In Pursuit of...

Chapter 10: Catching Up

Nimbus watched as his grandfather pulled a small, orange flower from one of the dark passageway’s walls. He struck the flower on a wall, and the blossom burst into flame. Quickly, his grandfather dropped the flower into a trough running down the side of the wall. Instantly, the trough lit up with fire, dimly illuminating Nimbus’s surroundings. Nimbus could see the fire spreading down the length of the trough, and disappearing behind a corner.

“What is this place?” he asked his grandfather.

“A labyrinth, designed to keep out those who would seek the Unifier for personal gain.”

Nimbus gazed at the walls. At the labyrinth’s entrance was a vast mural. One wall depicted Discord’s defeat, while the other depicted the imprisonment of Nightmare Moon. He was about to say something when a chilling rattle echoed down the corridor.

“What was that?” he whispered.

His grandfather turned to him. “I’m going to be honest with you, Nimbus. There are dangers down here, protectors of the scroll. This is not going to be an easy task for either of us.”

Nimbus nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.”

They walked on, to the corridor’s end, and came upon another corridor’s intersection. Both left and right seemed clear.

“Which way?” Nimbus asked.

His grandfather frowned. “I don’t know, it’s been a while. Let’s go right.”

They turned right, walking down the hall. The architecture was old, easily by centuries. The walls were all ornately painted, depicting various pony legends. Nimbus didn’t have time to enjoy things, however. Right now, he was scared from head to hooves. The rattling sound came every few minutes, and it wasn’t helping him stay calm at all. They rounded another corner, coming face to face with a dead end. They were in a circular room, with a small fountain and pool in the center.

“Well, I guess we go back,” said Nimbus.

“No,” his grandfather said, “wait a moment.”

Slowly, he walked over to the fountain. When he reached it, he motioned for Nimbus to come forward. Nimbus looked into the fountain’s base. Below the water was the Unifier’s symbol again.

“The first test,” the old Pegasus explained.

“What is it?” Nimbus asked.

“This fountain will accept only the blood of the guardian. When an offering is made, the guardian shall pass.”

Nimbus’s eyebrows rose. “So what does that mean?”

“It means,” his grandfather said, steadily, “that I must request the service of your blade.”

“What do you-“ before Nimbus could finish his statement, his grandfather grabbed his front leg, the one with the blade attached, and held it over the fountain. His grandfather then ran his own front leg across the blade’s edge, drawing a drop of blood into the water. Nimbus sheathed the blade and looked into the water. It began to swirl around, turning the bottom of the fountain into a whirlpool. Then the room began to shake. The wall in front of him rotated, exposing a door and cutting off their entrance.

“Well I guess we’re committed now,” Nimbus said, shrugging.

“Right,” said his grandfather, “now let’s continue on, shall we?”

They walked on into the darkness, following the flames on either side of them. Every so often, the rattling sound would come up again, but Nimbus was used to it, now. They walked for what seemed like an eternity, twisting around turns and going up and down stairs, and through narrow corridors. Nimbus was starting to wonder if they were lost. He didn’t want to show weakness, however, so he decided to calm his nerves with some family talk.

“So… everything you’ve told me- it’s a lot to take in. I’ve got a lot of questions now.”

His grandfather smiled. “Ask away!”

“Well first of all, how have you been around for so long, if you don’t mind me asking? I mean, Discord was defeated centuries ago, and you were there.”

The old Pegasus chuckled. “The Unifier is a funny thing. You see, it granted me an extremely long life before I hid it. I assume it’s because I’m its guardian.”

“Well yeah, but so are all the others who came before me,” said Nimbus. “Wait a minute- if there were others, then why aren’t you my great-great-great-grandpa, then?”

Nimbus’s grandfather winced. He was hoping to avoid this. “Well, that’s a bit complicated…”

Nimbus said nothing, prompting his grandfather to continue.

