Just Another Love Story

Chapters

Chapter 1 - It All Seemed So Simple...
Chapter 2 - And For a Time it Was...
Chapter 3 - But When Conflict Strikes...
Chapter 4 - The Adventure Begins
Chapter 5 - Scaling More than a Mountain
Chapter 6 - Dawn of the Second Day
Chapter 7 - The Lullaby
Chapter 8 - Field of Venom
Chapter 9 - A Gryphon's Welcome
Chapter 10 - The Mother of All Diamonds
Chapter 11 - Gryphon the Break Out

Chapter 1 - It All Seemed So Simple...

It All Seemed So Simple…

“Well Mr. Hoity Toity?” Rarity asked the famous fashion critic. “What do you think?” He looked over his client’s newest line, silent as a mouse. He adjusted his glasses and stroked one of the dresses. Rarity’s smile shrunk as she waited for a reply. He just continued to stare at Rarity’s new summer lineup for Canterlot.

Rarity grew impatient with the gray stallion. She cleared her throat loudly and tapped him on the shoulder. “Um, I hope you won’t think me rude, but some acknowledgment would be nice.” But the fashion hotshot kept his attention on the ensemble. Rarity’s patient smile faded to a panicked frown. Hoity Toity had never taken this long when looking over her work. He usually entered her boutique and left within the same minute, his employees lugging a huge cart of outfits back to Canterlot. But this time was different. He just stared at the cloths, stroking his chin and driving Rarity mad.

Finally, he turned to the ivory unicorn and coughed, adjusting his glasses yet again. “Rarity my dear, you never disappoint.” He began, preparing to sit. One of his servers sprung to attention and placed a red pillow just under Hoity Toity and quickly moved away before being sat on.

“Oh, please stop Mr. Hoity Toity,” Rarity started, obviously waiting for more praise. “You’re embarrassing-“

“But your most recent designs have been rather lackluster.” He said, cutting off Rarity’s sentence.

The words struck Rarity like lightning. She was stunned at what she had heard. “Lack…luster?” She repeated, hoping she misheard him.

“You knew you were making this ensemble for my summer line, didn’t you?”

“Wha- but of course! I read your order through and through!”

“I see…”

“Well, what’s wrong with them!?”

“Rarity, darling, they’re beautiful as always, but I’ve seen this all before.”

Rarity was speechless. She looked over her designs, frustrated at what she was hearing.

“These look almost exactly like your winter ensemble. I need something new! Fresh!” He glanced up at a red-feathered headdress and shuddered a bit. “And something that looks less like a sunburned chicken.”

She looked up at the hat, feeling discouraged. She had spent hours adjusting the light and quantity of feathers all for nothing. “Well… wasn’t that what you wanted?” She quietly whispered. “My own unique style?”

“What I want doesn’t matter, Rarity. I don’t control fashion, I just critique it.”

Rarity shook her head and raised an eyebrow in confusion to what he had said. “Eh, that doesn’t make any-“

“And there are dozens of fresh, hip, new aspiring designers in Canterlot who would love to fill your role.” He cut her off again, standing and gesturing to the sky. His server jumped again and grabbed the pillow in an instant.

Rarity stared at the floor, saddened and furious. How much she wanted to give him a piece of her mind. But she remained calm and composed. She took in a breath of air and sighed.

“But my lineup isn’t expected in Canterlot for another week. Do you suppose you could whip up something fresh, hip, and new in three days?”

“Well I…” She looked around the room, trying not to make eye contact. She had already planned to watch Sweetie Belle and her friends later that night. Not to mention her pony pet play date in the morning the next day. And her spa day with Fluttershy the day after. Her schedule would leave her little to no time to work on the entire summer lineup.

They’ll understand. She thought, still shying away from Hoity Toity. After all it is only three days. That doesn’t leave much time at all.

“You can count on me sir.” Rarity said breaking the silence.

The fashion critic’s face lit up with joy. “Splendid!” He exclaimed instantly clapping his hoofs together. “I’ll be back here in three days. I can’t wait to see what brilliant designs you have for me!”

“… You and me both…” She muttered inaudibly.

The gray stallion approached the door, nose facing skyward. Again, the server bolted in front of his superior and hastily opened the door. Before the door closed, Hoity Toity called out, “Remember! Fresh! Hip! New!” ~slam~

*****

~Slam~ The door of Carousel Boutique suddenly burst open and an angry Rarity stomped out. She was in desperate need of a spa treatment. She barely made eye contact with anypony as she marched down the dirt road to the spa, mumbling all the way.

“Lackluster… Ha! What does he know about fashion?” She muttered. “If it weren’t for his position in Canterlot, why I’d… I’d…!” She shrieked softly under her breath.

“Who does he think he is anyway!? Mr. high and mighty fashion know-it-all! Oh Rarity! You’re outfits need to be fresh! Hip! New!” She said in a stupid, mocking tone of his voice. “I’m Hoity Toity and I think I’m so much better than every other pony in Canterlot! No! In all of Equestria!”

She didn’t even realize that she had stopped mid-stride to mock the pony, when she saw that she had gathered a concerned crowd. She didn’t care. She just continued on her way, several ponies stepping out of her way. “The fashion world can be so full of drama.” She whispered, rolling her eyes in the back of her head.

The spa came within view and she sighed in relief. Suddenly, it dawned on her: she didn’t have an appointment. She could only hope that Aloe would let her in regardless.

~CRASH~ All of the sudden, Rarity found herself flat on the ground with somepony on top of her. She shook her head and tried to get back to her hooves, but it was no use. The pony in question was far too heavy.

“Get off of me you ruffian!” She yelled angrily.

“I’m sorry ma’am!” Said a worried voice as the weight was lifted off of the white unicorn.

She jumped up and glared at a white earth pony. “What’s the matter with you! Why don’t you watch where you’re going!?” Rarity yelled at him as he backed away.

The white earth pony looked shocked. “Excuse me? Maybe you should open your eyes!”

Rarity was taken aback. Who was this pony? She had never seen him before.

“Just who are you anyway?”

“My name is Ivory Moon. And you are?

“Rarity.”

His eyes widened. “Oh. You’re Rarity?”

“You’ve heard of me?”

“Applejack has mentioned you before.”

“You know Applejack?”

“I was just on my way back from helping her at her farm.”

“Oh… a farmhand…”

“Hardly. I just help out from time to time.”

“I see… Well, I really must be going.”

Rarity stepped to the side trying to get past the pony. He quickly stepped in front of her again and said, “Wait!”

She stopped and looked up at him. “What?” She asked, rather annoyed.

“You didn’t give me a chance to properly apologize!”

“No, no. It’s quiet alright.” She stepped to the other side, but was blocked again.

“No, it’s not alright.”

“Please just move aside.”

“If you would just let me-“

“Would you just… MOVE!”

Rarity moved quickly to the other side again and tripped as Ivory tried to move in her way. She lost her balance and crashed into the pony, knocking him down with her. The two tumbled down a small hill, Rarity landing on top of him this time.

The white unicorn lifted her head. She glared at the earth pony, baring her teeth. “What is your problem?! Why couldn’t you just leave me…!”

She stopped. Her jaw dropped at the sight of Ivory Moon slowly opening his eyes. She hadn’t noticed until now what a beautiful shade of green they were. And his dark blue mane made them stand out even more.

Ivory Moon stared back into her eyes, a lovely sapphire blue. Her purple mane was frazzled and unstyled from the fall, but then again so was his. The two lay there for the longest time, still and silent. Ivory Moon finally moved a hoof up to her mane and moved it out of her face. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.

*****

“You’re kidding!” Rarity choked out, laughing uncontrollably. She and Ivory Moon lay on their backs on the grass. “Big Macintosh is undefeated!”

“It’s true, I beat him in a hoof-wrestle just yesterday.” Ivory said, laughing along with Rarity.

“That’s unbelievable! Not even Rainbow Dash could beat him!”

“Oh yeah! You should have seen her face when I beat him.”

Rarity laughed even harder, trying to imagine Rainbow’s face for herself. “Oh Ivory, you are quite amazing.”

“And you’re not? I mean, The Grand Galloping Gala. Wow. What was it like?”

“Oh nothing special. I did meet the prince though.”

“Really? And how was he?”

“Well… he was… nice.”

Ivory Moon crept closer to Rarity. “Come on, you can tell me.”

She smiled sheepishly. “Well he wasn’t exactly a dream come true.”

“So… not nice, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Just another rich, stuck-up, snooty jerk.”

Rarity looked surprised. She leaned in closer to the earth pony and giggled. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”

“So…” Ivory began, “This… Hooty Tooty?”

“Hoity Toity.”

“Yeah, him. He wants this new summer lineup in just three days?”

“Yes. And if I don’t have them, he’ll have to find somepony else to do it.”

Rarity looked at the darkening sky in shock. She had been out longer than she thought. She jumped to her hooves, startling Ivory. “Oh my gosh. Is it this late already? I have to go!”

The white earth pony leaned up and quickly said, “Wait, where are you going?”

“I have to watch my little sister and her friends tonight… and then stay up all night working on the outfits…”

Rarity started slowly back toward the Boutique. Sweetie Belle would probably be there with her friends by now with no supervision. Just as she got back on the dirt road, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see he had followed her.

“Wait… maybe I can help you.”

“With… watching the girls?”

“With your work. I may not be a fashion expert, but tell me what you need done, and I’ll do it.”

“I couldn’t possibly-“

“Please Rarity. Consider this my proper apology.”

Rarity stood still for a few minutes thinking it over. For some reason, she didn’t want to accept his offer. But why, she didn’t know.

“Well… there is one thing.” She started, unsure of what Ivory would say, she continued, “I need my work space cleaned out before I can start revising the outfits. The poniquins must be clear and the cloth organized. And since I’ll be busy all evening watching the girls, I won’t be able to clean up until midnight. Could you clean up for me?”

Ivory Moon smiled at the unicorn and gave a reassuring nod. “As you wish.”

Chapter 2 - And For a Time it Was...

And For a Time it was…

Two days later, Rarity and Fluttershy sat together in the steam sauna of the Ponyville spa. As usual, Rarity was given the expensive treatment, while Fluttershy just settled for the lesser treatment.

“So you had never seen him before?” Fluttershy asked, leaning over to her friend inquisitively.

“No, it was the strangest thing.” She said, thinking back to when she first met Ivory Moon. “We just ran into each other, and the next thing I knew, we spent the rest of the day together.”

The yellow pegasus smiled brightly. “That sounds so romantic!”

Rarity tapped her chin and looked up thoughtfully. In truth, she hadn’t really thought of it in that way. “You may be right. After all, he has offered to help me with my work for the past three nights.”

“It sounds like he really wants to spend time with you.”

“I know, but I feel simply awful to keep asking so much of him.”

“Well, I still think it’s romantic. It’s like love at first sight.”

“You think he feels that way?”

“I don’t know. Has he said anything?”

“Nothing along those lines. But every time I ask a favor from him, he always says ‘as you wish.’”

The two stayed quiet for a while. Another burst of steam entered the room, when Rarity realized that she still had work to do. She jumped up and walked to the door. “Oh my, look at the time. I’m sorry Fluttershy, but I’m going to have to call our spa day early.”

The pegasus just smiled at her friend. “It’s no trouble Rarity. I hope things work out between you and Ivory Moon.”

The white unicorn strolled down the dirt road, the setting sun casting its final rays on Ponyville. The shops were just closing down for the night. As she trotted along the path, she couldn’t help but wonder what Fluttershy meant by ‘work out’. Ivory Moon was indeed a hard worker and a generous friend. He had known Rarity for a few days, and yet every time she arrived back at Carousel Boutique, it was shipshape and ready for Rarity.

He even stayed and waited for her to return before heading to his home. Fluttershy was right about one thing; he really wanted to be around her every chance he could. Whether he was just a hard working friend or if he had felt love when he first met her, Rarity didn’t know how she felt about him. It was true, he wasn’t royalty, but she couldn’t help this attraction she felt towards him.

Her thoughts were suppressed as she arrived at her Boutique. The lights were still on, and she prepared to be greeted by Ivory Moon. But much to her surprise, when she opened the front door, there was Ivory, curled up and fast asleep on the sofa. She smiled at the sleeping pony.

Again he had managed to clean up her workspace. The clothes were organized in piles and the remaining poniquins were clean and ready for her to begin working. With seven out of the ten outfits completed, she would have time to spare in finishing the ensemble before Hoity Toity arrived tomorrow afternoon.

But speaking of which, Rarity needed to get back to work. Her day at the spa served her well, as she was relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to go. She levitated a bolt of red cloth from its pile and began construction on another dress. She worked quickly and professionally, sewing and stitching each piece together flawlessly.

An hour passed, and the dress was nearing completion. A few more stitches would bring the outfit to life. As the needle went in and out of the fabrics, Rarity caught herself looking at Ivory Moon again. She remembered Fluttershy’s words at the spa.

“I still think it’s romantic. It’s like love at first sight.”

Could it really be? Did Ivory feel that way about Rarity? But the better question was, did Rarity feel that way about Ivory? Only one thing was certain, whenever he was around, she felt… happy.

The needle ceased its repetitive movements. The white unicorn approached Ivory Moon on the sofa. He looked so peaceful as he lay there, fast asleep. She would have never guessed that he would be such a positive, helpful pony by his cutie mark of a light gray moon. And yet, he didn’t hesitate when Applejack or Rarity asked for assistance.

Finally, Rarity could take the internal conflict no more. She didn’t know if she loved him, or if he loved her. But without another thought, she leaned in, closed her eyes, and kissed his cheek.

In that moment, her doubts were silenced. Her uncertainties resolved. All her life, she wanted to marry royalty and be seen as a royal herself. But she had never been more certain than she was now that the path she was taking was the right one.

She reached a hoof up to shake him awake and tell him. But she stopped herself. She stood frozen there, hoof about an inch from Ivory’s shoulder. Then she decided to wait for him. A sigh escaped her mouth as her hoof silently touched the floor. The unicorn walked as quietly as possible to the staircase. Before flicking the light switch, she turned to face him one last time. A loving smile residing on her face, she looked upward and whispered, “Please Celestia… let him love me.”

*****

“Well Mr. Hoity Toity?” Rarity asked the famous fashion critic. “What do you think now?” Judging by the way his jaw hit the floor, Rarity smiled slyly, waiting for his response. He took off his glasses all together and smiled with his mouth wide open. It looked like he was about to cry.

He turned to Rarity and exclaimed, “Rarity, this line up is amazing! Spectacular! Pure genius! Everypony who is anypony is going to want one!”

“Oh, please stop. You’re embarrassing me.” She said, expecting just that response.

“How ever did you come up with these… these… these masterpieces!?”

Rarity glanced at the window and smiled. “Let’s just say the inspiration literally hit me.”

Within seconds, the cart was loaded up with Rarity’s works. The two servers struggled to lift the heavy wagon, as their boss didn’t help at all.

“Rarity, how can I ever thank you? This will be the most sensational fashion début in Canterlot history!”

“Oh it was nothing, really.” She walked over to the front door and opened it hastily. “Well thank you for coming, give my regards to Photo Finish.” She said, politely kicking them out of her store.

When the coast was clear and Hoity Toity was far enough away, Rarity burst out the door and ran to one of the windows. Sure enough, there stood Ivory Moon, smiling at her as she galloped to him, jumping into his hooves.

“He loved them! Thank you thank you thank you!” She cried, embracing Ivory tightly.

“I knew he would! I’m so happy for you Rarity!”

“It was all thanks to you. I couldn’t have finished them in time if you didn’t help.” With that sentence, she started to tear up, pulling Ivory even closer.

Ivory seemed confused for a bit, but just smiled and kept her in his hooves. “It was nothing.”

“No, it was everything.” Rarity said, drying her eyes. “Hoity Toity said that this will be the biggest lineup in Canterlot history!”

“Well, I could have told you that.” he said with a slight smirk.

“Ivory, stop it! You’re embarrassing me!”

“Oh don’t be so modest Rarity! You’re pretty much the greatest designer in Equestria. You’ve created masterpieces for a ton of different superstars, not to mention saved Equestria twice! You’re just every pony’s dream.” He said in confidence.

Rarity had a slightly puzzled look on her face that slowly melted away from her face into a large smile. “So tell me Ivory,” she said. “Who’s dream would I be, exactly?”

A sudden wave of realization overtook him. “W-what do you mean?

“Well, you said that I’m every pony’s dream. Who’s dreams are we speaking of?”

“I… Uh…” his brain scrambled for an answer while the smile on Rarity’s face grew larger.

“Ivory,” she began.

“Y-yes?”

“I have a very important question that I must ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Just out of curiosity,” she said “Have you ever had a fillyfriend?”

His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “E-excuse me?”

“You know. Have you been… in love?”

Rarity backed Ivory into a corner with only two exits. One was heading straight for her, the other was taking a curve ball route.

“Well,” he gulped. “No. I haven’t. Have you?”

Rarity’s face turned to panic. “W-well I… No… I haven’t. But I have thought about it a lot over the past couple of days.” She moved closer to him with a slight smile. “I’m guessing that I’m your dream, correct?”

At first, Ivory looked scared and dumbfounded. But looking into Rarity’s eyes, his fears evaporated. He mustered a grin and said, “Yes. I can’t hide it… I’ve just grown fonder of you in every moment that we’ve spent together. Over these last few days I’ve experienced something that I’ve never felt before… and it’s because of you.”

Rarity moved even closer to him, rubbing her cheek against his neck. “It’s funny you should say that.” She paused to look at him. “Because you’re exactly what I have been dreaming of as well.” She offered her lips to his, and he gently replied with a long lasting embrace of true love.

Chapter 3 - But When Conflict Strikes...

But When Conflict Strikes…

Eighteen months later

“Well? Have the scouts returned?”

“Just got back.”

“And?!”

“Rumors true.”

“Diamond exists!”

“How big is it?”

“Look for yourself!”

“Ooh hoo hoo hoo hoo! Where is it?”

“…”

“You mean YOU DIDN’T FIND IT!”

“But we have picture.”

“You doofus! We can’t find it with picture! It could be anywhere!”

“But how we find it?”

“You tell me!”

“We could get a diamond detector!”

“There’s no such thing as a- … wait a second! The pony!”

“Oh no! Not her!”

“Yes her!”

“But what about last time?”

“Leave that to me. I am the brains after all.”

“But how we get her?”

“Yeah! She’ll never come with us.”

“All she needs is a little… persuasion.”

“What about that yellow wingy pony?”

“Oh yes! She’s perfect!”

“It’s settled then! Tell the scouts to start digging a north tunnel!”

*****

Ivory Moon sat at a table just outside The Clover Patch restaurant. He wore a black bowtie and held a rose in his hoof. A candle sat in the center of the table with two plates and silverware on both sides. He glanced nervously around the other tables, waiting for his date.

He adjusted the candle a bit, becoming more anxious as the time passed. Finally, a white unicorn came galloping down the road in an extravagant dress. Ivory smiled at the sight of Rarity at last. He stood from his seat and pulled the chair out for the pony.

“Ivory, I’m so sorry I’m late.” She said as she sat down.

Ivory smiled at her. “It’s alright Rarity. And you look beautiful as always.” He said, walking back to his seat and sitting right across from her.

She blushed and said, “And you clean up quite nicely, Ivory.”

A waiter approached the table with menus in mouth. He set the menus down in front of Ivory and Rarity and said, “Good evening sir and ma ‘dam. ‘Ow may I serve you tonight?”

“Ah yes, sir. I heard that there is a special on soups and salads tonight?”

“You ‘eard correct my good sir.”

“Excellent. I’ll have that then. And what would you like my dear?”

Rarity got lost in Ivory’s eyes and said, “That sounds perfect dear.”

Ivory laughed a bit and turned to the waiter again. “Two soups and salads please.”

“Right away sir.” And with that, he left for the kitchen to prepare their food.

The two sat quietly at the table, neither having anything really to say to the other. Finally, Rarity started the conversation. “Well you seem rather distracted tonight.”

“Huh? Do I?” he asked sarcastically, though he really was distracted, and he knew she could tell he was too.

“Alright then.” She smirked back at him wisely. “Why are you distracted?”

“Oh, I’m just distracted by the most beautiful pony in Equestria. That’s all.”

“While I appreciate the compliment, I know that’s not the truth.”

“How do you know?”

