Vacation is Elation

by Super_Big_Mac

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, Spike, Adventure, Daring Do, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 7282

Vacation, Arbitration, Extermination... The foundation crumbles and Evil mumbles...

The Mane 6 go on Vacation to one of Daring Do's most famous places she ever visited. The place she now calls home.

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-20 22:47:58 UTC

Chapter One: Preparation for Vacation

Chapter One: The preperation for vacation

"C'mon, Twi! Everypony else is going!"

"No, Spike. I already told you. We can't go! I've got too much to do right now to go on a 'vacation' to some island in the middle of the Tropic Ocean." Twilight was currently up to her neck in books on different naturally occurring maladies, remedies, and temporary enhancers.

Spike sighed, scuffing the ground with a small kick. "Fiiine... I guess I'll just get back to cleaning..." He looked up. Twilight wasn't paying any attention to him. Sighing again, he clambered up the stairs to write a letter.

*~*~*

"Well, c'mon now, Applebloom! Ah ain't gonna wait no longer, ya hear? We're leavin' soon!" Applejack sighed, stomping her forehooves in impatience.

She triple-checked her saddlebags and small toting cart. She had apples. A couple hooffulls of bits. A pair of sunglasses Rainbow Dash had let her borrow. Some sunscreen, in case it was a mite too hot. Some towels. An extra pair of horseshoes. A pair of throwin' shoes. A hoofball. A beat-up soccerball. A beachball. And... "Gosh, darn'dit! Big Macintosh, Where'd mah rope go? Ah had it right here!"

Big Mac cantered in, his eyes half lidded as he lazily chewed on a barley stalk. "Ah believe that you used it in the southern field ta tie down that row a saplin's we planted after those brothers pulled up most our stock." He chewed on his stalk for a second. "Didja check there, yet?"

Applejack nickered in contempt. "Ugh, Ah guess I'll use a dif'rent rope, then. Don't got the time ta go git tha' one." She started trotting towards the barn, muttering "Golly, an' if tha' weren' mah fav'rite rope, either..."

*~*~*

"Ohhh, Sweetie Belle, at this rate, 'fashionably' won't be a part of our efforts, we'll just be late!" Rarity galloped around her boutique, preparing it to be ready for her week long vacation.

"Sorry, sis! I- grunt just- ugh wanted- woah!" CRAASH, THUMP, THUD. "... Owww..."

Rarity tsked, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Really, Sweetie, what am I to do with you?" She shook her head sadly as she lifted the various poorly packed suitcases off of her sister and onto the main floor of the shop. "Okay, these go here... This can fit in there, and these will do nicely in here..." Rarity quickly unpacked and repacked all of her younger sister's things into half the number of travel bags, leaving her sister at two bags to her own three.

"Ready to go, Sweetie?" Her sister extricated herself from the bottom step of the stairs, shooting off a small salute.

"Yeah! I can't believe Mom said I could go!" Rarity giggled at her sister's energy as they left the shop.

*~*~*

"Okay, squirt. I still don't understand how you got your parents to let you come with me, but they put me in charge of you, so you'd better be ready to do whatever I tell ya to do!"

The small orange pegasus squealed in excitement. "I'll do whatever you want, Rainbow Dash!"

The cyan mare smiled, closing her eyes as she laid back on the cloud she had brought to ground. "Good. Get me a soda. A cherry one."

Scootaloo zipped off to get the cherry soda as Dash yelled after her, "and make sure it's cold this time!"

"Hi, Dashie!" Rainbow Dash groaned as the most extravagantly hyper party pony to ever curse Equestria hopped up in front of her, blocking the sun.

"Hey, Pinks. What's up?" Dash groaned. She had just invited Pinkie Pie to talk.

"Ohh, is this a trick question? Well, there's the sky, that cloud, Princess Celestia, The sun, ooh, a leaf falling from the one of the Library's higher branches-mmf!"

Dash looked around, scanning the sky as the pink pony continued to babble even with the rainbow maned pegasus' hoof in her mouth. "Pinkie... Did you just say Celestia?"

*~*~*

knock knock knock

"Coming! I'll be there in a second!" A little bipedal form padded up to the door of the Books and Branches Library.

"I'm sorry, but we're clo-oh, Celestia!" Spike jumped back in surprise.

"Please, Spike. I ask you not to say my name in vain when I can hear it?" The Royal Regent of the Sun chuckled at the baby dragon's flabberghasted look.

"Oh! Princess! Excuse me, come in, come in!" The purple dragon ushered the white Alicorn into the library. "... Did you get my letter?"

"Yes, Spike. And that is why I am here. I agree with you, and I believe that Twilight would only take advice like this if it were delivered in person. Where will I find her?"

"She's in the annex, checking the index on insects without a thorax," Spike replied.

The princess blinked, wondering how Spike could say that without at least cracking a smile.

Shaking her head, she went to coax her student into a vacation.

