Separation

by TheOnly

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Discord, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 14095

Greed will test just how far friendship will last under trying circumstances

When chaos overtakes the land and famine strikes the once peaceful land of Equestria, the only source of food left is found on an unexplored island. The island holds many mysteries, being the rumored birthplace of Discord. Six ponies find their way through the island, but they are not alone. Separated in this new territory, friendship will be put to the test as the quest for survival consumes loyalty. Relying only on skills and wits, the journey for new life begins in an age of darkness, but there is something standing in the way. In the race for survival, only the fittest will survive, but this time there won't be any friend there to cover up flaws. Sinister hands lie at the center of it all.

Featured on EQD: http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/03/story-separation.html

Published 2012-03-23 12:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-03-31 18:16:34 UTC

Title Page

Separation

Yah that's the title, but that's besides the point.

I accidentally made this chapter back when I was new to fimfiction, and had no idea what I was doing. So instead of let it take up space, it shall include some author stuff.

First and foremost, neither the story or island is influenced by any other show/story/song/video. The design, scenery, and everything associated with the island is from the pure creation of my imagination. Along with the story.

More will be added later...

Small Beginnings

Chapter 1: Small Beginnings

Lightning flashed, illuminating the room for a split second and revealing an orange farm pony, only to return to the darkness that consumed the night. The rain drops splashed dully on the roof, creating an endless, yet methodical, noise that kept silence from entering the night. When nobody dared to speak, the raindrops spoke, creating their own silence. Adding to the dissonant symphony of nature, the wind moaned as it was shaped by the obstacles that it passed, bending the trees to its whims and singing the song of a dead man. Although nature relentlessly down poured upon Equestria, all other forms of life stood still.

The shades of all the windows were pulled up tight, and not a pony was found wandering the streets. Any structure without support suffered from the unremitting wind as it ripped through the land, tearing up fences and signs in its wake. Almost nothing could be seen through the darkness with the black clouds blanketing the skies and stifling all the light of the moon. It was truly one of the worst storms that Equestria had ever seen, and nothing could be done about it.

The pegasi were too busy with other matters to stop the storm. The town was in havoc, with every shop ransacked and ravaged. None of the trees bore their apples, and Sweet Apple Acres could be considered dead tree land. Applejack stood idly in the room, no longer startled when thunder came roaring along. She stared softly out the window, deep in thought, wondering how this had happened. She closed her eyes, reluctant to relive the events that had lead to this.

Seven months before, Equestria was alive and well and everything was at peace. A normal day was what everypony could observe, but the start of something that would cause the ultimate downfall of Equestria was lurking in the background. A sudden fight broke out in the town central of Ponyville. Three grayish earth ponies, selling their grown goods, had accused a group of unicorns of using their magic to steal some apples. The quarrel attracted the attention of the townspeople, and tensions rose as the earth ponies and the unicorns supported their sides. Twilight Sparkle came quickly out of her library home to settle the brawl, but was only welcomed by angry shouts and bickering. Princess Celestia, notified about the quarrel, came to break it up. The ponies went their separate ways after being scolded by the princess, but tensions remained. Slowly, over the next month, different problems arose all over Equestria involving quarrels that seemed to start for no reason.

Then, the day came that broke almost all the chains holding harmony together in Equestria. Parasprites were lead into all the different cities of Equestria by an unknown cause. Crops and food supplies of the earth ponies were destroyed, and the cause of the swarm of parasprites invading the land became a blaming game. Parasprites did not simply swarm the land whenever they felt like it; something had to have brought them to the cities.

The land was on the brink of civil war with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie in the middle trying to resolve the issues between the different groups of ponies. Days before civil war would have broken out Princess Celestia decided to take action.

The sun did not rise for the next week, and Celestia refused to bring it up until the conflicts of the three pony groups were resolved. Revolutionary ideas came across the ponies and spread like wildfire, ousting any sense that six friends tried to put into the population. These ideas came to be from what seemed to be thin air. A rumor spread that Celestia was helping to feed the unicorns because she sided with them. The source of the rumor was never found, it had almost been as if a whispering voice was carrying messages through the wind. Chaos consumed the land, and before long food had run out.

With nopony to raise the sun, the unicorns were forced to do it, but the pegasi refused to move the clouds blocking the sun unless they received food. However, the earth ponies refused to grow any food until Celestia stepped down from power for corruption. All sense seemed to have been knocked out of the ponies. Slowly but surely the food was running out, and famine hit Equestria. Without any food, everypony was surely to die.

Information came from an unidentified source that large amounts of food were stored in the Canterlot castle, and that Celestia was hording it. Once again the murmuring whispers of the wind had carried another message that would create chaos. The ponies marched on Canterlot and arrived at the castle. Seeing the impending danger, the princess, in a last ditch effort to save Equestria and herself while keeping the other ponies safe, attempted to replenish the land with food and put an end to all the bickering. A blast of light consumed the land as the spell was cast, and the ponies marching upon the castle stood back in fear. When the blast was over, Celestia had disappeared.

The spell wasn’t totally ineffective though, creating small trees bearing apples and other food. Greed engulfed the ponies, and soon it became everypony for themselves in a game of survival. Surviving was the only priority left in the minds of the ponies. The greed that took over the population kept anypony from planting new food, in fear that it would be stolen. The pegasi became too busy with collecting food for themselves that they didn’t have time to control the weather, and it was left to nature’s own devices. Eventually the food supplies diminished, and ponies had to fight over what remained. There were only six ponies that remained loyal to each other in order to survive, at least for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A sudden flash of light snapped Applejack back to reality. Once again, the rain consumed the night with its soft sound, only to be broken by a knock on the door.

“It’s open,” yelled Applejack absentmindedly. In came a sopping wet Rainbow dash.

“I came as soon as I could, what’s going on?” inquired Rainbow Dash as she shook off water as a dog would.

“Something big, just sit tight while we wait on the others.”

As the rain continued, Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat patiently as the other four friends trotted into the barn. Twilight came in mostly dry, bragging that she had been dying to try out the “keep dry” spell she had just learned. With her she brought a light source, using her horn to provide a dull source of illumination in what was pitch black darkness. Rarity was next, trotting in mostly dry, wearing a stylish purple umbrella on her back that obviously wasn’t made to be worn in windy conditions.

“Even in times of chaos and hunger”, she explained, “Fashion is still important.”

Pinkie pie came in next, bouncing into the room talking about how much she loved the rain and getting wet and playing in it. Then she proceeded to bounce around the room until most of the water had come off her, giggling all the while. Minutes passed and there was still no sign of the animal loving pegasus.

“Where’s Fluttershy?” inquired Rainbow Dash, obviously becoming impatient.

“Probably curled up in the corner of her house. Poor Fluttershy must be so scared of all this thunder and lightning,” replied Applejack.

“Well I can’t wait all day for her.”

With that Rainbow Dash zipped out of the room flying toward Fluttershy’s house, only having her memory as a guide in the darkness and rain. A few minutes later, Rainbow dash returned, carrying a reluctant Fluttershy. When they entered the room and Rainbow let go of the scared pegasus, a flash of lightning illuminated the room and the thunder scared Fluttershy, causing her to jump into the corner where she laid down, shivering with her eyes closed.

“I hate thunderstorms,” squeaked Fluttershy from the corner.

“I couldn’t tell,” replied Rainbow Dash sarcastically while rolling her eyes.

“Enough,” commanded Applejack, “I didn’t ask you all to come here so we could make jokes. I have some important news.” There was a long pause. All the ponies stared at Applejack, awaiting this news that was so important. Applejack looked at each one of them directly before speaking.

“I overheard that the last source of food is on Bedlam Island.” Each word was said delicately, as if to be sure that nothing broke inside any of her friends when she said it. For a moment the only thing that could be heard was the rain and the wind. Finally, somepony decided to speak up.

“Bedlam Island? You mean the place off of the coast of Equestria? How are we supposed to get there?!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

“Well, you and Fluttershy can fly over the water. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and myself can use the hot air balloon.”

“Wait, where exactly is this Bedlam Island?” inquired Rarity, “I always thought it was just an old mare’s tale.”

