Cinematic Adventures: Ice Age

Chapters

Familiar Faces & Screwball Scrat
Meeting Manny and Sid
When Sabers Attack
Baby Blues
Dancing with Dodos
On My Way
Sketchy Shortcut
Lava Rescue
Battle in the Blizzard
Proposals & Old Faces
Direwolves and Surprises

Familiar Faces & Screwball Scrat

Bright were the ethereal rays of the sun, shining from the very heavens above. The sky was blanketed in a clear blue sky, only a few small clouds dotted along an otherwise ‘perfect’ atmosphere above the town of Ponyville. Despite the multitude of recent events many of whom witnessed, the ponies of this quaint little town continued their daily routines.

Meanwhile, in a large cabin between the outskirts of Ponyville and the Everfree forest, two stallions were hard at work. Following the ‘Jurassic Park’ scenario, Curtain Call and Quill Cast had been digging into whatever schemes the Dark Order have been manipulated. Granted, most of their resources were limited and in their pony forms it was slow progress. However, they refused to let anything stand in their way. In that moment, Quill searched through a series of books covering dark magic while Curtain studied every file concerning the members of the Order itself.

“You find anything in those books yet?” Curtain asked his partner.

“Not really,” Quill sighed. “I’ve read almost every book and can find nothing that suggests what they’re after. You?”

“No such luck,” Curtain shook his head. “Everything in these files is exactly what we already know of these guys. Pretty straight forward facts: Their development and design, depictions, merchandising, appearances, personality, quotes, galleries, even their ‘canon’ fates. They’re not even hiding the fact they want to control allworlds not just their own.”

A groan escaped Quill’s lips as he slammed one book shut and placed his head in his hooves.

“There must be something that’ll give us the upper hand,” Quill muttered impatiently. “We’ve been working this case for weeks; it’d be great if we could at least figure out who’s running this operation.”

“As far as we know, it has to be someone with a connection with Lord Voldemort,” Curtain replied, skimming the files.

“That covers about half the Wizarding world. It could be anybody.”

RING! RING!

A sudden sound of a ringing cell phone caused the two stallions to snap their heads toward the nearby coffee table, where Quill Cast’s phone rested. The stallion in question leapt from his seat and raced over to answer. A bit tricky clutching the phone with only his hooves, but he made it work.

“Hello?” He greeted on the phone.

“Quill, it’s Amethyst! You and Curtain need to get here right now!”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up there Am,” Quill responded. “What’s going on?”

“Just get here as soon as you can. I’ll explain when you get here!”

But before Quill could question further, the call went dead.

“What’s happening?” Curtain asked curiously.

“Amethyst needs to speak with us ASAP,” Quill responded.

“About what?”

“No idea,” Quill shrugged, grabbing his saddlebag. “She only said she’d tell us when we get there. It must be something important if she wants us there quickly.”

“Alrighty then,” Curtain nodded, grabbing his own bag. “Let’s go!”

With their saddlebags slung over their backs, the two quickly gathered everything they assumed they’d need and raced out the front door of the cabin towards Ponyville. They had no idea what was going on or why Amethyst said it was of great importance. All they could hope for was that whatever was needed of them, it wasn’t anything ‘too’ serious.

Mares and stallions, fillies and colts, ponies of all ages crossed the streets of Ponyville performing their regular day-to-day activities. Two in particular, Twilight Sparkle and her faithful dragon assistant, Spike, hiked along the streets of town square. Along the way, they noticed every pony else bowing out of respect as they walked by. Obviously, it was because of Twilight’s status as a princess. But due to recent news of their adventures, not to mention their victories in other worlds, they were becoming famous themselves. Even if today they were just running a few errands, indicated by the sack of coins around Spike’s waist and some supplies in Twilight’s saddlebag.

“Wow! I haven’t gotten this much attention since saving the Crystal Empire,” Spike chuckled, waving at the ponies. “Almost forgot how awesome it is. Don’t you think so? Twi?”

