There are totally rats down here.
Music blared, strobe lights flashed, and laughter echoed through Sugar Cube Corner. Gummy the alligator had just been declared winner of Birthday Duck Duck Goose, Birthday Simon Says, Birthday Scrabble, and Birthday Pin the Tail on the Pony. After all of the mares had had their turn at the pinata, Gummy had burst it open with one swing of the baseball bat and eaten half of the candy that was inside it. He had been given the biggest slice of birthday cake after blowing all his candles out in one breath and receiving a thunderous applause from his guests. Now he was celebrating his victories with a dance break. Pinkie Pie and her friends surrounded him in a circle, cheering and chanting his name. "GO GUMMY! GO GUMMY! GO GUMMY!" He shook his tail with great strength and vigor. It was his time to shine.
"Wow, Gummy, you know...you're really good dancer," said Fluttershy, blushing. Gummy's heart pounded. Fluttershy was by far the nicest and prettiest of Pinkie Pie's friends, and she had such a way with animals. Gummy swiftly took her by the hooves and pulled her to the center of the dance floor. The music and lighting changed as he led her into a passionate samba, twirling and dipping her effortlessly. The other mares looked on with jealousy as she laughed with delight. Her shyness seemed to melt away as they danced together, her long, rose colored mane flowing behind her like the tails of a kite, blowing in the wind...
Plink.
Plink.
Two drops of warm water fell from the ceiling directly onto a napping Gummy's snout. The nasty feeling was enough to reach him while he was still in Dreamland. It permeated the walls of sleep, cutting into the scene from Gummy's next birthday party, or at least, what he hoped his next birthday party would be like. It was only two days away, after all. Invitations had been mailed, decorations had been bought, games had planned, and of course, a spectacular host of desserts was being prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. All he had to do now was rest up and get ready for his big day.
The happy reptile's big, violet eyes fluttered open as he stretched himself out on the cold, hard floor. Wait a second. Why had he been sleeping on the floor? And where had that water even come from? He looked up. It was dark. All he saw was darkness. He looked to the left, and saw what looked like a series of metal bars. He then looked to the right. All he could make out were puddles, garbage, and some kind of mold on the walls. The air was cold, and sharp as a dagger. And the smell! The smell was absolutely dreadful. Gummy was very frightened, but not too frightened to think. After a few moments of realization, he concluded that he was most definitely in a sewer.
But the question was: Why? He had heard many stories, urban legends, of alligators who had ended up trapped in sewers after being flushed down the toilet by their owners. But surely...she hadn't. Pinkie Pie would NEVER. She loved him and took care of him and would never flush him down a toilet. Gummy was sure of it. Those sorts of things only happened to bad alligators. Unwanted alligators. Or alligators who lived in big cities, where there wasn't any room to care for them. Gummy wasn't sure how he had gotten in the sewer, or why he had been put there, but he did know one thing: if those stories were true, then there were bound to be other alligators in this sewer. Bigger, tougher, meaner, alligators. Alligators who might want to fight him. Gummy shuddered at the thought of fighting with another animal. He knew he was too small, too delicate, and too timid to hold his own in a brawl with almost any other kind of reptile. Besides maybe a very small frog. And even then, many small frogs were poisonous.
This got Gummy thinking about other kinds of animals that might be lurking in the dark. He knew that mice, rats and bugs lived in sewers. He shuddered again and clutched his tail. He hated rats. And there were totally rats down there, scurrying and squeaking around his feet. His fear led him to tremor slightly, backing up against the wall. He had to find a way out. But how? There was no way up, as far as he could see. He decided he would have to brave his fears and investigate further. He slowly started to walk to the right, sniffing along the path. He paused in terror after a few moments, after seemingly hearing a squeak near his feet.
"Come on, Gummy, get a hold of yourself,"
he mumbled quietly,
"Alligators shouldn't be afraid of rats. We are supposed to eat things like rats. I should not be afraid of rats."
He kept walking until he came across another series of metal bars. He was trapped. In a cage. Great. He paced back and forth in the dark, frantically thinking of logical reasons as to why he was here. Maybe this, too, was a dream. Maybe he would wake up soon, safe and warm in his bed. He pinched himself hopefully. No. This was all too real. It just felt too real to be a dream. After minutes of pacing, that felt more like hours, there was a loud clanging noise as Gummy's foot hit something cold. Something hard. Something metal. He felt cold water splash his foot, and picked up the overturned object to see what it was. He held it close to his face. It seemed to be a water dish. He investigated the area around it. Sure enough, another dish sat right beside it, filled to the brim with a sort of crunchy food. Kibble. Gummy's mind raced. This meant two things:
1. Gummy had just knocked over his only clean water supply.
2. This was no freak accident. Someone had been expecting him. Gummy had been kidnapped and trapped here on purpose.
There are totally rats down here.