*~*~*

"Where's Twilight?" Rainbow Dash sighed. First, Pinkie. Then Scoots. After that, Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Now, it was Applejack asking, and Dash was sure that any second now, the younger Apple would parrot her older sister.

When it didn't come, she relaxed a little. "I. Don't. Know. Check the Library." And, just like everypony else, AJ just muttered about being late, and sat down to chat with somepony. 'And everypony's always sayin' that I take a long time getting ready! I mean, come on! I was the first one here, and I had to carry Scoots!' Dash grumbled to herself, shifting on her cloud.

Another shadow fell across her, and she waited for the inevitable question. "Oh, um, sorry to bother you, Rainbow, but, um, I was wondering..." Oh, boy. Here it came... "Did... did you make sure to pack wing cream? I know it might sound a little narsacistic, but I don't want my feathers to become bleached from over exposure to the sun, and-" Dash groaned.

"Awww, dammit!" Jumping off her cloud and into the air, she took off for her house to get that one thing she'd forgotten. Sun cream for her wings.

Fluttershy looked around at everypony else, as her body stopped twitching in fright. "... Where's Twilight?"

*~*~*

"But, Princess-"

"Twilight Sparkle. Please. If not for yourself, then the least you could do it for is your friends. They have all expressed interest in this venture, and I do beleive that you had signed up for it as well." Sighing, Celestia draped a wing across her pupil's withers. "Little one, please. A bit of relaxation and recreation can do wonders for anypony. My sister is a prime example of this."

"She is?"

"Yes, my student. During her Hiatus after the Summer Sun Festival when she was freed, she has done her fair share of learning, but she has also gone to great lengths to stay. In. Shape." She punctuated her last three words by poking Twilight's belly which was, admittedly, becoming a little rounder than was entirely pleasant.

Blushing, Twilight looked at her teacher. "But, but Princess-"

"Twilight. If my sister- who had been trapped on the moon for a thousand years- can get my guards- my very well disciplined Royal Guards- to participate in a childish game of snowball fighting, then you should be able to play a game of volleyball, or, at the very least, lay down on the beach and get some sun. You are rather pale."

Twilight's ears folded back, her head dipped down in embarrasment. "Yes, yor Majesty. You're right."

Celestia smiled. "Good. Now, you'd better get going, the train to the coast is leaving soon."

"But I don't-"

"Come on, Twilight! I got our bags packed already! Let's go!" Spike dashed out the front door, a small bag tied across his back.

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, sending books flying back to their proper places as she placed the prepared saddlebags on, barely fastening them over her girth.

Blushing slightly at her mentor's chuckling, she mumbled to herself, "a bit of time away from Sugarcube Corner might well be a good idea."

Chapter Two: The Elation of Exploration

Chapter Two: The elation of exploration

Dash's eyes flicked around madly, her head snapping in all directions as she strived to look at everything at once. "This. Place. Is. AWESOME!"

She jumped into the air and did a backflip, causing Rarity's hat to fall off. "Ugh, really, Rainbow Dash. You got my hat dirty."

Shaking her hat to get even the most minuscule pieces of filth off, Rarity sighed to herself. "Although, I wouldn't mind if you were to keep flapping those oversized fans of yours that you call wings. I must say that when you do, the tempurature is at least twenty percent cooler."

Completely unfazed by the alabaster unicorn's comment, Dash just said, "C'mon, Rarity! This is where Daring Do lived! The best adventurer ever! She! Lived! HERE!" Rainbow Dash goes for another back flip.

"Heh. I still do." The back flip didn't end well.

"You... you're... You're..!"

Daring Do, in all her splendid, rugged glory, was standing at the top of the stairs, the crumbling wall behind her creating the perfect backdrop. The nine pony, one dragon entourage ground to a halt as they stared up at the mare before them. She looked... Well, she looked exactly like Rainbow Dash. All that was different was her coloring.

"C'mon, I'll show you around." The mare smiled dangerously. "Just make sure you hold onto your hats, girls!"

Letting out a tremendous whoop, the monochrome maned mare jumped over the wall behind her, tossing a smart salute before disappearing from sight.

Dash, of course, was the first to react. Squealing like a pig trapped under a blanket, she dove over the wall after her new-found idol. A stange grating sound fell onto their ears, emanating from where their friend had just gone.

Once it was clear that Rainbow Dash had, indeed, disappeared, everypony else surged forward.

Etched into the wall was small sign that read:

Earth Ponies and Unicorns, <== that-a-way!

Pegasai, up an' over!

Fluttershy slowly floated into the air and alights atop the wall. "Oh, my... I can't get through... there's a grate in the way, and..." Fluttershy's face twisted with confusion. "It's... welded shut..."

After trying and failing to lift the grate with magic, even Twilight had to admit defeat. "Well gsng, looks like we'll just have to find her the old fashioned way." The group trotted down the path, looking for any sign of their missing friend. Even though the jungle held all sorts of bizarre noises and sounds, Twilight was beginning to get the feeling that things were too... quiet.