Spike looked toward the lavender pony princess, who just walked on with a somber expression on her face. The same one she wore since returning from their traumatizing experience with Sweeney Todd. Needless to say, after returning two weeks prior, most of the group needed intense therapy sessions just to get over all the horror they experienced. Most of their friends were starting to get better, but Twilight Sparkle…

“You okay, Twi?” Spike asked concerned.

“I’m alright, Spike,” Twilight nodded nonchalantly. “It’s just… I don’t know if I can ever look at Princess Celestia the same way again.”

Who could blame Twilight Sparkle for feeling this way? The revelation Chrysalis showed them during the end of their previous adventure had been stuck on Twilight’s mind like glue. As hard as she tried to deny everything, the thought wouldn’t leave her alone. The very thought of her own teacher, the very princess Twilight looked to and thought so highly of, would actually be so cruel to Chrysalis and her first love… it was more than she could bare.

“Twi, you’ve got to learn to see past all that,” Spike insisted. “Applejack confirmed Celestia was telling the truth having little to no memory of those events. Maybe she got hypnotized. Perhaps mind-control, I don’t know.”

Twilight had toyed with the notion in her head for a long while. It wasn’t possible one could simply do something so horrid and have absolutely no memory of it whatsoever, even after a thousand years. She wanted to believe Celestia wasn’t in control of her actions… but still…

“That may be true Spike, and I do believe her and Applejack, it’s just…”

“You can’t imagine Celestia doing something like that?” Spike guessed. “Even if she wasn’t in control of herself?”

To which Twilight Sparkle nodded her head slowly.

“From the moment she became my teacher all those years ago, I looked at her with such high regard and respect,” Twilight explained. “I always thought if there was ever any pony who could do no wrong, no matter the case, it would be Celestia. But now after all this, while I still believe in her and trust her, I feel like that image has been tarnished entirely for me. How do I go back after that?”

Once more, Twilight cast a downtrodden look toward the ground as they walked on. It wasn’t until she felt a scaly arm around her that she turned over toward Spike, who knelt beside her and looked her straight in the eyes.

“Twilight, you and I both know that’s not true,” Spike told her seriously. “You think the world of Princess Celestia, and that’s never going to change. I agree all of this new information has everything all upside down; I’m still trying to comprehend this myself. But we do what we always do: We deal, we cope, and move on. Once we find out the truth, we’ll make things right for every pony… especially Celestia.”

As Spike’s words sunk in, all Twilight could think of was how much Spike had truly grown up. She still remembered the day so clearly when she hatched him from his egg and how he became part of the family. Even as he grew older, he was still the same little loyal dragon he’d always been… only taller now. The thoughts alone brought a smile to her face after what felt like such a long time.

“You truly are amazing, Spike,” Twilight smiled. “You know that right?”

“I try,” Spike grinned.”

Twilight released a giggle and playfully punched her assistant/brother along the shoulder before he assumed his full height. As they continued their way through town, they could spot some familiar faces just before their eyes. It was none other than the collective group that made up the remainder of the Mane Six: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. The five girls were gathered together, and the moment they saw the approach of Twilight Sparkle and Spike, they waved toward their two friends with great smiles.

Suddenly, just as Twilight and Spike were about to greet them, Twilight’s ears fluttered as a shrilling whistle of sorts drew her to look up. But she wasn’t alone, for the sound was so great that the remainder of her friends looked up with alarm.

“What’s that sound?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Ah don’t know,” Applejack replied. “But it sounds mighty close.”

“Look! Up in the sky!” Pinkie Pie pointed up.

All eyes turned toward Pinkie Pie’s direction spotting what appeared to be an unknown object descending as rapidly as a meteorite. It hurtled towards them, before descending away from the town, and crash landed toward a field closest to Ponyville.

“Oh, dear goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“I wonder what it is,” Rarity voiced her curiosity.

“We better investigate,” Twilight Sparkle declared. “Come on every pony!”

Soon, Twilight Sparkle, including her friends and dragon companion, raced off to investigate the crash. They soon arrived at the large smoldering crater, where a large hold could be found within the very center.

“That must be where it went in!” Spike pointed.

“Stand back guys.”