“Well because we’ve been dating for over a year now, and that hasn’t bothered you before.”

“Can I help it if you just keep getting more beautiful?”

Rarity gave him a sly look, which he mirrored. Then the two broke out into laughter. Their playful banter continued as they waited for the food to arrive.

At last, the waiter returned carrying two steaming bowls of soup. Placing them both down on the table, he went back to the kitchen to fetch the salads. The two continued to talk while also dining on the food.

“So Ivory, I never did ask you. How did you get your cutie mark?”

He swallowed a mouthful of soup and chuckled. “Ah, this old thing. It doesn’t mean anything. People see a moon and they instantly think I’m a loner.”

“Well I didn’t think so.”

“Well to be fair, you were in a hurry that day.”

“But it’s true. You’re the nicest pony I’ve ever met.”

“I’m glad you feel that way Rarity.” Ivory said after a few seconds. He looked down at his lap and smiled. “Um… Rarity?”

“Yes Ivory?”

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”

“More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

Rarity looked speechlessly at the earth pony. He smiled lovingly at her and continued.

“I would do anything for you Rarity. I would travel to the ends of the earth for you. Because you mean everything to me.” He stood from his seat and walked over to the unicorn. He knelt down in front of her and said. “And I need to know if you feel the same way.”

She sat there for the longest time, trying to find the right words to say. What seemed like hours passed and still not a word. It was torture for him, waiting for her to reply.

Finally. Rarity grasped his hoof in hers and said. “Yes Ivory. I would do anything for you my love.” She looked about ready to tear up, piecing together what her coltfriend was about to do.

He smiled and reached behind his back. Without wasting another second, he pulled out a tiny black box and held it out to her. “Rarity… will you marry me?” The black box flipped open to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring cut in the shape of one of the gems of her cutie mark with a smaller heart in the middle of it.

Rarity could not hold back her tears and leaped into Ivory’s arms tackling him to the ground. “YES!” She shouted without hesitation. She could not say yes fast enough. The two lay on the ground for a long time, just being near each other.

“Ivory…” Rarity whispered, holding him tightly. “Don’t ever leave me.”

“As you wish.”

*****

The wedding was scheduled for a week from then. It would have been sooner, but this was also the week of the Summer Sun Celebration, and preparations had to be made for that as well. But Rarity didn’t mind, and neither did Ivory. The two were just eagerly awaiting the day they could finally become husband and wife.

Rarity had started construction on the dress she would wear for the wedding day, as well as a tuxedo for her groom. She was hard at work, but happily so. For once, not making an ensemble for a client, but for herself and Ivory. She had never been happier.

Suddenly, her friends entered the boutique; Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. All except for Fluttershy who was busy picking flowers for the wedding day.

“Hello Rarity.” Twilight called out to the daydreaming unicorn as she pranced about working on the outfits.

“Oh, hello girls. I didn’t hear you come in. Please, make yourselves at home.”

“Shoot, is that the dress you’ll be wearin’ for yer weddin’?” Applejack asked, admiring the long white dress.

“Of course, Applejack. But it isn’t quite done yet.”

“Really? Well it sure is a beauty. Can’t imagine how yer gonna make it even better.”

Before Rarity could continue her conversation with Applejack, a pink blur bounced right in front of her. “So Rarity!” Pinkie Pie said an inch from her face. “Have you decided who’s gonna be your bridesmaids?! Huh? Huh? Huh?”

Rarity looked at the four ponies and smiled a great, big smile. “Of course, where are my manners? Would you girls like to be my bridesmaids? Fluttershy included.”

All of the pony’s faces lit up with joy.

“You kin count on us.”

“It would be an honor.”

“That sounds like great idea!”

“Alright!”

Rarity leaped with happiness. “Wonderful!” She galloped over to a closed curtain and pulled a rope with her mouth, thinking too quickly to use her horn. “Otherwise, I would have made these for nothing!” Behind the curtain stood five lovely dresses for just the occasion.

“I had made theses a while back, but they should still fit nicely. I incorporated all of your individual cutie marks onto the patterns. Well girls, what do you think?”

The others remained quiet. Jaw dropped in awe. Instead of answering, they ran over to the white unicorn and gave her a massive group hug.

“You’re the best Rarity! Ivory Moon is so lucky to have you as a wife.”

*****

A beautiful voice rang throughout Whitetail Woods, singing a familiar tune. The wildlife danced about with the joyous melody. Birds sang along and squirrels leapt from tree to tree, following the music. From behind a bush flew a majestic yellow pegasus with a pink flowing mane. Her voice was like an angel as she glided through the woods picking flowers as she went.

She stopped suddenly and gasped in awe. “Oh my! Could that be?” She asked to herself flying up to a thick tree. She landed on the soft grass and knelt down to smell a blue flower. “It is! How wonderful! A blue daisy! And it just bloomed!” She admired its beauty for some time, spinning happily into the air, then touching back down and picking the lovely flower. “Rarity is going to love this!”

She placed the daisy in her basket and the basket around her arm and continued to fly through the woods, singing her merry song. Her animal friends followed along, keeping their eyes open for additions to the basket.

But as the cheerful pony flew through the woods, little did she know that she was being followed. Some nearby bushes shuffled a bit.

“That’s the one! We need to get her! Get into position you dimwits!”

Fluttershy scanned the forest floor for more flowers to complete her basket. And then she spotted a bushel of daffodils, also in bloom. “Oh, these will do nicely.” She said flying down to the flowers. Upon landing, she knelt down and breathed in the sweet smell.

Without warning, a creature abruptly jumped out of a nearby bush, startling Fluttershy and making her drop her basket. Her animal friends went scattering for cover, as the creature came closer, eyes set on the pegasus pony.

“Oh… I’m sorry… was that flower yours?” Fluttershy whispered backing away from the creature.

“Why yes… pretty flower mine…” He said, slowly approaching the scared pony.

“Oh… then… I’ll just be, uh… leaving.” She said turning about face quickly and running smack-dab into another creature, larger than the first.

“What’s the rush? You just got here.”

Finally, Fluttershy recognized them. It had been over a year since she had seen these creatures, but all too soon did she remember who they were and what they had done. “You’re… the d-diamond dogs…” She whimpered, trying to sneak past the dog blocking her way.

“Hey, she remembers us.” The larger dog said to the leader, looking idiotically excited.

“Yes, but, I really must get back home.” Just as she said that, she ran into another dog, smaller than the other two.

The leader of the dogs crept closer to Fluttershy until she was completely surrounded. They all pulled out ropes and smirked wickedly. The pony looked around all sides, scared out of her mind. She tried to think, what would Rainbow Dash do?

“Get her.” The leader called to his comrades as they all leapt at her at the same time. From the commotion, a cloud of dust and smoke was created on the forest floor. Yelling and shouting emitted from the tackle until the dust cleared to reveal the diamond dogs had tied just about everything except for Fluttershy.

“You idiots!” The leader said smacking both of his minions. As they yelped in pain and struggled to get free, he called out to some nearby dogs, “There she goes! Get her scouts! Get her!”

The daft canines leaped to attention and charged after the fleeing pony. Though Fluttershy flew as fast as she could, the dogs caught up in a matter of seconds. She weaved between trees in an attempt to throw them off. Some of the dogs crashed face first into the huge oaks.

At last she saw it, a break in the trees. She smiled as she was almost to safety. Just a bit further and she would be home free. But just as soon as she started to smile, something caught her tail. She turned around with horror at what she saw. The leader of the diamond dogs had a firm grip on her soft pink tail.

“Oh no you don’t!” He yelled, pulling her back into the forest.

Fluttershy cried out as loudly as she could, hoping that somepony would hear her. But before she knew it, she was thrown into a large metal cage. The bars were rusted and filthy, but able to hold her with little effort. On the bottom of the cage were wheels and a handle, making the cage heavy but mobile.

“Do you like it? We make revonations to old mine cart.”

A frightened Fluttershy pushed herself to the back of the cage as far away from her captors as she could. “Wha… what do you want with me?” She sniveled behind the disgusting metal bars.

“Don’t cry little pony.” The big dumb dog said, joining his superior.

“It’s not you we’re after.” The small one said, trying to pull the heavy cage back into the woods. But he was too weak to make it even budge an inch. Some other scouts came to his aid and the cage started moving.

“We’ve a much bigger fish to catch.” The leader said looking toward Ponyville.

The big one looked confused. “But boss… I thought you said we were gonna catch a pony…”

“We are…”

Chapter 4 - The Adventure Begins

The Adventure Begins

~Knock knock knock~ Rarity skipped to the door and opened it with a smile. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique. Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique… oh, Derpy Hooves.”

“Hi. I have mail for you Rarity.” The cross-eyed pegasus said with a smile. She handed a stack of letters to the unicorn and waved goodbye.

“What’s that Rarity?” Twilight asked pointing to the stack of sealed envelopes.

“Oh, just some ponies wishing me a happy wedding. I’ve been getting these all day, I tell you. It seems like everypony knows about the wedding already.”

“Well duh.” Pinkie Pie cut in, bouncing up to her friends. “I made sure every pony in Ponyville knew about you and Ivory!”

“Thank you Pinkie Pie.” She said, not sure how she really felt about Pinkie’s kind actions. Though she knew she meant no harm.

“Oh, Twilight.” Rarity said with a small gasp. “Where is Spike?”

“Spike? He’s with Ivory Moon, helping prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Oh, I hope he isn’t too put out with my wedding.”

“He’ll be fine, trust me. Ivory Moon knows how he feels about you.”

“He does?”

“Of course. That’s why he asked Spike if he would like to be his best man.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she cupped her hooves over her mouth.

“Oh how thoughtful of Ivory! It is the least he can do for that scaly little rascal.”

Twilight, ashamed that she was unable to keep a secret… again, cleared her throat audibly to get the other’s attentions.

“Well, it’s been fun, but we should probably get going. What, with two big celebrations in one week and all.”

Rainbow Dash winked at Twilight and glided down to the front door, opening it for her friends. “Yeah, we’ll go on and get outta your mane.”

Pinkie and Applejack giggled and left the boutique behind Rainbow and Twilight.

“Bye Rarity!”

*****

Rarity continued work on her wedding dress, using very few gemstones in the design. Ivory had said ‘she doesn’t need gems to shine’. A few diamonds in the neckline would suffice… and maybe a sapphire belt.

Though she wanted to go see Ivory Moon, she would rather surprise him with her fabulous outfits for the biggest day of their lives. She could just imagine the look on his face when he set hoof into her shop. That was something she would have to savor, when the time came though. Until then, she merrily went about her business, sewing a new neckline on her dress.

~Bam bam bam!~ The door echoed, scaring her out of her fur. “Who could that be?” She whispered quietly to herself. She cautiously walked over to the door and peered out of the looking glass. There was nopony there. The hesitantly opened the door and looked around. Is this another one of Pinkie’s pranks? She thought squinting for a pink pony in the distance.

Then she saw it; a letter sitting by her hooves. She levitated it up to read, but she could hardly make out the smudged handwriting… if you could even call it that. She pulled her glasses out of a nearby drawer and read.

Deer Rarity

We hav kidnappd yor frend
Fluttrshi!
If yu evr want to see hr agin, com to Froggy Bottum Bog!
Com in one our And com alon or els yu wil nevr see hr agin!

Somone

The note fell to the floor. She could not believe what she had just read. “Fluttershy… kidnapped?” Her mind raced with questions. Who would do such a thing? What did they want with her? Why did she need to come alone?

“I have to tell Ivory!” She exclaimed galloping to the door. But she skidded to a stop. “But if the note is true…” She couldn’t decide what to do. On the one hoof, if she went alone, she would be putting herself in an unprecedented amount of danger. But if she went with Ivory, then Fluttershy would pay the price.

She paced the floor, wondering who would do this. But the longer she spent trying to figure it out… the longer Fluttershy was in trouble. Finally, she decided. She took out a pen and flipped the note over on its back.

After scribbling a hasty note for her friends, she taped it to the front of her door so that they could see it. And without a moment to lose… she was gone.

Dear friends

Fluttershy is in great peril, and I haven’t the time to tell anyone. I’ve gone to save her and will quite likely not be returning. Do not attempt to stop me; by the time you have read this, I will be long gone. My dearest friends, I’ve loved you like I’ve never loved anyone. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. I will miss you all. And Ivory Moon, My heart will always belong to you.

Rarity

*****

Meanwhile is Ponyville’s town hall, several ponies were busy with preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Princess Celestia had chosen Ponyville for the location of the celebration again and everything had to be perfect. Big Macintosh and several other ponies were busy hanging lights and streamers, while Ivory Moon and Spike mopped the floors.

Spike gave Ivory a cold look. Noting this, the pony approached the dragon and tried to open a conversation. “So… you ready for the Summer Sun Celebration?”

Keeping his eyes on the floor, Spike replied, “Uh huh…”

Feeling bad for his purple friend, he said, “Look Spike, I know you’re not too happy about me marrying Rarity. But I-“

“Ivory!” four ponies galloped over to him and cut off his sentence, drawing his attention away from Spike who went right back to work.

“Oh, hey girls. How are you all doing?”

“Super duper Ivory!” Pinkie bounced around the room, slipping and falling on her tummy.

“Careful Pinkie, I just mopped there.” Ivory said, and they all burst into laughter, except for Spike.

“So what brings you girls around these parts?” Ivory asked, dipping his washcloth in a water bucket.

Twilight stepped up with a smile and said, “We all thought it would be nice if we gave you a few gifts before your wedding day.”

Ivory leapt to his hooves and grinned widely. “Gifts? That’s so thoughtful of you all. Thank you.”

Twilight reached into her saddlepack and pulled out a blue book with a unicorn head on the front. “I got you a book on basic unicorn spells.”

“Of course she got him a book.” Rainbow Dash whispered in Applejack’s ear. The two snickered, until Twilight turned to them with a frown. Applejack stopped laughing immediately and looked around with her terrible poker eyes while Rainbow whistled innocently.

“Anyway,” Twilight said turning back to Ivory. “I figured since you’ll be living with a unicorn from now on, you might want to prepare.”

“Gee, thanks Twilight. Its really great.” He said, thinking of ways to put the book to use. Maybe doors stop or a paperweight.

Applejack walked over to the white pony, a particular aroma resonating from her pack. She reached in and pulled out a steaming hot apple pie. One look and Ivory’s mouth started watering. “Me an’ Apple Bloom baked you a homemade apple pie, juss this mornin’.”

“Wow Applejack. That looks delicious!” He said, wanting so badly to take a huge bite of it right then and there. But he decided to wait until the others had given their gifts.

Pinkie Pie bounced forward with a white saddlepack on her back. Instead of reaching into the pack for the gift, she took the entire pack off and laid it down in front of him.

“I got you a saddlepack. See, cuz I remember you saying a few months ago that you didn’t have one and that you had to carry everything in your mouth. And then I thought, ‘what if I got one for you?’ Then you wouldn’t have to carry everything in your mouth, and-“

She would have gone on much, much longer had Ivory not put his hoof on her lips. He smiled and looked down at the pack. “Thank you Pinkie. This is really thoughtful of you.”

All the ponies looked to Rainbow Dash, waiting for her to give her present. She smiled and flew forward. “Yeah, those gifts were alright.” She landed at Ivory’s hooves, still looking back at her friends. “But let me show you guys a real gift.” As she reached into her pack, all of the ponies were sucked into what she might pull out. They leaned in and…

“Wow Rainbow Dash… an autographed picture of you…” Ivory said, trying to fake a smile.

“Yeah, ya know when I become a Wonderbolt, that’s gonna be worth millions. I figured I’d give it to you right now and save you the trouble.” She smiled at her own ‘generosity’ and looked smugly back at her friends. They just rolled their eyes and sighed. That’s their Rainbow Dash.

*****

The thick stench permeated the air around her nostrils as she walked through the marshlands. Rarity kept an eye open for the kidnappers so they wouldn’t get the jump on her. She had come alone, just as the note had ordered, but what she expected to find, she did not know yet.

She thought about calling for Fluttershy for a while, but decided against it. The captors might be lying in wait for her to speak up and give away her location. ~Splash~ She quickly pulled her hoof out of the green bog water and grimaced at her wet foot. Suddenly, she saw something, a large stretch of land just on the northern border of the bog. But what she saw on the land really took her breath away.

“You!” She cried in astonishment at the kidnappers. “I should have known it was you!”

“Look boss! She came!” The stupid large dog shouted.

“I can see that, dummy!” He yelled back at his dim comrade.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy yelled from inside her cage.

“Hush up you! Are you alone?”

Rarity thought for a minute. The diamond dogs weren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. They could easily back down from their position if battled the correct way.

“Oh no!” Rarity cried stomping her hooves on the ground. “You better let Fluttershy go! Or that’ll make me really saaaaaaaaahahahahad!” She whined as loudly as she could, expecting the dogs to cover their ears and do what she said until they were both free.

But the dogs just smiled. Rarity looked confused at this. They did whatever she wanted to get her to stop whining before… she glared at them and whined even louder. “I’m serious! I’m going to keep on whining until you let her goooooo!”

But the dogs still did not budge. They grinned at each other and reached into their ears. Each one pulled out plugs. Rarity gasped. She never would have thought the dogs to actually think, let alone solve a simple problem. And now Rarity was all out of weapons. She thought about using magic, but knew that if she did, she was putting Fluttershy’s life on the line. And that was something she simply could not do.

“We’ll let her go, as soon as you get in.” The boss said pointing to a cage similar to the one that held Fluttershy, but even more poorly made.

She looked around, desperately trying to think of a way out. But everything she came up with ended with one or both of them being abducted and never heard from again.

A heavy sigh and a hanging head, Rarity slowly trudged to the canines. Fluttershy gasped at her friend’s actions. “No Rarity! Don’t do it!”

She ignored her friend and continued walking. She could survive in a bad situation… but she would never wish such a horrid fate on her friend. One of the scouts opened the cage and stepped aside as the unicorn reached the black barred box.

With a single tear, she took one step inside, not knowing what terrible things they would do to her once she was theirs. But she mostly thought of Ivory Moon. How she would never see him again. She thought of his smile. His warm embrace. His laugh. The first time their eyes met… Then she thought back to the note she had left for them. She wondered… would Ivory come looking for her?

~Slam~ The dogs wagged their tails in excitement. “Yes! We have the diamond finder! Release the pegasus.”

One of the scouts ran to the first cage and unlocked it, reaching in and throwing Fluttershy out. She crashed into the ground, crying up a storm. Within seconds, her friend had disappeared into the dark tunnel, probably doing the same.

Suddenly, she lifted teary eyes from the soft dirt and spread her wings. She had to tell her friends. If she told them, they would still be able to catch the dogs before they got too far. With goal in mind, she took off as fast as possible, flying straight for Ponyville. Straight to Ivory Moon.

*****

Ivory Moon placed his gifts into his new saddlepack, photograph first, then book, then the pie. He smiled at the girls and they smiled back. “Thanks guys. The gifts are great.”

“I knew you’d like them.” Twilight said with a huge grin. She looked around the room. Streamers hanging from the walls and ceiling and the crystal clear windows. But the floor still left a lot to be desired. “Well, we should probably let you get back to work.”

Ivory looked over to his washcloth and bucket where he had left them. “Yeah. Still have a lot of work to do here.” He walked over to the items and picked up the cloth. He dipped it in the water bucket and began scrubbing the marble floors again.

“We’ll see ya’ll later Ivory.” Applejack said as she and her friends exited this building.

The room fell back into silence with the four ponies gone. Ivory found it difficult to get back to work now. He wanted to dig into the pie so badly, but didn’t want to risk dirtying up the floor. With a heavy sigh, he put his saddlepack on his back and continued to work.

Spike had been awfully quiet this whole time, not even saying hello to Twilight when she entered. He was obviously still peeved at him for marrying Rarity. He put the washcloth down and approached Spike. The purple dragon noticed Ivory coming over to him, but ignored him and continued to mop the floor.

“Spike… listen buddy… will ya just talk to me?”

Spike stopped the mop and looked down, a frown on his face. “I guess I didn’t have much of a chance with her to begin with huh?”

“No Spike, it’s not like that at all.”

“Oh come on Ivory. When’s the last time you saw a pony dating a dragon?”

“Rarity does love you, as a friend.”

Spike was silent. In his face, Ivory could tell that he wanted more than to be friends with Rarity. He wished that there was something he could do to make them both happy, but some friends were beyond help.

