Chapters It was the birthday of Princess Luna's husband, Gothic. There was much celebrating from all the royal family, as Twilight and Cadance's family had come to help celebrate. Even Discord was in attendance, having suddenly shown up on the grounds that he "could never miss a good party."
"Happy birthday, daddy!" Constell hugged.
"Thanks, sweetie." Gothic smiled. "Another year older, huh?"
"And yet, you still look as handsome as you did the day we met." Luna smiled.
"And you're just as beautiful." Gothic smiled.
The two kissed passionately.
"Awww." Dusty Speck beamed. "Isn't that sweet, Blue?"
"It sure is." Blueblood smiled.
Their one-month-old twin colts, Pureblood and Vito, were enjoying some cake, though they were getting more of it on them then in them. Right beside them, Celestia and Shine's daughter Miracle was eating a little more delicately.
"Oh, boys." Blueblood chuckled. "That is no way for royalty to eat."
"Come here, you messy colts." Dusty smiled, producing a cloth to clean them.
"Gotta admit, I didn't think I'd see the day when you became a day, Blueblood." Gothic chuckled. "And with a commoner, no less. Remember when Constell was born?"
(Flashback)
It was the middle of the night, and Luna and Gothic were in bed together, sleeping. Suddenly, Luna shot upright.
"Aah!" She groaned, clutching her swollen belly.
"Whutzgoinon?" Gothic sat up.
"The foal's coming!" Luna yelped.
"Oh, okay." Gothic laid back down, then a few seconds later, sat back up. "The foal's coming?! Now?!"
"Yes!" Luna cried.
"Okay, don't panic!" Gothic jumped out of bed. "I'll get the night guardsponies to take you to the hospital, and tell everypony else... just stay calm!"
"I shall follow your example." Luna said sarcastically.
Soon after Luna and Gothic got to the hospital, Celestia and (a very reluctant) Blueblood followed.
"It figures that aunt Luna's foal would come out in the middle of the night..." Blueblood yawned.
As dawn broke, Luna and Gothic emerged, Luna carrying the infant.
"Say hello to our daughter, Constell." Gothic smiled.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Luna sighed.
"Just like her mother." Gothic embraced Luna.
"Oh, they look so wonderful together, wouldn't you say, Blueblood?" Celestia smiled.
"Hmph." Blueblood shrugged.
"Come on, Blueblood, how long must you be so against Gothic?" Celestia groaned.
"Sorry, auntie, but as far as I am concerned, they have further polluted the gene pool of royalty." Blueblood declared. "And the fact that I lost hours of beauty sleep for this does not make it any better."
" One of these days, you will be eating those words." Celestia smirked. "Who know, perhaps one day, you will fall in love with a commoner."
"Yeah, right." Blueblood scoffed. "The chances of that happening is the same as me befriending a psycho who goes by something like 'O'Malley'."
(End Flashback)
Blueblood was trying to open a wine bottle for Dusty.
"Do you need help, dear?" Dusty asked.
"No, no, I got this." Blueblood grunted
"Let me try." Caboose took the bottle. "HUZ-ZAH!" He said in O'Malley's voice, breaking the top open. "There you go." He smiled, using his normal voice.
"Thanks." Blueblood smiled.
"Look at you, Gothic." Shine smiled, "Now forty-five, a prince, with a beautiful wife, and a beautiful daughter…you are living the life, my friend."
"Oh yes, and to think in eighteen years, that will be you." Celestia nuzzled Shine.
"Enough reminiscing." Discord conjured up a turntable and speaker. "Time to kick this party into overdrive!"
"Let's dance, everypony!" Mist cheered.
All the royals got out on the dance floor, and started dancing up a storm. While Shining Armor and Cadance slow-danced, Twilight and Flash Sentry went into Twilight's trademark dance, much to their children's embarrassment.
"Check this out!" Gothic declared.
He pulled off a complicated dance move, but pulled something in the process.
"Ah!" He gasped, hopping on his other hooves.
"Stop everything!" Shining Armor yelped, as they all gathered around their friend.
"Are you alright, dear?" Luna asked.
"I'm fine." Gothic winced. "I used to be able to pull that move off perfectly..."
"Well, no offense, but you aren't as young as you used to be." Blueblood pointed out.
"Maybe you should sit this one out, dad." Constell offered.
"I'd prefer to... walk it off, instead." Gothic sighed "I'll be back in a little while."
As Gothic left the room, his wife and daughter looked on worriedly.
As Gothic walked into Canterlot, he found that the pulled muscle was easing off, but Blueblood's words still ran through his head.
"It's prince Gothic's birthday today, you know." He heard somepony say.
Peeking around the corner, he saw two nobles talking.
"Ah, yes." One said. "I have to give him credit. Marrying an immortal princess, knowing full well, she'll outlive him, is quite a feat."
"Unless he didn't think it through." The first noble noted. "I for one, don't know if I would chose such a life."
"Just think." His companion prompted. "In another forty five years, the prince will be old and grey, while the princess remains the same. That would put quite a damper on their love life, wouldn't you say?"
Sighing heavily, Gothic walked back to the castle. He then stopped as he passed a mirror. Looking at it, he noticed the wrinkles on his snout, and the gray streak of hair running through his mane.
"My gosh, I'm getting old..." Gothic sighed.
"Hey, come now, it's not the end of the world." Gothic''s reflection spoke to him.
" GAH!" Gothic jumped back.
The reflection walked out of the mirror, turning into none other than Discord.
"Discord!" Gothic snarled. "Why the hay did you scare me like that?!"
"Geez, don't have a heart attack, grandpa!" Discord chuckled.
"What do you want?" Gothic frowned.
"Well, I was just concerned about you." Discord said, putting on a serious face. "You seemed so sad and lonely out here by yourself."
"Well, don't be concerned." Gothic huffed. "I'm fine."
Gothic turned away, but Discord instantly appeared in front of him.
"Don't be so grumpy, Gothic." Discord told him. "I can understand why you're so sad."
"I highly doubt it." Gothic snorted.
" But I do." Discord declared. "It's not easy being married to an Alicorn who will still look beautiful and young while you grow old, feeble, and lose all your teeth in hundred years." Discord emphasized his point by turning old and feeble.
"How would you know?" Gothic huffed. "You're not married to one."
"No." Discord turned back to normal. "But being an immortal myself, I sometimes feel sad knowing that in a century or two, my friends will be pushing daisies. Even sadder that one of them will be Fluttershy." He let out a sad sigh.
"Oh... I guess you do understand." Gothic said, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry. It's just... look at me." He gestured to himself. "For more than twenty years, I have devoted myself to Luna, gave her a child, and stood by both their sides. My two girls both look young and beautiful, with an eternity ahead of them. Me? Well, as you saw at the party, I'm getting on in years. I have reached the midpoint of my life..."
"Hey, that's something to be proud of, right?" Discord asked. "The big four-five?"
"Yeah... it also means that I have only a few more decades before I..." Gothic started.
"Kick the bucket?" Discord offered. "Go six-feet under? Push up daisies?"
"Yes." Gothic growled. "I sometimes envy Shine... he got married to Celestia at the prime age of 25 and had a child with her shortly after. He still has a lifetime to be with his family."
"Yes... but even then, Shine will grow old and feeble like you will." Discord noted. "It sure makes you wish that there was a way to...I dunno, extend your lifespan infinitely and maintain youth, right?"
"Yeah... if only..." Gothic sighed. "I would give anything for a chance to live forever. Stay young forever with Luna and Constell..."
Well, Gothy... what if I were to tell you if there was a way?" Discord smirked.
"If this is another of your practical jokes, I'm not laughing." Gothic glared at Discord.
"No. I am being serious. See my serious brow?" Discord pointed to his brow, pushing it to look like an angry brow. "I just so happen to know of a very special artifact that could solve your little growing old problem..."
"...Really?" Gothic gasped.
"Yes." Discord nodded. "It's a gold statue, known as 'the Golden Phoenix of Immortality'. Legend has it, whosoever bathes in the light of the gem on it's chest will live forever, and it just so happens that I know where to find it."
"You mean it?" Gothic asked. "No kidding?"
"Not this time." Discord nodded.
"Great!" Gothic cheered.
"Gothic?"
Shine came in, and noticed Gothic and Discord.
"What's going on here?" He asked.
"Ah, Shine, you're here." Discord smiled. "I would like you to get in on this as well..."
Gothic explained what was going on.
"What?!"
"You heard me right, Shine. According to Discord, there is a golden phoenix statue that has the power to grant immortality to bathes in its light."
"I got that part. But what does this have to do with you or me?" Shine asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Gothic smiled. "Shine, we could use that statue on ourselves… we could live forever."
"I don't understand, Gothic." Shine declared. "I remember Prince Dusk telling me how you had come to terms with Luna being immortal. Are you meaning to tell me that that was a lie?"