All eyes turned as another pony made his way toward the crater. It was a familiar pony whom they partially knew from Discord’s Theater, a pony by the name of… Phantom-Dragon (Or ‘Doc’ to some denizens of Ponyville). The lone pony proceeded to investigate the crash, carefully placing one hoof into the hole.

“Hmm… feels like a bunch of broken sticks… wait a minute. UGH!”

The pony exclaimed with disgust as he reeled his hoof back, waving it side-to-side rapidly.

“What is it, sugar cube?” Applejack asked.

“There’s something soft… and squishy in there,” Phantom-Dragon brushed his hoof, turning to the group. “We should fill this hole.”

“No way!” Rainbow Dash replied. “Let’s have a look first.”

“Hold on! Something’s coming!” Twilight Sparkle pointed out.

Sure enough, all eyes turned back toward the center of the crater as the mound of dirt slowly moved aside to reveal… the hindquarter of a pony. But whether it was male or female, based on what little they could see it was difficult to say.

“Hi, Mister!” Pinkie Pie greeted. “Did you have a lovely flight on the way here? Because your face looks…”

“Pinkie… that’s not the face,” Phantom-Dragon corrected. “That’s the rear end.”

“Oh! I knew that.”

“Better check its cutie mark,” Spike advised. “Maybe that can tell us who it is.”

Phantom-Dragon carefully brushed the soot off the flank, revealing a cutie mark of bubbles.

“Huh… now what kind of pony has bubbles for… DERPY!”

Exclaiming with realization, all the ponies (And Spike) proceeded to pull the trapped mare out of the dirt. Sure enough, it was indeed Derpy Hooves, the resident mail-pony in Ponyville, her derpy eyes rolled around as she tried to readjust herself.

“Oh, my Faust! What a flight!” Derpy exclaimed dizzily. “Oh! Hiya, Doctor Ph.D! Glad you’re here. Can you help me deliver a message?”

“Derpy, we’ve been through this… I’m ‘not’ a doctor!” Phantom-Dragon rolled his eyes. “But I’m willing to help just the same. What’s the 411?”

“You know where I can find somepony named Spike?”

“Right behind you.”

“Hi Derpy!” Spike greeted.

“Oh! There you are!” Derpy smiled, relieved. “Boy, I sure made good time!”

“What’s up?”

“I bring a message straight from Griffonstone, from a miss Gabby Griffon herself.”

“Gabby?!” Spike exclaimed.

Spike and Phantom-Dragon exchanged looks, and then back toward Derpy, who merely smiled.

“Eeyup! A romantic sing-a-gram just for you!”

“Ooh! Romantic, huh?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Now this I must hear!”

“Oh no you don’t, Pinkie,” Phantom spoke, pulling the party pony away. “I think you and the girls best be on your way… that goes double for you, Rarity.”

“Me?!” Rarity exclaimed, shocked. “Why?”

“This is a private moment for Spike,” Phantom continued, ushering the girls away. “Now come along now.”

“All right,” Twilight Sparkle nodded understandingly. “Come on girls.”

“Spoilsport…” Rainbow Dash muttered.

As soon as Phantom-Dragon and the girls disappeared from view, that just left Spike and Derpy Hooves alone.

“Alright Derpy, let’s have it,” Spike gestured.

“Just as soon as I have the right pitch,” Derpy replied.

Derpy Hooves proceeded to pull out a pitch pipe from the pocket of her uniform, blew the whistle for the right pitch, cleared her throat, and proceeded to sing:

Derpy Hooves (Sings):
Oh, Spikey my love,
It’s for you I pine!
We’ll meet at Discord’s Theater at a Quarter pass nine~
I so long for your strong arms to hold me tight!
Got my heart aflutter anticipating tonight~

By the end of the sing-a-gram, Spike collapsed onto the floor, fainting in a loving daze.

“Happens every time,” Derpy commentated. “Completely captivated by my voice.”

“Oh, thank you!” Spike thanked dazily. “Thank you!”

“That’ll be four bits please!”