“Well,” began the intelligent librarian unicorn, obviously having read books about it, “Bedlam Island is located off the coast of Equestria, west of Manehattan. It’s known for its mountainous terrain, yet large amounts of wildlife and vegetation and odd geography. It is actually rumored to be where Discord was born, which is why it is named that.”

“Wait, Discord might have been born there? There is no way I’m going,” whimpered Fluttershy from the corner, “I had enough of him last time.”

“Look sugar cube, it’s either come on this trip or die of starvation.” Applejack said grimly.

Fluttershy gazed sadly into Applejack’s eyes and sighed, knowing she had no choice. She closed her eyes once more and laid her head on the ground, frowning.

Almost all the ponies agreed that they were going to set off tomorrow for the island, and it was just assumed that the whimpering pegasus in the corner was coming, too. The lightning flashed once again, and they all agreed it would be best to stay the night at the barn, especially Fluttershy who jumped every time there was thunder and refused to go outside in the darkness. Twilight halted the dull glow of her horn, and the inside of the barn was quiet and dark. Eventually, all the ponies were asleep, and the only sound that could be heard was the mournful wind and the dull pitter-patter of the rain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More thunder. The weather hadn’t let up, and the ponies were struggling to set up the balloon that was going to bring them to Bedlam Island. Under the protection of the tree that housed the studious librarian of Ponyville, the loyal friends made their preparations. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were connected to the balloon with cables that were found lying around the farm. After being properly harnessed, the balloon was readied for flight and tethered to the ground using a stake. Twilight tested out her “stay dry” spell, making sure that it would keep both the balloon and the fliers dry while they were airborne. She then spent a good deal of time teaching Rarity the spell, too, so that she wouldn’t have to take the burden of casting the spell for the entire flight by herself. After a while the less magically inclined unicorn finally got the hang of it, and while Twilight rested she would take the responsibility of keeping the crew and their balloon dry.

Spike was to stay home, as he had no problem finding gems to eat in this time of famine. All the ponies brought something with them for the trip. Rarity brought a stylish hat, made from straw, to go with the coastal setting she expected from the island. Twilight brought a book that contained everything that ponies knew about the unexplored island. Applejack brought two apples which were the last of the food that they had stored and what they were going to live off of for the next few days. Pinkie pie brought balloons and confetti, as everypony scornfully expected.

“How can confetti possibly be useful?” inquired Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t know, maybe there will be some sort of party disaster and my party supplies will come to the rescue!” giggled the famed partier.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were unable to bring anything with them, as they would be the ones flying.

For a moment everypony was still, scared to embark on what might be their last trip together. One last look around and the ponies began to silently enter the balloon.

Wings spread, body leaned, one hoof forward, and eyes firm, the pegasi stood ready for lift off. The houses were deserted, the market carts were turned over, and the fences were ruined from the wind. Not an animal could be seen anywhere, and the ground stood muddy underneath the feet of the winged ponies. All the grass was either dead or gone, leaving puddles everywhere.

With one last teary eyed look at the land they had once called home, there was a delicate snap, stifled by the noise of the rain, and the ascent began. The wind was blowing hard enough to make a mess of one’s mane, but not strong enough to be called a violent gale. Slow vertical movement was accompanied by westward pushes from the wind. The balloon was aglow with purple light from the spell the bookish unicorn kept on. It was almost as dark as the night before, and it was almost impossible to see too far ahead of yourself with the rain and the darkness muddying the vision of the ponies.
Finally, the wind had a friend: the gentle beating of feathered wings. With nothing to fight against, it was an easy feat to move forward in the stillness of what had once been a storm. It was no longer a storm however, the rain had become usual and was now just a placeholder for when the weather strayed from only rain.

“So how do we know where we’re supposed to go?” asked Rainbow Dash from in front.

“I’ve done some observations,” replied Twilight, “And the wind is blowing in the same direction that Bedlam Island is in. As long as we continue to follow the wind and the direction never changes, we should be on our way.”

“Well would you look at that,” exclaimed Applejack happily, “The wind is blowing our way, things finally seem to be taking a turn for the better!”

“Let’s just hope they stay that way,” replied the unicorn gravely.

“So, what is this island like?” inquired a curious pink pony.

“Well, I’ve been doing some reading,” started the purplish bookworm, preparing to give a long lecture about her findings, “And I’ve found out that the island was never really attempted to be explored. Celestia forbid the island from exploration for unknown reasons long ago, and it has never been explored officially since. Of course, we aren’t going to be the first to set foot upon the island. Multiple explorers came to the island in search of treasure, but came back to Equestria unable to remember what had happened on the island. The only information we have on the island was of an explorer who flew above the island and wrote what he saw.”

“Well, what did he see?” inquired the interested, cheerful pony.

“It says here in the book that he saw one of the oddest landmasses known to ponies. In the center stood a largely mountainous terrain surrounded by almost random geographic characteristics. On one side of the island was a tropical beach, on another was a forest of odd-looking trees, and on the other was a snowy landscape. That was about all that he could write down as he couldn’t fly any lower to get a closer look. He did note that the island had to have some sort of magical properties in order to harbor all the drastically different types of terrain. He also noted that the middle of the island had some sort of flat space where everything went inward, but didn’t go on to describe it. All he really said was that there were signs of vegetation.”

“Well that clears it up. Do you think we can go to the beach?” asked Pinkie, tilting her head to the side and smiling.
The unicorn rolled her eyes and ignored Pinkie’s comment. She turned toward Rarity and gave the responsibility of keeping the balloon and the ponies dry to her.

Time passed slowly as the six friends flew slowly through the biting wind of the dark storm. Progress was being made, but without a clear view of what was in front of them it was difficult to tell exactly how much progress was being made and how much more would be needed. Each of the four ponies in the basket looked out of a different side. Twilight stared at the invisible trail their balloon left behind, thinking about what was to come and if they would ever make it out. With her head resting lazily on the side of the basket, a small bead of water rolled softly down her cheek.

The other unicorn gazed grimly out of the side at the clouds and the rain, concentrating on keeping the balloon dry while thinking about how Sweetie Belle was faring with her parents. She sat upright and managed to maintain a straight face, but her eyes looked longingly out into the darkness with both hope and misery.

Applejack stared out the other way, thinking of her family and how they were doing. After Sweet Apple Acres had stopped producing any food the rest of the family headed out for Appleloosa in search of more food. Only Applejack stood by her beloved apple trees.

Pinkie stared forward at the two flying pegasi, admiring their flapping wings and the way Rainbow Dash’s mane looked in the wind. Of course it was only Pinkie that didn’t have a grave outlook in such conditions. Leave it to her to be the only one that wasn’t worried about anything.

As they slowly moved through the stormy air, the travelers became increasingly hungry. Deciding it would be best to eat one of the apples that had been brought along now, and save the other for the rest of the trip, the ponies delved into one of the last pleasures they had. Cutting up the apple six ways with her horn, the white designer unicorn handed out four evenly divided pieces to the ponies. Two pieces were saved for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, working hard in the front to keep the balloon moving swiftly through the sky. The ponies ate carefully, acting as though every last bite counted toward how much of the apple they actually ate. Slowly and cautiously, the pieces of one of the last pieces of food disappeared.

The day had turned to night, but no change in the lighting could be seen. The gloominess and darkness of night had permeated over into daytime with this storm, leaving no traces of sunlight or warmth for the morning hours.

Ambition had turned into weariness, and hope had turned into anxiety. Frowns and depressed eyes took over the faces of the once happy adventurers. Nothing could be seen through the darkness and the rain except for the vague outline of what looked like a mountain.

“Wait, I think I see something!” cried out the rainbow pegasus from out front.

“Yah, I think I see it too! It looks like a mountain!” exclaimed Applejack.

“We’re almost there! I knew we were going to make it!” chirped an excited purple unicorn.

The ponies celebrated with their new found hope. The pegasi flew twice as fast, now reassured that their goal was tangible. After the celebrations had settled down, the curious librarian needed information.

“What exactly are we going to do when we get on the island? Where exactly is the food we’re looking for?” she asked, intending the question to be for Applejack, but said in a manner so that anypony could answer.