"...Look, I really thought I had come to terms with it." Gothic admitted. "I mean, the last twenty years have been the greatest of my life. But recently... I've been thinking of what life will be for Luna and Constell when I'm gone... and how sad they'll be..."
"Gothic, you're not the only one who has that thought." Shine told him. "I think about what will become of Celestia and Miracle almost everyday. And I'm sure Shining and Flash thinks the same thing as well."
"Shining and Flash don't have to worry." Gothic declared. "Unlike our wives, Twilight and Cadance aren't immortal. Only those who are born pure-blooded Alicorns have immortality. They're the lucky ones."
"Why is this even a issue?" Shine asked. "I mean, even after we're gone, our family will have memories of us to keep with them forever.
"Of course... but what happens when those memories fade away?" Gothic retorted.
"Excuse me?" Shine asked.
"It has been said that 'everything fades away with time'." Gothic quoted. "Luna and Celestia will miss us when we are gone, sure... but how about a hundred years after that? Will they still remember us?"
"That's crazy talk!" Shine decried.
"Is it, Shine?" Gothic asked. "Think about your daughter. You think that about 80 years or so will make enough memories for Miracle to remember you a century later?"
"I... don't you turn this around on me, Gothic." Shine said, flustered. "This whole subject is crazy! Discord is crazy!"
"Shine, think about this." Gothic urged. "If there is a way to achieve immortality, Celestia and Luna wouldn't have to cope with losing us. Neither does Miracle and Constell. We could end all the pain and suffering before it can begin."
Shine looked at Gothic with uncertainty.
"I... guess it wouldn't hurt to try." He shrugged.
"That's the spirit." Gothic smiled. "But I think it'd be a good idea not to tell anypony. Just in case we don't manage it."
"Agreed." Shine nodded.
"Agreed!" Said a voice from behind a bush.
"Caboose?" Gothic turned. "Is that you?"
"Yeppers!" Gothic leapt out.
"Why were you hiding in that bush?" Shine asked.
"Oh, no reason." Caboose shrugged. "Just doing what the writer wants me to do."
"Now what?" Shine asked Gothic. "He heard everything."
"Well, since Caboose can't keep a secret to save his life, we'll just have to take him with us." Gothic declared. "Discord, could you keep him from going anywhere until we're ready to go?"
"Consider it done." Discord smirked. With a snap of his fingers, he turned Caboose into a tiny wind-up toy. "That should keep him quiet."
"Okay, we meet back here first thing in the morning." Gothic declared. "Discord will fill us in on where we need to go, then we get moving."
"But what about our wives?" Shine asked.
"We'll just... tell them I invited you to visit some old friends of mine." Gothic declared.
"Okay... I just hope we know what we're doing…" Shine nodded.
"Good. Now, why don't you ponies run along to your party, and I will tell you everything you want to know tomorrow. I promise you, by the time you're through, you two will never grow old and leave Celly and Lulu." Discord smirked.
And so, the two princes returned to the party. The next day, they would embark on the most important quest of their lives...
Shine and Gothic were getting ready to head on their 'trip'. Celestia and Luna, as well as Miracle and Constell were seeing them off.
"So, tell me where you're going again?" Luna asked.
"Like I told you, I have some friends up in Rainbow Falls that I haven't seen in years." Gothic fibbed. "I'm just going to visit them."
"And how does Shine figure into this?" Celestia inquired.
"Well, Cherryblossom, I've never been to Rainbow Falls before, so I thought I could tag along with Goth." Shine explained. "I promise you, we'll be back in a couple of weeks."
"Sorry, it just that all of this feels sudden..." Luna told Gothic. "I will miss you."
"I know, love... but by the time we get back, I promise we'll have loads of time to catch up." Gothic nuzzled Luna.
"Hope you enjoy your trip, dad." Constell smiled.
"I will, hon." Gothic kissed Constell on the head.
"Just be careful on your trip, dear." Celestia declared.
"Will do, Cel." Shine kissed Celestia on the cheek, then turned to Miracle. "You be good for your mother and the others while I'm gone, okay?"
"Okay. Love you, daddy." Miracle kissed Shine on the nose.
"Love you, too." Shine smiled.
Blueblood and Dusty came by.
"Say, have any of you ponies seen Caboose?" Blueblood asked. "He never reported for duty this morning."
"Yeah, it's not like him to just disappear like that." Dusty noted.
Shine and Gothic glanced at each other nervously.
"Oh, Caboose..." Gothic mumbled. "He had to catch a flight back to Bitaly for some emergency. The poor guy must had left so fast that he forgot to leave a note."
"I didn't get any letter from my father..." Dusty said skeptically.
"I'm sure he didn't want to worry you." Shine told her. "You have enough on your plate as it is."
"I just hope everything is okay." Blueblood frowned.
"Oh, I'm sure it is..." Gothic smiled. "Well, anyway, goodbye, everypony."
Gothic and Shine walked down the path to the gates, waving to their family as they did. Once they were outside the walls, they quickly turned a corner, to where Discord was waiting.
"Right on time, gents." Discord smiled.
"Okay, first things first." Gothic declared. "Bring back Caboose, please."
"Consider it done." Discord pulled out the wind-up toy and turned it back to Caboose.
"Okay... what was that?!" Caboose yelled.
"Sorry, Caboose." Shine cringed. "We had to keep you quiet."
"He turned me into a wind-up toy!" Caboose screeched. "I'm not saying I didn't enjoy being wind-up or anything, but..."
"We couldn't risk you telling anypony." Gothic sighed, handing the irate guardspony a backpack. "But now you get to join us on an epic journey. Doesn't that sound good?"
"Well..." Caboose pouted. "Only if I get to be the navigator..."
"Consider it done." Shine smiled.
"Speaking of which... Discord, the map, please?" Gothic requested.
Discord clapped his hands together, the rolled-up map appearing when he parted them.
"Here you go." He handed the map to Caboose. "Good luck, fellas. You're going to need it..."
Caboose unfurled the map and perused.
"This way!" He pointed, leading Shine and Gothic.
The trio departed from Canterlot, Discord waving them off.
"So, where are we going?" Shine asked.
"Well, it looks like we're headed to the forest under Foal Mountain." Caboose declared.
"Then we'd better get moving." Gothic stated.
On hoof, it was a two-day journey to the forest. As they camped out for the night, they decided to entertain themselves with ghost stories.
"...And then, the biggest marshmallow ever came out of nowhere and flattened the poor ponies!" Caboose finished her tale in a spooky voice.
"Seriously?" Shine snorted. "A giant marshmallow?"
"What?" Caboose said defensively. "Marshmallows are so scary! If only my cousins Peter, Ray, Winston, and Egon were there, then those ponies would still be alive."
"How many cousins does your family have?" Shine asked.
"Well... there's those four, Link, Mario, Luigi, Simmons, Grif, Sarge, Lopez..." Caboose counted off. "And there's Tucker, Church (the one I shot with a cannon), and Doc... you might want to sit down, this could take awhile..."
"How about we call it a night. We have more ground to cover tomorrow. Good night you two." Gothic shrugged as he climbed into his sleeping bag.
"You too, Gothic." Shine smiled.
Shine and Caboose slipped into their sleeping bags...
"Then there's Dante, Vergil, Kirby... and the awesome cousin Barney St-" Caboose continued.
"Good night, Caboose." Shine and Gothic sighed.
The next day was quite windy. The travelers were glad to reach the forest, as the trees provided cover from the wind. Shine, Gothic, and Caboose strolled through the trees. Caboose was leading the way as he read the map.
"Are you sure you know we're going?" Gothic asked.
"Of course I do." Caboose nodded. "I have an excellent sense of direction!"
"If that's so..." Shine took the map from Caboose. "Then why is the map upside down?"
"Huh, the wind must had blown it sideways." Caboose shrugged.
"Oh great, we're lost!" Gothic growled.
"Hey, take it easy, Goth." Shine told him. "Caboose didn't mean to mislead us."
"Yeah." Caboose agreed. "If it's anypony's fault, it's Discord for not color-coding this map. I can't understand this chicken scratch!"
"Then why did you insist on being our navigator?!" Gothic asked.
"I wanted to sound important!" Caboose pouted.
"Well, now, not only are we no closer to finding the Phoenix, we are lost in the middle of the woods with who knows what in here!" Gothic groaned.
"Hey, look on the bright side, at least things couldn't get worse." Caboose offered.
"Uh, is it just me or did Caboose just got taller than you?" Shine asked.
Caboose had somehow become a head taller than Gothic. The three looked down, and saw that they were caught in quicksand.
"Quicksand?!" Gothic yelped. "Are you serious?!"
"Wow, and here I thought they were only in jungles." Caboose chuckled. "The more you know..."
"I swear, Caboose, if I were able to move my hooves, I would kill you right now!" Gothic roared.