“Ivory! Spike!”

The two turned quickly to see the door had burst open and a terrified yellow pony had flown in, gasping for breath.

“Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” Ivory asked running over to her, almost losing his balance on the slippery floor. He reached her and knelt down to her level. “What’s going on?”

“Rarity! She’s been kidnapped!”

Total silence filled the hall. Ivory stared at the pegasus, mouth ajar and eyes wide in shock. He didn’t know what to say. So he settled for this. “What?”

Fluttershy swallowed, took a deep breath, and said, “I was out picking flowers, when all of the sudden, the diamond dogs got me and locked me in a cage!”

Spike walked over to the two curiously and listened to the story. “Then they made Rarity take my place. I’m so sorry Ivory… this is all my fault…” She burst into tears at the thought of her friend being carted away into the dark tunnel.

Ivory struggled to hold back his sadness and anger. But he had so many questions. Who were the diamond dogs? What did they want with Rarity? Why didn’t she come for help? … And where was she?

Ivory lifted Fluttershy’s eyes to his. “Fluttershy… where is Rarity?”

It took a while, but she finally dried her eyes and collected her thoughts. “They headed north from Froggy Bottom Bog.”

Without another word, Ivory Moon galloped out of the hall at full speed, a look of determination and desperation residing on his face. He blew past numerous groups of ponies going about their daily lives, almost crashing into a few. Finally, Carousel Boutique came within view. He saw something on the door, but didn’t slow down to see what it was. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the door…

~CRASH~ The door exploded open, nearly destroying the hinges. He looked around the room desperately. “RARITY!” He yelled, hoping for a reply. But there was not a sound. “RARITY!” He yelled again, praying that she hadn’t heard him the first time. But still nothing.

He stomped around the boutique, frustrated and annoyed. He didn’t want to believe Fluttershy. But she wasn’t the one to pull pranks… especially not coldblooded pranks like this. Then he remembered… the door. He leapt back to the front door and saw a note taped to the front. He quickly tore it off and read it.

He read it… but he couldn’t believe it. Tears dripped down his face as he finally broke down. His legs felt like jello and could no longer support his weight. The weight of reality crushing down on his back, he laid on the floor, crying. “Rarity…”

“No…” He whispered in his time of despair. “I made a promise… to never leave your side.” He slowly stood up, leaving the note tearstained and torn.

“I made a promise!” He yelled, looking toward the door. His sorrow was replaced once again by determination.

Quick as a flash, he was out the door and back on the dirt road. Several ponies stared at him as he skidded to a stop, trying to find his bearings. He directed his attention north, glaring to the horizon. He had no idea who had stolen his love away, but he would make sure they wished they hadn’t. He took off full gallop for Froggy Bottom Bog… for Rarity.

*****

There it was: the end of the swamp and beginning of the mountains. A perilous journey for just one pony, the hike would surely take days… maybe even weeks. Ivory Moon hadn’t even realized that he hadn’t bothered to take off his saddlepack, or any of its contents. He thought about bringing the pie along, but the other items in his inventory would just weight him down. But while deciding, he heard a voice in the distance.

“Hey! Ivory!”

He turned around and saw Spike running toward him holding a piece of paper. “Spike. What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like?” He said, holding up the rolled up paper. “I’m going to save Rarity.”

“Why?”

“Ever since you came into her life, she’s completely forgotten about me.”

“Spike, that’s not-“

“If you hadn’t shown up, I’d still have a chance with her!”

“Spike, please, hear me out buddy.”

But Spike did not. He just walked past the earth pony, looking quite smug. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I have a map of Equestria.” He said, unfolding the paper

“Spike, that won’t help much.”

“I don’t care. Once I save Rarity, she’ll see that I love her way more than you do.”

“It is not like that at all Spike!”

“Then you won’t mind if I save her myself.”

“THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME!”

Spike wiped the smug smile off his face and stared at him in shock.

“This is about Rarity.” He continued, taking a step forward. “I made a promise to never leave her side.” He passed Spike, who was still stunned at what he heard. “I told her that I would go to the ends of Equestria for her. And I will not break that promise.”

The two stood there for a minute or two, not saying anything. Spike finally understood. He closed his eyes, hating himself for letting his jealousy think for him. “You really do love her…” He said quietly, barely looking up at the pony. “Don’t you?”

Ivory looked at the horizon… the mountains ahead were enormous and terrifying. He gulped in fear at what he was up against, but remained strong otherwise. “More than anything.” He said, starting the trek up the rocky slopes.

Before long, he felt something push down on his back. He stopped and looked back to see the purple dragon sitting on his back. “Well then,” He started, smiling brightly at Ivory Moon. “I’m coming with you.”

“Um… thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather do this alone.”

But Spike stayed on his back. “I’m coming with you Ivory Moon. Like it or not.”

He sighed and looked back at Spike.

“It’s gonna be dangerous.”

“Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha ha!”

“No turning back.”

“Is that a promise?”

“I can’t guarantee that both of us will live.”

“For Rarity, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Ivory smiled. “You’re not giving up, are you?”

Spike mirrored the smile and winked. “I’m probably about as stubborn as you.”

He chuckled a bit and faced the mountains again, his smile vanishing. What was in store for him, he did not know. He had never been outside of Ponyville, and now he stood amidst the huge mountains, about to brave the unknown. The only clue he had to Rarity’s location was north.

He glanced back up at Spike, giving him a look that said ‘are you ready?’ Spike looked down and returned with a confident face. And so, the white pony with a saddlepack of seemingly useless items and a dragon with a map set off through the mountain trail.

A sign rested just ahead that read: Treacherous path ahead. But the two continued onward. The slope became steeper, and the mountain’s path curved off to the east. Now, without a trail to follow, Ivory Moon veered off the road and continued walking north. Farther and farther into the horrifying mountains, the journey had just begun.

Ivory turned back up to Spike and said, “I hope you’re not planning on riding my back all the way there.”

Chapter 5 - Scaling More than a Mountain

Scaling More than a Mountain

“Twilight! Pinkie! Girls!” Fluttershy called out to her friends, still panicking. She flew to her group of friends with all do speed, until landing right in front of them breathing heavily. The four looked at her concerned. Applejack walked to her side and leaned down. “Whoa there, calm down sugarcube.” She said soothingly yet still worrisome.

“What’s wrong Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash exchanged worried glances, but none of them were prepared for the minute Fluttershy gasped for breath.

“Rarity has been kidnapped!” They were speechless, possibly devastated by her words. Applejack looked at Twilight, a horrified look residing on her face. She hoped that she would have an answer. But she had nothing. Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, but she too had no answers.

Pinkie Pie ran up to the spent pegasus and said, “What happened?”

So she told them the story. Their faces changed as the story progressed from slightly scared, to mortified. Rarity was taken away from her friends, and just a week before her wedding day. As scared as they were, they could only imagine how their friend was feeling.

They remained quiet for some time. The world seemed to move in slow motion around them. Until Rainbow Dash yelled, “Well? We can’t just wait here for her to come back! If she even does come back! We have to save her!”

She looked to her friends for support, but Fluttershy spoke out. “We can’t go.”

“What do you mean by that?” Applejack asked, liking Rainbow’s plan better.

“The dogs took her underground. They probably blocked the way too…”

Rainbow and Applejack, usually ones to stick to their guns, found themselves at uneven odds at this point. With no way to find her, the diamond dogs seem to have won.

Tears shed around the group as they thought they would never see their friend again. Her generosity was unrivaled as she had given her freedom for Fluttershy’s… but perhaps that wasn’t best. They would have lost a friend regardless.

Finally, Twilight spoke up. “Wait… Princess Celestia! She’ll be able to do something about this!”

Her friends looked up in hope. “Then there’s still a chance!” Pinkie bounced to attention. “Come on everypony! We have to tell the princess!”

“Right! And whatever you do, don’t tell Ivory. We don’t want him doing anything rash.”

Fluttershy gasped and muttered, “Oops…”

*****

Ivory Moon walked through the rocky road between two mountains, Spike still riding on his back. The air was warm and rough as they trekked through the perilous terrain. The sun beating down upon them, and the journey had barely begun. Spike unfolded the map and tried to start a conversation with Ivory.

“So where do you think the diamond dogs took Rarity?”

Ivory kept his eyes forward and focused on the destination at hoof, but noted Spike’s question. “I don’t know. But I’m trying not to think about it.”

The dragon looked at the map in confusion, turning it over a few times. “Um, Ivory, where are we going?”

“Just around that mountain ahead.” He pointed upward with his hoof at a far mountain, even steeper than the surrounding ones.

“What? But that’ll take us into the Gryphon Kingdom. Why don’t we go around?”

“We’ll just be passing through. Besides, going around would take weeks.”

Spike looked ahead, concerned for what awaited them ahead. “Are you sure?”

“We’ll be fine little buddy.” He reassured, looking at the mountain, as it got closer. Upon further inspection, there would be no easy way to get around it. They would have to climb at one point… which meant Spike would have to get off of his back.

“Spike,” He began, turning to his scaly companion. “put the map in my pack and hop off.”

“What’s up?” Spike said as he folded the map and followed Ivory’s instructions.

“How good are you at climbing?” He asked, looking up at the huge boulder, realizing now just how enormous it was.

Spike hopped off of his back and looked up at the mountain as well. He didn’t answer Ivory’s question, because he knew that he would have to climb the side of the mountain regardless.

They finally reached the side of the slope that was too steep to simply walk. They stopped and stared at the structure for a long while. They both swallowed in fear, until Ivory made the first step. His right hoof pulled him up the rocky wall and his hind legs pushed him upward until he was precariously perched on a slim piece of flat rock jutting out the side. He looked another place to grab and pull himself higher.

After a few seconds of slow and steady climbing, Spike finally followed the path the earth pony was taking up the wall. Spike seemed to be more frightened, though he made quicker progress than Ivory seeing as he had fingers. That made climbing a heck of a lot easier for the little dragon.

The two reached a small flat surface and decided to rest there for a bit. After a few minutes of silence, the two had caught their breath and were up and at it again. The mountain was becoming less steep as they continued to climb, but that didn’t make it any less treacherous.

Soon enough, they reached another resting point with still a ways to go. Though Spike had fingers, he was still smaller and younger than Ivory and needed any chance to rest they could find. Though not a fan of the constant stops, Ivory appreciated the company.

While resting, Spike looked at the saddlepack on his friend’s back and asked, “What’s in the bag?”

“Nothing really useful at the moment.” Ivory said reaching into the pack. “We have a book on unicorn magic, a photograph of Rainbow Dash, and a pie. Oh, and the map you brought.”

“Is that all we have?”

“Yes. The pie should last us until we get to the Gryphon Kingdom, but until then we have to keep moving.”

The two spied another resting point a bit higher up the mountain and began searching for a means to get there. Ivory lead the way, making sure his companion could see his hoof placements. The slope became less steep but more jagged and rough. And there was still much of the hike to be made.

“Have you ever been to the Gryphon Kingdom?” Spike said, pulling himself up the ledge and joining Ivory on the flat land.

Ivory just stared at the sun in the middle of the sky. “No. I’ve never been outside Ponyville.”

Spike became confused by what he said. “But I had never seen you before…”

“Before I met Rarity, I know. Let’s keep moving.”

Spike wanted to keep talking, but before he could continue his train of thought, the earth pony was already up and at it. The sweat dripped down Ivory’s brow as he pulled himself higher and higher. The next resting place was farther up than the last few, and there was no room for mistakes. The two were already a decent distance up the wall. Spike followed with caution as the white pony led the way.

“Man…” Spike grunted, pulling himself up the rocky wall. “This would be a lot easier if you were a pegasus.”

His words hit Ivory like a truck, making him lose his concentration and his grip. He fell a few feet down the mountainside until luckily he grabbed hold of an outgrowing vine in his mouth. He struggled for a place to put his hoof to support his weight and get to safety.

“Ivory!” Spike yelled, still hanging below his companion.

“I’m fine!” He called out in a muffled tone, still grasping the vine in his mouth. He quickly grabbed hold of any ledge he could find and was up on the resting point a few seconds later, breathing heavily.

Spike joined him after a moment and ran over to his friend. “Ivory! What’s wrong?”

Ivory panted desperately trying to recollect his thoughts. “I don’t…” He paused, slowing his breathing down to a normal rate. “It’s… nothing.” He said, getting back up and looking for a shady place to rest.

“Was it something I said?” Spike whispered quietly to himself, looking worriedly at the pony. He sat with his back turned, leaving the dragon to wonder what had gone wrong.

*****

“Spike! Spike!” Twilight yelled running into the library and looking all around. But the only one in the library was Owlowiscious perched on her desk sleeping the day away. Twilight ran to her pet and shook the sleeping bird awake.

“Owlowiscious, have you seen Spike anywhere?”

“Who?”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Who.” Owlowiscious shook his head back and forth leaving Twilight shocked and confused. Where had Spike gone?

He wasn’t one to just disappear all of the sudden, and with the travesty at hand, it was imperative that he send a letter to Princess Celestia immediately. The five friends could take the train if need be, but with all of the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration going on, Princess Celestia would be too busy for visits.

Then it hit her. If Spike wasn’t in the town hall… and he wasn’t at the library… he must be with Ivory Moon. As fast as lightning, Twilight ran out of the library searching for her friends. Sure enough, they hadn’t gotten far from town hall and she caught them just as they entered the town square.

“Fluttershy!” She jumped in front of the yellow pegasus and said, “Was Spike with Ivory Moon when you told him that Rarity was kidnapped?”

Fluttershy looked slightly scared by Twilight’s sudden entrance, but thought back quickly and answered. “Um, yes he was.”

“Oh no!” Twilight started panicking, jumping around like Pinkie Pie would, but in a horrified manner. “He must have gone with Ivory to save Rarity! Spike doesn’t know what he’s up against!”

Rainbow Dash stepped up and added to the pandemonium. “How are we gonna get a letter to the princess now?”

“What if we just go to Canterlot ourselves?” Pinkie piped up trying to calm the frantic unicorn.

“Nopony is getting in to see the princess this time of the year, Pinkie.” Twilight said, trying to hold back her tears. It was a terrible feeling, not being able to do anything to help Rarity, Ivory, or Spike. The kind of feeling that makes your heart ache. Leaving you helpless to aid the ones you love.

Applejack stepped up and said, “Wait ya’ll.”

The others turned to her, looking hopeful that she might be on to something.

“Don’t lose hope yet. Juss because we can’t see the princess, don’t mean she can’t come to us.”

“But we can’t send her a letter to tell her what’s going on.” Twilight said, still feeling bad that she couldn’t help Spike.

“In a few days, she’ll be down here herself, and Ah think she’ll take time to listen to you Twi.”

“But what do we do until then? Spike is just a baby dragon.”

“Listen Twilight, you raised Spike right. What he’s doin’, he’s doin’ outta the kindness of his heart.”

“But are you sure he can survive on his own?”

“He is with the strongest pony Ah’ve ever seen in my life. Ah know Ivory won’t let anything happen to Spike.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie added. “Trust me Twilight. Ivory will protect Spike at all costs.”

“How do you know?” Twilight asked, wondering if the two earth ponies knew something that she didn’t.

Pinkie and Applejack exchanged worried looks and backed away from the inquisitive unicorn. But she was persistent, asking again, demanding an answer.

“Ah… really don’t think we should be talkin’ ‘bout that…”

“It’s nothing personal… but Ivory Moon is really touchy about his colthood.”

Twilight didn’t back down, she just became even more intense. “Spike is out there right now with a pony that I know nothing about. Please… tell me.” She looked about ready to cry.

The two sighed and glanced at each other. Twilight wouldn’t stop until she knew why Spike was in good hooves. Finally, the two caved and sat down, prepared to tell the story.

“Sit down Twilight.” Applejack said, ears drooping and hat removed. Her face bared a sorrowful frown. Pinkie’s expression was no different. The other three sat down, curious to what story would unfold from the earth ponies.

*****

“Ivory?” Spike whispered, walking up to the earth pony. “Are you ok?” He leaned down, bending his knees to look Ivory in the eyes. He sat staring at the ground.

“I’m fine buddy…” He turned away from Spike, trying to hide his face.

“No, you’re not, Ivory. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“No- nothing is wrong Spike. Just leave me alone.”

“I know that’s not true. You can tell me Ivory.”

The two sat quietly for some time. Only the slight whistle of the wind made a sound as it passed by their ears. The earth pony kept his gaze on the gravel below. He lifted his hoof but once, but put it back down immediately. A tear fell from his eye as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Unicorns and pegasi are no better than earth ponies.”

“What?” Spike leaned in to his friend and said, “What do you mean by that?”

Ivory looked at his friend out the corner of his eye and spoke softly. “Those were my mother’s words. She was a pegasus, and my father was a unicorn.”

“Back when I was a colt, my parents were both incredible. My mother was a Wonderbolt and my father had been in the Royal Guard. But when I was born, they both moved to Ponyville to raise me together. A year later, my sister was born. But while she was gifted with the power of flight… I was just an earth pony.” He started to tear up at remembering his past. But he remained strong, forcing the tears back. He looked at Spike who was entranced by the story.

“When I went to school,” He continued, struggling even to speak. “None of the colts… liked me. They saw my parents and sister and how amazing they were. They called me a mistake. They said, ‘how could a pegasus and a unicorn have you?’”

Not a pegasus, not a unicorn, your parents didn’t even love you!

Sh-shut up! That’s not true!

Then how come your sister can fly?

Leave me alone!

You were a mistake, Ivory loser!

“I ran home, crying my eyes out. My sister flew close behind me, but she hated fights. So every day, I had to face those colts by myself.”

He cried for a minute or two, trying to recollect his thoughts. “Then… one night, I was so angry… I lost my temper…”

Ivory Moon, please calm down.

Why do you hate me?!

We don’t hate you honey. We love you so much.

Why am I not special? Golden Sun can fly, so why can’t I?!

I don’t know Ivory… I don’t know. Unicorns and pegasi are no better than earth ponies.

No! It’s because of you that everypony hates me! I hate you! I hate you and dad! I hate all of you!

Now struggling for breath and on the verge of bursting into tears, Ivory tried to close his story. “That night… my parents left with my sister. She told me that they were going to get me something special, but that I would have to wait patiently.”

“That night, there was a terrible accident… one of the carriages’ wheels broke off. It swerved out of control…”

Silence. A pen could have dropped, and it would have sounded like a cannon. The thing the two could feel was a cold chill of the wind running down their spines. The warm evening air a contrast to how they both truly felt.

“I didn’t find out until the next day that…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. He just couldn’t. His heart could take the pain no longer. He looked over at Spike, who had also succumbed to the sorrow, letting the tears flow down onto the hard rock below.

“I…” Ivory started, his tears breaking down the dams behind his eyes. “I never got to tell them… that I don’t hate them…”

*****

“When Ivory heard the news, he never left his house. He didn’t talk ta anyone. Fer three years he stayed disconnected from everything in Ponyville.” Applejack said, about to tear up herself. The other four had failed to hold back the tears; even Rainbow Dash felt the despair of the story.

“It was a good thing Granny Smith heard about his family, otherwise the poor guy woulda starved.” She opened her eyes and looked at the sad faces all around. But she couldn’t stop just yet; she had to finish the story.

“We brought him food from Sweet Apple Acres and Sugar Cube Corner. It was a wonder he even ate. For three years we did that. An’ then one day, something in his head juss clicked. When he came outta his house, ya never woulda known that he’d been through a traumatic experience.”

“He’s been doing everything he can for everypony he sees ever since.” Pinkie Pie shakily interjected. “And… that’s the whole story.”

The five friends looked at each other. The evening had grown late and the streets were vacant of many ponies. Only the light of the street lamps and the dying rays of the sun kept them out of the dark. Then, they all huddled together in a group hug. They didn’t know why, they just felt that that was what they should do. Though nothing bad had befallen them, they couldn’t possibly imagine what it would be like to lose a their family in one night.

“An’ Twilight,” Applejack muttered through the tears, “That’s why Spike is in good hands.”

Twilight looked north to Froggy Bottom Bog, a worried look still on her face, and rightfully so. He was just a little baby dragon, out on a life threatening adventure with only one pony to keep him safe. But… that pony was Ivory Moon.

“Ah know Ivory won’t let anything happen to Spike. That’s the honest truth Twi.”