“Well,” replied the intended orange-furred recipient, “From what I heard the food is located somewhere in the middle of the Island, but there’s no way we could make a safe landing anywhere on those mountains, so we’re going to have to go from the outside in. I’m not exactly sure what kind of food we’re going to find, but any food is good at this point.”

“Can we please please please land on the beach side? I just love the beach!” exclaimed a cheerful Pinkie Pie.

“We can try our best but we’re not flying over the entire island to get to the beach side, it’s quite a big island you know.”

Pinkie frowned for a moment, but happiness sparked once again in her heart, filling her with joy as she thought about all the fun things she would do at the beach. She complained about how angry she was that she hadn’t brought a beach ball as if it was the only problem she had.

As the outline of the island became clearer, the ponies began to stare longingly for the end of their miserable journey away from their comfortable homes in Ponyville. They knew, however, that hard times were ahead of them. Navigating the island and finding the food would be no easy task, and they knew that. Although they prepared to face any danger that would come, an obvious sense of fear overcame the travelers. All except for Pinkie Pie, who beamed cheerfully at the island and all its undiscovered wonders that would bring new fun.

Soon enough, the outline of the huge island could be easily made out, and the storm seemed as though it was letting up. All was well for the adventurers as they were bringing the first of many journeys they saw before them to a close.

It happened swiftly. A sudden bolt of electricity struck the balloon. Any noise made by the pop was muted by the deafening thunder. Unheard screams rang out through the sky as the plummet to the ground began. With any energy left, the two pegasi desperately pulled to keep the basket airborne. The extreme force the racer pegasus exerted upon the makeshift cables was enough to cause a rupture. The disconnection from the falling basket caused an immediate reaction, flinging the pegasi forward. A cable had whipped forward and hit the wing of the sky blue pegasus. Fluttershy screamed helplessly, too frightened to spread her wings. Falling to their certain doom, the screams of both pegasi could be heard slowly fading away.

The basket fell at dangerous speeds, accelerating toward assured death. In panic, the hard working farm pony leaped from the basket, ripping the torn balloon from the basket and attempting to use it as a parachute. Rarity, unable to think straight, followed the orange pony and jumped reluctantly from the freefalling basket. Flying through the air for what seemed like eternity, it looked as though the white unicorn wasn’t going to make it. Opening her mouth, she managed to grab the hoof of the parachuting earth pony, but the extra weight caused a faster fall. The wind pushed the parachuting pair far away from basket, where only two ponies remained. Slowly but surely, the wind pushed harder and harder until the parachute was rendered useless, but by that time the two ponies were out of sight.

Twilight, frantically moving about the basket trying to find a way out, was met by a panicking pink pony. The basket fell through the biting cold wind, plummeting at deathly speeds. With one last look at the island that was clearly outlined in the near distance, a flash of light was seen and the basket was empty.

A dull plop was heard as the vacant basket hit the water. The night lay still and the sky stood empty. The wind blew softly through the cold darkness. All that could be heard was the silence of the rain.

New Lands

Chapter 2: New Lands

Sounds of gentle tides beating softly upon the shore drifted soothingly through the breeze. The wind blew softly through the leaves of a tree, creating a quiet rustling noise. In the distance the faint songs of birds could be heard.

“Rainbow Dash.”

Warmth was spread unevenly on the resting body, with the rays of the sun being slightly blocked by the leaves of a tree. This created stripes on the sky blue pony’s body that kept some parts shaded and others illuminated. The sand was warm, but not too hot as to be uncomfortable.

“Rainbow Dash.”

The breeze carried the strong smell of the ocean, brushing briskly through the mane of the peaceful figure. The sand was soft and grainy, making for a soft bed. Warm and moist, the wind was comforting rather than irritating.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Finally permeating her ears, the sky blue pegasus opened her eyes slowly at the sound, allowing for the adjustment from the darkness of sleep to transition to the brightness of the morning. After finally opening her eyes all the way, Rainbow Dash observed the new setting in search of the voice that had awakened her.

Lifting her head from its previous perch in the soft sand, the rainbow flier saw the vast ocean lying in front of her. Crystal blue and peaceful, the water sparkled in the illumination of the sun. It lay still in the morning breeze.

Calm tides found their way up the golden sand, only to be pulled back into the immeasurable ocean moments later. Finally showing itself after days of storm, the sun had become the vessel of the sky. Without a cloud in sight, the sky was bright and clear as the backdrop of a regal sun. Rays of light glazed the top of the sand and the ocean, making both shine with magnificence. The sand had shells sticking out of it every now and then, adding spots of color to the golden canvas.

The palm tree under which the pegasus had been resting was tall and magnificent. Breezes created small, brisk movements in the leaves that swayed back and forth. To the right, Rainbow Dash could see large cliffs in the distance that jutted out over the ocean. Rocks that stuck out of the surface of the ocean beneath the cliff were being slowly eroded by the push and pull of the undying tides. To the left, the beach ran on until it finally met the horizon. The only palm tree that seemed to stand on the entire beach was the one providing shade for the previously resting pegasus.

Still not spotting the source of the voice that had awakened her, Rainbow Dash turned around to see what lay behind her. Behind her she saw Fluttershy standing shyly at a distance as if she was afraid waking up the resting pegasus would reap anger from her.

Behind Fluttershy, the amount of palm trees that stood reaching toward the sky increased significantly. As the beach slowly turned into a more grassy terrain, the palm trees occupied more and more of the area. As the elevation rose, more and more trees could be seen, but nothing behind the trees could be seen. Then, in the far distance, the large and majestic mountains that the island was known for stood tall. It looked as though the sky had been painted on behind the peaks of the mountains. Capped off with white snow, the mountains and the sky blended almost perfectly.

Fluttershy dragged a hoof through the sand, looking down at the line she made while she spoke, “Oh, I’m sorry if I disturbed you Rainbow Dash. It’s just that, well, you’ve been lying there for an awfully long time and I was beginning to get worried.”

“Wait, how long have I been sleeping under this tree.” Rainbow Dash gestured to the palm tree standing above her using her hoof.

“Um, I’m not exactly sure but it’s been a couple hours at least. I’m really sorry if I disturbed you. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“It’s fine, really, I’m not mad at you.” Surveying the area once more, Rainbow Dash added, “How in Equestria did we end up here?”

“Oh, well, after the cables snapped we both got flung pretty far. I was really scared but you weren’t flapping your wings so I tried to grab you and stop you from falling. By the time I finally got the courage to spread my wings and fly we were already pretty close to the island. I grabbed you and flapped my wings as hard as I could, but, you know, I’m not very strong and only slowed us down a little bit. We landed with a crash on the sand and you didn’t open your eyes so I dragged you under this palm tree.”

“How long have you been just watching me sleep?”

“Oh, well, after you were lying under the tree, I tried to look for some better shelter, but it was too dark to see anything so I just sat next to you for a while.”

Rainbow Dash turned her attention away from Fluttershy and back to the scene that this new terrain had brought about. Focusing on her pegasus companion once more, Rainbow Dash asked, “When did the weather become so nice?”

“Well, um, after a while the rain stopped and I decided to get some sleep. When I woke up the sun was rising and the sky was clear. Oh, it was just beautiful! I could’ve looked at it forever.” Fluttershy looked up at the sun again, reminiscing about the beautiful sunrise she had just described.

Rainbow Dash, having all her questions answered, finally began to trot around the beach. Becoming bored with the ground, she decided to take a quick flight and see what was behind the palm trees. After lying on the ground for so long, the blue pegasus decided it would be best to stretch on the sand. Attempting to stretch her wings, she spread them to their full length.

A sudden pain shot through the stretching pegasus as she attempted to spread her wings causing her to yelp in agony. Her left wing shot back to its original position next to the body. Quickly turning to face Fluttershy, the hurt pegasus half asked and half demanded, “What happened to my wing?”

“Oh, well, um…when we crash landed you hit the ground pretty hard and I think you may have hurt one of your wings.”Fluttershy cringed back after she had finished her sentence, preparing for Rainbow Dash to lash out in rage.