The sun moved across the sky, but... barely. It felt like it had been hours since they had started down the trail, and yet... "Ugh, I think my watch is broken, everypony. It says that it's only been a few minutes!" Twilight grunted in disbelief, before starting forward again.

"Greetings! Welcome to our island!"

"Gah!" Twilight leapt into the air, mane and tail standing on end.

"Oh, my most sincere apologies. I didn't mean to startle you so very badly." A stallion moved onto the trail from behind a large patch of multi-hued reeds. He was a deep purple, his mane fashionably coiffed so as to look great with the fedora he was wearing. His barding was made of pleasant brown and tans, and the holster attached was unclasped so that a whip was easily accessable.

Twilight was positively intrigued. This pony looked almost exactly like her! It was... curious.

"Greetings. My name is Midnight. I'm a professor at the University of Fillydelphia, in the archealogic department." The unicorn then adjusted his glasses, a slight blush adorning his cheeks. "I am also the happily married husband to the most famous explorer in the world. Daring Do, of course." He chuckled as he looked over the ponies standing before him.

"Who, pray tell, are you?"

Pinkie Pie, as ever, was able to break the ice faster than anypony else by jumping right over to him and shouting, "hi! I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can call me Pinkie Pie! Which is what my friends call me, ooh, what's your last name I bet it's really cool, did you know that I have like, the longest name ever? I think it's silly, but what is a pony to do, right? Oh, and do you like parties? Those are my friends, but not all of them, most are still at home and Dashie jumped after Daring Do into the pit that said 'Pegasuseseses enter here' and a grate dropped over the entrence, and it was reaaally deep looking so we couldn't follow, and-"

Applejack's hoof shoved an apple into the pink pony's mouth. "Ho-kay there, Sugarcube. Breathe some, why don'cha?" Turning to the professor, she gave a small bow of apology. "Mighty sorry 'bout that, mister. Ah'm Applejack. Them's Fluttershy, mah sis Applebloom, Twilight, Rarity, her sister Sweetie Belle, and the li'l pegasus is Scootaloo. We came here for a vacation, y'see. We dinnit know that there was anypony out here."

He smiled, his glasses flashing in the sunlight. "Not to worry, miss. You probably recieved a letter saying that this island held a certain piece of adventure for ponies who dared to enter its boundaries, hmm?"

"Actually... yeah. Tha' sounds about right."

"Well, then. Know that you are the first group to arrive here since we first landed. We've been... expecting company for quite a long while, and..." His eyes grew wide as he spotted Spike. "Gah! It's that devious dragon! I thought we lost him in the Saddle-Arabian desert! Run!" The unicorn fleed back through the overgrowth, disappearing from sight almost instantly.

"Wait!" Twilight started after him, using her magic to part the reeds just enough to dive through. Barely a second later, a deep rumbling, accompanied by a ground shaking boom can be heard in the near distance.

Tentatively, Rarity uses her magic on the reeds to see a small clearing a few feet away. On the other side of the clearing...

A great, towering door loomed over the clearing, casting its shadow along twin sets of hoofprints that lead right up to, and through it.

Rarity and the rest gather in the clearing, searching for a way to open the door. After giving it a couple of bucks that would've brought down a nice sized apple tree, AJ gives up. "It tain't gonna open, girls. Sorry, but Ah ain't strong enough." She lowered her head, heaving a deep sigh.

"Oi, y'all need some help?"

"I'm sorry, AJ, but what would we need help with? We need to help Twilight and Rainbow Dash!"

"Tha' tweren't me, Rarity!"

"Oh, come now, Apple-"

"Howdy!"

"-Jeaah! Don't do that! It's impolite to sneak up on a lady!"

The orange mare in the aviator's goggles just snorted dismissively. "Wull, beg pardon, but you're makin' quite the ruckus, y'see. I jus' wanted ta see iffin there was a way ta help ya, if Ah could."

Applejack stared at the other mare, her brain seeing the similarities, and yet... There was too much difference. "Wha's yer name, pardner? Mine's Applejack."

The strange doppleganger tore off her stetson, showing a short-cropped shock of blonde hair beneath as she dipped low in a bow. "T'name's Proper Nella. 'Prop'ella, the Aero Belle', at yer service. Ah've won tha blue ribbon in ev'ry flyin' competition Ah 'ave ever entered. Ah'm the best." She snickers. "An' Daring Do knows it. Tha's why I get ta use this island as a landing pad fer free."

"So... yer tha one who totes Darin' 'round whenever she's gotta go som'ere to far fer her ta fly herself?"

"Eeyup, tha's me!"

"... Yer accent's purty familliar-like."

"Hey, I ain't got no ack-cent! Ah'm jus' cultured, is all."

"Really."

"Yeah, really."

Applejack huffed unhappily. "Fine. Waddya want? Where's our friends?"

