go after the group." She suggested.

Angel stomped his foot. Flutter-Shy took it as a angry 'No.'

"Fine, you can stay here." She said, determined. Angel glared at her and refused to move. "Are you coming or not? It's okay if you don't want to." Flutter-Shy asked, gently. Angel blinked and shook his head. "That's okay." She said and began to walk away into the woods after her friends.

What was it that got Spike here?

View Online

The group was searching for Spike since he disappeared for a bit. Question is where... Flutter-Shy was currently looking for them since they left her at camp with Angel, the bunny. After hearing a scream, Flutter-Shy was worried and had to leave Angel.

Twilight heard a scream in the distance and frowned. "What was that?" Rainbow-Dash asked. "Was it just me or was someone just screaming...?" Rainbow-Dash landed on the ground and trotted alongside them.

"I sure hope Flutter-Shy is alright." Rarity commented, bitterly. "Who knows what could have happened to her!" Rarity said. Pinkie-Pie looked deflated. Rarity noticed. "What's wrong, dear?" She asked. Pinkie-Pie didn't answer and the deep silence of the woods seemed to swallow them. Rarity tried to fill in the silence again. "Apple-Jack, don't you have anything to say?" Rarity asked and looked behind herself at Apple. Apple-Dash wasn't there. "Where is Apple-Jack?!" Rarity exclaimed as the others began to notice she wasn't there, too.

"Over here, and girls, I think you may want to see this!" Apple-Jack said in her country voice. Twilight came over to where the voice came from and Rarity, Rainbow-Dash, and Pinkie-Pie followed. There, down in a pit, was Spike!!

"HOW DID YOU GET HERE?" Twilight exclaimed, looking down at the dragon. "I thought you went on a walk or something!" Twilight continued her rant. "I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU! Everypony was worried sick." Twilight said and opened her mouth to say more but she was cut off by Spike.

"It's not a big deal. I fell into a hole, okay?" Spike said, in a quiet voice. "Before you guys start freaking out and asking me a ton of questions you should know that I was on a walk, and I saw something shiny. I ran towards the shiny thing. And fell into a hole." Spike said, dully, as Rainbow lifted him out of his pit.

A voice they knew very well came from behind them. "Well, you should have told us!" Flutter-Shy exclaimed, not loudly, as everyone turns towards her. "And I saw what chased you, it wasn't just a shiny thing so don't lie." She said.

Spike sighed and looked at her as he said, "Maybe." The girls stared at him, shocked.

"What was it, then?" and "SOMETHING CHASED YOU?!" and "YOU POOR, POOR THING! WHO DID IT?!" and a bunch more questions which were all thrown at him as soon as he said it. The ponies were talking on top of themselves and all over the place. "How do you know this, Flutter-Shy?" Was finally asked between the frantic questions and Flutter-Shy smiled.

"Angel found the weird creature. Angel came to find me after I went to look for you." Flutter-Shy smiled, shyly. "It would have got me if it weren't for Angel." Flutter-Shy said and laughed as the little bunny came out of hiding and glared at the rest of the girls. His murderous glare rested on Spike and said something like, 'YOU LET HER GET INTO DANGER!' Pinkie frowned.

"I wish I could have brought Gummy! Oh..." Pinkie-Pie exclaimed and lowered her head. "Poor Gummy, I wonder what Gummy is doing." Pinkie mumbled and began talking to herself.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but... what did the creature look like and what kind of creature was it?" Twilight asked, trying to get everyone back on topic. "I thought we were going to enjoy a little break." Twilight tried. Spike and Flutter-Shy shared a look. "What?" Twilight tilted her head, slightly due to curiosity.

"We... don't know." Flutter-Shy mumbled, looking at Angel who was looking at Spike.

"It was shiny..." Spike tried. "It was very fast and had a glint... it moved too fast to tell but I think it was blue." Spike said.

"I think that it is purple, but somewhere around those colors if not." Flutter-Shy looked up at the group. "Sorry."

Pinkie-Pie looked at her. "You don't need to be. Let's just go back to the camp and enjoy some sleep!" Pinkie said speaking for everyone. Everyone agreed and Rainbow-Dash and Apple-Jack lead the way while Angel trotted alongside them.

~~AT CAMPSITE~~

"YAY! Marshmallow time!" Pinkie exclaimed and started to bounce, her pink curls bouncing too. "I CANNOT WAIT!" Pinkie hollers. Rainbow-Dash looks and her and smiles.

"Calm your horses down! You seem more wild than a bucking bronco, right now." Apple-Jack says before Rainbow does.