Spike had enough sense to reach into his little bag and pulled out four bits which he gave to Derpy, even as he still lay along the ground. Derpy gave a cheery smile in return before flying off to finish her mail route for the day. As Spike lay on the grass, tiny hearts soon replaced the pupils in his eyes. But it wasn’t long till Rainbow Dash returned, fluttering over Spike with a smirk along her face before helping him up.

“Come on Romeo, get up,” She chuckled. “Don’t want to be late for your girlfriend.”

Spike was merely rambling nonsensically, as Rainbow Dash shook her eyes and pushed the tall dragon along back toward the theater. And it wouldn’t be long before a rather special surprise would present itself for the dragon.

Discord’s Theater… a pillar of social gathering amongst the denizens of Ponyville and the clans around Equestria. The place where the television was connected to provide a wider viewer-going experience, while Twilight and her friends would embark through the portal to unknown worlds. A theater that has had it share of mishaps, tons of renovation, repair fees to put in order, and a surprising amount of food to hold in supply. This was where Twilight and her friends were hanging out for the arrival of some special guests to appear.

But whereas the girls were all lounging about in the theater itself, Spike stood by the concession stand waiting for Gabby Griffon. His claws tapped along the glass containing the snacks nervously, as he tightened what appeared to be a glittery, thin black bowtie around his neck. It had been a while since Spike and Gabby had spent any time together, and what little they had to spend their ‘dates’ were often interrupted by the random trips through the television either to solve a problem happening there… or prevent the multiverse from falling apart. And usually by the time they get back, Spike was so flustered from the trips that he’d be too tired to complete their dates. Now his special griffon was coming just to see him, and Spike was more anxious than ever.

Just then, his eyes went wide as he spotted a silhouette of a griffin making a landing by the windows of the theater doors. It was difficult to tell if it was Gabby or not, but Spike was quick to action. Pulling himself behind the concession stand, the dragon teen quickly went to work. He proceeded to take a small canister of mouth spray, and quickly pressed a few spritz into his mouth. Then he raised his arm, cringing at the smell of his armpit odor and quickly pulled the top off the spray and just lathered the remains in his pits for extra freshness. He looked toward the glass of the stands, cleaning bits of his teeth with his tongue and then tried to brush his scales back for a more handsome look… only to groan when the scales drew upright. He then reached in and grabbed some mints from the stand, leaving a few bits on the table, and then stuffed the contents down his mouth for extra freshness. He took a breath, and his fire seemed to glow blue with an icy, minty effect as he sighed with satisfaction. He heard the doors open and quickly turned his back with a message he’d been preparing for this moment.

“Hello…” Spike recited to himself. “You know you’re my best griffon friend, right? I never want anything to get in the way of that. So, after hearing your message, I’ve had a lot to think about and… I want to go all the way with you—”

Spike quickly turned around expecting the loving face of his beloved Gabby, but his face dropped with shock for the griffon standing before him was ‘not’ Gabby… but Gilda Griffon. It had been a while since Spike had seen Gilda, but he could never forget her. Like all Griffons, she was half-eagle and half-lion, with a moderate gamboge coat, along with a white head with pale, light grayish heliotrope feathers. Moderate gamboge wings and brilliant gold talons made up the remains of her features. She eyed the dragon with those light brilliant amber eyes.

“Very sweet Spike,” Gilda remarked amused. “But I’m not that kind of girl.”

“Oh… Gilda!” Spike exclaimed, flustered. “Oh, how embarrassing. I’m surprised that you’d even be here.”

“You thought that I would be Gabby.”

“… is she here?”

“Oh… yeah, about that,” Gilda hissed, turning away. “Actually… something came up.”

“Oh… oh, I see…” Spike sighed glumly. “Well, that’s too bad. After everything that’s gone on, I thought for sure that she would…”

WHAM!!!

All of a sudden, Spike was pounced by a rapid force, tackling him onto the floor and skidding along the surface. Spike looked up with surprise as another griffon stood on top of him. Her moderate turquoise eyes staring gleefully into Spike’s, as the dragon was captivated by the artic bluish gray coat and feathers, with a cyanish gray head with light cornflower bluish gray chin and light cyanish gray markings. Never minding the fact, he was pinned down by the dark azureish gray wings and brilliant gold talons, for this griffon was exactly who he wanted to see.