The other mare chuckled and pulled down her goggles. "Wull, yer jus' gonna need ta find 'em, ain'tcha? Ta, now!" The orange mare disappears through the underbrush, an angry farm filly hot in pursuit.

"Hey! Git back here, ya coward!"

"Applejack, wait!"

"Sis!"

"Stop, ya high-falutin', lilly-livered snake in the grass!"

"Applejack!"

Applejack didn't pay attention. As the small plane began to take off, she readied her lasso. Giving it a few twirls, she released it, snagging it on the tail of the plane as it taxied by. With a mighty tug, the airplane took off, pulling Aj with it. "Wra-ree! Fahn Dwi nd Ash!"

Rarity looked on in shock as Applejack started pulling herslef up the rope. "Applejack, wait!" Rarity stamped her hooves with anxiety. She was gone. They were down by three!

"Oh my goodness... Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy sat on her haunches, shaking with fear. "E-everypony's disappearing!"

Rarity, the edge of fear still in her voice, tried to placate her friend. "Now, now, Fluttershy, we'll be alright. We'll all be..." Rarity looked around, her eyes wide. "Where are the girls? Sweetie? Sweetie Belle? Applebloom! Scootaloo! Spike?! Where did they go? They were just here with us, not a second ago!"

"Pinkie's gone, too."

"But- bu- ba-wha huh?" Rarity teetered for a second.

"Oh, please don't faint, Rarity!"

Rarity snapped out of her daze. "Faint? Faint? Not here, I won't! It's waay too filthy, and there's not a fainting couch to be seen!" Rarity's eyes brimmed with tears. "My sister! They took her! My little Sweetie Belle!"

Sweetie Belle giggled. "Wow! What other kinds of fun can you do in the jungle?"

Her teal-tinged twin smiled. "Well... D'you think we should show them the old ruins, Skaterate?"

The magenta maned, pink pegasus smiled in reply. "It depends. Think they can handle it?" His smirk was directed right at his look-alike.

"Wull, they might be able ta, 'specially if they're wit' us, since we know's all tha dif'rent traps n' hidey-holes."

"Good point, Appleblossom! We'll get these crusaders their cutiemarks yet!"

"Yeah!" All six jump in the air for a group high-hoof.

Spike grumbles. "As long as there's food, I'll be happy."

"Don't worry, Spades! Just don't try no funny business, er else Sugar Horn's older sis Velvety'll turn ya into Swiss Cheese!"

"... Well, um, what's she like?"

Pinkie Pie was hopping down the trail, just as happily as ever. "Oh, gi~~rrrls! Where arrre yooou!"

Her body stopped in midair, her legs still curled at the apex of her hop. Then, they started shuddering. 'It's almost like they're trying to war-' with a yelp, Pinkie Pie turned into a tornado in miniature. After a few seconds of spinning, she popped into the air, her body folding up like a piece of paper in the Unicorn's ancient art style of Hornigami. After flipping through the forms of a crane, a boat, and a frog, Pinkie's body popped back to normal, dropping her gently to the ground. "Wooooo! Now, THAT was a doozy!"

Pinkie blinked. It sounded as if there had been an echo, but... at the same time as her!

"Hello?!"

"Who's there?"

"It's just me!"

"Me, who?"

"Well, me, obviously! I love Cupcakes! Do you?"

"..."

Pinkie rubbed her chin. Every time she said something, she was sure somepony else was saying it, too. Time to try a new tactic.

She began to sing.

Oh, There's someone here I know it,

Somepony close to me!

I don't know how to show it,

But I'll do it to find some peace!

My name is Pinkie Pie/Blinky Clyde,

And I'm sure to find you!

I just need to find out where it is you hide,

I promise I won't turn you into glue!

I just wanna make friends with yous,

So come out at any time!

Come on, there's nothing to lose,

And you can join me in a friendly rhyyyme!

Oh, Granny Clyde/Pie said that friends all come,

from many different plaaaaces,

So it's always a good idea,

to greet all their friendly faces!

"Aha! Huh? Hey, you're me! No, I'm you! No! No, wait! We're US!"

The two pink ponies fell to the ground, giggling madly.

After a few minutes, they got up, and Pinkie decided to introduce herself. "Hi! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can call me Pinkie Pie!" She giggles. "Everypony does!"

"Hi, Pinkie! My name is Blinkeria Dmitri Clyde! But every pony calls me Blinky Clyde!" She giggles. "You can, too!"

"Hey, have you seen my friends? I can't find them anywhere! Twilight went off to some school with a scardey-professor, and Applejack went flying on a prop plane! Dashie flew off after Daring, and, the other four just ran off with three little fillies! Shy and Rare-Bear are still together, though. I think. But I'm lost!"

"No you're not, silly! You're found! C'mon, I'll help ya find your friends!" Pinkie smiled as she shook her head in earnest. But... as she followed her new friend, she couldn't help but feel an odd tremble travel down her spine and through her stomach, racing as it went to the very tips of her hoovesies!

