Chapter 4 - The Shuffle

Glint led and I followed.

Glint's treatment had certainly helped, and my leg had gone mercifully numb, but it was incredibly odd to not actually feel your leg or anything it was touching. It was like I had a ghost leg, and I'd found it incredibly entertaining as I walked along.

Aside from the occasional stumble over a loose rock, or clunking my hooves against the uneven stone around us as I misjudged a step with the nerve-dead limb, I was able to keep stride with Glint. Her medicine had done wonders, and aside from a slight strain in my chest, I felt as if I'd never hurt myself to begin with.

Despite the glow of the glowstick stuck through my rig, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something lurking out in the dark unknown caves surrounding us, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Stop thinking about the dark! Its only that dark because there isn't any sunlight to make it bright down here. You have your trusty glowstick to light the way, and the darkness isn't going to leap out and you and attack like some beast. You're going to be fine Flash.

I took a deep breath to keep myself calm. The last thing I wanted was to have a panic attack underground.

Watching Glint, she didn't seem to share any of my discomfort with the rocky environment and simply strode forward purposefully with a quiet determination that was inspiring. Her sharp eyes slowly scanned the dark world around us, ears occasionally ticking in a different direction at some new or imperceptible sound to me. With every sudden twitch of her ears I jumped a bit and my pulse would skyrocket. But she'd just nonchalantly continue walking and I'd hobble along as I stared wide-eyed around us.

I noticed, with great interested, that Glint also didn't use any lights to reveal her path. I assumed she probably had some sort of natural night vision to help her see in the dark. It made sense if her entire species lived underground without sunlight to light their way.

I wonder if she'd have problems seeing in natural daylight. She seems to squint slightly even from the light of my glow-stick shining in her eyes, I can barely imagine what the sun would be like to her.

I continued to watch my silent guide, focusing on her to take my mind away from my thundering heart and the damned darkness.

She's so graceful. Its like she's just gliding over the stones without even touching the ground.

If it weren't for my light, I wouldn't even know she was there. The thought was a bit concerning, but it was also comforting. She was like some sort of silent guardian of the dark, and I knew that as long as I stuck with her I'd be fine.

Or at least, I hoped I would be.

"Would you stop starring at me already?"

I blinked as I was abruptly interrupted from my thoughts by Glint's voice. I realized I'd been ogling her while I'd been daydreaming. "What? Sorry I was sort of day-dreaming while we were walking,"

"Well, If you could bother yourself enough to snap out of dreamland for a second, I'd like it if you stopped looking at my ass," said Glint dryly. I blushed. "Maybe if you spent less time examining my butt you could start actually paying attention to what's in front of you and beneath your hooves. Seriously, are you trying to kick every loose rock and pebble in the Everdark?"

"Hey, I wasn't looking at your butt! It was just... in front of my eyes while I was thinking," I said as I looked down at my hooves

"You, think? As soon as you can prove to me that little brain in your big head is capable of doing something beyond either 'talking' or 'looking scared,' I might consider believing you," chuckled Glint.

"I'm not dumb, I'm just... a little mentally challenged sometimes," I mumbled.

"A little mentally challenged. What does that even mean?" said Glint with a smirk. I blushed deeper.

"Just leave me alone. Some of us haven't lived in caves our whole lives. It's not my fault my leg is all numb after you put that stuff on it, it causes me to have a hard time walking. I don't see you trying to help me out with it," I mumbled, sullenly looking at the ground as I continued to walk.

perfectionist bitch I thought with a little internal snarl.

She hopped up a pile of thick boulders and perched on a rocky incline above, watching me intently. I watched her and then immediately looked down again as I realized I was starring again. I scowled and continued to look at my hooves as I plodded forward, intent on proving her wrong and ignoring her.

Ugh, I wasn't even thinking of her that way, and now that she's brought it up, its ALL I can think about. Stupid brain, stop it!

"Ugh. You're as noisy as a bat pony patrol in full armor. Even when you are trying to be quiet," said Glint irritably.

She hopped down from her perch, and quickly made her way back over to me.

I scowled angrily, "Look, I know I irritate you, and, honestly, I'm trying here. Just get off my back."

"What, upset little Flash? Can't take a little shit-talking from the big bad bat pony mare?" cooed Glint. "Awwww, well aren't you just precious." Glint gave my chin a little shove a forehoof before I pushed her hoof away in annoyance.

