The Storykeepers

Chapter Nine: Catacomb Rescue Part 3: The Good of the Story

Celestia quietly crept to the catacomb entrance and lit a light to make sure she could see inside the dark passages as it was already eight in the evening.

“But we’ve looked everywhere.”  A guard said to Chrysalis.

“I don’t want excuses!”  Chrysalis snapped.  “I want that Christian!  And if I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you!  NOW GO!!”

After that, Chrysalis noticed a light near an abandoned road as she smirked.

“Oh Cadence, I think I’ve found our stallion.”  Chrysalis said with a sneer as Cadence walked up.  “Come.  I’ll show you how to deal with these Christians.”

The two then walked off.

In the catacombs, Celestia met up with Star-Swirl, Applejack, and Fluttershy as they all smiled at the sight of each other.

As they were about to rush off, Celestia noticed Star-Swirl clutch his chest.

“Fluttershy slow down!”  Celestia called out.

“Sorry.”  Fluttershy said weakly.

“Are you okay, Star-Swirl?”  Celestia asked.

“Yeah.”  Star-Swirl sighed.  “These old bones aren’t what they used to be, though.  I need a minute to catch my breath.”

Suddenly, Celestia heard something.

“Listen.”  Celestia whispered.

Now they all heard hoofsteps.

“We’re being followed.”  Celestia said.  “Run!”

They all rushed off when Star-Swirl began breathing hard.

“Celestia, it’s me they want.”  Star-Swirl breathed.  “You and the foals go on.  You’ve got a better chance of making it without me.”

“No, Star-Swirl.”  Celestia said.  “Fluttershy, hold onto the traveling papers Twilight got for Star-Swirl.  Star-Swirl, hop on my back.  The lord will give me the strength of two mares.”

Star-Swirl hopped on as Celestia fell over.

“I thought you said the lord would give you the strength of two mares.”  Star-Swirl said.

“Well they must have been two very small mares.”  Celestia said as she picked herself back up.  "Try again."

Star-Swirl did so, and they sped off.

Chrysalis and Cadence were walking when Chrysalis heard hastened hoofsteps to their left.

“Come!”  Chrysalis said as he turned his flash light on and rushed after them.

At a bridge, everyone crossed single file for fear of over loading it as Fluttershy slipped before Applejack caught her, and a rock fell into the chasm.

“I wonder how deep this goes.”  Fluttershy wondered.

“I don’t intend to find out.”  Star-Swirl said plainly.

“They’re getting closer.”  Celestia pointed out.

“I’ve got an idea!”  Fluttershy said.

“Oh no.”  Applejack groaned.

“Just help me with this beam, i-if you would.”  Fluttershy said as she and Applejack grabbed a beam and pulled.

“What are you doing?”  Celestia asked.

“If we pull out the support, we can pull the roof in behind us.”  Fluttershy explained.  “I’ve seen it happen before.”

“Oh yeah.”  Applejack said sarcastically.  “That’ll stop them.”

They pulled out the support beam, but the cave stood in perfect condition.

“I don’t understand.”  Fluttershy said.  “Maybe the foundation needs to be loosened.

Jean kicked the area where the beam was, and the whole tunnel began shaking.

“Okay, sorry 'bout earlier.”  Applejack said.

As Chrysalis and Cadence began crossing a plank over a chasm, there was a slight tremor, and Chrysalis lost her footing, barely holding onto the plank.

“Cadence!”  Chrysalis called out, and Cadence quickly helped her up.

Unfortunately, Fluttershy’s plan worked too well, and the cave in separated Applejack and Fluttershy from Star-Swirl and Celestia.

“Fluttershy, Applejack, are you two alright?”  Celestia called out.

“We’re fine!”  Applejack shouted back.

“You and Mr. Star-Swirl go onto the cave!”  Fluttershy called out.  “We’ll meet you there!  I know another way!”

“Fluttershy!”  Celestia called out, but there was no response.  “Fluttershy?”