“What!? This can’t be happening! I need to fly! I can’t be stranded on some stupid island and not be able to fly!”

“If it makes you feel any better, I can still fly.” With that Fluttershy lifted herself gently into the air, demonstrating her healthy wings. The injured pegasus glared at her, and she regretted what she had said. Fluttershy landed gently on the soft sand and tried to avoid eye contact with Rainbow Dash. Injured and angry, the pegasus trotted slowly to where the tides met the sand and stood, looking out at the ocean.

Fluttershy stood under the tree watching Rainbow Dash, but her eye was caught by something floating in the water. With this new found interest, the animal loving pegasus trotted over to join Rainbow Dash at the shores of the ocean.

After looking at the ocean’s beauty for quite some time, Rainbow Dash had finally cooled off, accepting the fact that she wasn’t going to be able to fly. The calmness of the ocean had somehow poured into the pegasus's soul, transforming her feelings to match the ocean's. This indescribable phenomena was all that was necessary to refocus the sky blue pegasus on the pressing matters at hoof.

Turning her head toward the vast mountains in the background, Rainbow Dash heard Applejack’s voice in her head. It was as if Applejack was reminding the sky blue pegasus to journey to the middle of the island. With the reminder lingering in her head, Rainbow Dash turned and trotted toward the palm trees.

“Come on Fluttershy,” she said commandingly, “We need to get to the middle of the island if we want to find the food we came here for.”

Reluctantly, Fluttershy turned away from her new sea animal friend that was a speck in the distance to follow the commanding pegasus. The sun had reached its peak in the sky and the day was at its hottest. Trotting across the hot sand was a pain for Rainbow Dash, not because it was too hot, but because Fluttershy could easily fly slightly above the sand while the blue pegasus was grounded. Small beads of sweat began to form on both the pegasi's faces.

Finally reaching the line where the beach met the army of palm trees, the two pegasi took their first step in what was going to be the longest journey that they had ever embarked upon. As the sand slowly diminished and was replaced by grass, the pegasi began to worry about how the other four ponies were faring wherever they happened to be. These thoughts lingered with them as they trotted through the tropical scenery.

Only a couple steps into the palm tree forest, Rainbow Dash had already spotted food. Hanging from one of the palm trees was a large, brown coconut. Oddly enough, it was the only coconut that could be found on any of the trees at all. Being the only one able to fly, Fluttershy flew up to pull the delicacy off the its perch.

“I guess they weren’t lying when they said there was food here,” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, licking her lips in anticipation of eating the goodness that lay inside the coconut.

After successfully pulling the coconut off the tree, Fluttershy held it in her hands unsure of what to do. Turning it around in her hoofs with a confused look, she desperately searched for something on the shell. After staring impatiently at the confused pegasus for a short while, Rainbow Dash called out to her, “Well? What are you waiting for?”

Still confused, Fluttershy looked at the pegasus waiting impatiently on the ground, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Smash it.”

“What?”

“Toss it on the ground to break it.”

Looking at the coconut once more, Fluttershy obeyed the blue pegasus’s command. Lifting up the coconut above her head, Fluttershy readied herself to smash the hard shell. Then, in one smooth motion, the flying pegasus brought her hands swiftly down and tossed the coconut directly at the ground with all her might. Closing her eyes and turning away, Fluttershy waited for the moment when the coconut hit the ground and exploded. Time seemed to slow down as the brown sphere tore through the air.

The coconut hit the ground dully and rolled a little. Then it came to a standstill near Rainbow Dash’s hoof, totally unscathed. Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy with an expression as if to say “are you kidding me?” She brought her hoof to her face and shook her head in disappointment.

“You’re going to have to throw it harder than that if you want to break it Fluttershy.”

Before long, the blue pegasus was growing increasingly impatient as failed attempt after failed attempt the coconut remained intact. Impatience got the better of Rainbow Dash and she called out to Fluttershy in anger, “That’s it! Just fly high up into the sky and drop it from a high altitude. I don’t even care if we lose some of the juice inside anymore. Can’t you do anything?”

With this command, Fluttershy picked up the coconut for one last try. She began to ascend into the air, determined to drop the fruit of the palm tree and break it once and for all in order to please Rainbow Dash. She rose above the palm trees and kept going for a short while until she was where she deemed high enough to break open the shell of the coconut. Closing her eyes, she brought the stubborn coconut above her head for one last throw. Just before she was going to let the coconut drop, she opened her eyes and looked out toward the beach.

What she saw froze her in place, unable to speak or move. She had to tell Rainbow Dash.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cold wind blew slowly through the morning air. With evergreen trees being the only visible vegetation in the area, the wind had no effect on the terrain except for an extra chill. White snow blanketed the invisible ground. Without a hoofprint in sight, the snow was an almost perfectly flat coat. It was as if a cloud had come down from the sky and blanketed the ground in its white fluffiness. Soft and cold, the snow was unique place for a unicorn’s head to rest.

Slowly opening her eyes, Twilight Sparkle lifted her head from the snow. Having no idea where she was, she looked around at this new territory. Snow covered trees were scattered throughout the area, with only small bits of green sticking out of the white blanket sometimes. In the distance the amount of trees grew larger and larger, until it became almost a forest of snow covered cones. Struggling to pick herself off the snowy floor, she felt dizzy. It was as if all her energy had been drained.

In the near distance, cliffs rose high out of the ground. At the top of the cliffs dark caverns could be seen carved into the jagged cliffs. The sides of the cliffs were the only part of the terrain that wasn’t covered in snow. Icicles hung from the entrances of the caves that opened as the cliffs snaked upwards. The cliffs surrounded the area, intimidating anypony who saw them from the ground. Some overhangs formed dark alleyways where the ground wasn't entirely covered in snow, but still managed to uphold a thing crust of white flakes.

Behind her, Twilight only saw white snow meeting the blue sky. She decided to trot over and see what lay below the snow. Upon arriving, she saw that the snowy cliff protruded out over an icy ocean. Blocks of shiny ice floated on the ocean surface as fragments. Near the cliff the unicorn stood looking down from was a slow decline down to sea level. The slope was covered in snow and where is met the water the inches of snow stood overlooking the tides. Ice blocks that were floating near the shore were close enough to jump from one to another, but as they went farther away from the shore the blocks moved farther apart. Twilight even thought she saw an iceberg in the distance.

Shining brightly, the sun became the holder of Twilight’s eye. It was the first time she had seen the sun for days, and now it was shining brightly in a clear sky. The sunlight reflected off the snow and ice, giving them glossy appearances.

The sound of somepony giggling came from behind the mesmerized unicorn. Turning her attention away from the beauty of the scene before her, she spun quickly around to confront the voice. Sure enough, it was only a pink earth pony making snow angels.

Pinkie Pie got up and smiled, “Hello sleepy head! Nice to see you awake. Wanna make snow angels with me?”

“No thanks Pinkie, I’m fine.” Twilight thought about it for a second and asked, “How did we get here?”

“Oh, well, we were falling really fast and I was really scared and just before we hit the water you did this cool thing with your horn and whoosh! And then we were here.” Pinkie smiled and fell back into the snow to continue making snow angels.

“Well that clears it up. Where are the others?”

Lifting her head from the snow, Pinkie giggled and said, “I have no idea!”

Twilight rolled her eyes at how useless Pinkie could be sometimes. Looking around for the other four ponies, Twilight turned around in a circle twice before realizing it was hopeless. The area was too big and she didn't have the energy to search for her friends. She assumed that while panicking she had managed to teleport herself from the basket to the island and brought Pinkie Pie along for the ride. She then concluded that the spell had exhausted her of energy and that she had been sleeping while Pinkie was up and about playing in the snow. The pedantic unicorn smiled, she loved it when she figured out things.

Something still didn’t seem right. Pulling a hoof gently through the white fluff, the unicorn felt the flakes that she stood upon. After testing out different samples of snow in multiple areas, Twilight eventually came to the conclusion that the island was magic. There was no way a storm like the one they had just flown through wouldn’t have an effect on the snow. It was way too dry to be post-storm snow. The overbearing magic of the island scared the unicorn, but she remained confident in her abilities.