"Come on, guys, I'm sure we can figure this out." Shine declared.
"We better do it fast." Caboose noted. "This sand is swallowing us...'quickly'."
Gothic let out a roar as he tried to move towards Caboose, throwing his hooves at Caboose trying to get him. Shine tried to stop him.
"Let me at him! Let me at him!" Gothic screamed.
"Come on, trying to kill Caboose will change nothing!" Shine tries to sooth.
"Bring it on, grandpa!" Caboose sneered, in the voice of O'Malley, only to shift back to normal, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" But then he went back to O'Malley. "No, I'm not."
"HEY!"
The three looked up, as a vine was dropped down to them. They looked up, and saw a light-tan pegasus mare hanging from a tree branch.
"GRAB ON!" The pegasus called.
Seeing their way out, the three grabbed onto the vine. The pegasi then dropped from the branch, using the vine like a pulley, as Shine, Gothic, and Caboose popped right out of the sand. Shine and Gothic landed on the ground hard, while Caboose landed in the pegasi's hooves. Caboose looked up... and was immediately mesmerized by the pegasi mare's face, her beautiful brown eyes and her black, fading-gray mane. The light from the sun was shining behind her.
"Hey... are you alright?" The mare asked.
" I... I am now." Caboose sighed, drooling slightly.
"Good." The mare dropped Caboose unceremoniously on the ground.
"Not that we don't appreciate the help, but... who are you?" Shine asked.
"The name's Do." The mare declared. "Daring Do."
Shine and Gothic were surprised.
"Wait, Daring Do… as in the famous adventurer Daring Do?" Shine asked.
"That's me." Daring nodded.
"Oh my gosh… me and my sister grew up reading your books!" Shine stated. "I never realized that you were real!"
"I get that a lot." Daring shrugged. "And what are a pair of royals doing out in the woods? This isn't really the safest place to be taking a stroll."
"I'm afraid that's on a need-to-know only basis." Gothic declared.
"We're looking for the Golden Phoenix of Immortality!" Caboose blurted out.
"Caboose!" Gothic growled.
"What?" Caboose said innocently. "I thought she needed to know."
"Really?" Daring smiled. "Well, surprise, surprise. I'm looking for it too."
"Seriously?" Shine asked.
"Yep." Daring nodded. "Maybe we could go for it together?"
Gothic motioned for Shine and Caboose to talk with him in private.
"So, what do you think?" Gothic asked.
"We let her join!" Caboose nodded.
"It couldn't hurt." Shine declared. "From what we've seen, she seems to be quite an adventurer, and she knows her archaeology, too. Four heads are better than three."
"Okay, fine." Gothic sighed.
The stallions broke their huddle.
"You're in." Gothic said tersely.
"Excellent." Daring smiled, "With me around, we'll find that Phoenix in no time."
"I've got the map." Caboose waved. "Wanna share?"
"If I have to." Daring frowned.
And so, they continued on their path, Caboose keeping uncomfortably close to Daring.
"So, what do you want with the Phoenix, anyway?" Daring asked.
"We plan to use it." Shine declared.
"Seriously?" Daring asked. "Well, whatever floats your boat."
"Hey, for your information, Ms. Do, that Phoenix is going to change our lives." Gothic declared.
"Hey, I get ya. You have your reasons, I have mine." Daring shrugged.
"So, er, Miss Do, why are you after the Golden Phoenix?" Caboose asked.
"Well, you see, for years, I've been writing books of my travels, under the name of A.K. Yearling." Daring declared. "However, over the years, I've grown a bit old for the adventures, so I decided to go on one last quest before I retire. The Golden Phoenix is a powerful artifact, and I thought it would be the best way to end-"
Caboose wasn't listening, as he was in dreamland, watching Daring.
"Blah, blah, blah. Proper name. Place name. Backstory stuff..." Daring said in a dreamy voice.
"Mmm-hmmm." Caboose nodded.
" ...The power to grant immortality." Daring said in the real world. "The Golden Phoenix..."
In dreamland:
"...I'm so pretty. I like you. But I'm don't seem to like you for some reason..."
"Mmm-hmmm." Caboose sighed.
"So, here's the deal. I let you two use the Phoenix, but after that, I'll take it to a museum for safe-keeping." Daring summarized. "We clear?"
"Of course." Shine and Gothic said in unison.
"We only need to use it once, anyways." Gothic explained.
"Great! I think I got it." Caboose smiled. "But just in case... tell me the whole thing again, I wasn't listening."
Daring Do groaned loudly.
As their journey wore on, they encountered a small cliff. Daring jumped, landing safely... while Caboose dropped down hard, his face in the ground as he screamed in pain.
"Ow!" He yelped in a prolonged manner, as his scream echoed throughout the forest.
Shine and Gothic were much more graceful.
"Try to keep up, Caboose." Gothic sighed.
"Here, let me help you." Shine offered, as he pulled Caboose from the ground.
The four continued making their way through the woods when they heard a loud rustling noise.
"Whoa, what was that?" Gothic asked.
"I don't know, but it's getting closer!" Shine quivered.
"Stand back, your majesties!" Daring stood in front of them. Caboose stood aside her. "That goes for you too, Caboose."
"Aye, aye, ma'am." Caboose stood behind Daring.
The sounds got louder... and then, a white kitten came out of a bush.
"Aww... it's just a cute little kitten." Shine cooed.
"The poor thing must have gotten lost." Gothic supposed.
Suddenly, Caboose pulled up a rock and held it overhead.
"We gotta kill it!" He roared.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Shine grabbed Caboose's legs. "Caboose, this is just an innocent little kitty cat."
"Yes, I doubt it can harm us." Gothic agreed.
"That's how they get you!" Caboose declared. "They lure you in with those big cute eyes... and when you least expect it, bam! They steal your pot pie!"
"Strange... that kitten looks familiar..." Daring's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh no..."
It was then that a strange blue creature with a hand on its tail and an unsavory looking stallion emerged from the trees.
"What is it?!" Shine gasped.
"Ahuitzotl!" Daring gasped. "My arch-enemy. And-"
"Dr. Caballeron!" Caboose yelled.
"You know him?" Daring asked.
"Oh, yeah." Caboose nodded. "He kidnapped Prince Blueblood and his marefriend and my niece, Dusty. When I tried to rescue them, he gave me an owie on my hooftip."
"And you beat me up!" Caballeron roared.
"Wait, when did that happen?!" Shine asked, not recalling this at all.
"Oh, about a month after Blueboy came to meet us. Fortunately, O'Malley managed to save us, and we broke free. I then had my brothers take them to a facility far up north and me, Blueblood, and Dusty decided to keep it a secret… from…" Caboose slowly realized who he just blabbed that to. "Oops."
"Wait, if you had this guy shipped up north, then why is he here?" Gothic explained.
"I dunno. Plot element?" Caboose shrugged.
"Actually, I manage to break free from imprisonment." Dr. Caballeron explained, "It wasn't easy, and a few stallions had to be sacrificed, but I am here now…and I am not happy. Now, I will finally get payback for you humiliating me, Caboose!"
"Technically, I didn't humiliate you." Caboose shook his head. "O'Malley did."
Before Daring could question who O'Malley was, Ahuitzotl stepped forward.
"Enough reminiscing." He declared. "I know you're after the Golden Phoenix, Daring Do. But I aim to get it first. And this time, you won't stop me!"
"Think again, Ahuitzotl." Daring glared. "Me and my travelling companions all have reasons to get that statue. And personally, I won't let you use it for your evil plans."
"You got that right." Gothic nodded.
"We'll see about that, your majesty." Ahuitzotl mock-bowed. He then snapped the fingers on his tail hand, and several big cats emerged from the woods.
"So, here's how it's gonna work." Caballeron declared. "You four turn around and walk away, or we will have to resort to very painful methods to make you go away, for good."
"Not gonna happen, Doctor." Caboose said, before switching to O'Malley's voice. "You think that packing a ugly cat-gorilla like abomination is going to change the outcome? You're wrong. I will avenge my hoof tip and kick your mother-"
Suddenly, Ahuizotl uppercut Caboose with his tail hand, knocking him far into the trees behind them.
"YA-HA-HA-HOOEY!" Caboose yelped as he crashed into a tree.
"Oh, boy." Shine winced.
"Attack, my pets!" Ahuitzotl roared.
The cats attacked, coming at the three ponies from all sides. Though they fought bravely, the two princes and the archaeologist were badly outnumbered. They were soon back against a cliff, and surrounded on all sides. Both Shine's and Daring's wings had been damaged during the fight, so they couldn't fly away.
"Game over, Daring." Ahuitzotl smirked. "It is high time we bring an end to this game of cat and mouse."
"Geez, this guy has one hay of a grudge." Shine noted.
"It is a shame that you have to meet your end like this." Caballeron declared. "I was hoping for a much crueler death."