“Hi, Gabby!” Spike groaned yet smiled.

“Aw, Spike!” Gabby smiled gleefully. “That was the sweetest thing a dragon has ever said!”

Gabby practically pecked Spike’s face with rapid kisses along his cheeks and lips, while the dragon laughed from such affection. Gilda merely just eyed the romantic scene with annoyance and a roll of her eyes. As soon as Gabby leaned back to give Spike some breathing room, Spike sighed as his face was covered with kisses from the griffon. He then returned his attention toward Gilda, with a shake of his head.

“You tried to play a mean trick on me, didn’t you?” Spike playfully accused.

“Guilty…” Gilda shrugged, nonchalant.

“Actually, it was my idea,” Gabby admitted sheepishly. “I wanted to do something unexpected for you, and I just had to ask Gilda to come help me out. And besides, Grampa Gruff said I could only go if Gilda came along.”

“I had nothing better to do,” Gilda responded. “Just making sure Gabby doesn’t get in any trouble.”

“It’s really great to see you Gabby, and yes even you Gilda,” Spike replied, picking himself up.

“I’m always happy to see you, Spikey,” Gabby smiled, giggling at his tie. “My, you certainly decided to take the fancy approach.”

“Oh, uh… is this too much?” Spike asked, chuckling nervously. “Um… thank you, Bow. You may leave.”

As it turned out, Spike’s bowtie was actually a breezie with black wings that soon fluttered away.

“I thought it was a nice touch,” The breezie spoke, in its language.

“Eh heh… let’s pretend we didn’t see that,” Spike suggested, brushing his brow. “So, what brings you all the way to Ponyville.”

“Well, you know how I often worry about you seeing you go off on those adventures,” Gabby explained. “And yet I find you and your friends have so much fun together, even with all the monsters and the danger and the people freaking out seeing dragons and ponies and—”

“Can we fast forward to the point, Gabby?” Gilda interrupted, tapping the wrist of her talon.

“—So, I thought it be nice if I got to go along on a trip with you this time,” Gabby suggested. “It would be like an uninterrupted date.”

“A date through the television screens huh?” Spike nodded. “Well, I’m sure my friends could put together a little something. Let’s go talk to them.”

Just like that, Spike and the two griffons proceeded to enter through the doors and into the theater with all the seats, the projector, the screens, and the works. Sure enough, all the girls were sitting together in the front row, chatting amongst themselves when Spike and the griffons arrived. Naturally, the girls were always happy to see the mail carrier from Griffonstone, considering how friendly she is to every creature. But there was no mistaking there was an awkward tone in the air as Gilda and Rainbow Dash shared a glance, along with a slightly nervous Fluttershy.

“Rainbow Dash…” Gilda greeted plainly.

“Gilda…” Rainbow Dash nodded.

“PINKIE!!!” Pinkie bounced in, gleefully.

The party pony wrapped her hooves around Rainbow Dash and Gilda, pulling them toward her as they were gasping for breath and struggling in Pinkie’s tight grasp.

“Look at us girls! Together again!” Pinkie continued excitedly. “Seems funny how one moment we were meeting for the first time, having a party, and seeing each other to help put smiles on the faces of Griffonstone! It’s so great to see old faces again, am I right Flutters?”

Suffice to say, Fluttershy remembered Gilda all too well… but not to seem rude, she shyly nodded her head.

“Yes…” Fluttershy answered softly.

“Pinkie… need… room… to breathe!” Rainbow gasped.

“Oops!” Pinkie realized, letting go. “Sorry girls. You okay, Gilda?”

Gilda grumbled and groaned briefly as she cracked her neck, gasping for air while facing Pinkie.

“Peachy…” Gilda answered, bluntly.

“We’re happy the two of you can come for a visit, girls,” Twilight spoke up. “So Gabby, what did you and Spike have in mind for today? A nice dinner? A walk through the park? Perhaps a trip to the beach?”

“Well actually, Princess Twilight,” Gabby began. “Spike and I were talking, and we thought it be nice if we could spend our date by having a trip together… through the television.”