With no answer, Celestia was forced to continue onward with Star-Swirl.

As Applejack and Fluttershy rushed on, they stopped to listen.

“I don’t hear the guards anymore.”  Fluttershy said.

“Maybe they were buried alive.”  Applejack said bitterly.  “That’s what they deserve.”

Suddenly, there was another cave-in.

“Uh-oh.”  Applejack groaned.

As Chrysalis and Cadence continued on, the tunnel began shaking even worse than before.

“The tunnel is collapsing!”  Chrysalis called out as they rushed off, and both men got on the plank at the same time, causing it to break, and Cadence was barely able to hold onto the edge as two rocks landed hard on her wings, probably breaking them.

“Chrysalis!”  Cadence called out.  “Help me!”

“Help yourself.”  Chrysalis said plainly as he rushed out.

Cadence fell and landed on an outstretching rock, as she felt a snap in her hind leg, as she knew it had been damaged.  Then, everything was darkness.

Chrysalis rushed out of the cavern.  The rule of the soldier was survival of the fittest, and she was more fit to be a soldier than Cadence.

The cave-in stopped without any more of the tunnel falling in on them.

“Are ya okay?”  Applejack asked.

“Yeah.”  Fluttershy replied when they heard a groan.  “What’s that?”

They went to the chasm, which had lost the plank as they saw Cadence lying there small and weak, clutching at her leg as they saw blood coming out of it.

“It’s her!”  Applejack said.  “She’s one a'the soldiers that-”

“Chrysalis, is that you?”  Cadence asked.  “My wings are broken. Here, grab my whip!”

Chrysalis tossed a dusty whip at the edge of the cavern for them to grab hold of.

“What do we do?”  Fluttershy asked.

“Nothin'!”  Applejack said angrily.  She was about to walk off when Fluttershy stopped her.

“We’ve gotta help her!”  Fluttershy called out.  “She’ll die!”

“So?”  Applejack asked.  “Leave her there!”

“Applejack, it’s not right!”  Fluttershy argued.

“What they did t'our families wasn’t right!!”  Applejack snapped back when he heard Cadence’s voice again.

“Chrysalis?”  Cadence pleaded.  “Please help me!”

Fluttershy rushed at the whip as Applejack sighed and knew Fluttershy was right about helping Cadence, and she helped her pull the whip up when it suddenly gave a little, and the traveling papers for Star-Swirl fell into blackness.

“Oh, that’s just perfect!”  Applejack groaned, but she and Fluttershy continued pulling.

At Soarin’s cave, Luna rushed up to Celestia and Star-Swirl as they arrived.

“Thank goodness you’re here!”  Luna sighed.  “We were so… Where are the foals?”

“There was a cave-in.”  Celestia explained.  “We got separated, and they’re trying to find another way.  Twilight, some of you search the catacombs for them.”

“Right.”  Twilight said calmly as he and a few others headed off.

Eventually, Applejack and Fluttershy managed to pull Cadence up as she collapsed on the floor breathing heavily as Applejack saw that the blood was coming from a large gash in her hind leg as well as both her wings indeed being broken from blood marks and being bent at odd angles.

“Oh Chrysalis, I didn’t think you’d come ba-” Cadence said before she noticed Applejack and Fluttershy.  “You?  You saved me?”

“Yup.”  Fluttershy said plainly.

“But… You’re Christians.”  Cadence said confusedly.

“Uh-huh.”  Fluttershy agreed again.

“Fluttershy!”  Applejack shouted.

“I came here to arrest you.”  Cadence continued in shock.  “Why would you risk your lives for me?”

“We were just doing what the Samaritan did.”  Fluttershy explained.

“What Samaritan?”  Cadence asked.

“The one in the story Mr. Star-Swirl told us.”  Fluttershy explained.

“Ah… Star-Swirl.”  Cadence said.  “The Story Keeper.  He’s the stallion I’m after.”

“Well ya shouldn’t have any trouble now!”  Applejack said moodily.  “Thanks to you, we just lost his travelin' papers.”

