Author's Note

It's a triple threat today! Hope you all enjoy it!

Adventure In The Temple

When the grilled cheese sandwiches were done, Sky Streak filled up two plates for herself and her son. She turned off the griddle and moved them to the table, before turning to her son.

“Soarin, dinner time!"

“Do I have to? They’re about to break into the temple!” Sky Streak wasn’t sure if this was by accident or he was so lost in his story that the old habit came up, but the whine was so childish it reminded her of when he’d truly been a little boy and was busy at play. She smiled.

“You need to eat so that you have the energy to face the traps. You can’t afford to be tired when you need to be alert!”

She had a point. “Coming!”

Sky Streak grinned. That one had worked when he was a boy too.

Soarin had flown over to the dinner table, perky and energized as she’d hoped he’d be.

“So, what’s happening at the temple?” She asked him.

“Auhizotul tried to keep every pony out by making nets out of vines that could trap any pony flying or walking!” He said.

“Really? So how did you escape?” She asked with a smile.

“One of the crew brought a cutlass.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Oh my. Did any pony get hurt?”

“Nope! Not yet, at least. And I hope it stays that way.”

Sky Streak smiled. “Me too.”

Soarin ate his dinner much more quickly than usual, wanting to get back to what he’d been doing before. He’d finished eating, raced his plate to the sink with a clang! And went straight back. As Sky Streak ate, she watched him play. It was utterly enchanting to see that he’d come up with something so brilliant. When it came time to clean off her own plate, the sounds of him doing the voices of characters gave her enough of a mental image of what was going on. And when that was done, she sat down to watch close up.

When she’d gotten there, Soarin and his crew had been in the room just before the room that contained the lost idol. Soarin and first mate Doggie Do treaded carefully in their new territory. This room was certainly the most heavily guarded. Soarin scanned the floor to look for any loose looking tiles, or images inscribed on them that might be necessary to get to the idol. There wasn’t anything there to be seen at that point, but he knew it could change at any point. The walls had hieroglyphs on it that he couldn’t make sense of, so, he decided to hover just above the floor. If there was a string activated trap, he wouldn’t trip it, and if there was an attack from the walls, he could duck or dodge it. He turned to his first mate.

“I’m going in.” Doggie Do nodded, their crew behind him.

Soarin flew in, tentatively, just enough to stay off the ground. Nothing happened as he entered the room, but he knew that could change at any time. He was on high alert now, ready for anything. He made it to the center, and he saw it. The idol. The gold statuette of a monkey covering it’s ears was the stuff of legend. Said to be cursed to turn whomever it touched to stone, it had to be handled carefully. Many before it had tried to get it, and nearly all had failed, but mostly because of the booby traps beforehoof. A few had set eyes on the idol, but none had gotten so far as to touch it.

None until him.

Soarin reached a gloved hoof out, making sure his clothes covered him completely, and plucked it from the pedestal, though the tension was unbearable. As soon as he had it, he slipped it in his saddlebag. Nothing seemed to happen, but he didn’t intend to stick around to find out what would. Then, behind him, the sound of sliding stone resounded from the walls, and he dared a look back to see that the pedestal had disappeared.

Crap.

He shouted to his troops, “RUN!” As he sped up his own flight. The temple began to shake, small rocks beginning to fall. It was collapsing on him, and he was going to make it out. He rocketed through debris, maneuvering his way through rocks, falling walls, chunks of ceiling too. His nickname, clipper from the Wonderbolts, seemed to follow him there, as just before he could make it out, he clipped his wing on a falling stone, and ended up crashing down just outside the entrance.

Doggie Do rushed up to him. “Did you get it, Captain?”

Getting up, Soarin rummaged around in his saddlebag, and got the idol out. He grinned. “We did it!”

The ponies erupted into cheers. They had done it, and rescued the idol.

Soarin was snapped out of his play by the sound of clapping hooves, and looked up to see his mother smiling down at him, completely satisfied. He blushed a little, getting so caught up in his imagination, though he knew she didn’t mind. Sky Streak grinned at him.

“I’ve been waiting to see you get that idol for thirteen years. It’s about time that story got a happy ending.” She grinned.

Soarin smiled. “I think you’re right.”

Sky Streak smiled. “I’m your mother. I usually am.”

They both shared a chuckle, and Sky Streak leaned down to kiss his head. Soarin smiled at her, and she looked at him lovingly.

“I’d love to watch you play all day, but I think you should be getting to bed soon. You still have practice on top of helping at the academy.” She said.

Soarin nodded. She was right again. “Okay Mom.”

“Make sure you clean up your toys before you go to bed, okay?” Just being able to say that made her smile and took her back thirteen years.

“Okay, Mom.” That was a bit more irritated, as it implied he wasn’t responsible.

“Don’t take that tone with me. I have to clean your floor at least once a week, and I don’t want to see that mess in my living room.” The response was reflexive.

Soarin felt oddly chastened. “Okay.”

Sky Streak smiled, and gave him a kiss. Soarin then began cleaning up, and eventually had the living room cleared. He brought Doggie Do into his room, and used the bathroom, before he went to bed. Deciding that he wanted the plush softness of Doggie Do with him for the night, he popped his hoof in his mouth, cuddled his toy, and went to sleep.