The unicorn stared at the mountains beyond the swamp, praying that her Spike would come back safely. She then turned to her orange friend.

“You’re right AJ.” Tears rolled down her face, but not of sadness, of hope. “I trust Ivory Moon with my Spike… and I know he’s coming back with him, and Rarity.”

Chapter 6 - Dawn of the Second Day

Dawn of the Second Day

Daylight broke over the land of Equestria as Princess Celestia raised the sun to greet another day. The sunlight crept over the horizon, quickly shedding light upon the land and scaring away the darkness of night.

On this beautiful morning, in a not so beautiful cave, a content white pony lay sleeping on the hard ground. Though he had had a troubled night before, he woke to the rays of the sun and felt rejuvenated from the other day. He was just as bright and optimistic as he always was.

He rose to his feet and stretched, shaking the sleep out of his body. He yawned sleepily, and then trotted outside the cave. Just under a small rock formation, his white saddlepack lay in the shade. He walked over to the pack and opened it, making sure all of the items were accounted for. After seeing that his inventory had not grown legs over night, he put his pack on and called out for his scaly companion.

“Rise and shine buddy. We gotta get moving again.”

He heard nothing from inside the cave. Spike was obviously taking his sweet time. After the way he crashed last night, Ivory wouldn’t be surprised. He walked back into the cave, still carrying his pack.

“Hey Spike. I don’t think Rarity will appreciate you sleeping on the job.”

He knew that was sure to get the dragon’s attention. But when he turned the corner where he and Spike had fallen asleep, he was nowhere to be seen. Ivory frowned and started to panic.

“Spike, where are you?”

He looked all around, but still didn’t see his friend. He looked down a dark tunnel in the cave… the only tunnel. Spike had to be in there. There was no other place he could have been.

“Unless… did he take off without me?”

Ivory felt a little betrayed. After he had shared his past with him… after Spike had apologized for acting so jealous…

“No, Spike wouldn’t do that. He’s down here, I just know it.” Ivory convinced himself as he walked down the lightless cavern. The sunlight from outside quickly faded as he walked farther into the mountain cave. “Spike?” He called out once to see if he could get his friend’s attention.

Just then, something caught his eye: a glittering red light. As he turned the corner, a blue light joined the red light. Then a green light and all manner of glittering colors speckled the cave. The glorious colors lit up the entire room, revealing an enormous collection of gems dazzling the surrounding walls.

Ivory Moon was left in awe at such a sight. He walked closer, almost disbelieving what he was seeing. “It’s so… beautiful.” He whispered, staring at a diamond in the rubble.

“And delicious.”

“Yeah… delicious… delicious? What?”

A familiar face peeked his head around a corner, cheeks stuffed with a sapphire.

“Spike! What are you doing here?”

“Well, I kinda got hungry in the middle of the night, so I wanted to see if there were any mushrooms in this cave.” He gestured to the huge gemstone stockpile. “And then I found this place! Isn’t it great!?”

Ivory gazed around the room. It was quite a sight to behold. Gems of all shapes, colors, and sizes nestled away in the side of a mountain, far from anyone’s view. If only Rarity could have been there to see it.

“This place is nice,” Ivory began, glancing at a ruby near his hoof. “But we have to get moving.”

Spike tossed a few more gems into his mouth, savoring the taste. But he knew that they had to continue the journey. As he started for the exit, Ivory Moon pointed to the gemstones behind him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take any souvenirs?” He said in a lighthearted, joking manner.

Spike smiled and grabbed a handful of gems at his feet. “Well, maybe just a few.”

“How did all these gems even get here?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen a stockpile this big since I was in the Everfree Forest.”

“What were you doing in the Everfree Forest?”

“Um… it’s a long story. But it’s ok now. Twilight and Owlowiscious came to get me and save me from the…”

“Hmm? Save you from the what?”

“The… dragon.”

Their smiles suddenly faded. Their minds began to race as they wondered why else a gem collection would be here.

“Um… Spike?” Ivory whispered worriedly.

“Y-yeah Ivory?” He replied in the same worried tone.

“You don’t think that a d-dragon lives here… d-do you?”

“N-no… I mean, ye… I mean, I hope not.”

Then, they felt a hot wind breathing down their backs. They instantly started sweating from the heat, but were too afraid to turn around. They looked to each other, and then slowly turned around together. Greeting them a few feet away were two giant yellow eyes staring them down.

A great blue dragon glared at the two, his spines a dark shade of purple. His neck stretched out over the pile of shining gems and his wings outstretched to intimidate his foes even further. “What are you thieves doing in my cave?!” He called out in a yell that boomed and echoed down the solid halls of the cave.

Thinking quickly, Ivory Moon shook all the fear out of his mind and grabbed Spike. “Time to go.” He said taking off for the exit as fast as possible. A thunderous roar from behind told him that he wasn’t going fast enough. He threw Spike onto his back, but he landed backwards.

Ivory ran down the black cave, searching desperately for the sunlight to guide him out. Spike however, got a front row view for the blue monster giving chase. “Um… Ivory.” Spike said just loud enough for him to hear. “Do you think you can run any faster?”

Ivory turned back for a second to catch a glimpse of the dragon crashing through the cave. Panic grew in his eyes as he quickly turned back forward, just in time to catch a quick left turn. The gravel hurt as he skidded down the cave and quickly changed directions.

Finally, his eyes lit up with excitement. He saw sunlight down the end of the passage. The exit. He sped up to make a mad dash for the end and outrun the encroaching beast. But he was rapidly running out of stamina. The exit grew closer and closer until he could feel the sunlight on his face. “Spike! Is he still following?” he called out to his friend, still looking behind the pony.

“Just keep running…” Spike said without emotion.

Any other time, Ivory would have questioned why, but at this moment, he just pushed himself even more. The light at the end of the tunnel was growing fast and now the sun was in just the right place in the sky that Ivory had to shield his eyes.

The two burst out of the cave and turned around just in time to see a red wall of fire closing in on them at blinding speed. The earth pony’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he leapt behind the wall without hesitation. The blazing attack left the ground charred and scorched where it had been fired.

Shocked that he had made it out of there alive, Ivory regained his train of thought and looked up the mountain. He remembered then, they had crashed last night near that seemingly harmless cave. But they still had to get to the top of the mountain.

“Spike. Start climbing.” Ivory said, pushing him up the wall to help him get started.

Spike looked back down from his place on the wall and said, “But what about you Ivory?”

“Don’t worry about me. Just go!”

Spike didn’t wait and just kept climbing, fueled by fear and confidence at the same time.

The entire mountain rumbled and shook, letting the two know that the dragon was closing in. He scanned the ground fast, searching for something. Anything. Just then, he spotted a medium vine growing out from the ground. It looked old and frail, but it was his only chance.

The blue dragon emerged from the cave, obviously not used to the light of day. He looked all around for the two. Then, his eyes met with those of Ivory. The dragon didn’t speak, his glare just intensify. The dragon raised his right arm and prepared to crush down upon the pony. But just as he swung down, Ivory jumped out of the way.

He made his way past the dragon and grabbed the vine in his mouth. It was a lot shorter than he had originally thought, but it was his only choice.

With vine in mouth he jumped off of the ledge, closing his eyes for fear that he might not survive this stunt. The dragon followed close behind, not letting the pony get away from him.

Then, Ivory’s not-so-brilliant idea went into action. The vine reached its full length and snapped Ivory back, under the ledge he had jumped off of. He prayed that the rope was long and strong enough.

He opened his eyes but once to see the ground below. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He saw the grass below, and the rocks at the base of the mountain. Then he only saw light blue. He felt like he was about to throw up. But fortunately, the vine swung all the way under the ledge and landed him right where he had almost been crushed by the dragon.

He landed with a crash as he fell right back on his stomach, face planting on the hard rock. He winced from the pain, but his adrenaline was already pumping and he ignored the pain. He rose to his feet and looked up the mountain. Spike was almost to the top, and almost to safety.

But before he started climbing up to Spike, he quietly walked over to the edge. He peered over the ledge and to his relief; the dragon had fallen for his ruse. Even Ivory didn’t think that that would have worked. But he had thrown the beast off of his trail.

But now was not the time to celebrate. Without a word, the earth pony leapt back to the wall and searched for a way up. He found a way and started climbing instantly. He took advantage of every last drop of adrenaline his body could muster, catching up with Spike in a matter of minutes. By the time they were both on even ground, Ivory’s breathing was almost deathly.

Spike ran over to his friend and kneeled down. “Ivory, are you ok?”

“I’m… fine…” He replied between breaths of air.

“That was incredible Ivory.”

The pain started to creep in. His legs finally started shaking and he felt like his stomach had been trampled over. He didn’t want his life-threatening risk to be in vain. He ran to the wall and started scanning for a way up. Spike saw this and ran over to help.

The two started climbing fast, trying to get away from the dragon before his dim brain put the pieces together.

But the top of the mountain was within view now. Just a few more feet and the rest of the journey to the Gryphon Kingdom would literally be downhill. The two kept quiet to make sure the monster below didn’t hear anything.

Just as they were nearing the last ledge of the rocky wall, misfortune befell the two. Spike lost his footing and one of the rocks broke off of the mountain, tumbling down. Ivory hadn’t noticed, but Spike watched fearfully as the tiny rock bounced off of the wall going over the ledges out of sight.

“Spike, what’s taking so long bud?” Ivory said softly, leaning down from the ledge. The purple dragon just stared over the edge, waiting for something.

But nothing happened.

“Nothing.” Spike said, shrugging and finishing the climb. He pulled himself up the last ledge and saw not but ten feet of mountain left to scale. It had taken a while but the end was within grasp.

~WOOSH~ A blast of wind pushed the two off of their feet. They fell to the ground and looked behind them in shock and horror. The blue dragon had flown back up to them. Ivory thought that his trick would have worked. But it was all for nothing.

The dragon stared at the two with bloodshot eyes. He raised his right arm and folding his hand into a fist. Ivory jumped at Spike and grabbed his tail in his mouth. Just as the blue dragon released his brutal punch at the two, Ivory jumped as high and far away as he could to avoid the fist.

The earth shook when the monster’s hand met the mountain. The impact sent Ivory and Spike flailing through the air. Ivory tried to hold onto his partner, but lost his grip.

The earth pony landed on the top of the mountain with a loud thud. This time, he actually felt the pain as his stomach collided with the hard top of the mountain. He cried out in pain, but managed to get to his hooves one more time.

Spike was less fortunate as he fell right into the left hand of the dragon. He tightened his grip around the small purple dragon and stared directly at him. Spike struggled to break free, but it was no use. The foe was too strong. He turned his head back to Ivory and yelled, “Ivory! Help me!”

But Ivory was in pain. His adrenaline had run out and he felt burning pain in his hooves and stomach. It occurred to him then, that he couldn’t win. He looked at the Gryphon Kingdom in the distance. Thought it was just a spec, it was closer than it had ever been. Then he looked back at Spike, his only companion on this journey, in the grasp of a cursed monster.

“Ivory!” Spike called again. But Ivory just stared at the two missions. He had no idea what to do.

“IVORY!”

Finally, Ivory turned away from Spike and passed over the mountain, not looking back once. He disappeared behind the horizon determined to finish his mission.

*****

“This cage is so gross and gloomy! I’m thirsty! Can we take a break?” Rarity whined from inside the cage. But her attempts proved futile again. The diamond dogs didn’t even bat an eye at her efforts to be set free.

The cage was pulled over a slight bump in the tunnel, but it was enough to knock Rarity off of her feet. She lay there, looking down at the blackness. She’d never felt so alone in her entire life. She curled up into a ball in her mobile prison and cried lightly.

She thought back to Ponyville. Back to her friends. She though about how she would never see them again. And Ivory Moon. She thought back to the months they had spent together. His sarcastic sense of humor. His laugh. His sweet embrace. She wondered what he was doing right now.

But she was suddenly interrupted by her horn glowing uncontrollably. She shrieked as her horn pulled her to the left. She resisted the pull and looked in the direction her horn was pulling her.

The diamond dogs caught notice of this and pulled out their earplugs. The leader said, “What was that? Did you find gems?”

Rarity just looked up and thought. If she could get them to dig close enough to the surface… she would have a chance at escaping.

“Yes.” She said, gesturing left. “There is an enormous amount of gems in that direction. If you’ll just let me out of this cage, I will show them to you.”

“No!” The leader said, stopping the small dog from unlocking the cage. “How do we know you won’t run off?! No! You stay in there!”

Rarity finally had them where she wanted them. “Oh, if that’s how you want it. No gems for you then.” She turned her head skyward, but looked at him through the corner of her eyes, looking quite smug.

The other dogs looked nervously at the leader. While he just stood there, hating the pony more and more every second. After a few seconds of thinking, the leader finally caved. “Fine! Let her out.”

The small dog ran over to the back of the cage as fast as his little legs could carry him. He fumbled at the lock, but eventually the door creaked open.

“But don’t let her out of your sight!”

Rarity smiled and walked to the area that was flooded with gems. Before she even reached the wall, the scouts were already digging away the dirt. They were efficient at moving the dirt out of the way and made sure the others didn’t have to wait before being able to move through the tunnel.

Rarity walked through the tunnel, levitating a stick and marking the locations of gems, while other scouts dug up the stones. Rarity kept quiet as they walked through the tunnel that was slowly angling up to the surface. But she couldn’t help but ask one question to the leader.

“Exactly why is it that you need me in the first place?”

He looked hesitant at first, but eventually told her. “The Mother of All Diamonds!”

“The what?”

“The Mother of All Diamonds! The biggest, shiniest gem in the world!”

“How do you know such a thing even exists?”

“We hear rumors. And we have picture.” He said pulling a picture out of his vest and handing it to Rarity.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. The picture was so obviously just a close up of a regular diamond, made to look larger than it was. She knew these canines were morons, but this was a new level of stupidity, even for them.

But she kept quiet. She wanted to stay on somewhat good terms with the leader, and she had to be ready to make a run for it as soon as they breached the surface.

They continued up the tunnel, but the gems were growing scarcer. The leader was obviously losing his patience. “There are no more gems in this passage.” He said to his scouts. “Turn around.”

“NO!” Rarity yelled, scaring the leader… and herself. She thought quickly. How could she get them to continue digging? Then, an idea. She forced her horn to glow brighter than before and said, “I mean, the biggest gem is just a little farther.”

The leader saw her horn glowing blindingly bright. Luckily for Rarity, he fell for her trick and motioned for the scouts to continue digging. She sighed in relief. All she could hope for is the surface to be close.

Rarity’s face lit up just as the leader’s face looked shocked. The scouts breached the surface. Rarity took the opportunity, as she would not get another one. She took off for the exit. The sound of civilizations rustled just overhead. She heard the leader call out to the scouts, “Do not let her escape!”

She ran faster than she ever did that day. Looking around, she saw no ponies around, but gryphons instead. They had crossed over into the Gryphon Kingdom. The surrounding gryphons that saw her running by looked shocked and appalled by her appearance.

Just as Rarity turned a corner, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of two gryphon guards blocking her way.

“Stop right there, pony!” One of them yelled in a harsh tone. “What business do you have in the Gryphon Kingdom?”

Before Rarity could answer, the large dog caught up with her and grabbed her by the tail. “Let go of my tail!” She yelled turning around and biting his hand.

“Ouch!” He yelled, licking his wound.

Rarity looked all around, but she was boxed in. The way she came was blocked by the dogs, a wall to the right and hostile guards to the left, coming closer. She backed up as much as she could, but ultimately backed herself into a wall.

Without much effort, the diamond dogs had captured her again. The large dog picked her up this time and carried her back to the hole in the ground.

“Please, you don’t understand! Let me go! Please let me go!” Rarity yelled, kicking and screaming all the way back to the tunnel. But it was of no use. Her one chance at escaping, foiled. The scouts quickly filled the hole they had made in the ground, and the tunnel was lightless once again.

*****

Spike struggled to get free of the blue dragon’s grip, but he couldn’t do it. The dragon had him right where he wanted him. Spike had nowhere else to look but directly at the intimidating eyes of his oppressor.

“You thieves come into my cave. Steal my gems!” The dragon roared at the already terrified Spike.

Spike didn’t know how to feel. After what Ivory had told him about his past, he just felt… betrayed. Like Ivory didn’t need his help after all.

“I’m going to give you until the count of three to cough up my gems, or else!” The dragon said, squeezing him a bit tighter.

“One… two…”

Spike turns to you, the reader, and whispers, “I’m surprised this guy can count past one.”

Just then, a white blur jumped from the top of the mountain. Spike had closed his eyes preparing to be eaten, but the blur drew the attention of the dragon. It landed right on the dragon’s muzzle and turned around to Spike. The little dragon opened his eyes barely, and then yelled, “IVORY!”

Ivory Moon winked at his friend and turned back to the dragon and sarcastically said, “What’s the matter buddy? Got something in your eye?!”

As he said that, he turned 180 degrees, pulled his hind legs back, and released a powerful buck into the dragon’s right eye. He instantly leapt off of the dragon’s muzzle and dive-bombed straight for Spike.

The dragon cried out in pain and let go of his captive in a second to cover his eye. The blue dragon fell backwards, but the two didn’t hear a thud. Ivory grabbed Spike out of the air and then braced for the impact.

They crashed on top of the mountain and rolled a ways down until slowly stopping next to each other. They stayed motionless for some time, but then Ivory stood up. He nudged Spike lightly.

The baby dragon rose slowly to his feet, with Ivory’s help. He stared at his friend in awe. “You…” He started, still shaken from his face-to-face encounter with death. “You came back for me…”

Ivory Moon smiled at his friend. “You’re coming with me Spike. Like it or not.”

Spike almost teared up as his words had been returned to him. He felt foolish for doubting Ivory. But there was no time for that. The blue dragon rose above the mountain, covering his eye and looking more furious than he was before.

Ivory Moon saw this and turned away from the brutish fiend. “Come on Spike.” He said, letting Spike up on his back. “We’ve got a dragon to lose.”

Chapter 7 - The Lullaby

The Lullaby

Ivory ran down the steep slope with Spike on his back, using every last ounce of energy he had left. He could still hear the dragon behind him, growing more and more tired. But Ivory was losing his vitality as well.

The slope bared no place to hide or turn; it was just flat land as far as the eye could see.

“Come back here with my gems!” The dragon roared from behind them. He took a deep breath in and Ivory panicked, looking behind him.

Much to his horror, the beast was about to unleash a breath of fire across the barren landscape. And with no cover, Ivory was forced to make a hard left turn.

The flames barely singed his body, burning everything else in the line of fire. His hooves began to hurt even more and his stomach felt no better. He felt like he was going to be sick, barely able to keep his balance as he kept himself running away from the massive monster.

“Ivory, are you ok?!” Spike could help but ask.

Ivory didn’t answer though. He kept his focus on running. Suddenly, it came within view. The one thing that they needed at this moment in time: a hole in the ground. How deep and how dark, he didn’t know. But it was the only thing keeping him going.

The dragon took a deep breath for another flaming attack, just as the hole became more visible. Ivory took a leap of faith, jumping directly into the hole narrowly avoiding the raging flames of the dragon. Spike screamed as they fell, but Ivory remained silent, just waiting for the impact. Trying to prepare himself mentally for the pain.

But nothing could prepare him for the amount of pain he felt when he landed. His stomach felt ready to burst open. He wanted to cry out in suffering, but did his best to keep it lowered to a slight whimper. If the dragon heard him, it would all be over. And Ivory wasn’t willing to slap death in the face any more than he already had.

The sound of flames overhead died out, but the stomping continued. The two worried for a minute about the cave collapsing on them. But soon enough, the dragon stopped wandering aimlessly around looking for them and flew off. Where did he go? They didn’t care. They were just glad they had survived such a trial.

The victory was short lived, as Ivory’s eyes began to fail him. He thought he heard Spike say something, but he couldn’t make it out. All he could feel was his body failing him.

Ivory closed his eyes, laying his head on the hard, jagged rocks. He wondered why he was on this perilous journey in the first place. He wondered, what’s so important. What’s worth living for?

*****

Ivory awoke to a small crackling noise echoing throughout the cave. His eyes opened after a peaceful, and much needed sleep. Spike had gathered as many sticks that he could find and set them on fire to give them some light and warmth.