Pinkie ignored it, putting it off as excitement and nerves. But... she'd never felt like that before...

"Come on, Pinkie! This way!"

Pinkie looked up. Her new friend was standing on a square block in front of a huge door. Blinky pointed to another block, and motioned for Pinkie to stand on it.

Pinkie bounced over to it. When she got on, the button began to sink into the ground. The door opened, and they walked inside. Pinkie felt really, really sleepy-weepy... She coulda sworn that she'd been awake not a mome- thump.

Blinky stood over Pinkie's body, a syringe clamped in her teeth, only her narrowed eyes and smile showing in the darkness as the door closed behind her. The last thing to go through Pinkie's mind was a strange laughter. So happy, and yet, so... strange...

"Are we there, yet?" Scootaloo was bored. She hated being in the passenger seat. She wanted action! She wanted excitement! Instead... she was in the cart.

"Almost, Scoots," Skaterate said. He smiled. "Trust me. It's worth the wait."

Finally, they stopped in front of an old, abandoned mine shaft.

"Wo~w! It's sooo deep! Echo!" Applebloom chuckled at her unicorn friend's reaction.

"Ah'd assume it had ta be, Sweetie."

"Yeah, but, it's... it's so... deep!"

Scootaloo grunted in impatience. "So? Can we go now, or what?"

Her twin gave her a smirk. "That depends. Wanna race, or d'you wanna go on the same track?"

"Race!"

"Fine, then. Left or right side?"

"Left!"

"Ha! Chicken!"

"No! Right!"

"Ugh, fine... I never get to take the right." He turned away with his group, all smiles.

"Let's show these girls who's boss!"

"No way am I gonna lose to a boy!"

"We'll see about that! C'mon, Spades! You're with us! Onetwothree go!"

The race was on!

Sweetie Belle slumped over in the minecart.

"Schweetee? Ahyu oka- huaahm." Applebloom's eyelids were blinking out of sync, her mouth in a slight frown. "Gosh, I sure am Tahrd."

Scootaloo yawned. She crawled over to her two friends and, using Applebloom's side as a pillow, fell asleep.

The cart slowed down, coming to a halt in front of a giant cage. A unicorn stallion picked up all three and threw them inside. crack! Scootaloo's head slams against the floor and the stallion lets out a slight chuckle. "Oops. Shoulda been more careful, I guess." His chuckling grew louder as he moved away, echoing around the great chamber. He sat down at the table, kissed the monochrome-maned mare beside him, and started eating.

"Ohhh... Where are we? Fluttershy? Darling? Oh, my! Are you okay?!" Rarity looked around in panic. They were inside a cage, and... "Twilight!"

"Ugh, Rarity... not so loud! Head... hurts..." The purple mare whimpered as she cradled her head.

"Wh-where are we?" Fluttershy was so terrified, she wasn't even panicking. She was strangely... calm.

Another whimper was heard, but this time from a small bundle near the back of the cage. "Oh, Sweetie Belle! Are you okay? Oh, please, please, please, answer me!" Rarity was doing her best not to freak out, but... it wasn't working.

"Rarity. Please, calm down. I-if you can. Okay? Please?"

The only sound in the cage was the creaking of chains high above, and the whimpering of the ponies inside.

"We're all here... We're trapped, and there's nopony that can save us. One day into our week-long vacation, and we're already done for." Fluttershy lowered her head as she struggled not to cry. She walked over to Rarity and laid down next to Sweetie Belle.

Spike was getting tired of waiting. "Jeeze, can't we just eat without them? I mean, seriously, sure I'm worried, but I'm still hungry!" Spike grumbled, his stomach growling back. "Ugh, I wish I had my backpack..."

Skaterate was getting tired of his complaining. Motioning to Appleblossom and Sugar, she pantomimed hitting him over the head. The other two nodded.

One solid sounding thud later, they had a young dragon splayed out in front of them.

"Now what?"

"We report back in. Sure, we got those three losers, but they might need help with the others."

"Watta we do wit' him, though?"

"I don't care. Tie him to the tree. Whatever. Just get back to the Shrine."

"Yes, sir!"

Dash looked around. She wanted to fly, but... she felt so heavy. It was like having a mountain above her. Crushing her.

"Oh, good. You're all awake. Wanna join us for dinner, or do you want to be dinner?"

Chapter Three: The Determination of Re-creation

"What. The. Hay!" Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Not possible..." Twilight couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Pinkie seemed to deflate, her eyes filling with tears. "I knew I should have listened to my Sense..."

The cavern echoed with the laughter of a group of nine ponies... each looking almost exactly like those within the cage.

The laughter continued. "Oh, my sweet little look-alike. Did you think that your group was the first to come here?" Daring Do trotted up to the cage, her rosy eyes filled with racuous and malicious joy. "We've had other groups come before, seeking adventure. Whether they came looking for us, or got here by accident wasn't what made them so infuriatingly fun to toy with, though." Her eyes still full of glee, she gestures to a distant wall.