“It was just a suggestion,” Spike added.

Spike’s pony friends glanced at the pair blankly, a few of them blinked every few seconds. When they faced each other, they could see the hint of uncertainty on each other’s faces. It was clear they all had the same idea, especially concerning the use of the T.V., even for personal enjoyment.

“Spike… you know how happy I am that you want to do things with Gabby, and you’re grown up to make decisions,” Twilight spoke up. “But you realize using the television gets very dangerous, do you? We barely survived the last trip.”

“I still wake up in a cold sweat just thinking about it…” Rarity shuddered. “That dreadful place… the blood… the rainy streets… the pies…”

“Don’t even get me started on the pies!” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“You’ve been against pies since you were a filly, Rainbow Dash,” Gilda pointed out.

“Look girls, I know typically I’m the dragon who does what you say and carries the bags,” Spike replied. “But it’s not like I want to spend our date saving the world and fighting evil. I just think it be nice if we could go to a place where we can have a nice casual trip. Yes, the television mainly sends us to places where folks are in need or if, Celestia forbid, the villains attempt to break the timeline. But never does it specify it can’t take us to someplace ‘fun’ once in a while.

“And I can trust Spike to keep me safe if any trouble does come up,” Gabby assured. “I’ve seen him hold his own out there, and we could help each other.”

“And Gilda happens to be with you guys, because…?” Rainbow gestured.

“I’m only tagging along just to make sure these two don’t get into trouble,” Gilda clarified. “Not like I have anything better to do around this town… is that 24/7 title still available…”

“… Not until four,” Pinkie specified.

“Dang it!”

“And even if we do find trouble, I’m sure it’s nothing that can’t be done in half an hour,” Spike insisted. “We’ll barely be gone for long, I promise!”

For a moment, Twilight Sparkle just eyed Spike as if she were struggling to feel convinced. It was like seeing her younger brother going off into the cold, grim world unaware of the danger ahead. Even as a teenager, Spike eyed Twilight back with a ‘pleading’ gaze even mouthing the words silently. Against her better judgment, Twilight Sparkle just couldn’t say no to that face.

“Well, as long as it’s a nice peaceful location,” Twilight pondered. “I guess a half hour wouldn’t hurt. I’ll go see about setting the coordinates…”

“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Pinkie bounced like a spring. “Can I pick the destination, Twilight? Can I? Can I? Can I?”

“All right, Pinkie. All right. Just try not to send them to any place ‘complicated’ this time.”

“What kind of wild, zany party pony do you take me for?”

Pinkie Pie proceeded to bounce her way up the flight of stairs toward the projector room looming above the theater. Gilda merely shook her head, as she massaged the brow of her feathered head.

“The sooner we’re someplace quiet, the better…” Gilda sighed.

It didn’t take long for Pinkie Pie to make her way toward the projector room. Inside, this was where the television was wired up along the controls so any pony could put in the coordinates for any place in the multiverse to go. Usually, it would be toward wherever there’s a signal where a dire need for help arises, but otherwise it was possible to input a location to a particular place. The only trouble was… there were so many buttons on the panel to work with.

“Wow, these controls get more complicated almost every story…” Pinkie remarked. “Still, I’m sure I can figure this out.”

Pinkie Pie proceeded to approach the panel and slowly pushed some random buttons.

“I… want… Hawaii…” Pinkie spoke slowly, pushing buttons. “Love… Pinkie Pie…”

The controls started blaring up as a ‘warning’ signal started to blink red before her eyes. She had no idea what she did, but something was happening.

“Huh… maybe if I push everything…”

Pinkie Pie proceeded to press all the buttons randomly and suddenly a spark ignited off the controls. All at once, the projector started to shake violently drawing Pinkie’s attention. Thinking it was about to explode, Pinkie Pie raced out of the booth.

“GIIIIIIIIRLLLSSS!!!” Pinkie screamed frantically.

“PINKIE PIE!!!” Rarity gasped. “What did you do now?!”