Around a hundred imprints of angels lay in the snow and ruined what used to be a perfect blanket. Hoof prints in pairs of fours covered the area. Obviously, there was only one creature that could make hoof prints that showed up four at a time and far apart from each other. Pinkie’s unique style of moving about had created indents in the once flat blanket, showing Twilight all of the bouncy ponies’ previous movements.

Bending around a nearby evergreen, the hoof prints stayed in the general area near Twilight. Every now and then the prints would stop, leave behind a snow angel, and then continue to snake around. A crude snow pony stood near Twilight, showing off the endeavors of a bored Pinkie Pie while Twilight had been sleeping.

The unicorn decided to turn her attention away from the activities of the hyperactive pink pony and concentrate on the matter at hand. Her stomach growled, and Twilight gazed toward the majestic peaks of the mountains that stood in the center of the island. Suddenly she was reminded of the location of the food that had brought them to the island in the first place.

“Pinkie, let’s get moving, we have to reach the center of the island if we want to get that food. Maybe we’ll find the others, too.” Twilight began to trot forward without looking back, expecting Pinkie to follow her without questions.

“Okie-dokie!” responded a cheerful Pinkie Pie. Springing up from the snow, she began to trot happily behind Twilight. The slow journey toward the center of the island began, leaving a trail of hoof prints behind the two adventurers.

Small flakes of snow that had been torn from their blanket flew idly through the cold breeze. In the distance, slopes of snow were covered in trees and rocks rose precariously high from out of the snow. The landscape was not flat, but rather rose and fell at almost random intervals. Only the surface of untouched snow remained flat.

Icicles were forming on the sides of cliffs, heated by the suns intense rays. Drooping branches of trees and no signs of life made the entire area seem still as the rocks that were strewn across it. Twilight’s mane had stopped moving, signaling to her that the breeze had halted as they passed by a large cliff.

Hoof prints were slowly made their way toward the mountains in the far distance. As they followed behind Twilight and Pinkie Pie they gained a companion.

Indenting the snow, hoof prints crossed the path of the traveling pair, but belonged to neither of them. They went diagonally in front of the two ponies and continued in the same direction. Unable to see where exactly they stopped, Twilight looked up to see where the hoof prints seemed to be headed. As she lifted her head she saw a rock elevating far out of the snow. Caves of all sizes were spread out all over the crag. The hoof prints seemed to go directly toward the massive structure.

“Uh, Pinkie? Did you come trotting over here while I was sleeping?” asked Twilight hesitantly.

“Nope! I stayed right next to you almost the entire time you were asleep, silly. Don’t you remember?”

“Well if you didn’t make these hoof prints, Pinkie, then who did?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunlight crept through the slightly open eye of the resting pony, causing it to shut once more. Drooping eyelids stood locked to the bottom of the eyes and refused to budge. Behind the lids the sunlight was still able to make it to the eyes, making the eyelid close even harder to avoid allowing even the slightest amount of light in.

Cold and wet, the ground beneath was no pleasant mattress, but even with its uncomfortable qualities it was the only mattress nature knew. The sound of the tide rising upon the shore and falling back just as quick was soothing to the ears of the resting pony. Birds sang softly in the background and spoke back and forth as if they were in casual conversation. Every now and then a cricket would let off its chirp in the distance and would be answered by another chirp somewhere else.

Cicadas buzzed in the distance, keeping a constant sound in the immense forest. The ocean breeze blew softly into the forest and made its way around the trees, continually becoming less and less powerful until nothing was left. Its sound added to that of the tides, and they harmoniously became one sound whenever the tides rose upon the sand. The sun watched the top of the trees, but could not see any further. What happened beneath the canopies of the trees was one of the few mysteries for the sun.

Another attempt to open her eyes. With enough unconscious effort, her eyelids were almost able to open enough to bring herself to get up, but the sun flooded her pupils causing them to shut once more. Rolling over slowly to expose the other side of her body to the sun, the resting pony thought once again about finally waking up. However, her body played a different tune, reluctant to lift itself up and deal with the pressures that morning brought.

Inside the dark world behind her eyelids, the pony relived the moments that she last remembered. After flying through the biting cold wind for what seemed like eternity, her grip on the makeshift parachute was loosening by the second and it didn't help that she had a passenger. Approaching the island but still at a moderately high altitude the duo began to slip. The pony struggled to keep her mouth clenched on the last bits of cloth that kept her parachute with her, but the wind decided otherwise. Just before she fell, the pony took one last look around her but didn't see her dear friends anywhere. It was at that moment she realized she might be doing this without four of her friends. With one final tug the endeavors of the pony were put to the end by the wind and sent her and her rider plummeting toward the ground. Crashing through a tall tree that stood nearest to the banks of the ocean, the pair hit the ground with a thump, unconsciously lying in the rain that continued to poor.

Not too far away from the pony slept the unicorn that had joined in the plummet through the tree, soaking in the sunlight that the morning sun brought to them. Lying in the shade of a tree rather than the glaring sunlight, Rarity was able to pick herself off the ground much more easily and begin her day. The constant buzzing of cicadas wasn’t a symphony of nature to her, but rather dissonant notes that annoyed her ears and caused her unrest. Slowly lifting herself with her hooves planted firmly on the rocky ground, the unicorn gave a quick shake of her head to brush off any of the drowsiness that had followed her from the depths of her sleep.

Staring out into the beautiful scene the sun painted in the ocean, she smiled. It’s like I’m staring in a mirror, she thought. Grinning cheerfully at her mental comment, she decided it would be best to go look at what damage sleep on such filthy rocks had done to her mane. Trotting slowly to the clear waters of the ocean, she leaned in as the tides came rolling up to her hoofs.

Her image was visible to her as the water came up, and disappeared as it rolled back into the ocean. Rarity gave the tides a couple chances to redeem themselves from what she had first seen in their reflection, but what they beheld stood true. Accepting that what she saw before her was the real truth, she released a scream of agony.

A break in the constant sounds of the forest was all it took to jolt the eyelids of the resting pony wide open. Jumping frantically to her hoofs, Applejack blinked long and hard twice before she had completely adjusted to the new lighting. Seeing Rarity staring at the tides and screaming sent Applejack’s eyelids back to a droop. Glaring disapprovingly of Rarity’s overdramatic actions she decided to walk on over and see what all the unnecessary fuss was about.

“Oh, Applejack, don’t look at me it is too horrid for eyes to behold,” exclaimed the unicorn dramatically.

“Rarity, what in Equestria could have happened to you that would be that bad?” responded Applejack mockingly, anticipating an unworthy reason for the disturbance of her rest.

“Oh it’s absolutely terrible! I don’t know how but somehow a gigantic branch managed to make its way into my mane!”

Observing the purple mane of the unicorn, Applejack had to keep from laughing. “Rarity, that’s a twig. And it’s really not a big deal.”

“Are you kidding me? My mane is an absolute mess and I have not a single way to care for it on this barbaric island!”

Deciding it would be best to comfort rather than mock the distressed drama queen, Applejack consoled her, “Look sugar cube, the only pony that’s going to see you with a messed up mane is going to be me. Now stop worrying about it.”

Staring at Applejack with a pout, she refused to accept this. Standing tall with dignity she made her stance clear to the orange pony.

“Fashion is one of the most important things in my life and there is absolutely no possible way I am going to continue anywhere with a mane in such a condition as this one. Now if you would be so kind as to excuse me, I am going to attempt to restore order to my mane.”

With a flick of her tail and a haughty turn back towards her mirror of an ocean, she went to work on her mane. Using magic to carefully remove the twig intertwined with the locks of the mane, she spent roughly ten more minutes making sure every strand was perfectly in place. Turning back to Applejack with a displeased expression, she accepted that this would be the best she could do under these harsh conditions.

Seeing that her makeover session was finally over, Applejack rolled her eyes and made her way to where the unicorn stood on the beach.

“Now that you’re mane is finally presentable,” said Applejack, trying hard not to sneer, “Can we finally get moving. If we want to find the food we came searching for we’re going to have to make it to the middle of this island and we’re going to have to start now.”