"Daring, I hope you have an idea as to how to get out of here." Gothic whispered.
"Hey, I'm only a pony, your highness!" Daring said hotly. "I can't just conjure up a way out on the fly!"
The cats advanced, growling, when suddenly, giving a Tarzan yell, Caboose swung in on a vine. Shine, Daring, and Gothic lit up... then Caboose missed them.
"Oh, hooooorseappppleeeessss!" Caboose's voice echoed into the distance.
The three drooped as the cats approached them again, when suddenly, Caboose swung back and caught all three of them, catching them by surprise.
"GAH!" Daring cried.
"HOLY HAY!" Shine yelped.
"AHHHH!"" Gothic screamed.
"Don't worry, you guys, I got ya!" Caboose declared. "You're all safe now!
The four then swung into a hanging log, the vine wrapping all four of them around it. They were trapped.
"Maybe I'm just new to this whole rescuing thing, but this, to me, might be considered kind of a step backwards, wouldn't you say?" Gothic deadpanned.
"Yep." Shine and Daring agreed.
"No, no, no." Caboose shook his head. "It's – it's okay! This – this is all right. We can figure this out!"
The log started to break.
"I really don't like you." Daring told Caboose.
The log broke, as all four of them screamed in fear. They landed in the water below, becoming submerged for only a second before coming back up. The three panted heavily, trying to catch their breath.
"That was kinda fun!" Caboose chuckled.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I am really funned out right now." Gothic said sourly.
"Uh-oh." Caboose's eyes widened in fear.
"Don't tell me, we're about to go over a huge waterfall." Gothic cringed.
"Yup." Caboose declared.
"Sharp rocks on the bottom?" Shine asked.
"Most likely." Caboose nodded.
"Next to zero chance of survival?" Daring inquired.
"Zilch." Caboose confirmed.
"Bring it on." Gothic said quietly.
The four went over the waterfall.
"I DON"T KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG!" Caboose screamed as they fell.
Dare To Dream, Dare To Love
At the shore next to the waterfall, both Shine and Gothic washed ashore, sputtering profusely. Daring Do joined them, trying to catch her breath.
"Ugh... I can't believe... we made it." Shine gasped.
"Yeah..." Gothic spat out some water. "I am really getting too old for this-"
"Caboose!" Daring yelled.
The two stallions glanced at the water, where an unconscious Caboose was floating. Quickly, Daring pulled him ashore. Shine and Gothic looked on in fear, as Daring tried to stir him awake.
"Come on, Caboose!" Daring shook the stallion hard. "Don't do this! Don't die on us!" She slapped him. "Breathe, dang it, breathe!
Caboose remained limp.
"Come on, Caboose, wake up!" Shine begged.
"You can't die like this!" Gothic urged.
Daring glanced at Caboose... and realized what she had to do, much to her discomfort.
"Oh, why me..." She sighed. "Stand back, I'll have to give him mouth-to-mouth."
Daring grimaced as she opened Caboose's mouth. Shuddering, she pinched Caboose's nostrils and in one fell swoop, put her mouth to his. Immediately, Caboose's eyes opened, and he saw Daring 'kissing' him. Daring froze in terror, noticing his eyes.
"GAH!" She leapt back, blushing profusely.
"What the?! What?!" Caboose gasped.
"Caboose, you're alright!" Shine smiled.
"That's a relief!" Gothic chuckled.
Cabose stared at Daring.
"You... kissed me!" He sighed.
"No, I gave you CPR." Daring countered.
"Seemed more like L-U-V to me!" Caboose chuckled.
"Ugh. Say what you want…" Daring groaned, before taking note of the setting sun. "But we'd better get a fire going, dry off before night comes."
Before long, Shine and Gothic were drying by a small fire, while Daring Do was trying to pinpoint their location by using the stars, Caboose watching from afar.
"Wow... she's pretty." He sighed, before switching to O'Malley. "I'll say. Just look at that flank. Hubba-hubba."
"O'Malley! That's a lady you're talking about here. Show some decency!"
"Hey, I'm the part of your brain that can actually enjoy stuff in life! Besides, you tellin' me you don't want that chick hanging on your hooves?"
"Well... I do... but I don't want you to ruin this for me! You realize how many ponies you freak out when you make me do stuff?"
"Those ponies were cowards. Besides, there's no way you're gonna get that mare without my help."
"Oh yeah? I tell you, I learned a lot about courting a mare from Vinny."
"So did I. You forced me to listen to that dweeb for hours."
"Please, O'Malley, I beg of you. I really like this girl."
"So do I. And trust me, by the time I'm through, she'll be putty in our hoof."
"Our precious ?" Caboose said creepily.
"What?!"
"Sorry, I just had to make that reference."
"You see? That's what I'm talking about-"
Shine and Gothic watched Caboose argue with himself.
"I really wonder what that pony's deal is..." Shine declared.
"At this point, Shine, I just don't care anymore." Gothic admitted.
Minutes later, Caboose trotted over to Daring, who was now in the process of bandaging her wings.
"Here, let me help you with those." He offered.
"I've got it, thanks." Daring declared.
"Trust me." Caboose smiled. "I've bandaged up my share of battle wounds before."
As Caboose wrapped Daring's wing, he accidentally tied up his hooves in the bandages.
"No problem." He nervously chuckled. "I got this."
Caboose struggled to free himself, to no avail. In fact, he got even more of his hooves stuck in the bandages. Sighing heavily, Daring got out a penknife and cut the bandages herself.
"Thanks." Caboose said awkwardly.
"Okay, fellas." Daring declared. "I've got an idea of our general location. Tomorrow, we get back on the path to the Phoenix."
"Good. The sooner we get to the Phoenix, the better." Gothic nodded.
"Let's all get some sleep." Shine declared.
"You can share my sleeping bag, if you want." Caboose told Daring.
"No, thanks." Daring shook her head. "I always carry one of my own."
"Oh." Caboose sighed.
The next morning, they continued on their journey. As they walked, Caboose saw a pretty flower in the ground. He plucked it and handed it to Daring.
"For you." He smiled.
"Thanks." Daring smiled back... then ate the flower, to Caboose's shock. "I was getting kinda hungry."
Later, they entered a small crevice blocking their path.
"I got this." O'Malley declared.
he stallion sauntered over to a tree and kicked it down... only for the tree to fall the wrong direction, squashing him.
"Let's just go around." Gothic cringed.
Once they cleared that obstacle, it began to rain. Caboose offered Daring an umbrella from his pack... only to be zapped by lightning.
"Yeowch." He coughed.
"You okay?" Daring asked.
"I think so…" Caboose squeaked, before falling face first into a puddle.
Even more later, the group was walking through another set of trees.
"You wanna hear a poem?" Caboose asked Daring, "Roses are red, violets are blue, nopony's prettier than Daring Do."
"I'm not really into poetry." Daring admitted.
"Oh." Caboose sighed. O'Malley took over him for a second. "Looks like you're running out of cruddy ways to woo a mare."
Caboose shifted back, getting angry, "Hey, at least I didn't squash myself, O'Malley!"
Daring glanced at him oddly. "…Is everything alright, Caboose?"
"It's O'Malley." O'Malley corrected, before going back to Caboose. "No it's not." O'Malley returned, "Yes it is."
Caboose and O'Malley started going back between personalities, as Daring snuck away.
"Caboose… is one strange pony." Daring told Shine and Gothic.
"Tell me about it." Gothic rolled his eyes.
As the group neared a small marsh, a cragadile emerged from the muddy waters.
"A cragadile?" Shine gasped. "Here?"
"What are the odds?" Gothic shrugged.
"Don't make any sudden moves." Daring instructed through gritted teeth.
However, O'Malley took over for Caboose, "You're mine! " O'Malley yelled, charging at the cragadile.
"What are you doing, you idiot?!" Daring yelled.
"Wrestlin' a cragadile, what's it look like?" O'Malley growled, in a Australian-like accent.
It was a titanic tussle. Despite being outclassed in both size and strength, O'Malley fought well. At a crucial moment, O'Malley (stopping only to wink at Daring) bucked the underside of the cragodile's mouth with both back hooves. The cragodile fell onto its side, unconscious. O'Malley raised his hooves, relishing in his victory.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlecolts, you've been a lovely audience!" He declared.
The cragodile suddenly tipped over and crushed him. The others winced at the sight, then made to extricate him.
"Ugh…" O'Malley groaned.
"Caboose, are you okay?" Shine asked.
"TOASTY!" Caboose answered in a daze before falling unconscious.
"Wow… I don't know whether to compliment this 'O'Malley' on his bravery or his stupidity." Daring frowned, shaking her head.
"How about you don't compliment O'Malley?" Gothic suggested. "It only encourages him to do even stupider stuff."