“I’m sorry, I was trying to input a lovely vacation spot for Spike & Gabby,” Pinkie explained rapidly. “I started pressing buttons, everything turned red, the projector’s about to blow up…”

“You did WHAT?!?!” Twilight Sparkle snapped.

Suddenly, a beam of light exploded from the booth and all at once a portal quickly opened up before the stunned group. Before any pony, or any creature, could say a word, a force began to draw the group toward the entryway like a vacuum. Despite the group’s best efforts to hold on, the portal’s suction proved too great and the Mane Six flew right through the portal one-by-one. By the time Gilda was hovering into the portal, flapping fruitlessly against the draft, Spike clutched onto one of the chairs with a claw while holding Gabby with another. Spike held onto Gabby as tightly as he could, as she held on while trying to avoid gazing at the portal.

As the dragon teen tried desperately to pull himself forward, the cushion of the chair seat broke apart and the two were sent screaming into the portal after their friends. ‘Where they were going?’, they didn’t know for sure. But as they fell through the portal, they started to feel a ‘chill’ within the portal as if wherever they’d be going the portal was sending them somewhere… cold?

Moments after the Mane Six, Spike, and the griffons were thrust through the portal to what strange world lay ahead, Quill Cast and Curtain Call raced across the streets of Ponyville. Upon receiving the urgent call, the pair of stallions ran to town as quickly as their legs could carry them. Eventually, they skid to a halt before the local townhouse. They quickly entered the house to meet with their loyal assistant, Amethyst Star, as well as Quill’s fiancé, Atalanta, and their adopted daughter, Cotton Swirl.

Upon seeing her father, and her favorite uncle, entering the house, the little filly instantly ran over to hug them.

“Daddy!” She yelled happily, wrapping her hooves around Quill.

“Hey sweetie!” Quill greeted. “Have you been helping mommy and Auntie Am?”

“I sure have!” Cotton nodded. “Since I’m still too little, I just bring them stuff. I can’t wait till I’m bigger and can help out more.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that for a while, kiddo,” Curtain smiled at her. “You have youth; you should enjoy it. But one day, you’ll be doing fieldwork with us in no time.”

“But until then, what you’re doing is just fine,” Atalanta assured, crossing the room.

“So, what’s so urgent?” Curtain asked curiously. “You called us up saying you wanted us here as quick as possible.”

Amethyst spoke no words, instead reaching under the table she stood at. When her hoof came back up, it held a strange looking object. Upon further examination, it was revealed to be a totem carved from petrified wood. The totem itself depicted some hideous looking beast.

Seeing the strange totem before them made the stallions’ eyes grow wide.

“Is that what I think it is?” Quill asked nervously.

“It’s back, Quill,” Amethyst spoke slowly.

“That’s not possible,” Curtain said confused. “I thought we defeated it during that job in Vancouver. Boy, what a mess… so many bodies…”

“It’s found it’s way back,” Amethyst answered, worriedly.

“Where’d you find this?” Quill questioned.

“Zecora found this and brought it to me,” Amethyst replied. “She said she’s found multiple others and what remains of its… dinner.”

All this new information seemed confusing for the young Cotton Swirl.

“I don’t get it,” Cotton Swirl tilted her head. “What’s this all about?”

Atalanta merely used her magic to lift her daughter into the air, planting her upon her own back.

“You needn’t worry, honey,” Atalanta assured her. “It’s not something you ever have to deal with… I hope.”

“What’re we supposed to do now?” Curtain asked Quill.

Studying head to toe of the totem sitting on the table, eventually Quill faced his partner with a look of determination.

“We do what we always do,” He responded. “Track it down and finish the job for good.”

“How?” Curtain questioned. “We don’t even know where it’s gone this time.”

“Actually, I do,” Amethyst spoke up. “Zecora found this totem at the edge of the Everfree, near Fluttershy’s cottage. If I were to guess, I’d assume it’s going to wherever the ponies are going.”

“Well, that’s just great!” Quill sighed.

Hearing this, Atalanta stepped right alongside them.

“I’m going with you,” Atalanta volunteered.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, babe,” Quill argued. “Last time Curtain and I fought this thing, it nearly ripped us both apart. You should stay here with Cotton while we deal with the monster.”