“Only about fifty years ago, I met your parents. They were alone, abandoned on top of a mountain peak and freezing to death. I took them in and raised them in this house, and eventually they came to serve Equestria in the Defense Force. They served their country and protected the Unifier scroll without knowing it. Finally, when they retired before you were born, I told them about the scroll. They agreed to stay here with me, and raise you.”

Nimbus had stopped walking and simply stared “What? So… you’re not even related to me?”

“Well, not exac-“

He was cut off by the sharp rattling noise from before, but this time it was closer.

“Hey!” said Nimbus, “I demand an explana-“

“Shh!”

Nimbus was about to object when he heard the rattling as well. “We’re not done talking about this,” he said, somewhat miffed. His grandfather nodded his head and motioned for Nimbus to follow him. Slowly, the two rounded another corner- and dropped straight into a dimly-lit cavern. Nimbus hit the ground with a thud, unable to open his wings in time, and his grandfather did the same. Slowly, he got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. All around him was a massive tangle of spider webs. The walls were crumbling, and Nimbus could see sections of the labyrinth exposed, corridors leading into blackness.

“Uh, Grandpa?” Nimbus asked slowly, “was this room always like this?”

“No,” his grandfather whispered, “there must have been a cave-in.”

Nimbus walked into the center of the room. Hanging down from the ceiling was a silky, white bag, attached by a string of the same material. He touched the bag slightly, pushing it curiously. It swung back once, then on the return swing burst open, scattering bones out onto the floor. Nimbus gasped.

"Nimbus," his grandfather said, "you really need to keep quiet. I don't know what we're dealing with here!"

Nimbus nodded, putting a hoof over his mouth and turning back to the bones. They were those of a Unicorn, and with them were the tattered remains of a large knapsack and a dagger.

"Must've been a thief," he said to himself, quietly. He looked closer at the bones, and was shocked. Some of them appeared... gnawed.

The rattling sounded again, from above. Nimbus looked up, afraid of what he’d see, and rightfully so. Perched above him was a massive spider, venom dripping from its fangs, beady eyes glaring down at them.

“You got a plan for this?” Nimbus asked.

“Yeah, run!”

The spider descended as soon as it sensed the movement of the two ponies bolting for one of the exposed labyrinth passages. Nimbus heard it hit the ground, and jumped into the air, switching control of his forward movement to his wings. He extended his blade as his grandfather took to the air next to him.

“You go ahead of me,” Nimbus said, as they entered the passageway, “I’ve got our backs in case that thing attacks.”

Nimbus’s grandfather nodded, and sped ahead. In the somewhat brighter light of the passageway, Nimbus saw the spider in full detail. It was large, and maroon with black and orange accents. He wasn’t as interested in the color, however, as he was by the pony-sized fangs. Amazingly, the beast fit into the passageway. Nimbus ducked back and swiped at its face with his blade, causing the spider to back off. Nimbus used the chance to bolt ahead and catch up with his grandfather.

“So, you were saying?”

His grandfather sighed. “Is now the best time?”

“Do you have anything better to do?” Nimbus asked, banking around a corner.

“Fine. Yes, you are not related to me. Your known bloodline starts at your parents.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?” Nimbus asked, suddenly ducking back again to take another whack at the spider.

“I didn’t think it was important,” said his grandfather, swerving left down another passage.

“I still can’t believe you’d keep something like this from me,” said Nimbus.

“Well, there’s something else as well…”

Nimbus didn’t hear his grandfather, however. The wall next to them exploded outwards, and two more spiders joined the chase. Now things really became hard. Beams stuck out from the walls, forcing Nimbus and his grandfather to duck under them and weave between the obstructions. Fortunately, the spiders had a harder time getting through. They had to go around the obstacles on foot. Even so, they were fast. Nimbus followed his grandfather down a flight of stairs, still flying. From there, they continued their flight down the passages, until they came to an abnormally long hallway. They’d gained a fair amount of distance, so Nimbus’s grandfather stopped.

“What’s up?” Nimbus asked.

“This hallway- I know it. We need to tread carefully.”

“Care to tell me why?” Nimbus asked, shuffling a hoof forward impatiently.

