And you can really surprise

Cozy was walking down another dark, overly drawn-out, damned curve of the cave when something new flashed in the fire of her match. A green, jelly-like mass. A stupendoshuddering, gooey something. Smooze. [Too many slime-like monsters in one day. If I make it out -> ask Twilight for a shower].

Quietly, carefully, Cozy went through the chain of actions:

Twitch - recoil - turn around - stop. It's not like she has anything shiny, why run? Cozy exhaled. And as she noticed, Smooze themself still hadn't moved. Apparently it hadn't recovered from the chase. Unfortunately, the fact that she'd run into it meant she was probably going the wrong way. Nor did it make things better that she was about to run out of matches.

[Three outcomes: bad, neutral, good. Bad - I'm stuck here in the dark and I'm unlikely to get out on my own. Neutral - I'll meet Twilight and everything will go back to normal. Positive - I'll get out before she does, and go somewhere else.]

Cozy rustled onward when she heard a scream. Not a shriek, a squeezed one, a weakened one, as if someone's chest had been pinned to the floor.

• HELP!

• Eh? Cozy shook her head toward the sound. Slap - the loose curls smacked her in the nose. The pegasus swore, parting her hair, searching for the source of her voice. The cavernous moisture caused her mane to slip from her hooves back onto her face. Cozy took it again, tried to pull it apart -no, the hair fell back - let's... just a little, maybe put it behind ears?

• I can see you, please help! The exclamation was repeated, by the last word torn two notes up.

Let's try... No, to heavy, her ears would rather fall off. She can't braid a braid with her hooves, and a match almost fell out of her mouth, and - damn it - in her eye... hair... ARGH!

• Please! The voice shuddered waterily and bounced around, getting louder and quiter.

Cozy barked. The hell with it. One roll up, two roll up, three roll up. She twisted her hair like a rope around her neck, leaving the end of mane dangling just above the ground. Now it was time to go to the screamer.

She walked a few more meters, and a voice brought her to... a bad discovery.

A particularly bloated mass of slime, and in it a body. (The smell of unwashed flesh) Alive? It speaks. Screaming. It's alive. Pony - lying on his belly, mired down in slime. (shuddering sounds of faint breathing, fading into the darkness of the cave) Male, blue dirty hair. Helmet with flashlight on his head. Still working (pulse beats overlapping each other, tossing heart up and down).

Cozy stumbles backwards.

The pony raises his head, and his fur is left in the slime. And his skin is left in the slime. And his cheek is left in the slime.

• Wait! Don't go, please, please, STOP!

Cozy curls up, coughing. Her cavernous throat burns with a caustic sensation that reaches her mouth and hits her nostrils. She holds back. [I've seen worse than that. Vomiting can create a negative first impression]. Her throat had been dry for a long time, both from wandering around the cave and from all the vaguely almost un-earthly horror she'd encountered along the way. Because of this. The pegasus takes a deep breath. Camera, action.

• Oh, golly, mister! - The little pony runs up. A white hood fell off her head, revealing a look full of worry - how did you end up here?

• I - sniff - I was a miner, I went down into the mines, and while I was working, I was digging g-. go-gold, this, this thing went through the cave, and I stuck to it! God, I want to go home. I don't know how long I've been here. I don't remember. This thing has carried me through so many caves. I-I, please... W-Wait. You, you're a child!?

• Yes, mister! My guardian and I were exploring the local rocks, but when Smooze showed up we... we had to split up, and... - she sniffed. What else she had to do? Lifted my lip, yanked it a little. Gosh, it's been so long since she used real facial expressions. Even days later, her face feels like a rock. Thank goodness they're in a cave. Darkness - unprepared actor's best friend.

• No, no... if we're stuck here together... you can't find anyone in the dark by yourself! You poor little filly. And even if you do, I'll stay here and Smooze will drag me away again! Sweet Celestia, I'm so glad my helmet still works... I'm so scared to stay in the dark. I've never been afraid of it, but these days, t-th-these days!

The pony's eyes distorted, seemingly almost ready to burst into tears. His teeth trembled with cold, in fact, his whole body clenched in spasms. Smooze's slie was clearly not warm.

• Oh, mister, you must be so cold...

His eyes gleamed. Somewhere on the other side of his skull reflected that awful, frosty feeling that had held him for so long.

• Y...y -

• It's all right, don't worry.

She pulled off her robe, spreading the garment. In her hooves was a rectangular white cloth. A second. The moisture of the cave crept over her body, lifting her hair. Sigh. The pegasus approached Smooze's captive, gently the cloth touched the slime, covering the pony's body.

• Oh, t-t-thank you, but I don't think that will hel-

• Shhhhhhhh.

Cozy moved closer to his face. It was only at that moment that the pony could see the growing smirk on her face.

• W-what?

Click. Somewhere beneath his lower jaw, a mechanism holding the helmet on his head clicked. Cozy yanked the headgear upward, rising into the air with it. The rest of the robe fell carelessly over the captive's face. He wrapped his head around, throwing it off his face, only to see Cozy in his helmet move away.

• Wait, where are you going? Wait a minute!

Somewhere in the back of the aisle, a distant reply echoes:

• Dear mister, the best way to conquer fear is to face it.