“Please take me to him.”  Cadence said without any hesitation in her voice.

In Soarin’s cave, the Christians were getting restless.

“First they burn our houses, now they take our foals!”  A stallion shouted.

“How much more are we supposed to take from Sombra’s thugs?!”  A mare called out.

“Please!”  Celestia said, trying to calm everyone down.  “Twilight and the others will find them!”

“There are only two soldiers there, and there are fifty of us!”  Soarin shouted.  “I say we go in there and get some revenge!”

“Friends!”  Star-Swirl called out.  “Friends, we mustn’t be like other people!   We must learn to forgive!”

“Yes, but how many times do we have to forgive them?!”  Soarin asked.

“Disciple Peter asked the same thing!”  Star-Swirl called out before calming down.  “Come and listen.  They were walking in the hillside, and Peter said, ‘But lord, when someone treats me badly, how many times do I have to forgive them?  Is seven times enough?’

“‘No.’ Jesus responded.  ‘Not seven times or seventy, but seven times seventy.’

“Jesus then told his disciples a story to explain his point.

“‘There once was a king who wanted to settle the accounts for the stallions who worked for him.  One stallion owed him thousands of silver coins, but he didn’t have any money to pay him.

“‘“Then everything you own will be sold to pay your debt.”  The king said.  “Even your wife and foals.”

“‘“Give me time!”  The stallion pleaded.  “I’ll pay you back.  I promise.”

“‘The king felt sorry for the stallion, crossed out his debt, and let him go, but on the way home, the stallion met another of the king’s servants who owed him a small amount.

“‘“Pay me what you owe me!”  The stallion said.

“‘“Give me time!”  The other stallion pleaded.  “I’ll pay you back.  I promise.”

“‘However, the stallion tossed the other into prison.  When the king found out what the man had done, he was furious and brought both stallions before him.

“‘“You wicked stallion!”  The king snapped.  “I wiped out your debt when yo begged for time to pay!  You should have done the same for this stallion!  Guards, take him to prison until he pays all of his debt!”

“You see what Jesus was saying?”  Star-Swirl asked.  “We must forgive those who wrong us just as God has forgiven us.”

“Are you Star-Swirl, the Story Keeper?!”  Cadence asked as she walked up to Star-Swirl with Fluttershy and Applejack behind him.

“I am Star-Swirl.”  Star-Swirl said calmly.

“Are you the one who told these foals the stories of Jesus?”  Cadence asked.

At that moment, Twilight, and several others walked up and held out their swords when Celestia stopped them.

“If the ponies who hear your stories become like these foals,” Star-Swirl began.  “Then all of the land should hear about your Jesus.”

Cadence then handed Star-Swirl her traveling papers.

“Here.”  Cadence said.  “You’ll be needing these papers.”

Star-Swirl took them and smiled.

“You’re drawn to him, aren’t you?”  Star-Swirl asked.

“A fellow soldier left me to die, but these foals saved my life because of Jesus.”  Cadence said as she smiled.

“Come.”  Star-Swirl said.  “We’ll talk.”

“No.”  Cadence said plainly.  “It isn’t safe now, and my guards will be looking for me.”

“Then I leave you in the hands of my friend, Celestia.”  Star-Swirl said.

Celestia walked up and made the sign of the fish on the ground as Cadence memorized it.

“Look for me at my bakery, Cadence.”  Celestia said.

“My pleasure, Celestia.”  Cadence said as she shook Celestia’s hoof, and the two smiled at each other.

“May your god go with you, Star-Swirl.”  Cadence said.

“He will, my sister.”  Star-Swirl said with a smile.  “And also with you.”

Star-Swirl then walked off as Cadence turned to Applejack and Fluttershy.

“And as for you,” Cadence said.  “I don’t know how to thank you, but I promise you, I will find a way.”

“Hey, don’t mention it.”  Applejack said with a smile as she and Cadence bumped hooves before Cadence headed out.