As night fell, they set up camp. Daring was looking at her map, while Caboose, Shine, and Gothic were around a fire. Caboose glanced at Daring, sighing.
"You know, Caboose, you shouldn't stare at mares, it's rude." Gothic declared.
"I'm sorry... it's just... I think I really like this girl, and I've been trying everything to get her to like me!" Caboose groaned.
"Really?" Shine smirked. "I hadn't noticed, what with you wrestling a cragodile and trying to give her flowers."
"You have it bad for Daring, don't you?" Gothic asked.
"I do... but nothing I did worked!" Caboose whined. "She's still ignoring me!"
"You know, Caboose... there is one thing you haven't tried..." Shine realized.
"Oh yeah, what?" Caboose asked.
"Talk to her." Shine declared. "Tell her how you feel. That's all it takes. That all it did for me and Gothic."
"Yeah... but what about O'Malley?" Caboose asked. "I mean, I must have freaked her out with that crazy psycho." He suddenly changed to O'Malley. "Oh, and being Mr. Romantic was completely sane. Complete horses-" Caboose snapped back. "You see?"
"Come now, Caboose." Gothic nodded. "The best part of having a special somepony is that they would love you for who you are and for all your flaws."
"You really think so?" Caboose smiled.
"We know so." Shine gestured to Daring. "Go get her, Caboose."
"Okay." Caboose gulped. "Wish me luck."
Caboose made his way over to Daring.
"Oh, hey, Caboose." She nodded. "Do ya need anything?"
"Oh no." Caboose shrugged. "I just… I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Fine... though, I am a little sad that our adventure is nearly over." Daring declared.
"Sad?" Caboose asked.
"Well, yeah." Daring continued. "This is going to be my final adventure. Once I find the Phoenix, I will have all that I need for my last book, and after that... well, I will hang up my pith helmet."
"Oh. Well, at least it was fun... right?" Caboose asked.
"Yes. Ever since the Sapphire Stone, it's been nothing but fun... though once this is all over, I won't know what to do next..." Daring sighed.
"I see... well, Ms. Do, I've been thinking... I know up to this point, our relationship has been strictly professional, and since we won't see each other again after this and all, but..." Caboose stammered.
"Caboose?" Daring looked at him oddly.
"Okay, here is the question." Caboose composed himself. "Would you like to... to go out... sometime? With me?"
Daring remained silent for a moment... before sighing, and rolling up her map.
"Caboose... I can't." She said glumly.
Caboose heard the sound of windows breaking echo in his head.
"W-what? Why?" He mumbled.
"Look, Caboose..." Daring placed a hoof on his shoulder and give him a sad smile. "You are a wonderful stallion, both sweet and funny... but I am just not looking for a relationship, I had been alone for a while... and I think it's best not to change that."
"If this is about O'Malley, I swear, I'll make him disappear for good-" Caboose started.
"No, no... to be honest, O'Malley is what makes you unique in your own way." Daring nodded. "There is nothing wrong with you... I just... don't need a colt in my life right now."
Caboose was heartbroken beyond all reason. But Caboose keeps up a strong face.
"I-I understand." He choked back the tears. "You have your thing, I have mine... I think I'll turn in for the night."
"Oh..." Daring noticed the sadness in his eyes. "Good night, Caboose."
Caboose walked away, as tears began to fall from his eyes. Then O'Malley took over for a moment.
"No...don't let her see you cry." O'Malley ordered, as he sucked the tears into his eyes, before giving control back to Caboose.
As Caboose walked to his sleeping bag, Shine and Gothic noticed him.
"Hey, Caboose... how did it go?" Shine asked. Caboose ignored him. "Caboose?"
You know what, Shine? I was stupid." Caboose declared with hurt in his voice. "Stupid to believe that I could ever get a mare in my life. Every mare that I ever fall in love with always had somepony else or was a guy... and the one time I find the mare that wasn't either one... she doesn't like me. Mares just don't like me!"
"Caboose, I'm sorry that it-"
"Oh spare me the sympathy, grandpa!" Caboose roared.
Gothic was shocked. He'd expect such words from O'Malley, but not Caboose.
"I didn't even want to come on this trip in the first place." Caboose pointed out. "Why am I even out here?! To help you live forever with your supermodel-grade wives?!"
"Caboose, I know you're upset, but-" Shine began.
"But nothing!" Caboose yelled. "You two are the most ungrateful sacks of poo! At least you two have beautiful wives you can come home to, who love you. What do I have?! A psycho in my head that won't leave me alone, ponies who sees me as a klutzy idiot that is good for nothing, and-" He held up his hoof. "-Missing one hoof tip!
"Ungrateful?!" Gothic growled.
"But what about Blueblood? Dusty? Pureblood and Vito? Your brothers?" Shine pointed out. "They love you."
"Yeah, but that's only family love." Caboose retorted. "When it comes down to it, I'm probably going to die alone... with O'Malley, who also doesn't like me."
"Caboose, please..." Shine begged.
"Just leave me alone." Caboose curled up into his sleeping bag, and began to silently sob.
Shine and Gothic frowned.
"That klutz had no right to say I'm ungrateful." Gothic grumbled.
"He was hurt, Gothic." Shine said fairly. "He probably didn't mean it. Hopefully, he'll be alright in the morning."
Watching from afar, Daring noticed Caboose, shuddering in his bag.
"I'm sorry, Caboose." She sighed. "I really am."
Back at Canterlot, Luna was absentmindedly having a cup of tea. Celestia joined her.
"Is everything alright, sister?"
"It's Gothic." Luna admitted. "He and Shine have been gone for a while. I miss him."
"As do I with Shine, Luna... but it's like they said, it is only for a couple of weeks." Celestia noted. "They are probably out there having fun right now."
"I know..." Luna sighed. "But it doesn't make me worry any less about Gothic. I think he might be concerned about his age. I mean, you saw how depressed he was after he hurt himself at the party..."
"He's just coming to terms with how old he has become, Luna." Celestia declared. "Most ponies do that when they're growing old."
"Yes, but I doubt they have an alicorn for a wife." Luna pointed out. "I'm afraid he is starting to feel... inadequate, being with me."
"That is absurd, sister." Celestia nuzzled her." Gothic knew that he would grow old and you wouldn't. He loved you too much to not care. And he knows that you would still love him, even when he's 100 or so."
"You're right, sister." Luna chuckled slightly "I guess I'm missing him too much."
"That's understandable." Celestia chuckled too.
"Um, your majesties?" Dusty entered the room, a concerned look on her face.
"Dusty, you know there's no need for formalities." Celestia smiled. "You're a princess now, like us."
"Oh, right... I didn't mean to interrupt... but I just got a letter from my father." Dusty declared.
"Your father?" Luna asked.
"Yes. I tried to not worry, but I had to know what was wrong with my family... and..." Dusty stuttered.
"What is it?" Celestia asked.
"According to my father... there is nothing wrong." Dusty declared. "He never sent a letter to Caboose... as a matter of fact, Caboose never went to Bitaly at all."
Celestia and Luna both gaped.
"What?!" Celestia whispered.
"There must be a mistake." Luna said. "Gothic told us that he went to Bitaly... he wouldn't lie to us... not to me..."
"I don't know what's going on, but I am really worried about Caboose... it's like he disappeared off the face of Equestria." Dusty frowned.
"Wait... something isn't right here." Celestia stated. "Caboose disappeared just around when Shine and Gothic went on their trip to Rainbow Falls..."
"Sister, you're not assuming that they lied about their trip as well, do you?" Luna asked.
"There is only one way to find out." Celestia stated. "And I just happen to know the pony... or draconequus who might know..."
Celestia's horn glowed, and Discord appeared... taking a shower.
"Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah, dah-dah-dah-dah-dah... uh?" He opened the curtains. "Oh, Celly, Lulu, didn't see you there."
"What's going on, Discord?" Celestia asked.
"I'm taking a shower." Discord declared, pointing out the fixture.
"She means what's going on with our husbands." Luna stepped forward. "Something's going on, and we think you know what that is."
"Oh, just because I'm the spirit of chaos, that must mean I have a hand in it?" Discord gasped dramatically. "That's profiling, missy!"
"Now that I think about it, you left the party not long after Gothic's injury." Luna noted. "And he seemed a lot more... sunny, after he came back."
"Pure conjecture." Discord snorted. "You've got nothing on me."
"We know you, Discord." Celestia glared. "We know when you're up to something. Now, talk."
"Sorry, lips are-"
*POW!*
"OW!" Discord cried.
Dusty bucked the spirit of chaos in the shin, before grabbing his goatee.
"You listen here, buster! Caboose is my uncle whom I love very much. Now you tell Celestia and Luna where you sent their husbands and my uncle before I have to go 'mafia' on you…and trust me, you do not want to see that!" Dusty threatened, gripping the draconequus's goatee tighter by the word.