The pony tried to get to his feet, but winced and laid back down. His stomach had taken more of a beating than he thought. And his hooves were in no better condition. Just lifting one hoof to his face, he saw it was bruised and bloodied.

The journey had already taken its toll on Ivory, and they hadn’t even made it to the Gryphon Kingdom. There was not even a guarantee that Rarity would be there, but they had to press on.

Ignoring the pain as much as he could, Ivory stood and walked over to his friend sitting by the fire.

Hearing the footsteps, Spike turned around quickly, then smiled to see Ivory Moon awake.

“Ivory! I’m so glad you’re awake!”

“Yeah. You and me both.” He said in his usual sarcastic tone. Not even a near death experience could stop his personality. “Come on. Let’s get moving.”

“What?”

“We have to get to the Gryphon Kingdom before the day ends.”

“But…” Spike looked at his obviously injured hooves.

“I’ll be fine. We have to get to Rarity.”

“No, Ivory. You’re in no condition to travel yet.”

“I don’t care.”

“Well I do.” Spike stood and approached the white pony. “I know you want to save Rarity, but you can’t do that if you’re dead.”

“Then I won’t die.”

“You’re pushing your body too hard!”

“My body can handle it!”

“No, it can’t! We will save Rarity, but you can’t keep thinking your body is invincible.”

Ivory looked up to the hole where he had jumped in. The sun had obviously just risen. It would be a crime to put the entire day to waste. “I know my body isn’t invincible.” He uttered, still staring at the sunlight. “But…”

“I’ve already lost three loves of my life. I won’t lose another.”

Spike walked over to his friend, placing his hand on his shoulder. “You’re right, Ivory.” He started, soft and soothingly. “You won’t lose another. Because you’re staying here until you’re strong again.”

Ivory pulled away from his companion, questioning whether or not he should have brought him along. “That’s a great idea!” He shouted, his sarcasm almost tangible. “Let’s just let those mangy mutts get even further ahead! In fact, why don’t we spend the rest of our lives in this damn cave!?”

“Ivory, I’m only trying to help.”

“Yeah, some help you are! So far the only thing you’ve contributed to this journey is getting us chased by a dragon and getting me injured! Which in turn, has slowed us… me, down even more!”

“I didn’t know you could be so selfish Ivory!”

“I’m the one who’s selfish?! I’M THE ONE WHO’S SELFISH!? I’VE DONE NOTHING BUT SACRIFICE FOR EVERYPONY! THEY’RE THE ONES WHO TOOK MY FAMILY AWAY FROM ME IN THE FIRST PLACE! SO WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THEM?!”

“Because they’ve done everything they can to give back to you! It’s not their fault that you can’t see that!”

“…” Ivory immediately silenced. His anger still rang fresh in his ears. He hadn’t been this furious in years. All those years of pent-up hatred and resentment, in a millisecond, had been fired at Spike. He hated himself. He hated every part of his being now more than ever. Every good deed he had ever done seemed to evaporate in his mind. His heart just felt… empty.

He looked about ready to reply to his friend, who bared a strong yet frightened face. But he couldn’t bring himself to do anything. He couldn’t yell, apologize, or even sigh. He just turned around and walked to the back of the cave as far as it went.

*****

Spike sat by the warmth of the fire as the day passed. Ivory still sat in the back of the cave silent as a mouse. It hurt Spike to know that Ivory was angry with him, but what he did, he did to keep his friend alive. By the next morning, Ivory would be recovered enough and they could continue on their journey.

But even with that, Spike couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He knew what Ivory was going through and wanted to help him succeed, but it was like dealing with a time bomb. The pony could be set off by anything at any time. And the fact that he had lost another love of his life only made the situation worse.

He didn’t wonder what he had gotten himself into; he knew what kind of danger he was putting himself in. But at this moment, if Ivory had gone alone, he would probably be dead. It was Spike’s duty to make sure Ivory didn’t do anything rash or over his head.

Spike stood, stretching his muscles a bit and yawning. He looked up at the hole in the ceiling and sighed. It was almost the evening already. And Ivory still had not budged.

He walked over to his friend and sat down next to him. Ivory knew he was there but didn’t turn to him.

“Ivory…”

There was no response.

“Ivory, please talk to me.”

“… I’m sorry Spike.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“What I said back there…”

Spike looked around, and then smiled a small smile. “Hey, no worries. You were under a lot of stress.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come here…”

“What are you saying? You wish you hadn’t come to rescue Rarity?”

“I don’t know…”

“That’s crazy talk Ivory.”

“Come on Spike. Do you honestly think we have a shot? A pony and a dragon with a bag of useless items.”

“No Ivory. I don’t think we’ll make it.”

Ivory stopped and gave a confused look to his friend.

“I know we’ll make it.”

The earth pony just rolled his eyes and sighed, obviously not in the mood for Spike’s optimism.

“You scaled a mountain! You escaped a dragon! And you would do it all over again!”

“No, I don’t think I would.”

“I know you would. For Rarity.”

Spike stood up, dusting himself off. He walked back to the small dying fire. The day was almost over, though it felt like it lasted an eternity.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound emanated from Spike’s stomach. Ivory heard this and turned to his hungry friend. Unfortunately, there were no gems in this cave. But then, Ivory remembered that he had food after all.

“Come over here Spike.” He said, reaching into his saddlepack and pulling out the apple pie. “Dinner is served.”

Spike smiled and ran to Ivory’s side again, sitting and admiring the delicious looking pastry. It was cold and battered from all that it had been though, but food was still food.

Just as Ivory was about to dig into the dinner, something clicked in Spike’s head. “Wait, hold up Ivory.” He said, grabbing the pie before his teeth touched it.

The small dragon ran it over to his nearly dead fire and held it just overhead. He then breathed flames unto the wood making the fire grow again. After a minute, the pie became warm again and he ran it back over to his hungry companion.

“Good idea Spike.” He said, giving a slight smile. “Looks like bringing you along was a good idea after all.”

The two laughed at his witty comment, each taking a mouthful of pie, enjoying the incredible flavor.

“Applejack has done it again.” Ivory said, reaching for another piece of his dinner. “She has a real knack for this kind of stuff.”

“She’s good, but Pinkie Pie makes better pastries.”

“I disagree. Pinkie’s pastries are good, but nothing hits the spot like AJ’s incredible caramel apples.”

“You got me there.” The two laughed over the half eaten pie. “I wonder how our friends are doing.”

“Hmm…” Ivory looked up thoughtfully. “By now they must’ve noticed that we aren’t around.”

“I bet Twilight is worried sick about me.”

“You mean you didn’t tell her that you were coming with me?”

“No. She’d never let me go.”

“Well, you are rather pathetic.”

“I know it’s dangerous, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.”

“Like you said, you’re just about as stubborn as me.”

“Yeah, but I’m not as stupid as you are.”

“Oh, so now I’m stupid?”

“Well you did take on a dragon.”

“To save you.”

“And you also wanted to continue without recovering first.”

“Ok… that was pretty stupid. But in that line of thinking, this whole adventure is pretty stupid.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d do anything for Rarity. But I am kind of an idiot for going alone.”

“Yeah, you kind of are.”

“Hey, you’re at fault as much as I am.”

The two laughed, bantering back and forth until late evening fell over Equestria. They decided to save some of the pie for later on, considering Spike could reheat it at any time. While Spike was well fed having eaten this morning as well as just now, this was the first meal Ivory had eaten since they had started this trek.

“Are you sure you don’t want any more?” Spike said, looking at the quarter slice of pie left in the pan.

“It’s fine Spike.” He replied, stretching and yawning. “Besides, we’ll still need more food later on.”

“Well, if you say so.” Spike yawned as well. The two were obviously tired, though they had not made much of any progress all day.

“We’d better get some shut eye. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do tomorrow.” Ivory said, pulling the map out of his pack. Spike leaned over to see what Ivory was doing.

“We should reach the Gryphon Kingdom tomorrow. That’ll give us a chance to restock on food and then we can continue.”

“By the way, Ivory. How are we gonna find Rarity?”

“I’m not sure. We may be able to ask around the kingdom. But don’t you worry. We’ll find her.”

The two laid down near the fire, bidding the day farewell.

“Ivory.” Spike whispered, almost inaudibly.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about your family.”

“… Thanks.”

Ivory looked up at the hole in the ceiling and wondered, were they proud of him? Were they proud of who he was, who he had become, and what he was doing?

If only they could see me now.

Hush now my Ivory
Don’t shed a tear
Listen to my song

We must say goodbye
But please do not cry
I won’t be gone for long

I love you my dear
So please do not fear
You’ll always be in my heart

From day until night
And from darkness to light
We never shall be apart

Hush now my Ivory
Don’t shed a tear
Please do not ever cry

I love you my dear
So whenever you fear

…

“Remember my lullaby…”

Chapter 8 - Field of Venom

Field of Venom

The third day of the adventure had begun and Ivory and Spike were already up and moving. Much to Spike’s surprise, he awoke to see his partner stretching out his leg muscles and doing pushups. He had obviously been anticipating the morning that he could get moving again, and was even more obviously recovered and ready to go. They had climbed out of the cave without much effort but kept their eyes open for any unwanted guests. When the coast was clear, they continued forward.

Along the journey, Spike had taken a liking to riding Ivory’s back, to which the earth pony didn’t mind, but didn’t care much for either. But Ivory was strong and could handle carrying the weight of his bag and a small dragon.

They reached the end of the slope and the start of a desert. To make matters worse, it was still summer and the sun had no mercy for them. To keep their minds off the intense heat, they made small talk. While not the best solution, they covered much more ground that way, not paying heed to their thirst or hunger.

The heat of the sun continued to beat down upon the weary travellers, scorching the sand they walked on until it felt like needles. The distant kingdom was still just a spec on the horizon, disoriented from the heat. But the sooner they reached the destination, the sooner they could put this piece of the task behind them.

Somehow, the conversation took a turn toward Ivory’s cutie mark story. To which Ivory replied:

“Trust me Spike, this moon doesn’t mean anything.”

“Ah, fine. Keep to your cryptic past.”

“Thank you, I will.”

“But answer me this: what do you do for a living?”

Ivory looked hesitant to answer. He kept his steady pace, but a particular patch of sand distracted his gaze. He was mesmerized by something, but he didn’t even know what.

A purple hand waved in front of his face and he snapped out of his trance.

“Hellooooooo…”

“Wha-? Sorry Spike. What did you say again?”

“What do you do for a living?”

“Oh. I’m, uh… Well, it’s not much of a living, but I’m an artist.”

“Really? I never woulda guessed.”

“Well, it’s not like I get paid for it. It’s… more of a hobby.”

The conversation stopped as the two continued through the desert. Ivory forced his eyes to look forward though the ground was still drawing his attention away from the far-off Kingdom. He couldn’t quite put his hoof on it, but there was something wrong about this land. It didn’t feel right. And after the not-so-pleasant encounter with a dragon, Ivory Moon was already on edge. He wasn’t willing to put his, or Spike’s life on the line again.

Ivory hadn’t realized until now just how thirsty he was. He hadn’t had anything to drink since he left his home to clean up for Celestia’s arrival, about two days ago. The pie last night helped a little, but it wasn’t enough to keep him at full strength

Just then, he could have sworn he saw his sister in the distance, sitting under a lone palm tree. “Golden?” He whispered under his breath. He strayed off of the path he was taking and walked toward the palm tree that shaded his sister.

Though the years had passed, she had not aged a day. She was still the same shade of light brown and her fledgling wings had not changed a bit. In her hoof she held a white, stuffed alicorn with a red yarn mane and tail. The blue eyes on the doll matched her own as she watched her big brother approach her. A look of shock and disbelief resided on Ivory’s face, but a look of innocence and joy rested on the little filly. She looked as though she had been waiting for her brother to meet her here, like a casual visit from beyond the grave. Only, there was nothing casual about a visit from beyond the grave.

Ivory’s head was full of questions; was this real? Was he going insane? Why was his sister in the middle of this dangerous desert? Had this all been nothing but a dream? To be completely honest, Ivory almost wished it was just a dream. But the time for conversation with himself had ended, as his sister was now within talking distance. She smiled at Ivory and he tried to smile back. The most he could muster was a worried grin.

“Sis?” He whispered, leaning down on one hoof to look her face to face. She giggled a bit. How Ivory missed that giggle. If this was just a dream, then he never wanted to wake up. “Is this really happening?”

The little pegasus stood slowly, keeping her wings glued to her sides. She then wrapped her arms around her brother. It seemed like eons since he had felt her loving embrace. At first, he didn’t know how to respond. But finally, he closed his eyes and returned her hug with one of his own.

“Don’t give up big brother. You’ll find her in a gorge past the Gryphon Kingdom”

“… What?” Ivory pushed his sister back a bit and looked at her in befuddlement. She just smiled back, still holding onto her toy. Her voice was timid and soft, but confident and uplifting at the same time. Something he had missed about her.

“Um… Ivory… why are you hugging a rock?”

“Wha-?”

All too soon the earth pony was pulled back into reality. His sister faded out of his hooves to reveal a big black rock. To which he rose back to his hooves and sighed, “dumb rock…”

“What was that about Ivory?” Spike asked, still sitting on his friend’s back.

The pony blushed in embarrassment and continued on the journey, giving an unsure glance to the rock and palm tree.

“I’m sorry about that bud. I guess the heat is getting to me.”

“You wanna stop for a bit and rest under that tree back there?”

Ivory considered this for some time, barely moving at all. He could use the rest, but then he would be even more in need of water when he started moving again. But the big deciding point for him was what his sister had supposedly said to him:

“Don’t give up big brother. You’ll find her in a gorge past the Gryphon Kingdom”

“No Spike. We have a lot of ground to make up.”

“What do you mean?”

“My sist…” He stopped himself before he could finish. He didn’t want to come across as insane by saying a dead pony told him. “Well… something tells me that Rarity passed through the Kingdom about two days ago.” That didn’t seem much better.

“That’s pretty specific Ivory… how do you know such a thing?”

That was a good question. How did he know such a specific bit of information? And to make things worse, he had no way to prove it either. It didn’t matter how Ivory said it, it was going to sound crazy.

“I can’t explain it Spike. I just know.”

*****

Back at Ponyville, the word of Ivory’s bravery had reached the news media, and soon everypony in Ponyville knew his name. The town buzzed with the knowledge that he had willingly put himself in dangerous waters and risked his life to save the mare he loved. It was truly a tale of love and loss. What made the ponies even more supportive of his journey was the news that Spike had gone with him. His not-so-well-kept secret crush on Rarity was well known, and yet he went with Ivory.

Soon after Ivory’s departure from Ponyville, his epic tale had reached the front page of the Equestria Daily paper as well as Ponyville Times. Though Ivory didn’t know it, he had the entire town behind him.

Meanwhile, in a familiar library, a familiar purple unicorn frantically searched for a means to help the two. Her search so far was unsuccessful, finding only a few tomes on how to transport letters without a dragon, and none of them were possible without other unicorns. And Twilight Sparkle was the only unicorn in the entire town with the magical ability to pull off such a spell.

The day pressed on and still no hope. She was running out of books to search and still had not found anything that could help. She was beginning to lose hope, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It startled her at first, being the nervous wreck she was. She peered through the window to see a familiar striped friend.

“Zecora, thank you so much for coming on such short notice.” Twilight Sparkle said opening the door and gesturing inside.

“It’s not a problem at all my friend, a helping hoof to you I’ll lend.” The Zebra spoke in her usual rhyme scheme. She stepped inside the library and gazed at the huge pile of books scattered across the floor. She had never seen Twilight so flustered. She lifted a hoof to her chin eyeing the building as if she was looking for something.

“Thank you so much Zecora.” Twilight said, breathing heavily. She didn’t let the company distract from her search though. She levitated three more books down from a high shelf, flipping madly through the pages for anything remotely related to her search. “Have you heard the news of Ivory and Spike?”

“Indeed I’ve heard of their crusade, please tell me now how I can aid.” She said looking at the sleeping owl by the window.

“I have to find out where they are, if they’ve had any luck, if Spike is alright, and there’s nothing in these books that help me with that. I swear, if I so much as have to look at another useless page, I’m gonna tear my mane out!”

Twilight looked ready to explode. Zecora had no idea how long Twilight had been at it, and she had clearly lost it. The zebra motioned a calming gesture at the unicorn and sat on her haunches. “Do not ruin your lovely hair, we’ll find a way. Do not despair. Your time of thinking alone is done. After all, two heads are better than one.”

Twilight nodded and slowed her breathing. She shuffled through the swamp of books, trying to find her bearings in this jungle of knowledge. She knew that one of these books had to have the answer, but which one, she didn’t know. But she was determined to find it. While looking over Teleportation and Transmutation, Twilight explained to her guest what it was she was trying to do.

“From what Fluttershy told me, they didn’t gather many items for the journey. For all I know, Ivory Moon left the gifts the girls gave him behind.”

“Gifts you say? What were they?” Zecora replied inquisitively.

Twilight thought back. “Oh, well, they were a saddlepack, a pie, a picture of Rainbow Dash, and a book on basic unicorn spells.” Her eyes widened at what she just said. “Oh no! That must have been the book that has the spell I need!”

“A mistake it seems. How very tragic. But why would you give him a book on magic? When last I saw, I could have sworn, he was not a unicorn.”

“I gave him the book to brush up on what he could expect when he lived with Rarity. But now I don’t have the book I need.” Twilight stomped around the room, frustrated with her decision to give the tome away. But as quickly as she had become furious, she became enlightened. “Zecora, you wouldn’t happen to have the book, would you?”

She looked down and shook her head. “No, I do not carry that tome.” Twilight sighed in defeat and hung her head. She felt like a complete failure. “But…” The zebra started up again, trying to instill hope in the crushed pony. “there may be something back at my home.”

Twilight Sparkle lifted her head at the mention of something else. A small glint of hope shined in her eyes and she leapt to the door, opening it without hesitation. “Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”

Quick as a whip, she was out the door and on the road, not even waiting for her black and white friend. Zecora just stood there, looking quite shocked at Twilight’s sudden mood swings. She leaned over to Owlowiscious who had woken up when the door had slammed open. “Your owner is visibly in distress, but I cannot deny, she is quite a mess.”

The owl shook his head vigorously and blinked his eyes trying to wake up. Then replied, “Who?”

“I hope you kid my friend of the night, I speak of the unicorn named Twilight.”

“Who?”

She looked ready to spout another rhyme, but caught on to Owlowiscious’ game and smiled slyly. She winked at the bird and then walked to the still opened door of the library, shutting it behind her.

*****

“And that’s how I got into the saxophone.”

“Really? So how’d ya get out?” Ivory turned back to Spike with a grin. Spike shook his head and continued.

“You know what I mean.”

“I know, I know. It’s just so much fun messing with you.”

“No it’s not!”

“Yeah it is. You just make it so easy for me.”

“Whatever.”

“Hey, calm down bud. You know I’m just kidding.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

They continued down the straight path to the Gryphon Kingdom, traversing the scorching desert heat and the blazing sand. But their journey had not been a fruitless one. Their destination was clearing up. The high towers of the castle rose above the other tall buildings and the gates became visible over the horizon.

It was a grand sight to behold. Having never been to Canterlot himself, Ivory was in awe of just how magnificent the city looked from afar, even if he couldn’t see much detail. But from what he could see, it was a marvelous view for this weary traveler. He would have to make a stop there on his way back to Ponyville to see just how grand it was. But that could wait until he had rescued Rarity and made the captors pay.

In the meantime, Ivory kept his mind on what he had to do upon entering the city. He would certainly need water that much was obvious. And extra sustenance would be a necessity as well. As delicious as Applejack’s pie was, it would not last long enough to make the rest of the journey, or even half of it for that matter. A compass might also be helpful just incase they found themselves lost.

While Ivory calmly gathered supplies in his mind, an unfamiliar hissing noise drew his attention away from the city and down at the sand. He spotted a patch of sand that bore a surprising resemblance to another patch of sand he had seen earlier. It didn’t seem much out of the ordinary, until the patch of sand decided to move. It uncurled its tan body, slithering past Ivory Moon, uncomfortably closely I might add.

Just as Ivory turned his attention away from the unwelcomed guest, an unsettling sight filled his heart with fear. The sand was dotted with the same patches of sand, curled up to blend in with the surrounding sand all too well. As far as he could see, the ground was littered with the creatures. They had stumbled into a snake field.