“Well,” the old Pegasus said, rubbing a hoof against one of the walls, “this is one of the more dangerous hallways. As we come closer to the scroll, the peril increases.”

Nimbus rolled his eyes. “Great. So what do we do?”

His grandfather didn’t answer. Instead, he moved forward, stepping into the passage. The floor was covered in marble tiles. Nimbus marveled at their beauty, deciding that these tiles were the work of a master craftsman. Get them wet, and this room would become one of the slipperiest surfaces in Equestria. Fortunately, he realized, he was a Pegasus, and could simply fly over such things. He tried to open his wings, but found them stuck to his sides.

“Hey,” he asked his grandfather, “what’s up?”

“It’s a spell, to challenge all ponies equally. It restricts your flight, as well as Unicorn magic.”

Giving up on his wings, Nimbus started walking. He followed his grandfather, who appeared to be stepping on certain tiles. Nimbus squinted at the tiles in question. On their surface, barely visible, was engraved the Unifier’s symbol.

“So that’s the trick,” he thought, “the safe tiles are marked. The others must be booby-trapped.”

A rumbling sound echoed out of the passage behind the two, followed by the rattling again.

“They’re coming,” said Nimbus, “those freaky spiders.”

“Then we’d better hurry it up.”

The two ponies began stepping faster over the tiles, but the hallway was long, and the noises were coming closer. Nimbus took the tiles one at a time, watching his step and hurrying. He could just see the end of the passage. Closer, closer still…

The spiders burst into the room, and instantly crawled over all of the tiles.

“Not good,” Nimbus’s grandfather said.

“What is it?” Nimbus asked, as the walls began to shake, “what’s the trap?”

“No time for an explanation, just run!”

Nimbus did as he was told, running with all of his might. Behind him, water began gushing out of the walls. The trap tiles had apparently triggered a flood. The spiders tried to hold on, but were quickly washed away. Nimbus could see the water spreading towards him.

“Come on!” he yelled, “let’s go!”

The water was gaining fast, but the passageway was almost done. At the end was a door. They were so close now, Nimbus felt he could reach out and touch it.

When the water hit, Nimbus felt that no force in the world could have been as powerful.

…

Back on the surface, Mecha and the others were touring the grounds outside of Nimbus’s family home. That is, if the word “grounds” actually applied in this case. In all reality, the land around the place was thoroughly covered in vegetation. They tried circling the house, but instead settled for staying on the front lawn, which was covered in ancient, crumbling sculptures and ivy. Rarity had managed to locate a crystal table in the middle of a small grove of ferns, and all of the ponies were now seated around it.

“What do you suppose is taking Nimbus so long?” Fluttershy asked, eyeing a butterfly as it fluttered overhead.

“Beats me,” said Rainbow Dash, “maybe he’s lost somewhere.”

“Now Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, “we must have some faith in our new friend.”

“New friend?” Rainbow asked, “have you all forgotten what he was like before he met us?”

“Well, he did apologize to you,” said Twilight, “maybe you should give him a break.”

Rainbow Dash jumped up, hovering. She tended to do this when she was agitated. “No way. I’m not cutting Mr. Hotshot any slack until I think he’s earned it. Who's side are you on, anyway?” She settled back down.

"I wasn't even aware there were sides here!" Twilight said, angrily. "We need to all show Nimbus some friendship. That's what kept us together in troubled times, and that's what's going to keep us together now. Snap out of it, Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow Dash just hunched over and turned away.

“I almost wonder if I should have left him with his other blade,” Mecha said absently, rubbing the second blade-device’s smooth, aerodynamic surface. He’d taken it out of Twilight’s bag a while ago, and was puzzling over it, trying to decide how to improve it.

“I’m sure everything’s going to be okay,” Twilight said.

Mecha smiled, but internally, he couldn’t help but feel some apprehension. What exactly was Nimbus doing now? He dismissed the thought. Nimbus could take care of himself, and when his task was complete, they could continue on their journey. Luna would be free again, and Eclipse would be defeated. He leaned back and stretched. Nothing to do now but sit back and wait.