"Okay, okay, fine!" Discord groaned. "Gothic was bummed about getting old, so I told him where he could find an ancient artifact that could bestow immortality upon him. Then Shine overheard us, and Gothic talked him into coming along. Oh, and they had me turn Caboose into a wind-up toy so he wouldn't tell anyone, and had him come along for the ride."
There was a momentary silence as the information sunk in.
"You what?!" Luna yelped.
"How could you?!" Celestia roared.
"Wind-up toy?!" Dusty yelled.
"Was I not supposed to do that?" Discord grinned cheekily. "Nopony told me."
"We have to find them." Luna declared.
"Discord, you tell us where our husbands are going." Celestia ordered.
"And if I don't?" Discord challenged.
"I'll have you turned to stone, and your petrified carcass shipped off to Mr. Napoleon's estate." Celestia rebutted.
"Yeah, my uncle Salt happens to love breaking statues." Dusty deviously smirked.
Discord gulped.
"Okay, no need to resort to violence." Discord soothed.
"Dusty, stay here and look after Miracle and the others." Celestia declared, "Me and Luna will be back shortly."
"Okay…" Dusty nodded… before kicking Discord in the shin again.
"GAH! What was that for?!" Discord whimpered.
"That's for turning the godfather of my children into a wind-up toy!" Dusty glared.
"I just don't believe that Gothic would lie to me…" Luna whispered.
"Don't worry, sister, we'll find them…" Celestia reassured her, before turning to Discord. "Lead the way, Discord."
Discord rubbed his now-tender shin, sighing. "Fine. One first-class trip to the Golden Phoenix, coming up!"
He snapped his fingers, and he and the sisters disappeared in a flash.
Mortality Vs. Immortality
As the sun rose, the intrepid explorers awakened, dismantled their camp, and continued on their journey. The normally jovial Caboose was now sullen and grumpy, not even bothering to look anypony in the eye. The heartbroken stallion kept his distance from all members of the group, making sure to stay the furthest away from Daring. The others respected his space, especially Daring, who looked almost as sullen, preferring to keep her eyes on either the map, or the path ahead. Shine and Gothic took note of this.
"Well, this is depressing." Shine noted.
"I know." Gothic nodded. "I never thought Caboose could take rejection like this."
"He's usually so friendly and talkative." Shine sighed. "Seeing him like this just... doesn't feel right."
"I know it's wrong to think like this, but I blame Daring." Gothic declared. "If she hadn't shown up, Caboose wouldn't have fallen for her, and he certainly wouldn't have gotten his heart broken."
"But then we wouldn't have gotten out of the quicksand." Shine pointed out. "And we were the ones who forced Caboose to come along in the first place, remember?"
"Well, there is that." Gothic sighed. "Let's just find that Phoenix. The sooner we do that, the sooner she goes."
"How far to the Phoenix now, Daring?" Shine called.
"Not too far." Daring called back. "Practically just around the corner."
Their (thankfully, uneventful) path soon led to a stone temple built into the side of a mountain, one which seemed to have no entrance.
"How do we get in?" Shine asked.
"Leave that to me." Daring smiled. Trotting over to the front of the temple, she pointed out a strange round stone sticking out of the wall. "Watch this."
Daring grabbed the stone and turned it like a doorknob. Suddenly, a section of the wall descended, creating a way in.
"Smart move, Do." Gothic admitted.
"Pfft." Caboose snorted. "Seen better." O'Malley added "Me, too."
"Nopony asked you." Daring retorted sourly. "Either of you."
"Ookay." Shine said awkwardly. "Shall we?"
The four entered the temple. At one point, Daring stopped them.
"Hold on." She threw a marble across the floor. When it landed, the portion it landed on depressed, and a volley of arrows fired across the room. "The ol' arrow spray trap. Typical."
In the next room, they found themselves in a seemingly plain corridor…
"Be careful, guys, this room could be riddled with more traps." Daring warned.
"Allow me." Caboose bravely stepped up, casting a bitter look at Daring as he was about to trot into the corridor.
"Caboose, wait!" Daring screeched.
Caboose walked through the corridor, while setting off every trap mechanism along the way. However, if by skill or luck, every arrow, dart, flamethrower, and even a 'pendulum of doom' missed the pony. Soon, Caboose glanced back at the now frightened trio with a smug grin.
"See? Piece of-"
A big rock dropped down on Caboose.
"GAH!" The three gasped.
However, Caboose stepped out from behind it, still smiling.
"Cake." Caboose finished. "Now, let us be off."
Daring gave a gruff 'hmph' as the trio tenderly followed Caboose into the final room…
At the end of hall lay a large chamber, with the fabled Golden Phoenix of Immortality in the center.
"There it is." Daring smiled. "Hold on. Lemme check my book, see if there's any more traps to watch out for."
"We did it." Gothic smiled.
"We actually did it!" Shine cheered.
"And all it took was a few weeks and probably a half of my heart to do it." Caboose shrugged.
"Do what, exactly?" Asked a familiar voice.
"Yes, what?" Asked another familiar voice.
Turning, Shine and Gothic were shocked to find a very angry Celestia and Luna. Daring looked up from her book and noticed the princesses, also shocked. The two husbands tried to recove,r and faked being pleased to see them.
"Luna!" Gothic waved.
"Cherryblossom!" Shine chuckled.
"Princesses!" Caboose joined in.
"Don't you start with us, you two!" Celestia growled.
Shine and Gothic cringed.
"W-what are you doing here?!" Shine trembled.
"We should be asking you the same thing!" Luna glared at Gothic. "Taking a trip to Rainbow Falls, my hoof!"
"Luna... I can explain-" Gothic mumbled.
Luna slapped him.
"You lied to me!" She yelled.
Caboose tried to step in.
"Easy there, your highness, there is a logical exp-" Luna glared at him. "This is all Shine and Gothic's doing. I was dragged here against my will. Be angry with them." Caboose stepped back.
"Way to stick to your guns..." Shine glared at Caboose.
"How did you even know we were here, let alone find us?" Gothic asked as he rubbed his cheek.
"Discord told us everything." Celestia declared. Her horn glowed, and Discord appeared... in a jailer's outfit.
"Discord?!" Shine asked, shocked.
"DISCORD?!" Gothic asked, furious.
"What?!" Caboose stepped in. "And you guys thought I would spill the beans?!"
"I'm really sorry, you guys..." Discord apologized. "But they were going to hurt me!"
"Do not be angry with Discord." Celestia declared. "He's already paid for his crimes. You two, on the other hoof, have no idea how angry you made us."
Daring stepped in.
"Can anypony clue me in here?" She asked. "Because I'm not sure what's going on here..."
"It's simple." Luna explained. "Our foolish husbands lied to us about going to Rainbow Falls, kidnapping Lieutenant Caboose, just to go on some idiotic crusade... and for what?!"
"For what?! For what?!" Gothic growled. "For you, of course!"
"Me?" Luna asked.
"Well, you and Constell." Gothic sighed. "Look, the fact is, I'm not gonna be around forever. One day, I'll be gone, but you and Constell will live on without me. I don't want that, and this Phoenix could help me avoid that."
"Is this what you think too, Shine?" Celestia asked.
"Well, not at first." Shine admitted. "But Gothic makes a very good point. It just don't feel right, you and Miracle having to watch as I grow old and die."
"Gothic, I understand what you're feeling, but..." Luna sighed. "Immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Over the years, Celestia and I have watched so much of what we've loved crumble to dust. With each passing century, we lose so much more."
"Exactly my point." Gothic nodded. "You shouldn't have to lose me, too."
"Gothic's right, cherryblossom." Shine told Celestia. "Do you really want to lose me? Your one, true love? And what about Miracle? She'll lose her daddy, too."
"I..." Celestia murmured.
"We're doing this because we love you both." Gothic declared. "We don't want you to have to say goodbye to us. We want to be with you forever."
"Gothic..." Luna whispered.
"My, how touching." Sneered yet another familiar voice.
All eyes turned towards the entrance to the chamber, where Ahuizotl, Caballeron, and a dozen big cats were standing.
"Are you serious?" Caboose gaped, as he raised his hoof to the skies. "Dang you, conflict! Dang you to heck!"
"Thanks for getting the door, Daring." Caballeron smirked. "And for dealing with all the traps."
"Yes, it was so gracious of you to do all the work." Ahuizotl gloated. "Now, we want the Golden Phoenix of Immortality, and nopony is going to stop us!"
Luna and Celestia were confused.
"And who exactly are you two?" Celestia asked.
"What? Have you not read any of Miss Do's novels?" Ahuizotl asked, as he proudly declared, “I am Ahuizotl, her arch-nemesis!
"And I am Dr. Caballeron, also her arch-nemesis... well, sort of..." Caballeron added.
"And you two must be the princesses..." Ahuizotl noticed Discord. "Who's the abomination floating next to you?"