Ignoring Applejack’s rude remark about her manetenance, she agreed that it would be best to begin the journey soon. She didn’t want to have to feel the pains of hunger once again.

Both the ponies stood before the overbearing forest that would soon consume them. The trees stood tall, with odd trunks that spiraled up toward the branches rather than go straight up. The branches were wide and broad, making them seemingly simple to walk upon. Vegetation permeated the floor of the forest, with ferns, grasses, and unidentified plants of all sorts growing out of every crevice possible. Vines loomed sullenly from the branches of trees, occupying the space between the ground and the canopies.

Where the forest ended, rocky terrains lead themselves into beach sand for a short while before turning into the ocean. Nearby a wide river flowed into the forest from the ocean, but not much of it could be seen by the ponies from where they stood. The sounds of life came from within the forest, creating a mystical aura about it as the two ponies had no idea what lay before them.

The leaves of the trees blocked out the warm rays of the sun, only allowing small amounts of it to seep through and illuminate lone spots on the forest floor. The green leaves hid anything that moved upon the wide branches, keeping the secrets of the canopies of the tree from both the sun and those who walked underneath. Only the rustling of these leaves could signal the movement of any form of life, and usually those forms of life made sure not to rustle any leaves in an attempt to stay unseen.

Most of the trees stood at about the same height, except for one tree that Rarity had seen while standing near the shore of the ocean. Rising high out of the canopies of the normal trees, it stood almost half another tree higher than the rest. Its branches spread out so wide as to cover what five trees together would. The only thing taller than this tree was the mountains behind it. Standing tall and majestic, the jagged peaks lined the sky with white, snow-covered caps.

Standing before the immense forest the ponies felt as though they were merely specks of dust on the floor of a large room. With hesitation to embark on the journey to the center of the island, both ponies considered turning back and staying on the beach. Thoughts of the pain that the hunger brought changed their minds, and stepping hesitantly into the grassy floor of the massive forest, the two specks of dust began their trek.

Roots snaked all through the forest floor and were difficult to see under all the brush. The untamed vegetation of the forest covered almost every inch of the unexplored area. Rarity constantly cringed away from what she saw as the disgusting plant life that surrounded her. With nowhere to go but forward, they weaved their way through trees and through ferns. It felt as though the forest had eyes, and that it had sensed their presence.

The eyes stared coldly at the backs of the ponies, and the trespassing pair felt the stare. It was inevitable and sent shivers down both their spines. Unknown mysteries were contained in every corner, and they were only seeing the surface of it. They could sense movements behind them, and turning quickly to catch the cause of the movement was futile as they were never in sight. Progress continually slowed as the ponies had to constantly check their surroundings to assure themselves that danger was not lurking behind them, waiting for them to put their guard down.

Overgrown ferns fanned out and blocked the path that the two ponies had decided to take. They stretched out and crossed each other like fans attempting to hide what lay behind them. Carefully approaching the ferns, Rarity and Applejack pushed their heads through the crevice made where the ferns crossed each other.

Poking their heads out on the other side, they stood aghast at what lay before them. Strung between two trees was a hammock. Inside the hammock lay a smirking draconequus.

“Hello again, have you missed me?”

Journey's Beginning

"I've missed you so much, have you missed me?"

Discord leaned out of his hammock, smiling at the ponies. He wore sunglasses and a hat, complimenting the patronizing way he was greeting the ponies. Rarity and Applejack felt fear and surprise on the inside, but worked not to show it. Stepping into the clearing, they tried to stand as tall as possible.

Two trees occupied the center of the small circle made by the forest. In between those two trees Discord lay in his hammock, but around those two trees there was simply grass. The forest died away for a short while, creating empty space, but with a distinctive line the forest started once again. No flowers or small plants grew on the ground, only grass.

Each pony was filled with questions, wondering how Discord had managed to escape his stone prison back in Ponyville. There was no answer that either could come up with, and they stood planted in the ground like one of the trees. The draconequus pulled his sunglasses down, allowing his pupils to just barely show over the rim.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about me?"

"How...how...." stammered Rarity, trying to find the words but only ending with thin air.

"How in Equestria were you able to break out of the stone we froze you in?" finished Applejack, taking a small step forward as if she was taking authority.

"Silly ponies," began Discord, his evil grin growing wider, "I am the spirit of chaos. You can't imprison spirits in stone, you can only trap my physical form!"

"But that spell was too powerful for escape!"

"Tell me Applejack, where do you think spirits go when they lose their physical body?"

Applejack looked to her unicorn companion, but she was just as confused. Neither pony knew much about spirits. If only Twilight were here, thought Applejack.

"Well, since neither of you ponies seems to know the answer I guess I'll just have to tell you. You see, I'm trapped on this horrible island until I can get my body back, and until I get my body back I'm just a spirit. And that's no fun now is it."

With a nod toward Rarity, the orange pony decided that they'd take care of Discord while they had the element of surprise. They took off at a gallop, and before Discord could react they were both in the air. Both hoofs extended, they prepared for impact.

Before they passed through, the draconequus let out a small laugh. Both ponies hit the ground, tumbling forward. Discord burst out into laughter while the ponies picked themselves off the ground, now looking at the back of the draconequus. Trying to speak, Discord put his lion hand up to signal he was going to talk, but just continued to laugh uncontrollably. Both ponies glared angrily at him, brushing dirt off of themselves.

"Oh, that's just too good! I'm a spirit remember? You can't touch me and I can't touch you, all I can do is speak and watch."

"Then why are you here, mocking us?" replied Rarity, trying to get some dirt out of her mane. This day just keeps getting worse for my beautiful mane, she thought.

"I'm here to watch the fun! I noticed that my favorite six ponies were on my island and I could never miss that." With a snap of his fingers, popcorn appeared in his lion hand. He grabbed a kernel and threw it into his mouth, closing his eyes while he chewed.

"Besides," he continued, "When you all fail miserably at whatever you're here to do, I want to see it happen!" With another snap of his finger, a soda bottle appeared in his other hand. Taking a long sip, he looked at the ponies one last time, this time with a serious expression. "Of course, I can't just leave it at that, oh no," his evil grin grew wider once more, "I have a riddle for you and it's imperative that you listen closely. The riddle goes like this:

When the air is still and cool,

And the nights reveal,

look for the shining jewel,

that they try to conceal."

Upon finishing his riddle, he snapped his fingers once more, disappearing from sight. The two ponies stood idly in the small circle within the massive forest, looking at each other in confusion.

It only took a short while before they were back on their journey to the mountain, dumbfounded by their encounter with Discord. Neither of them could figure out exactly what the riddle meant. They knew that it had something to do with nighttime and a gem, but it couldn't be that straightforward. It bit at their minds, constantly coming back to their thoughts even when they tried to oust it.

"It makes no sense," started Applejack, "How can the night reveal something if it conceals it?"

"I don't know," responded Rarity, tired of thinking, "All I know is that I'm hungry and there's food somewhere on this island."

Slow progress was being made through the forest, both ponies trying to conserve energy. The trees blocked out the burning sun, absorbing the heat for the benefit of the ponies below. Animals had become accustom to the presence of the ponies, they were no longer a disruption to the balance of nature. Now they were a part of the forest.

Traveling through the forest was taxing to say the least. Bugs that couldn't be identified by even the most knowledgeable of scientists buzzed through the moist air. Every now and then, they would notice the two ponies and examine them, flying close to their faces, only to be swatted away within a moment. Unidentified plants grew at the foots of the trees, and odd looking fungus oozed from the roots. Everything in the forest was so foreign to the Ponyville residents.

Cutting through the forest was a long, snaking river that shined with brilliance. The water was as blue as the oceans, reflecting the rays of the sun. Water flowed quickly down the river, but gently dodged rocks that broke the surface. Small fish followed the current, swimming downstream without any notion of where they were going. Their destiny was left to nature, and they trusted that it would take care of them.

Small twigs were carried by the gentle river, bringing them to the ends of Equestria and back. Rivers were one of the only truly endless structures of nature. If somepony was to try to pinpoint the beginning and ends of a river, they'd only find the beginning of the ocean. Water constantly moves from one part of the system to the other, and back around in full circle. It was one of the ways nature keeps itself moving while conserving itself. The river never truly ends, just widens and narrows.