Covering the wall was a collection of pelts of differing colors. The only similarities between them were...

"Yes, I can see it in your eyes. All share the same cutiemarks, and all look like yours." Her mouth split in a psychotic grin, she began to cackle, and the others in her group did so as well as they gathered around the cage.

Applebloom whimpered. "What're you gonna do to us?"

Her twin smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Applebloom. We'll save you for later. After all, we need you to find your talents, first." The three faux-crusaders laughed, their eyes filled with blood lust.

Sweetie Belle whimpered, tears trickling down her face as she pressed against her sister. "I just want to go home..."

Rainbow Dash was still cradling Scootaloo's form. She hadn't woken up yet, and... dammit, she was worried! The young pegasus' breathing was deep, but shaky. Dash turned to Twilight. "Please, Twi. Please tell me that you can magic Scoots outta here. I don't care if they take me, but..." She choked, trying not to sob as her eyes filled with tears. "I... she..."

Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her cyan coated friend. "I'm sorry, Dash, but... this cage is made out of something that blocks magic. I've already tried, but... I just can't." She sniffed. Mumbling, almost to herself, she added "I hope Spike's doing okay..."

Spike's head hurt. "Owww... Darn it, where am I?" He looked around, seeing that he was still in the Crusader camp, but... upside-down.

"Oh, come on! with a burst of flame, he burnt through the rope and fwump. "Oww..."

Pulling his head out of the ground, he began to search around the camp for something to eat. Coming across a small, half eaten sandwich stuffed into a container labeled 'Slam', as well as a box of apple juice, he let out a small 'phew!' and began to eat. A fake-meat sandwich had never tasted so delicious.

Fweew....woooow.......woooooow.......woooowwooowwooowwoowwooww Screeeeeeeeeeeeetchk! "Careful, Skates!"

"Shaddup! I know what I'm doing! Don't tell me how to drive!"

The Cryptic Crusaders were looking for Spades. They were gonna kill him now, and be done with it.

All they needed to do was find him.

Spike walked through the jungle, sipping slowly from his juice box. "There's something wrong with these ponies," he mused. "It's like they're are twins, or something. But that's silly. Everypony knows that the only time you find a twin is if they're e-" He dropped his juice box, the last bit of it dribbling onto the ground. "Evil. Evil. Oh, no! These ponies are evil! Which means... They're gonna kill everypony!"

Running as fast as his little legs could carry him, Spike ran further into the thicket. "I'm coming, Twilight! I just need a plan." As he ran, he pulled two items out from in between the spines on his back, where he always kept them. Finally finding a clearing, Spike crouched over a rock.

Dear Princess Celestia,

This is Spike, and we're in deep trouble.

"Aha! We got 'im!" Skates moved to the side to show his two friends their prey.

In a small clearing, a small purple dragon was curled up, most likely sleeping. "Let's make this quick. Don't want ta miss out on breakfast."

The three edged closer to the still form. Closer... closer... snap! "Woah!"

The three foals found themselves dangling from a tree, their hindlegs tied together.

"Heh, pretty good, right? Thanks for making so much noise, guys. Almost woulda missed ya." The dragon was lying below them, stretching. "Great nap, that was. Now. Where are they?"

"We ain't gonna tell yous nothin', ya cretin!"

Spike chuckled. "You're making me do something I'm gonna regret."

"Oh yeah? Ah don't care. We ain't talkin'."

"Okay, but I warned ya." Spike takes a deep breath, but instead of his normal, magical fire, he breathes out a stream of liquid fire, setting the grass beneath the faux-crusaders aflame.

"Ahhhh!" The three foals screamed in fright, their eyes widening at the sight of the fire.

Spike begins to toss branches onto the fire, keeping it nice and big. "Now." Toss. Fwoom. "Where are they?" Toss. Fwoom.

Skates gulped, sweat pouring profusely down his face. Toss. Fwoom.

"Um. Um. They-" Toss. Fwoom. "Th-they're at the Shrine!"

Spike raised an eybrow. "Really, now?" Toss. Fwoom. "How do I get there?" Toss. Fwoom.

"B-by the waterfall! There's an entrance that doesn't seal when you go in! M-most seal for decades b-before they're reusable! The Waterfall's how we get in and out if we don't use the c-carts." Spike watched the fire die down a little before tossing the next stick.

"Is the waterfall close by?" Toss. Fwoom.

"Y-yes, it's up the mountain, but it's a mite closer than goin' to the beginning of the cart run."

Spike smiled. "Thanks, Blossom. You've been rather nice. I'll let you go. Save your friends or run away, I don't care. I gotta fly." Throwing a burning stick up at the rope holding the farm-filly faker, He leapt into the air, caught her, and set her down on the ground. "Hasta luego, filly!"