"Oooo, looks like the kitten's got some claws after all. Good, its about time you showed a little fight. Some words of advice, Flash: toughen up. Soft ponies don't last long down here, and If my words are enough to cut you then I'd hate to see what you'd look like after an actual fight." said Glint as she gave me a little push.

"So what, you're just going to bully me now? Is that it?" I said, glaring up at her.

"No, you told me that I "wasn't helping' with your little problem of walking, so here I am. Wish granted, flash, I'm helping you. Now get up, and I'll show you how to 'walk,' you big baby," said Glint.

I mumbled some fairly rude things at her under my breath, but stood back up. She just grinned at me.

Glint started to walk around me, gesturing at my body and posture as she spoke. "Now. First up, loosen up. You look like you're trying to walk with stilts for legs. Second, stop sliding your hooves over the ground. You need to pick them up and bring them down. None of this... lazy walking-shuffle crap you're doing right now. Think of it as if you were... marching." said glint thoughtfully as she continued to poke at my legs.

I stopped moving, sighing. "Look. I know you're doing a lot to help me, but I'm not some... bat pony super soldier pony or whatever you are..."

"Dark Strider," said Glint, reminding me.

"Right, a Dark Strider," I said. "Whatever that is," I added with a mumble.

"I'd try explaining to you, but I doubt you'd honestly appreciate what it means."

"Try me, you might be surprised," I said.

"If you can actually manage to not make as much sound as a tunneling Diamond Dog every time you take a step, maybe I'll consider it.... maybe," she said.

"Look Flash, this isn't hard to do. Anypony can do this, it just takes a little discipline. Tell me Flash, do you control yourself?"

"What?" I asked, confused by her question.

"Do you control yourself? Even a slow unicorn like yourself has to have at least the basic mental capacity to decide your own actions. So Flash, I'll ask again. Do you, as an individual, have the mental capacity to control yourself? Or are you going to admit that you're as brain-dead as you seem and that your body is just running on auto-pilot," said Glint. She raised an eyebrow at me expectantly.

"Well, obviously I control my own actions. I'm not just a robot or something," I replied.

"Exactly, you're not a robot. You're a fully capable pony, injured or not. You decide what you do and don't do, and right now, you need to decide to be quiet and learn to do what I'm trying to teach you," said Glint matter-of-factly.

I sighed. She did have a good point, even if It was irritating to have her essentially force me into agreeing with her.

"I'll... try," I said, swallowing my pride. "Just... can you try to be a little nicer? I don't need to tell you that I'm completely out of my element here. And Maybe you can just push your way through injuries unlike me, but I'm not used to pain like this. Hell, I don't even typically leave my flat most days!"

"Sorry Flash, but pity-parties aren't my thing," replied Glint. "You want me to 'be nicer?' Well I am, whether you see it or not. Despite your shit, and how annoying I find you sometimes, I'm taking the time to help you. And in doing so, it'll probably help to keep not only you alive, but me as well. We're a team down here, and I'm not going to simply carry you the whole way because you don't have the determination and passion to take care of yourself."

I looked at the rocks. I wanted to scream at her, but I knew it wouldn't make anything better.

"Now, since you look like you're ready to murder me, you have something you want to say to me?" said Glint, sitting down.

"Actually, I do have something to say," I said, taking a deep breath.

"No surprise there..." replied Glint, rolling her eyes.

I ignored her and continued. "Why the heck are we walking off into who knows where?" I asked.

"What do you mean," asked Glint with a frown.

"I fell down some massive hole-thing, right?" I said.

"Obviously. Unless gravity is somehow reversed for you surface ponies above, I would assume that when you fall you do, indeed, fall down?" said Glint.

"Right. so I fell down here to... wherever we are now," I continued, motioning idly with a hoof as I tried to remember the name Glint had called this place.

"The Everdark," supplied Glint.

"yes! The Everdark. So, why aren't we just going back up that hole? We're spending all this time traveling through the mountain when we could just go back up it, right?" I said. " Also, why didn't you just fly up and tell the ponies I was traveling with where I was? Or why didn't we just try climbing back up the hole? I mean, you do have wings afterall. It's possible that you could just pick me up and fly us both up. I couldn't have fallen super far, right? And for that matter where the hell are we even going? It feels like we're walking in the complete opposite direction than where we should be going."

I'd been thinking about this for a while as we'd been walking, and the longer I thought about it the more confused I'd felt about it. It felt good to finally voice my worries out loud.