"Well then...looks like you've found yourself a snack. I guess I'll have to fill that water dish again later."
Gummy gasped. A cruel, hissing voice seemed to be coming from the shadows.
"Who...who are you?" asked Gummy, his voice shaking in terror.
The voice laughed, a cold, sinister laugh.
"Answer me!" demanded Gummy, "Who are you? Where am I? Why are you keeping me here? ANSWER ME!"
"Oh, you poor thing," answered the voice, "are you cold? Scared? Thirsty? Confused? I'm terribly sorry, whatever the inconvenience may be."
A feeling of dread sunk in as Gummy realized that, like most other beings, whoever his kidnapper was could not understand him and probably just heard a series of squeaks and squeals. Now not only was he trapped with a terrifying stranger, but he couldn't even talk or reason with it, whatever it was.
There was moment of quiet.
"Hmmm...well yes, I suppose you must be scared. I really don't blame you. I know the conditions down here are not the best, but it's the best I can do for now. You'll just have to bear with me. In the meantime, perhaps a proper introduction will make you feel more comfortable."
There was a loud swishing noise as the owner of the voice moved closer to the cage. Gummy gasped in terror as a large pair of reptilian, yellow eyes gleamed at him through the iron bars.
"My name," hissed the voice, "is Dave."
Gummy did not know whether to laugh or cry. This was all too bizarre. From what he could see through the bars in the dim light, Dave was a very small, very scrawny dragon. He wasn't much bigger than Gummy himself. His front teeth stuck out slightly over his bottom lip, and his eyelashes were long and dark, almost girlish. The fact that his scales were the color of cotton candy was certainly not helping him maintain his threatening image. Gummy laughed out loud. He laughed and laughed, relieved that his kidnapper wasn't so scary after all.
"ENOUGH!" the voice boomed, "I may not seem like much, my little friend, but remember who's in charge. Remember who brought you here. I may not be strong, but I am certainly stronger than you."
Gummy stopped laughing.
"You understand...very good. Now let me guess...you still would like to know why you're here, correct?"
Gummy nodded gravely.
"Well...I'll start by informing you that I am no ruthless monster. If you comply with my orders and do not try to escape, you will be released unharmed. You have not done anything wrong, and I have been given no reason to hurt you. However, before you give me a reason, please keep in mind that I am capable of doing so. Now, as to the reason you are here...one of your caretaker's friends has something that I would to possess for myself. Its flavor has been described as heavenly, and it is of great value. There are only a limited amount in existence, and she is the first person I have ever heard of who actually happens to own one. It is called a fire ruby."
Gummy's eyes narrowed with rage. That's what this was about?! He had seen Rarity casually wear the brilliant gemstone all over town. He had no idea how valuable it was.
"You see, my friend, word gets around in the dragon community, and living in a cave just outside of Ponyville lets me catch wind of all the gossip. Pinkie Pie and her friends have a knack for getting into mischief, and all the gossip I've heard has given me a fair idea of what they are, where they live, and of course, who their pets are. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you grazing in the field outside my cave!"
Gummy flashed back to the afternoon before. Yes, he had been grazing in a field, just outside Ponyville. The last thing he remembered was being hit in the tail by a dart...
"A simple dose of tranquilizer was all I needed. I mailed out the ransom note to Rarity last night. She is to meet in this sewer with the fire ruby within the next twenty four hours or I will simply have to take it by force."
Gummy's head spun. He thought of all the things that could go wrong, that could result in his friends getting hurt. What if Derpy Hooves lost the note in the mail, and the girls didn't even know about the ransom? Surely, Dave would resort to stealing the ruby, and possibly hurt Rarity in the process. What if Rarity got the note and came to the sewer, but something went wrong? What if she got lost, or tripped and fell over garbage, or got attacked by rats?
Gummy decided that he was not going to let this dragon hurt his friends. He might have been small. He might have been toothless. But he had bravery and wit, and he was going to save the day.
Gummy walked calmly towards Dave, who was leaning on the bars of the cage. He spied the key to the cage hanging loosely on a belt around the dragon's waist. Gummy took a deep breath and began to urinate on Dave's foot.
"AGGGHH!" shrieked the dragon. He immediately began hopping up and down, shaking the urine off his scales. He stumbled into the metal bars, the key falling of his belt onto the inside. Gummy quickly grabbed the keys off the floor, running towards the other side of the cage.
"THAT WAS MY ONLY KEY!" roared Dave, shaking the bars. It was no use. He couldn't get past the first door without the key. Gummy clumsily shinnied up one of the bars on the other side of the cage. He began unlocking the cage with his toothless snout, while holding on to the bar with his claws. He felt a flash of burning heat on his back. Dave was breathing fire, using it to soften the bars.
He's gaining on me, thought Gummy, I have to hurry up before he can bend the bars.
The lock fell open and Gummy slid down from the pole. He darted forward down the hallway, before Dave was able to get through the cage.