Celestia couldn't enjoy the breeze as the ocean swept by beneath her. The water dragon- Steve something -was doing an amazing job at pulling her personal yacht. The airship bobbed above the water, almost weightless due to the magic she was pouring into it to counter its weight without creating a zero-G effect. She just hoped that they would be in time.

Luna walked up to her sister, adjusting the Royal armor she wore once again. "I'm sorry, sister, but I must ask once again. Why is this armor necessary?"

Celestia could see that Luna was only asking to help her keep away from any black thoughts. "It is necessary, my dear Luna, so that we are not to terribly wounded during a fight that we cannot do our duties for Equestria."

Luna's eyes softened as she saw that her sister would be okay for now. "Of course, 'Ti- ah, sister."

Celestia smiled. Her eyes were still full of worry, but she could hope. Spike was smart. He could get in. He could save them. She was just going to be back up.

She just hoped Spike, Twilight and the others would be alive to receive their back up.

Chapter Four: The Duration of the Ovation is in the Citation

Spike was hungry, tired, and angry. But he was also determined.

Before him stood a door that was only just bigger than Big Macintosh, and twice as wide. Spike grunted as he pulled it open. Spike got down on all fours and scuttled forward, being as silent as possible.

Hearing laughter just around the next bend, the purple scaled dragon stopped,deciding to listen in on what was going on. "Here's to another decade of life!"

"Here, here!"

"Yeah! I've got so many ideas on how we can kill them, that I don't even know where to start! I mean, really! I could totally go for bringing zombies back. Remember that? Now that was fun. We should do that again soon!"

"No, Blinky. Too soon. I was thinking something more... altruistic in form. A quick death for them, means that we get closer to finally opening the Vault sooner." The stallion chuckled. "But of course I understand your point. You want to have fun. You always want to have fun. Hmm..."

"I say we skin 'em alive. Or make them fight each other. Or both."

"Pssh, an' Tha's why Ah ain't ever gonna let ya mess wit'em wittout someone else up here, Do. Ya jus' ain't right. Killin 'em clean'll let us stretch their coats a mite bit more, an' that means-"

"Ya, ya, ya. 'One less pony per us.' You say that every time, but we still have so much wall to cover before the Vault will open! And Midnight, are you even sure that you read the inscriptions correctly? I mean, don't get me wrong, Immortality at the cost of a few dozen ponies that look like me is all fine and dandy, but I'm bored! I want something exciting to happen! Hell, I'd even settle for that little ass wipe, Spades!"

"Hey, now. I'd never go anywhere near a flank that badly in need of a wash."

Daring Do looked around, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to find the source of the voice.

"Hey, Daring. What's black and burnt and screams like a little filly?"

Spike dropped down from the ceiling, landing right in front of the mare. He breathed a huge amount of flames at the pegasus. "You."

Rainbow Dash looked away, even as she silently cheered the baby dragon on. Those screams could have come from her... She unconsciously tightened her grip around Scootaloo's body, burying the filly's head in her neck to drown out the cries.

"Hey, now. Don't make me kick your hide, mister. Angel wouldn't like it if I had to kill something other than a copy." Fluttershy whimpered as her copy grinned maliciously at Spike.

"Oh, puh-leeze! You're almost a bigger push over than Daring, Shutterdry. Besides."

The dragon jumped, his body disappearing from sight. "I know how to push all of your buttons." The yellow stallion looked around, fear creeping onto his face.

"Oh yeah? I- I'd like to see you try!"

Fwoom! Shutterdry shrieked as a wall of flames erupted behind him. He took a step forward and found more flames in his way. Turning left and right, he found more flames. "Ha! Is that the best you've got? I-I can s-still fly!"

The stallion began to slowly rise into the air, his movements jittery. "Sorry, Shutter, but you've got a date with your Angel of Mercy." A small animal fell into the flames, shrieking soundlessly as Shutter flew upwards.

"Angel!" His wings locked up, and he fell into the flames,joining his pet in death.

Prop and Midnight both got themselves ready for a fight. Prop grabbed a stick of TNT, and Midnight started casting water spells to extinguish the fires.

"Where is tha' li'l sonuva-"slam! Prop was knocked off her hooves by a blonde-maned orange blur. Midnight turned to cast a spell before finding himself rocketing towards the ceiling surrounded in a glow of violet magic. He was barely able to pull himself out of the way of a stalactite.

"Okay, sister. I do believe that it is time for you to die." Midnight teleported back to the ground, and took a stance a few feet away from his double. He was angry, confused, and dazed. She was angry, tired, and sore.

They charged each other.

Midnight never saw the dynamite.

Twilight looked around, her vision blurred by dust and tears, her hearing nothing but an insistent whine as she looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. She was laying down near the edge of a small crater. Applejack trotted up, her mouth moving, but nothing coming out. Twilight just shook her head a little, feeling nauseous and dizzy. She laid her head down and closed her eyes, strength flagging.