At first, Ivory didn’t know what to make of the situation. If he could get a closer look at one of the reptiles, he could find out weather they were poisonous or not. But one wrong move and he would find out the hard way.

For a while, he thought that turning back was their best chance, but that would gain them no ground. It didn’t seem like going around was an option either. The snakes just didn’t seem to end. As far as the eye could see, the reptiles had made this their home.

Ivory’s heart beat, faster and faster until it felt ready to explode. How could he walk himself and Spike into such a predicament? “Any bright ideas Spike?” Ivory whispered to his comrade. The dragon had been quiet for a long time. He wondered if Spike even knew what was going on.

“I… I don’t know… I was… kinda hoping that you’d h-have an… idea…” He stuttered fearfully. And rightfully so. Their pleasant little trek through the desert had taken a turn for the worse.

But this ‘minor delay’ could not stop Ivory. His courage returned to him as he took a step forward. Eyeing the ground carefully for any discoloration, he stepped around the reptiles curled along the ground. He could feel Spike tense up on his back. “Don’t worry Spike.” He whispered, keeping his eyes glued to the sand.

His words only made Spike worry more. The maze of serpents continued for the longest time, occasionally forcing Ivory off of the path to the kingdom to avoid angering the potentially poisonous problem.

He stopped only once and back off at the sight of on of the snakes lifting its head and unsheathing its hood and fangs as a warning. Since the pony had not had any prior experience with snakes, he had no idea what to do and just froze in place. Soon enough, the serpent lowered its head and the hissing died down. A sigh of relief escaped Ivory’s mouth as he saw the snake slither away, clearing a path for him.

The encounter, while frightening, did give Ivory confidence. He could safely tell from the hood of the snake that these were cobras. And thankfully they were not king cobras. Had they been anything more deadly, he would not be as confident. As it was, his fearlessness was hanging on by a thread.

He wondered how long the path of cobras went on. The Gryphon Kingdom was closer than it had ever been. It was so close, but so far. Just then, the unnerving sound of hissing resurfaced from behind him. But what unnerved Ivory even more was the sound that followed.

“Um… Ivory…?” Spike whimpered faintly. The earth pony’s expression changed from one of focus, to one of defeat. He turned his head sluggishly to see his partner looking directly into the eyes of a cobra. Neither of them budged an inch, but the snake slithered a bit closer to the pair.

Ivory had thought the snakes would be too afraid of them to see about sizing them up for a snack. But this particular serpent was more courageous than his comrades.

“Spike.” Ivory whispered, looking back to the kingdom. He faced the sand trying to find a clear path.

“Ye-yeah… Ivory?” He replied, shaking on the pony’s back.

“Has Twilight ever had any stupid ideas?” He began memorizing the path that would give him the highest chance of success. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes, saying a small prayer in his head.

Spike backed away from the cobra, still staring at him intently. “Wh-why?”

“Because this is probably the dumbest idea I’ve ever had.”

Ivory once again summoned all his reserved strength, pulled his hind legs forward, and snapped them back in a rush of raw power. The feel of snake scales on his hooves told him that he hit it, and the thundering outburst of hissing told him that it was time to get moving.

Following the mental path he had laid out previously, Ivory Moon galloped through as many open spots as he could find, swerving relentlessly to avoid being bitten. It was like a game of hopscotch; only the penalty for failure was death. A few times, he saw a nearby cobra lash out in his direction. But he was able to act quickly enough to prevent being bitten.

Spike had been awfully quiet this whole time. But that was to be expected, the two were cheating death. He didn’t expect his partner to act as if he was riding a roller coaster.

Suddenly, Ivory felt something other than the scorching sand on his hoof. It felt slimy and rough, and all too soon did he find out what it was. Two razor sharp needles pierced his skin, forcing the pony to cry out and stumble a bit. As quickly as the stinging sensation started, it ceased. But the fear did not.

Already, he could feel his blood start to heat up. The exterior condition of his body didn’t help much either. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, and hot. And if he didn’t get to the Gryphon Kingdom in time, he would have to add 'dead' to that list.

The cobras became bolder as he continued running. More and more of them lashed out like whips at the passing earth pony, trying to pump more venom into his bloodstream. Ivory’s vision began to blur, as he could no longer tell the difference between the snakes and the sand. He just kept running, trying to keep his balance.

He could feel his heartbeat rapidly increase and his breathing became more flustered and frantic. He could feel his body failing him. Just how much venom did that single cobra pump into him? However much it was, it was sure taking its toll. And a few feet later, his legs finally gave out from under him. He collapsed to the soft sand, sending his friend flying forward.

He kept his eyes open as much as he could, but it did him little use. All he could make out were colors and shapes. Still, he was thankful to see a big, purple blob approach him.

“Ivory! Ivory, wake up!” Spike slapped his companion’s face several times, trying to keep him awake.

“Spi… di’h we make it…?” His words were weak and faint, but he managed to make out a slight nod from his friend. He felt liquid seeping out of his mouth and nostrils, to which he could only assume was blood.

“Come on Ivory… don’t give up!” Spike called out to him. He looked around for something, anything that could help his friend. But there was nothing. He felt helpless, watching his friend die right in front of him.

“Spike… we… gave it… our bess…” Ivory coughed out, trying to form his words properly. “Thanks… for… believin’… in me…” All colors turned to red in his eyes, and then to black. The last thing he felt were the scales of his friend leave his face before completely passing out.

“No…” Tears filled his eyes. He closed his hands into fists and shook vigorously. “I… I won’t let you die!” Spike yelled, looking back to the Gryphon Kingdom. It was so close he could see the gate on the horizon, not but a few miles away.

With all the strength he had left, he grabbed the unconscious Ivory Moon by the tail and started pulling him toward the kingdom. The pony was heavier than he had thought. He lugged the white pony behind him, leaving a thin trail of blood.

Tears dripped from Spike’s eyes. He knew what would happen if he didn’t succeed. It suddenly dawned on him. Ivory had saved Spike from the dragon and the snakes… now it was Spike’s turn. Ivory had to live. And no matter what, they would finish their quest.

“Ivory…” A sad Spike called out, struggling to continue pulling. “I know you can’t hear me… but you can’t die.” He looked back at the long red trail left from the mouth of his friend. It made him a bit queasy, but he turned back forward and stomached the disgust. “I know it would be so easy to let go. There’s not much on this earth worth fighting for. And then you’d be with your family again.”

Spike finally felt his adrenaline run out, barely able to pull Ivory Moon another inch. He struggled and strained to pull Ivory’s body along the hot sand. But he inevitably fell to his knees. His strength had reached its limits, and he found himself succumb to the heat of the unforgiving desert. “But… you can’t… give… up…”

Soon enough, Spike fell prey to his own words. He lay on the sand, breathing slowly, dying of thirst and exhaustion. But the little trooper wasn’t finished yet. He reached into the saddlepack on his lifeless friend’s back to see what they had: the rest of the pie, a picture of Rainbow Dash, a book, a map, and a few sticks Spike had packed from the cave. Nothing helpful at all.

It truly seemed a futile mission. A quest doomed from the start. He and his partner never should have climbed that mountain…

But… if they had never climbed that mountain, they never would have found the courage and strength to take on a dragon. And if they had not taken on a dragon, they would not have found the valor and bravery to traverse a field of snakes. And even on death’s doorstep, Spike found himself unable to accept this fate.

Just then, an idea popped into his head. He reached into the pack and pulled out all of the sticks he had packed. He had been saving them for another cold night, but this was an emergency. He counted seven sticks in his hand but found five more in the pack. He laid them out as far away as he could to avoid burning Ivory. Then, with one huge breath of air, he spat green fire onto the sticks, igniting them instantly.

The green fire was weak and barely noticeable in the desert heat, but as the smoke trail rose up into the blue sky, a smile crept its way onto Spike’s face. He set his head down next to Ivory’s and closed his eyes ready to be found or to welcome death. Whichever came first…

Chapter 9 - A Gryphon's Welcome

A Gryphon's Welcome

A gloomy day in the Everfree Forest, so gloomy in fact, that one might mistake it for night. The only indication of the time of day was the slim rays of sunlight the broke through the thick trees overhead. But even then, the lights were hushed and monotone. Almost as if to say that it was always nighttime in the Everfree.

Various creatures of the forest scampered about, fending for themselves in the hostile environment. Every now and again, a slight breeze blew some leaves through the darkness, but besides the occasional chilling wind, not much else stood out in the dense woodland.

However, in a particularly eerie looking tree, a unicorn and a zebra frantically scrambled for ingredients for an especially powerful brew. Well, the unicorn frantically searched. The zebra more calmly gathered ingredients and placed them near the cauldron.

It was Zecora’s hut after all, she knew exactly where everything was. Twilight on the other hoof was a flustered mess. She was either running about thinking the worst had happened to her friends, flipping through books to see if she could find anything that would help, or asking how Zecora’s brew was coming along.

Twilight scrambled fruitlessly through a book on brews, before finally worrying again. “Why would the diamond dogs kidnap Rarity? Well, I mean I know why, but… why?” She looked over to her striped friend. Zecora poured some black powder into the cauldron and stirred it into the other ingredients.

“Patience, my dear, is what you lack.” She stirred for a moment, motioning for silence. She stuck her nose into the pot and took in a big whiff. At first she grimaced, but then she smiled and turned her attention to Twilight. “It’s nearly done now, I suggest you stand back.”

Twilight obeyed taking a few paces back and trying to slow her breathing. Zecora then reached for one last piece of the brew: a simple leaf. At first Twilight tilted her head, questioning the importance of such a tiny component. But as Zecora crushed the leaf in her hooves and threw it into the cauldron, it burst into green flames. The sound was deafening and Twilight had to shield her eyes from the change of lighting, though Zecora stayed in place, staring into the fire.

“Twilight dear, do not turn away,” Zecora said in her usual mystic voice. “To find your friends, this is the only way.” Twilight struggled but eventually succumbed to the light and squinted at the energy emitting from the cauldron. The green flames seeped into Twilight’s eyes and in her mind’s eye she saw them; Spike and Ivory Moon.

“What’s going on? What is this?” Twilight’s voice echoed through the dry desert air. She felt the heat on her face and the sand on her hooves, but she didn’t know how she had gotten there. Could she have been teleported by Zecora’s brew?

“Wow Zecora, this is incredible!” Twilight said with astonishment. “I can see everything that’s going on! It’s almost like I’m there…” Twilight moved around the desert with ease as she flew from place to place. But her expedition would have to wait, for at her feet was a dehydrated dragon and a badly bleeding earth pony. “Ivory! Ivory get up! What’s wrong?” But he didn’t budge. “Spike, what’s wrong with him? Spike? Spike!” Twilight’s cries were only heard by herself as she watched Ivory Moon suffer with a bite mark in his leg.

Twilight cringed as a bright green light filled her eyes. “Twilight, are you alright? Come back to me.” The familiar voice of the zebra alchemist echoed in her head. Twilight looked around, but her friend was nowhere to be seen. “I think you’ve seen more than you wanted to see.” The voice continued as Twilight started coming to.

“Wh-what was that?!” She yelled upon reentering Zecora’s house. The feel of hot sand on her hooves quickly faded, almost as if it was never there.

“You just witness a special brew. For what it does, I’ll give you a clue. If ever you find a friend is gone, the spirit of the user is quickly withdrawn.”

“It was… a ghost brew?”

Zecora just said nothing and simply nodded.

“This is terrible! Ivory and Spike are out in the desert! They may be dying and they’re all alone!”

“A terrible sight for you to behold. But maybe there is more to be told?”

Twilight calmed herself yet again. Ever since Spike and Ivory had left, she was hysterical all the time. “… You’re right.” Twilight said recollecting her courage. “Let me see if I can use it again…”

*****

We rejoin our heroes in a small white room lined with utensils, tools, jars, and picture frames. Ivory Moon had been laid down on a soft white bed, the sheets covering just over his stomach. His hooves and stomach had been bandaged. He breathed into a tube connected to a machine reassuring his lungs got the air they required. Even with the machine’s loud fan and constant clicking sounds, the pony slept like he hadn’t slept in years.

And just on the other side of the room laid his companion, also nestled in a similar white bed. He wore no bandages or tubes, but he continued his slumber nonetheless.

After several hours of rest, Ivory’s eyes creaked open. His vision was blurred, and for a moment he mistook the white room for the afterlife. But he soon realized that he was still alive. He didn’t remember much of what happened, or how he even ended up in this place. He looked at his wrapped hooves in confusion. Just what had happened to him?

Ivory carefully removed the tube from his mouth and leaned up from his bed. After grunting in pain, he lay back down and peeled the covers off of his stomach. It had been bandaged as well. Looking across the room, he noticed some pictures on the walls. One of them featured a red pony with a white cross on his flank, obviously representing a medical career. Standing next to him was a small yellow filly who had yet to earn her mark.

Another picture featured that same pair, but another pony with them, a light blue mare. Another picture featured none of them, but instead a snake. Ivory frowned at the picture, having been bitten and nearly killed by one of those animals. But the last picture really caught his interest. It contained the same red stallion from before, but standing next to him was a white mare with a pink mane and a cutie mark just like his only red.

“Nurse Redheart?”

“What? What was that?”

Ivory leaned up instantly, groaning a bit from his stomach pains and looked around the room. “Who’s there?”

“Ah! You’re awake! I was beginning to think you had passed on.” The voice echoed from behind a white curtain. Ivory squinted his eyes to see the shadow of a pony standing just on the other side.

Ivory looked around the room for anypony else. But it was vacant aside from him, Spike, and the mysterious pony behind the curtain. “Who are you?” He whispered, struggling to fight the pain in his abdomen.

The curtain peeled back to reveal a red stallion. The same red stallion in the photographs along the walls. He pulled the curtains closed and started towards Ivory Moon. “Ah, where are my manners. I am Dr. Whiteheart.” He said in a deep voice that was somehow soft at the same time. His cutie mark matched the picture on the wall, a white cross.

“What happened?” Ivory asked, watching the doctor take a seat in a stool next to his bed. “How did I end up here?”

The doctor removed his glasses and peered out the window. He placed his hoof at the base of his chin and thought for a moment. “It was just a normal day for me.” He began, putting his glasses back on and turning to his patient. “Just finishing up with my research, when all of the sudden, I see some smoke in the sky. Fires aren’t common around here, so I decided to investigate.”

A fire? Ivory looked at his unconscious partner in shock. There was no other explanation. Fires don’t just get started, especially not in a desert. Spike had saved his life. He couldn’t help but tear up at the thought of Spike’s bravery.

“You’re very lucky my friend.” Whiteheart continued. “If I had not gotten that anti-venom into you when I did, you would not be awake right now.”

“Anti-venom?”

“Yes son. I moved out here so long ago to study snakes in their natural habitat; the desert. Then I ship my anti-venom all over Equestria. You were bitten by one of the desert’s most dangerous predators, the orange hooded cobra.”

“I was?”

“Yep. Their venom is potent enough to kill up to five adult ponies.”

Ivory gulped at the mention of killing multiple adult ponies with one bite.

“But they can only regenerate their venom once every three months. So they rely on their pack to keep them safe until they have venom again. Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“Sorry…” Ivory whispered, grimacing at all this talk about snakes. “But reptiles seem to have bad blood against me.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Whiteheart interrupted, gesturing to the bandages. “What have you been doing to yourself?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Not buying it. These kinds of injuries don’t just happen.”

The white pony scratched the back of his head, ruffling his dirty mane. He tried not to make eye contact with the doctor and just said, “Like I said, reptiles hate me.”

Doctor Whiteheart smiled, dropping the subject, and looked to his other patient. “He’s a brave one.” He whispered.

“Is he gonna be ok?”

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s just exhausted. He’ll be up and kicking in no time.”

Silence made its way into the room again. Ivory found himself laying back down on the bed looking up at the ceiling. He wondered how long it would be before he could get back on his journey. He didn’t want to tell anypony of his adventure, but it would probably come to that. But something else drew his attention. Something that he just couldn’t let go of. “How do you know Nurse Redheart?” He blurted out, staggering the doctor.

The doctor looked confused at first, as if asking himself how he could know such a thing. But as his glance shifted over to the photos on the wall, his confusion melted away and he answered. “She is my sister… how do you know her?”

There it was again, the question leading back to Ivory’s quest. Just the question that he didn’t want to answer. He sighed and leaned up a bit, feeling a bit stronger yet still very weak. “I’m from Ponyville.”

Whiteheart almost fell off of his stool at the mention of his home. He looked stunned, staring at the white pony as if he were on fire. “Ponyville?!” He exclaimed, having finally recollected his thoughts. “Well, what are you doing out here?! Surely you don’t expect me to believe you would just come all this way to nearly die!”

Ivory quickly shushed the doctor, pointing to the sleeping dragon on the other side of the room. Whiteheart quietly apologized, but resumed his questioning. “What possible reason could you have for coming all the way out here?”

A heavy sigh escaped the white pony’s mouth. He shifted into a more comfortable position on the mattress and closed his eyes. He hadn’t wanted anypony to get sucked into his story of misery and loss. The only one he wanted to share this experience with was Spike, and even then, that was only because they had both saved each other’s lives.

Reluctantly, Ivory told the story. He avoided the very beginning involving his family and just skipped to his meeting of Rarity. He told of how they had spent over a year together. Of how they shared something special. And how she was kidnapped and taken away from him a week before their wedding.

When asked how his body got in such a beaten condition, Ivory told him of the hike that he and his friend made over the first mountain. And that they were chased by a dragon, forced to take shelter in a dang cave for a day. Then how he traversed a desert and fought for his life through a field of snakes. Even after he was bitten and struggling to hold on, he explained that he wanted to keep fighting.

Through the story, Whiteheart didn’t do much but nod and occasionally ask a simple question. And when the story finished, he said nothing. He just stared at his patient in awe.

“And…” Whiteheart began, his deep voice reverberating through the room. “You’re still going to go on?”

The pony lay back down, looking up at the ceiling once again. He hadn’t thought about it, but he wondered if it was worth going on. It would be so easy to let go. It would be the easiest thing in the world to give up and go home. And for a while, he considered it.

But something kept tugging at his heart. Logic told him that he had almost died twice, and it was bound to happen again. But then again… he was still alive.

He pulled the blankets off of his body and moved to the edge of the bed. He said nothing as he placed his hind legs off of the bed and onto the hard wooden floor. He sat in that position for some time, collecting his strength and clearing his mind of doubt. After a minute or two, his front hooves touched the floor. He winced a bit sense his hooves were in bad condition to begin with, but stood tall and turned his gaze back to the snoring dragon.

“Yes.” He replied, nothing more, nothing less. He had already decided that if he started this quest to save Rarity, then he was going to finish it. And no amount of dragon encounters, snake venom, or other injuries could derail that.

Ivory Moon took a few steps toward Spike, slowly and carefully. After what he had survived, he could afford to slow down for a while.

“Well then…” Whiteheart said breaking the silence. His voice was a bit shaken, obviously moved by the pony’s dedication to his journey. “Take this with you.” He reached into a nearby cupboard and reached through a cluttered mess of medicines, food, and other unidentifiable items. He finally retreated from the cabinet holding a loaf of bread out to Ivory.

“I appreciate the offer,” the stallion began, pushing the loaf away from him. “But if anything, I owe you for saving my life.”

“Bah, you don’t owe me anything. You will get far more use out of this than I will. Take it.”

“Thank you Doctor.” He reluctantly replied, grabbing the loaf in his mouth and dropping it in his white pack. He then walked over to his friend, still fast asleep. He smiled over him, knowing that he would be dead if Spike hadn’t come along. He raised a hoof and shook his friend lightly. “Spike. Hey Spike.”

The purple dragon’s eyes twitched open sluggishly and his gaze shifted all around the room. Clearly as confused as Ivory was when he came to. “Ivory…?”

“Glad you’re awake bud.”

“… Are we dead?”

Ivory couldn’t help but crack up, which made Spike worry that his friend had gone insane. “No bud. You saved our lives.”

“I… did?”

After a long silence, Ivory smiled and pointed to the doctor on the other side of the room. “Yes. Doctor Whiteheart here found us and took us in. If you hadn’t set that fire, we’d both be dead.” Just then, something struck Ivory and he jerked his head to the doctor. “Wait, doc. Where are we right now?”