Stretching for about the length of three trees placed end to end, the river was the divider of the forest. It was the sole force that allowed wildlife to flourish. Animals were fed by the water, allowing them to live. The river owned the forest, despite its inferior size. All things led back to water, and at the center of the forest there was exactly that. Without it, animals would die, and the life of the forest would disappear. Instead, it would be replaced by the stillness of trees, for a forest is only alive when it contains movement and animals. Otherwise it is simply a large collection of poles, slowly moving skywards.

As the two traveling ponies approached the magnificent river, they suddenly came to a standstill. Applejack looked with disdain toward the river, ignoring any of the beauty it had. To her it was merely an obstacle, and an annoying one, too.

"Applejack, how in Equestria are we supposed to get across this river?" inquired Rarity.

Applejack looked both ways, checking to see how far the river snaked along. With a heavy sigh, she turned to Rarity, despair in her eyes.

"I don't know."

Before they could work out a plan, they heard the rustling of leaves above them. Turning their heads quickly, the two ponies only caught a glimpse of a branch moving slightly, and a quick movement. Something was in the tree above them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were small, easily destroyed, and could be meaningless, but they could mean so much more. The hoofprints left in the snow led directly to a crag in the distance with caves spread out over the massive structure. It could lead to an animal, such as a deer, but it could also lead to something that would change the way Pinkie Pie and Twilight would have to travel the snowy land.

The thought that another pony could be on the island was devastating, it meant that the ponies would have to compete to get to the food first. Add that on to the biting cold wind, freezing snow, soaring cliffs, and endless miles of land, and the journey becomes twice as taxing on the ponies.

All this was going through Twilight's mind as she trotted, carefully observing the hoofprints to see where they led. If at the end of the trail they found another pony, there was no telling whether they would be hostile or not. What if they attack us? thought Twilight, What if they know what they're doing? We'd be doomed. Her eyes drifted toward Pinkie Pie, who bounced merrily along without a worry in Equestria. Twilight couldn't imagine Pinkie Pie having to fight for her life with another pony.

It seemed as though the pony who had made the hoofprints never deviated from their path, as the line went directly toward the large rock structure without ever turning to the side even slightly. It wasn't apparent how long the hoofprints had been there, as the gentle breeze wasn't enough to push snow into the small indents made. They could be as fresh and new as the one's Pinkie Pie and Twilight were making, but they could also have been there for days.

Thoughts of all the worse case scenarios played through Twilight's mind, causing her to shiver. Not because it was cold, but because the thought of not knowing what they were going to find at the end of the trail scared her. She had always been used to science telling her the facts, and everything being clear cut. Uncertainty was one of the things that could frighten the unicorn. It was the same thing when she had found out about the Pinkie Sense, she needed answers. Not being able to find an answer based on anything but taking action was a new concept to the studious Twilight Sparkle.

There was one thought that never left Twilight's mind. She couldn't figure out how any other pony had gotten to Bedlam Island. She had thought that they were the first to have come to the island. It just didn't make any sense.

Pinkie Pie opposed those thoughts directly. Not even beginning to think about the end of this journey or where the pony who made the hoofprints came from, she was only concerned with what she was doing at that very moment. Consideration of consequences was a foreign idea to the spontaneous pony. She only thought of how the snow looked, or the trees. Listening to a tune inside her mind, trying not to sing it, watching the trees and trying to figure out what food they looked like. These were the things Pinkie was thinking about.

One at a time, slow steps had made their way down the row of hoofprints, approaching the large crag that was at the end of the trail. Lifting her head, Twilight beheld the structure that lay before her. The cave entrances were large enough to fit something seven times the size of a pony inside. A small path was carved out along the snow covered rock by the hoofprints. They climbed up the slow elevation made on the side of the crag, as if it were a flat staircase. The pathways jutted out of the side of the rock, only to rise straight up again. With a drawn out sigh, Twilight began to trot forward once more.

Ascending deftly upon the snowy incline, the hoofprints made their way toward a small cave entrance. It was around the middle of the rock structure, and had one of the smaller entrances. The snow made it's way into the cave, only to be cut off a couple feet in. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, like icicles ready to fall on anypony who dared walk underneath. As the cave went deeper in, the darkness blocked the view of the ponies more, until it was completely blacked out.

With a gulp, Twilight looked down. There was no denying it, the hoofprints lead directly into the cave. They hadn't come all the way up here to just leave now. The unicorn felt sweat forming on her forehead, she wasn't ready to face whatever was in the cave. Pinkie, on the other hand, was totally prepared to gallop into the cave without looking back. She looked to see Twilight frowning and taking small steps away from the cave.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go!" exclaimed Pinkie, unsure of what Twilight was so scared of. The way Pinkie saw it, inside the cave was just another friend.

"Um....um..." stammered Twilight. She swallowed her fear, knowing that this would be something she would have to do. She needed to protect Pinkie if anything was to happen. "Let's go."

With cautious steps, the pair entered the darkness of the cave. Twilight used her horn for a dim source of light. Stalagmites complimented their brothers, lining the sides of the caves. Even though they couldn't be seen, Twilight knew there was some kind of animal lurking in the crevices. Still unsure of what they would find in the cave, Twilight turned her head rapidly from one side to the other, trying to observe everything. For once Pinkie was leading.

Small water droplets fell from the rocky icicles that hung precariously over the traveling pair. A small noise could be heard when they hit the ground, echoing throughout the cave. Within a few seconds, the sound had died away and the cave returned to its creepy silence, only to repeat the cycle once again. Darkness consumed the ponies, even with their small source of light. Even though the cave was huge, it seemed to be closing in on the ponies. They felt as though the walls were slowly coming closer together.

Continuing further and further into the cave, Pinkie had stopped bouncing around and was trotting. Her head hung low to the ground, her eyes darting from one corner of her eye to the other, trying to get a sense of what lay around her. Small, loose rocks were scattered around the floor. It felt as though they had been trotting for forever.

Twilight took a quick step backwards. The light that was cast by her horn had illuminated the figure of another pony, standing a little in front of the traveling duo. This pony came a little closer, allowing the light to show who she really was. She had a blue coat and light blue mane, along with a unicorn horn. She had small scratches along her side and face, and her tail and mane were a mess. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of light purple, but they had become red around the edges. It seemed as though this unicorn hadn't slept in a while.

Watching each other closely, the ponies stood at a standstill for what seemed like eternity. It was Pinkie Pie who finally broke the stalemate.

"Hey there! I'm Pinkie Pie and this is Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?" She gave her friendliest grin. If there was one thing Pinkie was experienced at, it was making friends.

The blue unicorn didn't respond. Instead she squinted, as if she were trying to figure something out. Pinkie Pie looked to Twilight, confused as to why the unicorn didn't respond. Twilight didn't return the glance, she was fixated on their new "friend", who crouched close to the ground.

Without warning, the unicorn was out of her crouch and galloping toward the intruders. Pinkie looked toward Twilight, smiling, and said, "Oh look, she's coming to say hello!"

At full speed, the unicorn jumped and tackled Pinkie Pie to the cold cave floor, standing on top of the pink pony. She raised her hoof into the air, preparing to bring it down on Pinkie's helpless face at full force. Before she brought her hoof down she yelled, "That food is mine, don't you dare try and take it from me."

Thinking quickly, Twilight used her magic to teleport Pinkie to her side. The attacking unicorn stomped only the ground, her eyes widening in surprise. She turned to see the pair standing next to each other.

The blue unicorn used her magic now, picking up a loose rock from the ground and hurling it toward her unicorn opponent. Her magic was powerful, lifting up one of the larger rocks.

With an immense force, the rock smashed into Twilight's side, sending her back toward the side of the cave. She landed on the ground, the rock rolling off of her, but the pain from the initial hit throbbing in her side. Closing her eyes, she moaned as she rolled on the ground, covering the spot of impact with both her forehooves.