Rainbow bursts into fits of laughter. "No way! County Apple-Jack is back!" Rainbow-Dash sings and wipes a tear away. "That is just too darn funny!" Rainbow-Dash imitates and tries to copy Apple's voice.

"That's just plain rude!" Apple-Jack protested but Spike was laughing hard too and walked over to Rainbow, Pinkie followed suit. "That's not funny!" But by the way the trio were acting, it sure seemed like it was.

"I think that Apple dear wasn't funny, it didn't make sense what you said, Rainbow." Rarity chimed in, defending the pony who wouldn't even wear an outfit she made without complaining. Eventually Spike got the others calmed down after calming down himself. By then, everyone had a wonderful first day and went to sleep after pitching their tents, and had dreams of what could happen tomorrow.

The Dead Bunny and the Prank

View Online

It was a decently peaceful morning and the birds were chirping happily. The girls all woke up around noon after finding Spike in a hole. They thought that the business for the "Shiny Creature" would disappear but who knows?

Spike decided that he would prank the entire group, except Flutter-Shy, Flutter-Shy was in on it. Spike had a few ideas for this prank but they weren't decided yet. He would be finishing up the prank with Flutter-Shy around this evening.

"Hi, Apple-Jack. Hey, do you wanna ask Spike what he is planning to do?" Rainbow-Dash asked, laughing. "He plans to pull a prank over us! But we both know that will never happened!" Dash carries on laughing, even harder.

"How do ya' know this?" Apple-Jack asks and raises one of her eyebrows. "This seems-" Rainbow Dash cuts her off and answers the first question, and explains about how she heard Spike and Flutter-Shy last night. "You shouldn't be listening to private conversations!" Apple argued and glared at her friend. "Don't even think about saying that it's harmless!" Apple spat as soon as Dash opened her mouth to argue.

Rainbow's eyes softened. "Sorry." Rainbow paused. "I won't do it again and I will tell them I heard so they can come up with a new plan." Rainbow mumbled, her ears drooped. Not that Rainbow actually meant what she was saying.

"Thank you!" Apple exclaimed. "But..." Apple continued making Rainbow-Dash wonder... "You don't think I believe any of that, do you? You will just try to 'return the favor'. Well, I am bored so...although it's wrong... count me in." Apple accused and then whispered the last part and smiled. Rainbow-Dash was cheering on the inside but instead gave a smirk and flew up to the clouds.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike formed a idea. He told Flutter-Shy and it became official. Spike decided to work on the details now that they know what they would be doing. "Okay, so... how about we get Angel to get involved? It would be fun!" Spike promised and grinned happily.

"I... I don't know about that. I mean I don't really want to involve him... Angel shouldn't..." Flutter-Shy said and Angel hopped up to her and Spike just as she finished. Angel gave her a look saying, 'What shouldn't I...?' Flutter-Shy blinked and looked at her. She sighed and spilled out the details of the "prank". She finished with, "The main thing is just getting them to believe that there is a friendship problem... between the shiny animal we saw and something else." Angel gave her a disbelieving look as if to now say, 'That plan will fail.' Angel pointed to the ground and then to her mouth, like he was hungry. Spike laughed.

"You feed her then we go in the woods and Angel can get the group to come." Spike said after a moment. "See you there!" He says before running off.

Spike wandered off into the woods and stopped dead in his tracks. He let out a yelp of surprise. In front of him, was a ... rabbit? He poked it with his tail. It didn't move. He poked it again. It didn't stir. He poked it a final time. There was no doubt... it was dead. And had a little glinty rock next to the corpse. Spike yelped loudly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Twilight was with all her friends except Flutter-Shy. They didn't know where she was. Twilight froze when she heard it and was in fear for Spike and Flutter-Shy. Angel jumped on a table and glared at them. He stomped his foot but no one seemed to see her except Pinkie-Pie.

"Guys, Angel is trying to tell us something." Pinkie said, and with that everyone's attention shifted to the little bunny. Angel, not a bit affected, stomped his foot and pointed to the ground near Twilight. Their eyes followed to where she pointed and they were confused. They looked at Twilight. Apple-Jack broke her gaze and said, "Spike." And with that everyone panicked.

"SPIKE! YOU GET INTO TOO MUCH TROUBLE WAY TOO QUICKLY!" Rainbow-Dash yelled. "Even for me that's a lot." Rainbow added. Rarity looked at Twilight and she gathered everyone up to be led into the woods to Spike, before more yelling happened.