Glint just looked at me steadily the entire time, quietly absorbing what I said.

"That it?" she asked.

"Well... everything I can think of off the top of my head, yes." I said, rubbing my neck.

"Well, Flash, since you're suddenly the expert on the Everdark, let me fill you in on exactly why we're walking at the speed of a snail out for a casual stroll through a mushroom glade." said Glint, clearing her throat.

"News, Flash Wit Acumen, you're hurt. As for your questions, Firstly: You fell a distance of a couple thousand feet. By the time I had caught you and got you safely down to the bottom of that pit and medically stabilized, I couldn't find your friends. Secondly, you're in no shape to climb and I'm not strong enough to carry you a few thousand feet straight up, even without all your gear weighting you down. I don't know if you can comprehend how hard it is to fly few thousand feet nearly straight up with a chunky pony like yourself weighing you down, but trust me; it's really bucking hard."

Wait... did she just call me fat? I thought, stunned. Wasn't that like some sort of social taboo with mares or something?

"And yes, I am calling you fat if you're wondering. You could stand to work out a bit more," said Glint casually.

Damn, she could read me like an open book.

"Also, sure, I could have tracked down your friends, but that would have meant leaving you alone in that tiny dark cave while wounded and vulnerable to any predator, or hungry creature, that happened to wander by. And judging by the way you were essentially crying and whining in the dark when I came back and handed you the glow stick, you were in some dire need of help and wouldn't have lasted very long without me to help you along."

"I wasn't crying," I said stubbornly

"Sure you weren't," said Glint, chuckling.

"Oh c'mon, I wasn't crying, I was... clearing my eyes!" I said, stomping one of my hooves as I tried to defend what little shred of stallion-ness I had left.

"Whatever, you going to continue actually answering my question? You still haven't' answered why it feels like we're just walking in circles here. Are we actually heading to an exit out of these cursed caves or not?" I huffed.

"Sorry Flash, but you're simply going to have to trust me to know where I'm going. The Everdark isn't a civilized place. It doesn't have nice little hoof-built paths or official road like what I've read you have up on the surface. It's a rough collection of ancient tunnels, holes, and gaps between the stone. The passageways also don't always travel in straight lines, and can be very twisted and confusing to those unused to navigating them. Its easy to get lost. Let me assure you, thought, that I most certainly know where I'm going, and that we'll get to your exit in due time. That is, if you survive that long," said Glint, giving me a wicked fang-filled smile as she stepped unnervingly close with those sharp fangs of hers.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean," I said, feeling a little nervous as she moved closer.

"Oh, just that there are many creatures of these dark tunnels that would loooove to take a bite out of your soft tasty hide," she hissed.

"Um... if you wouldn't mind, you're getting a little... c-close," I said, trying to lean away from her.

"You have a problem with me getting close?" she murmured, flashing her fangs. She had to know I hated it when she did that. "Afraid of me, little Surfacer?"

"N-no," I lied, falling back onto my haunches, shivering.

"Of course you're not," she whispered circling me. "Then you wouldn't mind if I did try a little taste of you, would you? You know... 'cause it'd prove how brave you are..." I felt her fangs scrape across the back of my neck, her hot breath brushing against my coat. I gulped, nearly hyperventilating.

"Well? Better say yes or no Flash, or I'll just help myself," said Glint.

I shot away from her and scrambled across the stones from her, "W-wow, would you check that out! we've been standing here for like... a whole five to ten minutes! we should... keep walking. Onwards. You know, losing daylight...er, darkness... while were standing here. Lots of distance to cover..."

she smirked at me.

"What do you know, you're actually fast on your hooves when properly motivated," she said quietly, moving past me. I sighed in relief as she finally moved away.

"I understand, you'd rather think on this. Don't worry, We can always just continue this later."

"I thought you said you didn't eat ponies," I squeaked.

"I never said that I did, or didn't," she said, heading off into the shadows.

Great. If this place doesn't kill me, then now it appears Glint most certainly will. I thought.

"I hate this place..." I said, cursing as I stumbled over a rock before picking up my hooves and marching off after Glint into the darkness once more.

Gotta keep my hooves up. Pick them up, don't slide them. Like I was marching, just like the Royal Guards in the Canterlot Parade each year.

I sighed. I missed my parents.

Mom, Dad, I'm going to have one hell of a story to tell you two when I get out of here... if I get out of here.

Author's Note

(++ Chapter last Edited 11/20/13)