"Abomination?!" Discord glowed red with anger. "This coming from ugly mug of a cat-gorilla thingie?!"
"Can it, Frankenpony!" Caballeron snarled. "We are here for the Phoenix, and we are going to get it!"
"What do you want with the Phoenix?!" Luna asked.
"Why power, of course." Ahuizotl smirked. "This Phoenix has the ability to grant immortality to whoever uses it. I plan to use it!"
"But Ahuizotl…aren’t you already immortal?!" Daring pointed out.
"Yeah!" Caboose agreed. "You using the Phoenix would be as pointless as your attempt to make the sun hotter in the 'Ring of Destiny'. Honestly, dude, you are a moron when it comes to 'evil plans'."
"You read my books?" Daring asked.
"Like a hundred times." Caboose smiled. "I could easily recite all the books word by word... if O'Malley would let me remember them." O'Malley jumped in. "I told you before, it would be a waste of time."
"You insolent cur!" Ahuizotl hissed. "How dare you mock me!"
"Hey, you deserve it! If I wanted to create an endless drought, I would kidnap Sunbutt over here!" O'Malley gestured to Celestia.
"Excuse me?" Celestia frowned.
"Oh boy, I did not mean it like that-" Caboose returned.
"Getting back on topic here, once Ahuizotl gets done with the Phoenix, I plan to sell it for a good coin." Caballeron boasted.
"Well, ain't that a shame?" Shine declared. "Because we all found this Phoenix first, so bug off!"
"Yes... we need this Phoenix so we can live forever with our loved ones, and I be darned if I let you two stop us!" Gothic agreed.
"Oh, cry me a river!" Caballeron snorted. "Celestia and Luna can easily replace you! To them, you are nothing more than ponies to satisfy their..." He chuckled. "’Needs’, and to sire their foals. Once you're gone, they probably coddle another pair of handsome stallions!
Celestia and Luna gaped in fury.
"Oh no, he didn't!" Discord said in a sassy tone, snapping his fingers.
"Oh yes he did!" Caboose replied with equal sass.
"Oh no, he didn't!" Discord repeated.
"Oh yes, he did..." Caboose responded again, casting an annoyed glare at Discord.
"Oh no-" Discord started.
"Oh yes he did!" Caboose yelled as O’Malley. "You just heard him, didn't you?!"
Discord shied away in fear.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Luna roared, furious.
"Our husbands are more to us than just concubines and foal-providers!" Celestia snarled. "We love them, and we will not allow you to sully their names. We can think of worse fates then spending eternity with them!"
"Pity." Ahuitzotl sniffed. “Because when we are through, you four can spend eternity together... in the afterlife. Cats..." All his cats prepared to strike. "Sic them.”
The cats charged, with Ahuizotl and Caballeron right behind them. The ponies (plus Discord) struck back. Celestia and Luna used their magic to blast away some of the cats, but there were more coming. The other fought bravely; Shine and Daring's injured wings impaired their mobility, but they pressed on. Caboose even broke out of his funk to help Gothic in fighting off the cats.
Meanwhile, Discord was fighting Ahuizotl. Discord wrapped his tail around one of his arms and wrapping his upper body around his neck. He then began forcing him to punch himself.
"Why are you hitting yourself?!" He punched Ahuizotl. "Why are you hitting yourself?!"
Dr. Caballeron, taking advantage of Daring being ‘preoccupied’, snuck up behind her, knife in mouth.
"Payback time." He mumbled, just before diving at her.
Caboose, having just mule-kicked a panther, was in the perfect position to see Caballeron coming.
"Nooo!" He leapt in front of Daring, kicking the knife out of Caballeron's mouth.
"Caboose, you..." Daring gasped.
Caboose stared at Caballeron, his features hardening as O'Malley took over.
"You're gonna pay for that sneaky stunt, doc." He sneered.
“Now wait just a moment, I am sure we can work something-“ Caballeron stammered.
“This is for my hoof tip!” O’Malley roared, as with one swift turn, he brought his hoof into the Doctor's face, knocking him out. He turned back to Daring, Caboose returning.
"Caboose, I..." Daring smiled. "Thank you."
"No prob." Caboose smiled, “Even though I might not have a chance in Tartarus with you…it isn’t fair if other ponies didn’t have a chance to be with you.”
"Well… for all it's worth, I'm sorry I said those things to you last night." Daring confessed. "If we survive this… if the offer is still open... would you like to go out sometime?"
"Are you kidding?" Caboose gasped, “I would-“
The kitten from before let out a major hiss as it lunges at Caboose. The pony catches the kitten with his magic and flung the poor kitten out of the temple.
“Gosh, I hate cats.” Caboose grumbled, as he then smiled at Daring, “As I was saying… I would love that.”
Meanwhile, Ahuizotl had slipped free of Discord, and went after Gothic.
"You..." He hissed. "If not for you and your friends, this would have been so much easier!"
Dodging Gothic's blasts, Ahuizotl grabbed him with his tail hand and flung him against the wall. There was a sickening crack, and Gothic collapsed.
"GOTHIC!" Luna screamed.
“Hmph, feeble old stallion.” Ahuizotl growled.
In complete fury, Luna seethed at Ahuizotl, using her Canterlot voice "You monster! You will pay dearly for this!”
“Oh, what are you going to do, hmm?” Ahuizotl mocked, “Hit me with your insignificant mag-“
Luna fired a powerful blast of magic at Ahuizotl, blowing him across the room, unfortunately putting right next to the Phoenix. Although his body suffered bruises from hitting the wall hard, he only grinned.
"Foolish princess!" He smirked, as the disheveled Caballeron joined him. "You have ensured my victory!"
"Not so fast!" Caboose charged forward. Suddenly he tripped. "Whoa!"
Caboose tumbled over to the side of the Phoenix. As he hit it, he depressed some kind of hidden switch. The ruby in the Phoenix's emitted a terrible red light, which seemed to paralyze Ahuizotl and Caballeron.
"What is this?" Ahuizotl struggled.
The entire Phoenix began to glow. Golden stream of energy flew outward, heading towards the villainous pair. Daring and Caboose managed to pull Caballeron out of the way, but the energy struck Ahuizotl head-on.
"AAAAGGGGHHH!" He roared, as he vanished in a blinding flash of light.
The dust settled, leaving the somewhat steaming artifact in its wake. Shine and the others uncover their eyes, surprised by what happened...
"Whoa." Shine gasped.
"What in the hay just happened?" Caboose asked.
"I'm not sure..." Daring frowned. "It seems like you must have activated some self-defense mechanism in the artifact. Ahuizotl didn't stand a chance against it."
" ...Whoa, that would definitely pitch for a good price on the black market." Caballeron noted.
Caboose and Daring glared at the doctor, knocking him out with both their hooves. Suddenly, they heard Gothic groaning.
"Gothic!" Luna gasped.
Luna went to Gothic's side, as the unicorn groaned in pain.
"Gothic, are you all right?" Luna asked.
"I don't think so..." Gothic grunted. "I can't feel my back legs."
"Gothic..." Luna teared up. "Oh gosh, I didn't mean this to happen to you."
"It's not your fault, Lulu... it's mine." Discord sighed. "I'm the idiot who sent him and Shine here in the first place."
"No, it's nopony's fault but mine." Gothic admitted. "I'm the one who wanted to use the Phoenix so I could have eternal life. This is life punishing me for wanting more time... for not wanting Luna and Constell to have to live their life without me. All this happened because of me."
"Hey, this is not all on you." Shine countered. "I came with you because somewhere deep inside, I wanted to live forever as well. I didn't want to grow old while Celestia and Miracle stayed the same."
"Shine..." Celestia whispered.
"Yeah, and even though I got dragged along against my will just so I wouldn't blab my mouth (not that it mattered either way), I wanted to help both you guys get what you wanted... and in the process, I might had found something myself." Caboose chuckled, smiling at Daring.
"Thanks...Shine...Caboose..." Gothic smiled tearfully. "But that doesn't change things. I'll probably never walk again..."
"...Yes you will." Luna insisted.
Gothic glanced at Luna oddly, as Luna glanced at the Phoenix. Everypony realized what she meant.
"...Luna, no...I can't do that to you..." Gothic declared. "Not after you two came here to stop us..."
"But this is what you wanted." Luna countered. "You came this far, and probably broke every bone in your body just so you can live forever... if this thing could give you eternal life, it could heal you..."
"What about you?" Gothic asked. "You didn't want this life for me..."
"You're right." Luna agreed. "I don't want you to know the pain of immortality as me and my sister did... but I also don't want you to spend the rest of your life in misery..."
"Luna... I..." Gothic stuttered.
Luna interrupted him by kissing him.
"It's alright, Gothic." She smiled. "It's okay..."
Celestia turned to Shine.
"You should go, too..." She declared.