Pinkie was now left to fend for herself. The unicorn was approaching her, galloping at full speed once again. Anticipating another tackle, Pinkie ducked. It was too late for the cave unicorn, as she jumped clear over the head of the giggling pink pony. With a thud she hit the floor, not expecting to have missed and not anticipating having to land by herself.

Still moaning, Twilight had managed to pick herself from the floor, trying to find where Pinkie was. The blue unicorn had already recovered from her fall, and was upon Pinkie once more. With a kick from her back hooves, she treated Pinkie as if she was a tree, bucking her for apples. Pinkie had turned around at the most unfortunate moment, taking the kick directly to her jaw. She fell backwards, tears in her eyes as she brought a hoof to her injured mouth.

As the blue unicorn trotted over to Pinkie, Twilight had gotten a hold of herself again. Wishing that she had read some of the combat spells books, she picked a rock of her own up. Aiming toward her unicorn opponent, she tossed the rock with all her might.

Soaring through the air, the rock hit the blue unicorn dead-on, knocking her to the floor just as Twilight had been moments ago. The only difference was that Twilight had thrown the rock which much less force. Twilight galloped toward the downed unicorn, prepared to do what she needed to in order to protect Pinkie Pie.

Picking up another rock from the cave floor, the blue unicorn attempted to bring Twilight to a halt. Seeing the rock hurled toward her, Twilight used her magic to create a small bubble around her, protecting her from outside projectiles. The rock hit the bubble with a thud, bouncing off without injuring the galloping unicorn. However, the force of the rock drained some of Twilight's energy, as maintaining the spell under fire was extremely difficult.

Allowing the small shield that she had created to disappear, Twilight jumped for her unicorn foe. Success. The blue unicorn lay on the ground under the hooves of Twilight Sparkle. The pink pony had finally gotten up from the ground, and was trotting over to help Twilight.

"Go, run Pinkie, I've got this!" commanded Twilight. Thinking about it for a second, Pinkie halted her trot and looked back towards where the cave entrance was.

"No." Pinkie continued to trot toward the interlocked unicorns. She wasn't about to leave her friend.

Still struggling to keep her pinned to the ground, Twilight used everything she had read about fighting to try and stay on top. Of course, reading about combat and actually participating were too different a thing, and the pages of a book didn't translate into real fighting. Twilight knew she was going to lose, hoping that by some luck she would be able to defeat her unicorn enemy.

Breaking loose from her grip, the unicorn delivered a powerful kick from the ground. Her hooves moved swiftly, and within half a second it was over. The kick had hit Twilight square in the face, sending her to the ground. Her face was red from where the hooves had landed. The pain was unbearable at first, but it was only for a short moment. The blue unicorn picked herself off the ground.

Everything was becoming blurry. Slowly losing a sense of reality, Twilight began to slip away. Her eyes closed and darkness consumed her mind. She couldn't feel the pain anymore. She couldn't feel anything. Her final memory was Pinkie tackling the blue unicorn to the floor. She couldn't hear anything or see anything. Her mind went completely blank.

Twilight lay unconscious on the cold cave floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Without a word, Fluttershy sped down towards the ground where her friend stood, awaiting a falling coconut. Seeing Fluttershy coming down towards her, coconut still between her hooves, Rainbow Dash began to yell. Fluttershy wasn't concerned however, the information she held was important. Upon landing, Fluttershy dropped the coconut and tried to quiet her pegasus friend.

"Rainbow Dash please be quiet..." she pleaded.

"What are you doing? Why didn't you smash it?"

"Rainbow Dash this is important, I saw...."

"What's important is that we get some food!" interrupted Rainbow Dash, kicking the coconut to the side with her hoof.

"No you don't understand..."

"We're here to get food, not to play games, Fluttershy."

"Rainbow Dash!" yelled Fluttershy, finally losing her patience, "I saw a boat, it's coming toward the island."

Unsure of what to do with this information, the sky blue pegasus turned her head toward the ocean. What used to be a small speck out in the ocean was now the clear outline of a boat, sailing directly for the island. Cracking open the coconut was the last thing on Rainbow Dash's mind now.

The boat was coming closer and closer with every passing second. Before long, the two pegasi were already trotting away from the sandy shores of the ocean, and from their coconut. Ponies were definitely on the boat, and they were coming for the food. Both pegasi agreed it was imperative that they get there first. They began their journey toward the mountains.

Hills of sand became tall grass. The palm trees died away, leaving only the grass to cover the ground. It rose to the necks of the ponies, green and shiny. What hid in the grass was a mystery. Slowly the ground became muddy and the hooves of the trotting pegasi sunk further and further into the ground.

They trotted on, pushing grass out of their way only to have it snap back up once they were past it. Bugs flew in the moist air, and the sound of frogs croaking took up the area. The beach had quickly turned into marshland. Within the center lay a pond of clear water, with small plants floating on the surface.

Only one of them was not a plant. Floating on the surface in a rubber inner tube, a draconquus relaxed in the sunlight. Looking up towards the sky, it looked as though Discord didn't have a care in the world. Of course, he knew that the pegasi were on their way.

As they approached the pond, the two pegasi sensed that something was awry. It was not until they pushed back the final blades of grass did they see Discord lying in the middle of the pond.

"Discord! What are you doing here? How did you escape?" Rainbow Dash inquired, trying to fly out over the pond but remembering she couldn't.

"Hello, my little ponies, it's such a joy to see you again. Enjoying the scenery?" responded the draconequus, not even turning his head. He simply stared up at the sky, his eyes closed.

"Enough games, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, but games are so much fun! Don't you love the way this island is designed, its simply," Discord looked for the right word, "Chaotic."

"If I could get my hooves on you then you'd see...."

"Oh silly Rainbow Dash, why must you always be so brash. I'm not here to harm you, I'm just here to enjoy the show. This should be fun. The island has a few tricks up its sleeves, and it is going to make my day when you see them!"

Rainbow Dash snarled at her smirking nemesis. "How are you not a statue? We defeated you."

"Rainbow Dash, I'm a spirit. I can go wherever I want. Of course, I can't have near the amount of fun I could if I had my physical form back. Anyway, you might want to hurry up, the boat is on its way." A snap of his fingers and Discord was gone. The short encounter had rattled Rainbow Dashes nerves, and had sent Fluttershy hiding in the tall grass behind them.

The pond spread for a long distance, and on the other side the same tall grass covered the ground. Small rocks poked out of the still water, creating a pathway to the other side. Fluttershy could simply fly over the obstacle, but her injured friend would have to use the rocks.

Taking to the sky, Fluttershy was on the other side of the pond, staring back at Rainbow Dash, within a couple of seconds. Small rocks with flat tops made a wavy line to the other side of the pond, and they were the only option of the injured pegasus. Eyeing the rocks warily, she took her first step.

Before she could step on the stone, it magically sprung to life, moving to the side to avoid the hoof. Rainbow Dash almost fell into the water, but managed to regain her balance. She looked up towards the sky, "Discord! Stop that!"

His voice came from nowhere, almost as if it were traveling through the air. "I'm not doing anything, it's simply the island playing its tricks."

Rainbow Dash growled. This was exactly the kind of thing she'd expect from Discord. It seemed impossible to get across the pond if the rocks were just going to move to the side. She tried to step on the rock again, bringing her hoof close to the surface. Just before she touched the rock, it moved to the side. With a quick movement, Rainbow Dash brought her other hoof onto the rock, keeping it in place. With a satisfied grin, she stepped onto the first rock.

Even though the water was clear, it wouldn't be the best idea to fall in. There would be no way to pull herself out of the water, considering the rocks moved away from her. Rainbow Dash couldn't swim either, her broken wing didn't allow her to. Usually she just let her wings push her forward, but this time that wouldn't happen.

Slowly but surely, Rainbow Dash made her way across the tricky rocks, figuring out the secret to stepping on them. She had to jump slightly to the side of the rock, and instead of pulling out from under her the rock would save her. It was risky, but it was the only way to get across the rocks that were further apart.

Halfway across the pond, Fluttershy took to the sky once more, observing what lay behind them. She was trying to spot the boat. Except, the boat was just a little too easy to find.