Startled at first, he looked befuddled for a second, but then realized what Ivory meant. “My home is set up right on the border of the Gryphon Kingdom. I use their postal and delivery services to ship my medicine and anti-venom all over Equestria.”

Doctor Whiteheart continued rambling about the benefits of living where he did, but Ivory stopped listening after he said ‘Gryphon Kingdom’. “Ya hear that Spike?! We’re closer than ever!”

He rocked the bed back and forth violently until Spike fell onto the wooden floor face first. Ivory let go of the bed and covered his mouth. “… Sorry.”

*****

*Ding* The bell rang as the door swung open. Ivory and Spike walked out of the small abode back into the evening heat of the desert. Just as Doctor Whiteheart had said, the Gryphon Kingdom stood only a mile or two away. The massive gate wide open and welcoming any weary travellers into the city. And that’s just what Ivory wanted to see.

“Thanks for everything Doctor Whiteheart.” Ivory called back, setting hoof onto the sand. The bandages on his hooves had been removed as well as the ones on his stomach. At first the hot sand blistered his hooves, but he pressed on, ignoring the mild inconvenience.

“Before you go Ivory,” The doctor called back waving his arms to get the stallion’s attention. “I live on the borders of the kingdom for a reason. The gryphons are unkind to us ponies. Watch your back and don’t get on their bad side.”

The two nodded, understanding exactly what they were getting themselves into… or so they thought.

“Hey Spike.” Ivory said, looking up at the magnificent walls growing closer by the minute.

“Yeah Ivory?”

“How’s about we finish off that pie now?” He gestured his head back to his pack. “We’ll need all the strength we can get for the rest of this journey.”

He felt a hand reach down into the saddlepack and move around, trying to find something. “Not much left.” Spike said pulling out a single piece of pie.

“Yeah, but every little bit helps.”

Spike broke the piece as evenly as he could and handed a slightly larger piece to the earth pony. The pastry was cold and battered, but it tasted fine nonetheless. And just like that, the pie was gone. It had served the two well, keeping them alive in a hostile and unwelcoming environment. The only supplies left in their inventory to make any use of was the loaf of bread and the map of Equestria.

At long last, they reached the enormous marble gates of the Gryphon Kingdom. The path outside the gates was decorated with marvelous stone statues and a lovely flora. Several bushes had been trimmed in figures of gryphons, others were left untouched, but one was only half complete. A pair of hedge clippers lay on the grass next to it leaving Ivory to assume that this part was under construction.

The gates grew significantly as the two strolled down the stone path. The sheer scope of the kingdom’s walls was enough to frighten the two a bit. They had never seen something so grand. Even Canterlot wasn’t as spectacular as this city, and they hadn’t even set foot inside the gates.

They stopped at the foot of the white, gleaming gates and stared up the structure. It was even larger than they had thought. But with no guards around, it left them wondering how to enter the splendid city. They looked around for a minute or two, but no one showed up to help them.

Fed up with waiting, Ivory Moon pushed his weight against the right door. His hooves dug into the ground pushing dirt upward as he struggled to move the giant structure. Eventually, the marble gate moved back a bit few inches. At that moment, Spike jumped off of the pony’s back and started to push with him. The two strained against the door pushing as hard as possible.

It continued moving back at a snail’s pace, until Ivory was finally able to squeeze his body through the tight gap between the gate. He wasn’t exactly expecting a warm welcome, but he was in fact expecting something. But what he got was nothing short of rude.

The city itself was a glorious sight. The buildings were tall, but none as tall as the castle in the center of the kingdom. Clothing lines hung in between buildings, creating a rather rustic environment. But the grand decorations atop each building and near the windows brought back a sense of elegance.

Among the streets Gryphons walked about doing their business and chatting with friends. An unusual sight for Ivory and Spike, as they were used to seeing ponies. Stands were set up along the sides of the roads selling all manner of wares. Everything from food to jewelry.

As Ivory and Spike walked through the road, they heard all kinds of conversations involving numerous subjects. But as soon as they heard a gasp in the crowd, all of the conversations ceased. No noise whatsoever. In a split second, the hustle and bustle of an entire kingdom was silenced.

Soft whispers emanated from the audience as the two made their ways down the road. They couldn’t help but wonder what they were saying about the two.

“Boy, some welcome wagon, huh Ivory?” Spike said still looking worriedly at the crowd. His eyes shifted nervously, not knowing what to expect at all.

“Yeah…” Ivory retorted, also anxiously expecting something bad. “You’d think they’d never seen a pony before.”

“Stop right there, criminal scum!”

Ivory stopped in his tracks, horrified. The words erupted out of nowhere in a loud, booming voice. He eventually worked up the nerve to turn his head just in time to see two gryphon guards walking up to him.

His breath caught in his throat when they stopped right in front of him. He didn’t know what to say. Were ponies not allowed in the Gryphon Kingdom? If so, Doctor Whiteheart really left that detail out.

“Is this the one?” The second guard uttered in an easier, but still very threatening voice.

“It sure looks like it.” The first one said.

“What’s… what’s going on?” Ivory whispered, afraid to even speak.

“You’re comin’ with us, pony.”

Ivory backed away from the two. “What did I do?”

“We’ve got a warrant out for a white pony with a dark mane. And you fit the bill.”

At first, Ivory feared for his life. He didn’t know what they were talking about. But suddenly, he quitted his worried thoughts and repeated the guard’s words in his head. Did they mean… Rarity?

Of course they did! Who else could they mean? If Rarity had passed through the Gryphon Kingdom, then they would have seen her. A white pony with a dark mane fit her description perfectly. Ivory was overjoyed as all of his fear melted away. The feeling was short-lived as he snapped back to reality. Back to the guards.

“But I haven’t done anything. You’ve got the wrong pony.” He hated accusing his beloved, but it was his only chance of escaping.

“Ha! A likely story!” The rough guard bellowed, his counterpart simply eyeing Ivory down. “But you’re the only pony to come to our kingdom in years!”

“But… But…” Ivory struggled to find an argument. But in a land pitted against him, what was one pony to do? “You’ve got no evidence!” He blurted out.

“No? We’ve got this!” The guard held out his talon and revealed several colorful gems. “You came to our kingdom, stole our gems, and then you think you can get away with it?!”

A glimmer of hope in Ivory’s eyes told him that the gems meant it couldn’t be any other pony but Rarity, but now the guards had all the evidence they needed. Ivory had backed himself into a corner, mentally and physically. The two burly guards grabbed him and restrained his movement.

“I got him! Get the little one!” The first guard said, pointing to his counterpart and then to Spike.

Before he could grab him though, Ivory broke free of the guard’s grip just long enough to send Spike flying through the air, landing a good fifteen feet away. “Run, Spike!” Ivory called, the second guard getting ready to chase. “RUN!”

The purple dragon hesitated at first, his eyes watering up at the thought of leaving his friend behind. But with the guard gaining on him, he turned about face and made a mad dash for the gate. Gryphons standing in his way moved aside, chattering all the while.

Just inches away from the gate, the guard grabbed hold of his tail. “Gotcha!” He called out, smiling grimly. But he let go as soon as Spike breathed fire in his face, scorching his flesh and setting his feathers on fire.

“Augh!” The guard cried in pain, releasing the small dragon and letting him escape through the still open gate. Screams erupted from the crowd while the guard ran to the nearest source of water he could find, being a river running through the kingdom, and leapt face first into it. The loud sizzling of the dousing fires rose over the commotion of the mass of citizens, shocked and horrified at what they just saw.

But Ivory smiled, still in the grasp of the first guard. Though he was in trouble, at least he managed to save one friend. His joy was soon shattered by the guard whispering into his ear, “You will pay for that…”

Chapter 10 - The Mother of All Diamonds

The Mother of All Diamonds

Fluttershy sat quivering on a bench in Ponyville Park, the nighttime breeze sending shivers down her spine. But it was more than the cool air that bothered her. The yellow pegasus was still worried for Rarity and frustrated that it was her fault. Noting her discontent, Applejack leaned in closer to her friend and pulled her into a warm embrace. “There, there sugarcube.” She whispered lovingly to Fluttershy. “Ah’m sure Rarity, Ivory, and Spike will be back before ya know it.”

A genuine sigh escaped Fluttershy’s mouth. “I hope you’re right.” Truth be told, even Applejack didn’t know.

“What’s taking Twilight so long?” Rainbow Dash said, agitated with how long they’d been waiting. “She was supposed to be here an hour ago.”

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack waved her hoof at the cyan pony.

“But what if she couldn’t find anything?”

“Don’t jump ta any conclusions.”

“But…!”

“Just give her a little more time.”

Rainbow folded her arms and reluctantly landed by the road. “Fine…”

The four friends sat quietly, waiting for Twilight to return with information, or even better, a solution. Pinkie Pie had been unusually quiet the entire time. She just sat staring at the night sky, yawning every now and again. The others couldn’t remember a time when she had been so quiet. But the silence ended when she finally broke down and said, “Do you guys think Rarity is… ok?”

The question sat still for quite some time, none of them wanting to touch on it. Pinkie regretted asking the question, until Applejack finally picked up the gauntlet.

“Ah… Ah know she’s ok.”

“How can you be so sure?” Rainbow interjected.

Applejack stared at Rainbow, “Because Ivory is gonna save her.”

“How do you know? For all we know, Ivory could have…” She stopped before she said the last word, biting her lip to prevent her from saying the word. Fluttershy looked about ready to burst into tears, while Pinkie was just surprised that Rainbow Dash had thought what she did.

The flamboyant pegasus walked over to the group on the bench and said, “He is coming back.” She still didn’t know if that was the truth, but ever since he had left, Fluttershy had been a nervous wreck. The least she could do was have confidence in front of her.

Suddenly, the purple pony rose over the horizon and the four friends sighed in relief. They almost instantly rose to their hooves and charged at the unicorn, spouting questions all the way.

“Twilight, are we glad to see you!”

“Did Zecora help?”

“What took you so long?”

“Where are they?”

“Are they alright Twi?”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she tried to sort out the questions in her mind. “Yes, Zecora helped. The brew took longer than I thought, and they are in the desert.” She looked at the silent quartet, and they stared straight back. “What? Did I miss one?”

“Are they alright?” Applejack repeated, her concern growing by the second.

“Yes. They are alright.” Once again, the group sighed in unison.

“What happened to them Twilight? Do ya know?” The orange mare asked, sitting on her haunches, hoping for the best.

“Well…” She began, thinking back to her vision. “From what I could gather, Ivory and Spike were travelling through a desert. Something happened and Ivory was bitten by a very venomous snake.”

The looks of concern grew on their faces, but Twilight motioned at them to calm down, keeping her composure and relaxed state. “But the last thing I saw was Ivory Moon waking up in a hospital of sorts out by the Gryphon Kingdom.”

Their faces lit up with joy, especially Fluttershy’s. “And where are they now?” Pinkie Pie asked, her usual bouncy nature returning.

“If my calculations are correct, they should be in the Gryphon Kingdom right now.”

“An’ yur sure of this?”

“Absolutely. We will be sure to inform Princess Celestia of this crisis when she arrives in four more days. But until then, I have the utmost confidence that Ivory Moon and Spike will save Rarity and make it back to Ponyville.”

*****

~SMASH~ The iron bars rattled and shook once again, but stood strong against the pony’s attack. He fell to the ground once more, his shoulder now throbbing in pain. But he returned to his feet and walked to the back of the room to try again.

He shouted and charged the gate. The sound echoed throughout the prison, implying a great deal of pain with each ram, but the bars still did not fall. But the pony did not let another failed attempt stop him.

“You guys have no idea what you’re doing!” He shouted out, preparing to slam his body into the prison bars yet again. “When I get out of here, you are gonna get it!”

~SMASH~ The bruise on his shoulder welled up from the size of an ant bite, to a small grapefruit. His stomach met with the cold stone floor once more, but this time he found it nearly impossible to get back up. He was far too hurt, internally as much as externally. This crazy quest didn’t seem to be getting him anywhere. All he wanted to do was find Rarity, but it seemed like anything and everything was determined to deter him from that objective.

He lay still, waiting until his strength returned to him to ram the bars again. “These bars… can’t hold me… forever…” Ivory choked out, trying to think of another way out of this prison. He would have to figure something out before long. He still had a quest to finish.

Perhaps a little more brain and a little less brawn? He noted the keys to the line of cells hung just on the opposite wall, just out of reach. And easy solution for a unicorn, but not an earth pony. He just settled for ramming the bars.

Ivory’s body crashed into the gate sending the rattling of bars all through the building. Finally, someone in a cell or two over called out, “Hey, some of us are tryin’ to sleep here!”

Though he didn’t know the gryphon, Ivory snapped, “I don’t even belong here!”

The prisoner called back in a sarcastic tone, “Sure ya don’t…”

Ivory was mildly agitated by the sarcasm in his voice. Was that what he sounded like? Those thoughts would have to wait for another time. “Maybe you’re willing to accept your fate.” He began, unsure of what he was saying. “But I can’t stay here.”

“You’re gonna be here for a long time, get over it.”

Ivory gave up with the indifferent prisoner. It was like talking to a wall. A big, stupid, uncaring wall. The pony paced around his cell, trying to think of something. Anything that he could do to get out of this stone tower.

He looked out of the barred window and saw the kingdom below. At first glance, he thought that this city was a marvelous sight, but now he was having second thoughts. He hadn’t even been there a day and he was already being treated like a criminal.

He looked back to the bars in the front of the cell and gazed down the prison. It was just one long hallway, the outside lined with cells while the keys rested on hooks on the inside. Several windows on the other side of the hallway showed a hole in the middle of the prison. On the sides of the hallways rested staircases. And in each corner, a door leading outside.

An odd design for a prison, but then again Ivory had never seen a prison, not even in Ponyville. But the fact remained that he had to escape. On the opposite side of the wall rested the keys to his cage as well as his pack.

With his shoulder unable to take another big ram, he limped over to a small bunk attached to the wall and laid down. With no covers and no pillow, it was going to be a rough night. He couldn’t help but let his mind wonder. He thought about what Spike was doing. He could only imagine the little dragon trying to figure out a way to save Ivory. Or even better, a way to save Rarity.

As his eyelids became heavier and heavier, his mind wondered away from him. He couldn’t keep himself from wondering, was Rarity ok? Was she even alive?

*****

Deep below the surface, who knows how far away from Ponyville, The diamond dogs wearily dragged the heavy rolling cage and their supplies, desperately searching for the Mother of All Diamonds. The ruffians were running low on food and water, but had refused to return to the surface, since Rarity had taken advantage of them last time.

Speaking of the white mare, she had not budged from her spot in one of the corners of the cage. She had not spoken since her failed escape attempt. All she could do was think about her friends… and her love.

It hurt, every second of ever day thinking about Ivory Moon. She had tried to stop thinking about him, but she could never clear her mind. She missed him so much. And she couldn’t keep herself from wondering if Ivory felt the same way.

But most of all, she wondered if she’d ever see him again. These idiotic canines would never stop searching for this myth of a diamond, and they would not let Rarity trick them into going to the surface again. Would they keep her in this rusty black box forever?

Rarity moved her hoof to her eye to wipe a nonexistent tear, a reflex developed from spending days in a cage being carted away from everything she loved. Her eyes could no longer supply tears for her to cry. She had never felt so alone, so homesick. All she could do was mourn what she had lost.

~BOOM~ A light blue aura exploded from her horn nearly scaring her and her captors to death. Rarity’s eyes widened looking up at her neon horn. She couldn’t remember a time when it glowed so brightly. Brilliant as a star, forcing the diamond dogs to cover their eyes from the light.

“WE’VE FOUND IT!” The leader called out to the scouts up ahead. The dogs rejoiced, their voyage finally coming to a close.

Rarity wanted to point out that the Mother of All Diamonds didn’t actually exist and that their picture was falsified… but her horn begged to disagree. It seemed to think that there was something incredibly rare nearby, and the only thing that made sense was what they had been searching for. A glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes.

“LEAD US TO THE DIAMOND!” The leader dog barked at the pony, opening the cage and letting Rarity walk out. She stretched her legs, touching the soft dirt below. Normally she wouldn’t touch such a filthy surface, but she didn’t care anymore. All that mattered was that she get her word in.

“And don’t try any funny business this time!” He yelled in his usual bossy voice, pointing at the white mare. “We’ll be watching you!”

“I will not attempt to escape again…” Rarity began, her voice dry from having not spoken in such a long time. “If…”

The dogs all turned to one another, tired and confused. Finally, the big dog stepped up to the plate. “If?” The leader shot an angry look and the dog cowered.

“You must set me free after I find your diamond.” She said, nose skyward. She still was unsure if the gem existed, but either way, this was her last chance.

The leader glanced around the room. All eyes were on him. He paced before coming to a decision. “Alright.”

But that wasn’t enough for Rarity. “Do you promise?”

“… I promise.”

The journey continued, the dogs following Rarity now instead of the other way around. The scouts still made sure to clear the path whichever way the mare told them to go.

It felt good for her to finally be walking again. If she even tried to stand in that wobbly cell she would fall right back down. One could barely even sit up in the mobile prison. She had eaten next to nothing as well, making her weaker than she thought. When she was free, she would have to find shelter before heading back to Ponyville. But she intended to make it back in time for her wedding. In four days she was to marry the stallion of her dreams. She could only hope that he would be there waiting for her.

The twists and turns of the winding path did not cease, leading the gem hunters in a snaking wild goose chase. The leader was obviously getting fed up with looking. His irritated glances were what worried Rarity. He was smarter than she gave him credit for. He was dim, but he could figure out when something was wrong.

Until at last, the scouts broke into a mineshaft of sorts. The dirt had been cleared, but the surface still rested above. Machinery rested in the mine such as bulldozers and drills. But what laid in the center of the room took all of their breaths away.

An enormous light blue rock, more than one hundred feet tall and fifty feet wide. The base of the boulder had been chipped away at, which explained why the machinery was present. But the rest of the gem was intact, and most of it was still buried. Even in the lightless reaches of the underground the diamond sparkled with the bright intensity of the sun.

At this point, Rarity’s horn had stopped glowing. And once her ajar, awestruck mouth turned into an ear-to-ear grin, she turned to the leader, still amazed at what he saw. “Well, you have your diamond. I’ll just be on my way.”

She turned about face and took a hasty retreat for the exit but was soon stopped by several scouts. “On second though, I think we’ll hang onto you a little longer.” The leader said, turning back to the shocked pony.

“WHAT?!” She yelled, whirling around to charge the lying monster. She leapt for him, but was quickly grabbed by the big and little dog. “You can’t do this to me! We had a deal!”

“The deal… changed.” He walked forward to the numerous scouts, rejuvenated from the long trek by the sight of the diamond. “Start digging!”

*****

“Wake up! The warden is coming!” A worried voice moved quickly through the prison corridors. The echo was enough to alarm many of the prisoners, most of them leaping out of their beds instantly and moving away from the bars. Some of them peered out into the hallway to see the approaching gryphon.

Each time he passed a cell, the same pattern followed: slight cries and whimpers emanated from the cell inhabitants, but sighs of relief as soon as he passed by.

“Is everyone awake?” One of the prisoners whispered to his neighbors. “Westley?”

“Yeah.” A gryphon answered just next door.

“Vizzini?”

“Yes. I’m awake.”

“Inigo, Fezzik, and Rugen?”

The names continued down the line making sure no one was asleep during the warden’s visit. But there was one prisoner who was unfamiliar with the way things worked.

“What about the newby?”

Ivory Moon lay curled up on his poor excuse for a bed, sleeping the morning away. After all, the last three days for him had been some of the most difficult and heartbreaking days of his life. He found himself drifting off to sleep with so many questions and no answers.

A pair of talons and paws stopped at Ivory’s door. Whispers flooded the establishment. Whenever the warden stopped, it was bad news.

“I heard there was a pony here.” His voice was rugged, as if he had gargled nails before hand. He reached a claw into his pack and pulled out a long rope. “But now I’ve seen everything.”

The bars slid open and slow, soft footsteps entered Ivory’s cell. The opening of the gate was enough to wake the pony, but he didn’t budge from his spot. He stayed perfectly still, turned away from whoever was in there with him. Until a fiery, stinging sensation scarred his back causing him to fall off of his precarious perch onto the hard floor.

“Wake up, pony!” The warden yelled in his face. Ivory grimaced and moaned in pain. The gryphon pulled the whip back, prepared to strike again.