"C'mon, Twi! Don't fall asleep! We need your help! Twi, c'mon, please be okay!" Rarity looked over to where Applejack was fretting over Twilight's semi-conscious form.

'Ohhh, all my friends are out there, fighting, and I'm just standing here doing nothing! I- I should help, but... I- There's too much dirt, and- and all that blood!' Rarity looked around nervously for her own doppelganger. Daring, Prop, Midnight, and Shutterdry were all already gone. Pinkie and Blinky were having a very curious showdown, consisting of cakes and other confectionery treats being thrown at each other, usually resulting in acidic effects. All that was left was... her.

Rarity's eyes widened as her own double finally made an appearance. Wearing a fashionable vest with quite a few different knives on it, she barely resembled the fashionista.

She was also heading straight for Applejack. Rarity hesitated for a moment, wishing she could lift something as heavy as the table, before setting off at a gallop at the farm filly herself. Closing her eyes, she lowered her head to but the other alabaster unicorn out of the way.

With a wet, meat sllnk, she converged on her double.

When she landed, her horn was still pretty well stuck in between two ribs. Her eyes dilated as fear and shock fought inside her. Small hands gently grabbed her head and pulled her horn out slowly, before grabbing a cloth and wiping the gore off. Spike stood over the top of her, muttering to himself as he helped her through the daze he felt himself in.

Pinkie Pie stumbled over, her hair as straight as the day she was born. "I killed her..." She was shaking slightly, tears welling in her eyes. Applejack pulled her into a hug, soon followed by a hollow-feeling Rarity. Dash was still curled around Scootaloo, shivers trailing up and down her spine.

Spike got up and walked to the door. He sent three bursts of fire out over the canopy. After five minutes, he repeated that signal.

He kept at it until Celestia arrived. Using a spell to shrink herself a little, the Regent of the Sun walked inside, her sister right behind her.

There wasn't much to say. No celebration. No relief. Just deadened senses and slow reactions. The group of ponies were all levitated by the two Alicornsonce all their wounds were healed, and they were carried to the boat. Spike closed the door one last time, using his fire and tar the guards were pouring to seal the entrance. They left.

Skaterate kicked at Daring Do's still form. "Get up, you ninny. You'll live."

Daring Do groaned, a husky chuckle emanating from her ruined throat. "Good thing they decided to leave us here. I'll like using this place again." She laughed again as Velvety got to her hooves, the stab wound through her heart healing over.

"Really, though. I'd expected something a little less from that group. They didn't seem that tough. I guess it was stupid of us to keep them together."

The filly unicorn looked at her sister as she began to brush her mane into it's resplendent shape. "You think? That stupid dragon was able to escape 'cause you told us not to kill him!"

The faux-farm filly helped her sister find her foreleg as the others argued. "Dumb dynamite... Fool thing to do, Props. Fool thing."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, 'Blossom. Jus' gimmie mah leg."

After a few minutes of finding lost pieces or regrowing them, the group was once again standing. Not proudly, though. They looked at the wall. "Ruined. Dammit! We were so close to getting in! That stupid dragon burnt it all! THe next time a dragon comes to our island, we kill it. Ya got that?!"

Nopony talked. There was nothing to say. No way to say it in a way that would cheer anyone up. Spike was worried. He'd never seen any of them like this before. The sun had finally set, and time continued. They'd been gone for less than a day, and yet it felt like forever. It was a day none of them was likely to forget, and yet...

Knock, knock, knock. "Come in."

"Excuse me, Princess. But, I was wondering..."

"Is it about what happened on the island?"

"Yes. I, uh, I was wondering if you could, I dunno, make everypony forget what happened? Take us to Canterlot and say we missed the boat, or something? I don't know, just... I can't stand to see them like this." Spike pouted.

"Don't worry, Spike. I shall take your request into consideration. But be warned. There are many things in my past that I wish I could forget, but memory is one of the strongest magics used by everyone, yet understood by no one."

The princess nodded. "Yes, I think that, with this, I can help. Just as they drift to sleep, I'll slip across the surface of their minds. and clean away as much as possible. It won't be much, but... it will have to do."

Spike smiled, tears of relief in his eyes. "Oh, thank you, Luna! You're the best!" He hugged her foreleg, and she smiled down at him.

"Don't worry, my little dragon. You'll wake up tomorrow feeling as normal as you used to. That, I can promise."

Twilight yawned, looking around the small hotel room she, Spike, and Fluttershy were sharing. 'Ugh... My head hurts. I really hope I didn't drink too much last night.' She smiled as she watched the sun warm the sand on the beach below. 'I'm glad I took Celestia's advice, though. Faustralia's wonderful.'

She made a quick call to room service before pouncing on Spike and tickling him like she used to when they were a lot younger. She just knew that, like the rest of the week before, today was gonna be a great day on the beach.

"Hey, Daring! Another ship's pulling in to harbor!"

Daring Do smiled maliciously, all traces of her burnt flesh completely gone. "Perfect." She laughed viciously.