"But, Cherryblossom... I gave you that necklace, because I came to terms with you being immortal." Shine told her. "If I did this, I would be sullying the significance of that locket."
"Shine... this necklace showed that you were willing to be a loyal husband to me, even though I would outlive you." Celestia smiled, placing a hoof on her golden locket. "And I cannot in good faith deny you, the pony who had given me love and a beautiful child, the chance to live forever. To be honest, I would love to spend forever with you."
"But... Big Red, Cherry, Mist... if I do this... they will... would they be okay with this?" Shine asked.
"If they know that this will make you happy... they will understand." Celestia kissed Shine. "They will always love you, as will I."
Shine paused for a moment, as he shared a glance with Gothic. The two shared a nod. Shine went to Gothic's side, and he tried helping Gothic to his feet. Fortunately, Caboose came and help them. Leaning on Shine, the two princes approached the artifact. The two glanced at Celestia and Luna, who stood by, watching with anticipation. Daring Do and Caboose joined them, as well as Discord.
"So... this thing won't do that 'light of doom' thing again, will it?" Shine asked.
"It shouldn't." Daring noted. "All they need to do is to push in that ruby on its stomach."
Shine and Gothic both let out heavy sighs. With one last nod, they pushed the ruby. Suddenly, the artifact began to activate. Discord leaned in to Celestia.
"If Shine doesn't make it, are you free Friday night?" He whispered.
"He'll make it." Celestia glares at Discord.
The Golden Phoenix's eyes lit up into a dazzling white, which enveloped Shine and Gothic, and blinding everypony else. Soon, the light faded, as there was fog everywhere...
"Shine?" Celestia asked.
"Gothic?!" Luna fretted.
"Marco?!" Caboose chimed in.
The two pony sisters looked at Caboose oddly. Suddenly, the fog cleared up, as Shine appeared before them. His wings were healed... but that wasn't the only change.
"Shine!" Celestia hugged him. "Are you alright?"
"Uh... I think so." Shine said woozily.
"How ya feeling?" Daring asked. "Do you feel different?"
"To be honest, no." Shine shrugged. "But my wings feel tingly for some reason." He spread his wings... and suddenly, the others gasped. "What?"
"Shine, your wings... they changed." Celestia pointed.
Shine looked at his wings, and his mate was right. His wings' feathers were now tipped with gold, and the wingspan was longer.
"Whoa." He gasped. "What does this mean?
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Discord smirked. "This is proof that you've been gifted with eternal life. You weren't that old to begin with, you know."
"But where's Gothic?" Luna asked.
"Luna?"
The others looked behind Shine, as Gothic appeared by him. Everypony was shocked, as Gothic's body was completely restored, his back completely restored. In fact, Gothic looked like he did when he first met Luna. The gray streak in his mane was gone, and there was no wrinkles on his snout. His horn had a silver-ish glow upon it.
"Did it work?" He asked.
"Yes!" Luna said tearfully, rushing to embrace her husband. "You're okay!"
"Of course I am." Gothic returned the hug. "Now that you're here."
"I was so afraid." Luna sniffed. "When you hit that wall, I thought I'd lost you forever..."
"But you didn't." Gothic smiled. "And now, you'll have me forever."
"And you, me." Luna chuckled, leaning in to kiss Gothic.
"Thank you, Discord." Celestia declared. "If you hadn't given Gothic that map, none of this wouldn't have happened."
"I know." Discord smiled. "But I never dreamed the path could be so... chaotic."
"Thanks anyway, big D." Shine nodded.
“Yeah, now can you take us home? We have a dirtbag to run in and an artifact to ship out.” Caboose explained.
“Of course. Back to Canterlot, we go!” Discord chuckled as he snapped his fingers, as everypony disappeared in a flash.
They appeared in the same spot Discord, Celestia and Luna were in when they left. Dusty, Blueblood, Mist, Miracle and Constell came rushing over, drawn by the flash.
"Caboose!" Dusty hugged her uncle. "You're alright!"
"More then alright." Caboose indicated Daring. "I got me a date!"
"Is that... Daring Do?" Blueblood stared.
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Daring chuckled.
"Daddy!" Miracle glomped her father. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, my little sunbeam." Shine declared.
"What happened to you, dad?" Constell asked. "You look so... young."
"And what's with the fancy wings, Shine?" Mist asked.
"Well, long story short, me and Gothic are immortal now." Shine declared.
"No way!" Constell gasped. "You're like me and mom now."
"Sure are." Gothic nodded. "I'm with you for the long haul."
"This is so cool!" Mist chuckled. "My big bro's immortal!"
"I hope you don't mind." Shine declared. "I mean, being outlived by your big brother."
"That's okay." Mist smiled. "You deserve to be with Celestia."
"I'll miss you." Shine admitted.
"I just bet you will." Mist chuckled.
"Okay, enough mush!" Discord snorted. "Time to celebrate! Who's for an immortality dance party!"
Discord created a dance floor, and speakers bursting out music. Everypony danced and partied in celebration.
And so our journey had ended. Shine and Gothic were now free to live for all eternity with their loving wives and children, and returned to their lives at Canterlot Castle.
Discord, seeing that ‘his work was done’, decided to travel Equestria for the umpteenth time, because that’s apparently what he liked doing.
Dr. Caballeron was later incarcerated and sent to prison for attempted murder and previous counts of kidnapping and stealing valuable items... but after nearly dying in that light, he decided to change his outlook on life and try to become a better pony.
As for Daring Do... well, with her final quest complete, her last book good as written, and her nemesis dying in a great ball of who-knows-what, she was left with a good question... 'what now?' Well, as she gazed at the very handsome and very masculine royal guard who saved her life, she decided that she didn’t want to be on her own anymore. So she took him up on that offer…and as of now, she and yours truly are now dating. Thus concluding the story of 'Seeking Eternity'.
“The End.” Caboose declared.
Caboose was sitting in a Canterlot bar, his brothers with him. All of them looked at him incredulously, except for Grimoire.
"Wow, it sounds like you had quite an adventure for the books." Grimoire noted. "Unbelievable, I must say."
"Unbelievable is right." Vinny glared at Caboose. "You expect us to believe that you are now playing tongue jockey with the Daring Do?"
"The most prestigious 'A.K. Yearling'?" Murray asked.
"Number 4 in the list of the hottest mares in Equestria?" Slot sneered.
"I thought we agreed Rainbow Dash was hotter than Daring Do." Sonny glared at Slot.
"DARING DO AND RAINBOW DASH LOOK THE SAME, DANGIT!" Slot yelled.
"Sorry, Caboose, ol' buddy, but there's no way that you could land Daring Do." Salt chuckled.
"But it's true!" Caboose protested. "I have her number and everything! I got kiss marks right here!" He showed his neck with red marks all over.
"That's cherry jam." Lars snorted. "And I'm with Salty here. The chances of you dating Daring Do is as small as there being pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows."
"Guys!" Caboose yelped. "I'm telling you the truth!"
"Come off it, kid." Murray shook his head. "I mean, if none of us could land a mare, then you sir, have no chance in-"
"Chance in what?"
Appearing next to Caboose was Daring, she was wearing a normal dress. The six brothers were stupefied.
"Sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear 'Boose here giving away the plot of my last book." She smiled.
"Sorry, but they wanted to know what I was so happy these days." Caboose explained. "They didn't believe that you and I were dating now."
"Oh is that so?" Daring shot a devious glance at the brothers, who were still shocked. "Well, then... let's see if this proves anything.”
Daring kissed Caboose passionately. The brothers' jaws slammed against the table. Daring pulled away.
"Believe my coltfriend now?" She smirked.
"I know I did." Grimoire chuckled.
"Now, as much I would love to say I told you so, me and Daring have a reservation to catch. See ya!" Caboose took Daring's hoof, as the couple left the tavern. The brothers were still bewildered.
"Did what I think happened... happen?" Murray asked.
"Did we somehow get transported to an alternate reality where Caboose actually got a mare?" Sonny trembled.
"Did somepony slip a roofie in my mug?" Vinny looked at his mug.
"Oh come off it, you guys." Grimoire smirked. "I always knew that Caboose would be the second pony in the family to get a mare."
"What?!" Slot yelped. "You gotta be kiddin' me! Him, Caboose, the stallion who mistook that pink pony for a girl? Who shot Church with a cannon? The 'psycho'?! That just can't be!"
"Hmph, if that is so, then why is Caboose now in a relationship, while all of you are still single?" Grimoire asked.
Murray and the others gaped, as they struggled to answer. Grimm just shut them up.
"I don't know about you guys, but I for one am happy for him. Caboose deserves a special somepony more than anyone."
Grimoire glanced out the window. "Say, is that a pink fluffy unicorn dancing on a rainbow out there?"
The brothers only went paler.
"Hey, barkeep?" Vinny called. "Get us your strongest stuff... all of it."
The End.