Begrudgingly, the pony stood, glaring at the warden. The gryphon’s eyes were blood red and his beak was jagged. His uniform was purple to dictate a higher authority than those of the guards Ivory had seen passing his cell a few times. He could see why the others feared this gryphon, but he himself had no time for fear. He already hated this figure as well as the entire kingdom.

“State your name and crime, pony.” The warden said, his voice lightening up a bit but remaining harsh and uninviting.

The hushed whispers from the other cells silenced, awaiting an answer. Ivory stayed quiet for a minute or two, but the warden remained patient… at least on the outside. “My name is Ivory Moon.” He began, his face baring no emotions but disdain for the gryphon. “And I am here because of your biased and broken government.”

The prison was in uproar at Ivory’s words. They prisoners couldn’t believe what he had said. And to the warden no less. And the warden himself struggled for words. He couldn’t remember the last time he was spoken to in such a way. Finally, he just closed his eyes and smiled. “Ah, a smart-mouth.” He chuckled and wrapped his whip up. “Don’t think we don’t know how to deal with your kind.”

“Do your worst…” Probably not the smartest thing to say at this point, and Ivory instantly regretted what he said.

“Do you know who I am?” The warden stopped wrapping his whip, considering using it again.

“You don’t scare me.”

“Ha! I can fix that.” His red eyes met with Ivory’s, his smile contrasting from the earth pony’s frown. “I can make your life here a living hell if I feel like it.”

Ivory could take his attitude no longer. He saw his moment to strike and did not hesitate, bashing his head into the warden’s with a loud ~thunk~

The gryphon fell to the ground, obviously not used to being hurt by his prisoners. After crying out from the pain, he lifted his bleeding head from the ground and scowled at Ivory. While his head bled a bit as well, he had endured far worse pain and stood triumphant over the villain.

But his victory ended soon after the head-butt, as the warden rose to his feet and grabbed Ivory’s neck in one talon lifting him off the ground. The pony struggled for breath, kicking and squirming to break out of his grip until being painfully thrown to the ground.

Ivory turned to catch a glimpse of the warden raising his whip. He quickly covered his head and braced his back.

But much to everyone’s surprise, the gryphon lowered his weapon. “No.” He said, wiping some blood off of his forehead. Ivory opened his eyes and turned to the warden, too stunned to speak. “That would be too easy.”

The gryphon put the cord in his pack and leaned down to Ivory. “Listen. I don’t like ponies, almost as much as I don’t like criminals. And don’t think we don’t know how to break criminals like you.”

The warden walked out of the cell, still rubbing his head. “No food or water for this one.” He said to a nearby guard. “We’ll see how strong he is in a few days.”

The cell closed behind the warden and his guards, and Ivory stood and watched as they disappeared. He didn’t intend to be in his confinement for long, and his meeting with the warden had only strengthened his drive to escape. Before long, other cells in the vicinity began to slide open. He could make out grunts and groans, but could not decipher who they were from or why they were made.

The last thing he heard was a door closing far down the hallway. No more footsteps or moaning. Absolute silence.

Ivory paced around his cell again, trying to come up with a new plan of action. Obviously ramming the gate wasn’t going to work and that would draw unwanted attention to him. And even after breaking out, he had no idea where to go. From what he saw of the prison the hallways were slim and littered with patrolling guards.

He took a moment to rub his back, gritting his teeth as he did so. The stinging pain of the whip had not yet left his body. But he pushed the pain back to think. He needed an escape plan, and fast.

Hours passed and still he had nothing. He had practically created a rut in the ground from him pacing the room. He finally collapsed and gave a heavy sigh. Everything Ivory could come up with was either suicide or impossible. “Maybe I just need to clear my head.” He whispered. He rolled over on his back and closed his eyes. “Maybe now the answer will come to me.”

It seemed like it had been ages since he had been in this much peace. The earth pony lay facing the ceiling, just relaxing every inch of his body. For too long his mind and body had been focused on completing his quest. And though this distracted from the mission at hoof, he loved every second of it. Until…

“Well, well, well.” An unfamiliar voice called from the other side of the bars. Ivory tilted his head a notch or two to see who was there. But seeing her didn’t help at all. He just rolled his eyes and laid his head back down. “I heard there was a pony in here, but I didn’t believe it. ‘Til now.”

Ivory was just one word away from snapping. From the first moment he arrived in the Gryphon Kingdom, he had been shown no kindness at all. “If you come any closer, I’ll kill you.” Ivory muttered. Of course he didn’t mean it, but it sounded like a good threat to keep this gryphon at bay.

“Whoa man. Just chill.” She said in an unimpressed and unthreatened voice. “I just wanted to see if the rumors were true.”

“Well… they are.” He retorted, becoming increasingly annoyed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m a little busy at the moment.”

“You don’t look busy.”

“Well I am. Please leave.”

“Can I at least get your name?”

“Why? So you can tell everypony… everyone here that you know a ‘criminal’s’ name?”

“It’s called making an acquaintance.”

“… Ivory Moon.”

“My name’s Gilda.”

Chapter 11 - Gryphon the Break Out

Gryphon the Break Out

“So…” Gilda began, stroking her chin. “You came from Ponyville, on this crazy journey just so you could find another pony?”

Ivory Moon nodded, ashamed that he had to tell yet another random person about his adventure. He desperately needed to escape, and as far as he could see, this was the only way. “Yes, that’s exactly why I’m here.”

“And you expect me to believe that you are also friends with Rainbow Dash?” Gilda said, forming a slim smile.

What a long shot it was for Ivory to bring up Rainbow Dash. He remembered that the pegasus had mentioned this gryphon before. She hadn’t been referred to in the highest grace, but if Ivory had any chance of escaping, he’d have to take this one. “Yes, that’s right.”

“And you want me to help you break out of this jail so you can continue on your quest to find this pony?”

“Well…” Ivory stroked the back of his head, not making eye contact with Gilda. “’Break out’ is such a nasty term… I’d prefer to just use the term ‘liberate.’”

The gryphon just smiled and nodded. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the type of nod Ivory was hoping for. It wasn’t a compassionate and understanding nod, it was rather sarcastic and force. Like she was just toying with his emotions. “Sorry, but I don’t believe you.” She said.

The words felt like an anvil on the pony’s head. His hopes had been crushed. From his current position in a prison, his faith was already running on empty. And to top it off, he felt like he could trust Gilda. He told her his story, every piece of it. Even the most recent part about him getting separated from Spike. But she had hardened her heart, and left Ivory no choice but to beg.

“Please…” He stuttered, getting down on his knees. “I’m begging you. Please help me escape. I’ve got nowhere else to turn, no one else I can ask. I have to find Rarity…”

Just thinking about his beloved brought sorrow and pain back into his mind. He had kept the unhealthy emotions back for quite some time. But it was becoming impossible. The tears finally broke through his eyelids and he fell to the ground. Sobbing and groveling at the talons of the confused gryphon. In her face he could see the bewilderment and utter ignorance of Ivory’s pain. Did she know what love was? Or even friendship?

“I can’t just let her go…” He whispered shakily. “She means everything to me and-“

“How do you know Dash?”

The words caught Ivory off-guard. He looked up at her, head tilted a notch. “What?” He asked, still shaken from his emotional breakdown.

“Rainbow Dash. How do you know her?” She repeated, a hint of irritation in her voice. “You mentioned before you knew her. How?”

Finally seeing a way out, Ivory leapt at this chance. “Well, she and I became friends a few months after my fillyfriend and I started dating.”

“What’s her middle name?” She asked without hesitation.

Still befuddled at the direction this conversation was taking, Ivory faltered. “Um… I don’t… know.”

“Favorite drink?”

“I’m… not sure.”

“Signature technique?”

“I…”

Ivory gulped as the gryphon looked unpleased. She just stared back at him with such disdain like he really had committed a crime. “You don’t know Dash.”

Ivory shook his head and waved his hooves in the air violently. “No! No! I really do know her!”

“Then prove it!” She shouted, her patience wearing thin. She stepped her talon petulantly, waiting for the flustered pony’s next move. And that’s what Ivory waited for as well.

He was at a complete loss for words. He had no idea how to prove he knew the cyan pegasus. He didn’t know anything about her from the few moments they’d spent together. They weren’t the closest of friends, but they were friends, and somehow Ivory had to prove it.

“I…” The pony muttered under his breath. Ashamed to finish his sentence, he just shot one more hopefully look at Gilda, praying that she would feel pity for him. But sadly, it did not work. Gilda snorted and turned the way she came and left the pony all alone in the stone prison. In a land pitted against him, no one would give pity to this miserable pony.

He laid back down on the hard surface, flipping his tail close to his face and crying. He just felt so hopelessly abandoned. He had not a friend in the world to turn to. Even when the heartbreaking journey started, at least he had Spike to turn to for comfort. But now, it had all caught up with him.

His mind wondered off yet again to see what everypony was doing. He imagined that Spike was continuing the journey to find Rarity, or perhaps finding someway to free Ivory. Or he could have just gone home to Ponyville. Obviously the smartest answer would be to go home to Twilight. She would comfort him, as would the others.

Ivory snapped his head up at breakneck speed, his eyes wider than ever. “GILDA!” He called out, jumping to his hooves so quickly, it actually hurt his back. He ran up to the bars and peered around the corner, listening for a response.

At first he heard nothing, but after a few seconds, he heard footsteps approaching his cell. Staring out the bars and down the hall as far as he could, Ivory prayed that it was Gilda. And sure enough, he figure walked slowly down the hall and stopped right in front of Ivory. “What?” She said, unimpressed, agitated, and obviously not wanting anything to do with Ivory.

“I know Rainbow Dash.” He said, her eyes rolling right after. “And I can prove it.” Ivory claimed, his determination returning. He finally had a drive again. And a plan would not be too far behind.

“Oh can you?” Gilda retorted, folding her arms and smiling sickly at the pony.

He simply mirrored the pose and look and said, “Reach into my saddlepack there on the wall.”

Gilda hesitated, but eventually unfolded her arms and walked over to the white pack hooked on the wall. She dug her talon around the pack for a few seconds and pulled out a book. “A book?” She questioned. “Rainbow Dash hates books.”

Ivory just kept his calm and said, “It’s not that. Keep looking.”

She reluctantly placed the book back in the pack and continued searching. She pulled out two more items: the map of Equestria and the loaf of bread from Doctor Whiteheart. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“One more look Gilda.” Ivory pleaded. She looked about ready to up and leave again. But this was Ivory’s last chance and he was not about to let it go sour. “Please, just one more look.”

A big sigh and roll of the eyes later, Gilda placed the items back into the pack and searched one more time. Feeling around, she could only feel those three things: a book, a piece of paper, and the bread. Then she felt that the paper was not one, but two sheets. She pulled out both of the papers, placed the map back, unrolled the last item…

Her jaw hit the floor. And Ivory’s smile grew. He exhaled softly in relief and waited for Gilda to read the fine print.

“This is…” She started, unable to even comprehend what she was reading. “And it’s in Dash’s handwriting… To Ivory Moon. The soon to be Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash…”

They stood there for what seemed like hours. But it might as well have been days, or months. Ivory just waited for her to respond. Yet Gilda just stood there, mouth ajar, staring at the picture.

Ivory stepped his hooves impatiently and turned his attention down the halls. He didn’t know the time of day, and had no way to find out. Running the quest back in his head, he came up with three days that had passed. And the warden had woken him up this morning, so it was day four. But he still had to figure out the time of day.

“Gilda.” He finally broke the silence. “I don’t know what happened between you and Rainbow, but I am begging you. Please help me.”

Gilda’s eyes shifted from the picture to Ivory and back to the picture for a minute or two. She seemed at a complete loss for words. Then, she finally folded the picture and placed it in the saddlepack. She looked around the corridors to see that they were empty. She quickly grabbed a key labeled ‘4.17’ and threw them inside Ivory’s cell. “Hide them!” She called out in a hushed yell.

Ivory dove for the key, placing it as fast as possible under his bed, the lack of light in the cell hiding the key perfectly. He looked back to Gilda and smiled. “Thank you Gilda.” He almost teared up, but fought them back. “I just wish I had something to give you in return.”

“Actually…” She stared at the floor, a mix of sadness and regret on her face. “When you get back to Ponyville…”

Silence. Ivory leaned in waiting for her to finish her thoughts. It took a while, but Gilda finally mumbled, “Could you tell Dash that… I’m sorry.”

Was that it? The pony gave the gryphon a friendly smile. “I will.”

“Thanks.” Gilda returned the smile, but only for a second. She returned to her serious attitude. “Now listen, don’t just use the key now. You’re on the fourth floor right now. The only way out would be to head up to the fifth floor and use the first corner door you see.”

The pony jotted down the information in his head as best he could, but couldn’t help but wonder why it mattered when he left and where he headed. “Wait, wait. How will I know when to open the cell?”

“Trust me, you’ll know.” Gilda turned back the way she came, making sure they were still alone. Before making her exit, she called back to Ivory, “And when you get to the door, don’t hesitate.”

And with that, she left. Not another word was spoken. She turned the corner and Ivory was all alone again. Left to wonder what she meant. Gryphons were such strange creatures.

Finding himself without company yet again, Ivory walked sluggishly back to the bed. He lay down on his back but quickly pulled himself up, the stinging sensation of the whip returned. He grimaced and grunted, lightly touching his back. It felt as if the wound was on fire.

The pain disappeared after a minute or two and he lay down on his side this time. His mind raced with questions, but only one stood out in his mind at the moment; would he manage to escape?

*****

“Lights out.” A voice called yet again, this time on Ivory’s floor. He had been waiting for the voice to reach his floor, and soon after the lights were shut off. The voice continued up several more floors. Ivory waited patiently for the gryphon guard to finish his patrol before reaching under his bed for the key.

Surprisingly enough, the guards hadn’t noticed that the key was missing. They probably assumed that the warden had taken it after speaking with Ivory. But it only made the escape easier.

The pony recited the plan in his head. First he would open the cell. He would have to grab his saddlepack before making a break for the stairway. And after that he would have to head out the first corner door he saw. Where he went after that, he didn’t know. Gilda hadn’t been too specific on what was to happen after he made it that far. And an even bigger question was what was his signal to get moving?

The voice passed through a few more floors, becoming more and more faint. Finally, after ten or eleven floors, the voice ceased. And a few more minutes later, footsteps became audible down the stairway and then faded into silence. Ivory heard a door slam shut, and that was it. The only sounds keeping him company were the snores and tired breathing of his cellmates.

He sat on the edge of his bed, swinging his hind legs back and forth. Waiting for something, anything. He looked under the mat for a second to make sure the key was still there. Other than the occasional clang or clank from the cells surrounding him, the prison was in completely muted.

*****

“What are we doing here, Gilda?” A frightened gryphon asked while lugging a huge firework through the dark night. “I thought you said we were gonna pull a prank.”

The two flew just along the outside of the jail, Gilda counting the floors and corner doors. “Uh…” She said, barely acknowledging her friend’s question. “We are gonna pull a prank.”

“On the police?! Are you craz-?!” Gilda’s talon covered her mouth in an instant. They stopped in midair, only the flapping of their wings creating noise.

“Shh! Ok, so I kinda lied. So what, are you chicken?”

Her friend nodded slightly, her mouth still covered.

Gilda rolled her eyes and said, “We’ll be fine.”

They continued the search for the correct door. Then Gilda pointed at a particular corner. “That’s it. That’s where we need to plant this baby.”

Her friend unenthusiastically flew down and placed the dragon shaped firework right next to the door. “Ok, now can we leave?” She whimpered, clearly not too keen on this whole idea.

“You go on and go Shia.” Gilda dismissed her friend.

“Be careful Gilda…” Shia said, worriedly flying away from the prison, leaving Gilda, the firework, and a match behind.

The gryphon lit the match without a second thought. She had always been one for a good prank, but this was crossing a huge line. Then again, she had already crossed that line a long time ago back in Ponyville. She regretted everything she did and said back then. And now, she had a chance to make things right. She had not the heart to ask for forgiveness herself.

“Alright.” She muttered, clearing those thoughts from her mind. She lit the fuse on the explosive and took flight as fast as possible. When that thing went off, she didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

*****

An earthshattering explosion shook the entire prison. The sound of fire crackling and metal crashing into metal deafened everyone within. The smell of smoke quickly penetrated all of the floors.

The cracking fire was soon drowned out by the cries of confusion and fear from the prisoners and the desperate yells and footsteps of the guards running up the stairs. Ivory recovered his calmness and noted this as the signal.

He had fallen off of the bed from the explosion, so he just reached under the bed and grabbed the key with a shaky hoof. With the key in his hoof, he ran over to the cell and reached out to unlock the cage. After struggling a bit to place the key in the lock, Ivory pushed it in and turned as far as it would go. A small click later, he pushed the cell over with great speed. The door slid open and the pony was free.

Some of the prisoners discovered that he had escaped and begged him to free them as well. But he didn’t have enough time for such trivial matters. He just ran over to the wall dotted with hooks and keys and grabbed his saddlepack. He didn’t even have time to make sure all of his supplies were accounted for, Ivory just made a mad dash for the staircase.

His legs ached from having not moved like this in some time. Because of this, his speed was hindered greatly. When he reached the staircase, he heard a guard back near his old cell yell something. Ivory couldn’t make out what he said, but it didn’t matter, they knew he had escaped… or was at least trying to escape.

Now encouraged to run faster, he reached the top of the stairway in no time to find the corner door that Gilda had mention… or what was left of it. The door had been blown off of its hinges and was now hanging off the side of the floor just under the railing. Small fires resided just next to and outside the door, but that wasn’t enough to scare Ivory off. He ran at the hole in the wall, as it was his only shot.

But his escape was brought to a dead stop. He stood on a small ledge just outside the prison, above a gaping chasm, far too high to jump and far too high to survive. A small river rested just at the base of the crevasse, but that wouldn’t be enough to break the fall. Ivory just stared over the land below. “Is this some kind of sick joke?!” He muttered.

Before too long, he was joined by two gryphon guards. “STOP PONY!” One of them shouted, making sure to keep his handgun on Ivory.

The white pony turned slowly, eyes meeting with those of the guard. The gryphons looked a bit worried, having no idea how Ivory escaped and managed to blow a door open. They had no idea what he would do next.

“It’s the end of the line for you!” The guard said, taking a step forward.

And now, the ball was in Ivory’s court. It was his move to either surrender and hope that his punishment wouldn’t be as severe, go down swinging and take whatever they could dish out, or put his life in the hands of faith. The choice was painful, but obvious.

Ivory jumped up on the thick railing over the ledge, keeping his balance on his hind legs. A quick prayer in his mind eased his troubled thoughts. Celestia, please don’t let me fail now.

He closed his eyes, and raised his arms, resembling a cross. And steadily, shifted his weight to the back of his body. Gravity soon took effect and Ivory Moon fell off the ledge down the huge chasm below.

The wind blew his mane back as he fell faster and faster. He couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes for a reason even he did not know. Maybe it was to say that live or die, he was willing to accept his fate.

Suddenly, he felt as though he had been hit by a train. But the wind was still blowing his mane and tail back. How did that make sense? He didn’t hit the ground? His eyes creaked open showing him the side of a mountain. He was moving, but he wasn’t falling. Ivory glanced down and saw a brown feathery coat. “Thanks Gilda.”

“You are the craziest pony I’ve ever… EVER seen.” She replied, piloting through the crevasse at tremendous speed.

*****

They landed in a rocky desert, less barren than the last one Ivory had been in, but still very desolate. Rocky structures and cactuses kept the land from being totally bleak. And the cool air from the nighttime breeze was more than welcomed for this weary traveller.

He looked ahead, seeing nothing in the way of civilization. His single loaf of bread would have to sustain him the rest of the way to Rarity and all the way back.

As Ivory’s gaze intensified, Gilda looked about ready to leave. The earth pony stopped her before she took off. “Wait, Gilda. Are you gonna be alright?”

Gilda shrugged and grinned. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. They have no idea who busted you out. And they’ll be more concerned about fixing that door before they try to find out who it was.”

They chuckled a bit. Then, Ivory started back on his trek through another desert. “Rainbow Dash would be proud of you.” He said as a last remark.

He heard nothing from the gryphon. No response, no sigh, gasp, nothing. Just the flapping of wings until fading away into the night.