"I'LL CATCH YOU - AGHHHH!" Gummy heard Dave screaming, but didn't turn back. He must have burned a claw on the hot metal bars. Gummy kept running straight ahead before hitting his head on a wall. The hallway had split into two divisions. He studied each fork, looking for any sign of a way to escape. He heard Dave's thundering footsteps, not too far behind him. He chose to go left, and hoped that Dave wouldn't pick the same direction.
After running through a series of twists and turns, Gummy had lost all hope. He stopped in a secluded corner to rest a little while. Suddenly, he heard a voice. A voice with a heavy British accent.
"Oh, this is truly disgusting! And I just got my hooves done yesterday."
Could it be? Rarity?!
"Rarity, we have more important things to do than hear about your last hooficure."
"Well I'm sure YOU don't mind walking through all this dirt, but I say..."
"Girls, there's no time for fighting either."
Was that Rainbow Dash? And Twilight Sparkle? The whole gang was here! They had come to save him! Gummy squeaked and squealed as loudly as he could.
"Shhh... do you guys hear that?" Pinkie Pie's shaky voice echoed. "It's Gummy!"
Gummy heard six sets of eager hooves thundering towards him. He was face to face with his owner and her friends.
"GUMMY! I sure am happy to see you!" Pinkie Pie scooped up her pet and gave him a hug.
"Umm... guys," interrupted Rainbow Dash, pointing behind them. Dave's shadow was cast on the wall of the next hallway. "Run."
There are totally rats down here.
Gummy scampered quickly behind his friends as they traced their steps back to the entrance. By the time they got back to where they had started, Dave had seemingly lost their scent and gotten lost. One by one, they climbed the ladder to get out of the sewer. Gummy, Pinkie, Dashie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack all made it out in time, but as Twilight scampered clumsily up the last few rungs, they heard the pounding of footsteps nearby. They tried to exit as quietly as possible, but it was too late. Dave had sniffed them out. A claw ensnared Twilight's hoof as the dragon attempted to drag her back down into the sewer.
"Twilight!" yelled all six mares, rushing to help her.
"Take THAT, nasty dragon!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, taking a cupcake out of her saddlebag and hurling it in Dave's direction. The cupcake hit him directly in the snout, smearing yellow banana frosting on his mouth. He paused for a moment, tasting the frosting. After a moment of contemplation, he released Twilight from his grasp. She quickly climbed out of the sewer and onto the grass.
"What...what is this stuff?" he asked eagerly.
"It's a banana cupcake! I made it all by myself!" answered Pinkie with a smile. She had apparently forgotten for a moment that Dave was an enemy.
"It's...exquisite. Better than any gemstone I've ever tasted. Say...do you have any more?"
Pinkie began to reach for her saddlebag, but then stopped.
"Why would I give you another cupcake after what you did to Gummy? He could have gotten sick or hurt in that sewer! And look at how scared he is!" Gummy nodded, brushing affectionately against Pinkie's leg.
There was a moment of silence.
And then Dave did something strange.
He began to cry.
His tears turned into jelly beans upon hitting the ground, (as dragon tears are known to do) and Gummy anxiously gobbled them up. The dragon began to speak, his sentences fragmented by breaths of air.
"I only...wa-wanted to find a good snack," he sobbed, "And the other dragons t-tease me...and don't sh-share their food...because they don't like me...an-and I'm small. I just want a- a friend, that's all."
Pinkie sighed. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Dave, but I don't think I can be your friend after what you did to my Gummy. But I am willing to compromise. Sugar Cube Corner is open seven days a week and you're welcome to go there anytime you'd like. I'll get you special deals on all different kinds of cupcakes, as long as you promise to be a nice dragon from now on."
"I p-p-promise," sniffled Dave.
Pinkie tossed him a cupcake. "I'll see you around, Dave," she said sternly.
David waved back at her with a mouthful of cupcake before turning towards his cave and walking away.
Pinkie scooped up Gummy and threw him on her back as the seven friends headed back to Ponyville.
The next morning, Gummy woke up safe and sound in his own bed. Pinkie bathed him bright and early and fitted him with a special party hat. When his guests finally arrived, they all had a blast. Even though Pinkie Pie won most of the games, Applejack broke the pinata before him, and it took him two tries to blow put the candles, Gummy was still as happy as a clam. He shook his tail proudly on the dance floor while his friends cheered, just as he had done in his dream. When it was time to go, Fluttershy even gave him a kiss goodnight (On the cheek, of course, but that was good enough for Gummy.)
Pinkie fell on the couch with a thump.
"We'll clean up tomorrow, I am super sleepy," she yawned, holding Gummy tightly in her hooves.
He closed his eyes and smiled.
"Thank you, Pinkie," he squeaked, "I had a great time."
"Goodnight to you too, Gummy. I'm glad to have you back."