“No way! I’m not letting you go alone!” Atalanta responded sternly.

“You do realize I happen to tag along with Quill on these ventures—” Curtain began.

But one look from Atalanta, staring daggers toward the theatrical stallion, and even Curtain Call knew it best to stop while he was ahead.

“… Please continue,” Curtain gulped, backing away.

“Quill… we made a vow to each other we’d be with each other forever,” Atalanta informed Quill. “No matter what you say, I’m going with you and that’s all there is to it.”

Despite how much Quill wanted to protest against his fiancé, of the very idea of coming along with the boys on this hunt, he knew it would be pointless to argue with the Changeling princess. And it was clear to see she loved him enough to willingly throw herself into the battlefield to help. Even against a creature on such a dangerously high level.

“Alright, you win,” Quill nodded.

“I’ll come too!” Cotton smiled.

“No baby, you can’t,” Atalanta shook her head. “We’re going after a very dangerous creature, and we can’t have you around it. You must stay here where it’s safe.”

“Aww, that’s no fun!” Cotton pouted cutely.

“Don’t worry, honey,” Quill ruffled her mane. “How about if Amethyst takes you over to hang with Doc at the theatre? You can help him run the place?”

Cotton’s initial disappointment refreshed to excitement in a blink of an eye.

“Okay!” Cotton squealed excitedly.

“That’s my girl!” Quill smiled, with approval.

Both he and Atalanta leaned down to plant a kiss upon their daughter’s cheek. They hugged her goodbye and made their way for the door. Curtain Call followed, but leaned down toward Cotton’s level when the pair weren’t looking.

“We’re still on for our little ‘training’ seminar when we get back, kay?” Curtain whispered.

“Yes, Uncle Curtain,” Cotton whispered back.

Patting his niece upon her head, Curtain Call followed Quill Cast and Atalanta toward the door.

“One more thing!” Amethyst called out.

The three paused just inches from the door and turned back quickly.

“What’s up?” Curtain asked curiously.

“This place you’re going to, it’s not just the creature that’s there,” Amethyst informed them. “Another old ally of yours was banished there, for reasons I haven’t discovered yet. If you happen to come across him, perhaps you can try to convince him to come back and join the fight.”

The two stallions and the changeling princess looked at each other with curious expressions, all wondering what their companion was talking about.

“Which old ally?” Quill questioned.

It was a calm, chilly day as snow slowly fell along a snowy mountain range from the clouds above. A gentle breeze passed through, blowing snow across the land. A cold place with little to no life around, all… but for one small creature. The blistering winds didn’t stop him from hopping about in search of something. A small, saber-toothed squirrel with a brown acorn in its grasp. This saber-toothed squirrel, Scrat by name, was seeking a place to store his acorn in this seemingly endless winter.

Scrat hopped around the flat, icy grounds occasionally stopping to dig through the ice. But each time he pushed his acorn into the ground, it wouldn’t go in. Scrat would hop a few inches away, trying again and only getting the same result each time. Scrat would perform this ritual about three times, but no matter how hard he tried the ice was just too thick. Thinking this was not the right place to store his acorn, Scrat hopped away. He sniffed through some cold, dry grass, but found nothing. He peeked his head above the grass, his eyes surveying the land. He dug through some more ice, but pushing his acorn through it clearly wasn’t working.

The squirrel hopped off, continuing his search, when he noticed the ice, he stood on wasn’t as thick as before. Squealing with delight, Scrat shoved his acorn into the ice. It didn’t go far in, but at least it dug into the ground. But Scrat refused to leave it like that. He shoved his acorn deeper and deeper down the ice, scrunching it in with all his might. He leapt onto it, stomping on it desperately. But upon doing so, the acorn jolted into the ground, leaving the squirrel confused.

Thinking about ‘why’ it happened, a crack crept from the acorn’s hole and travelled across the ground behind him. Scrat looked underneath him, seeing the crack climb an icy wall. It reached the top of the cliff, zigzagged across the ground, passing ice formations and eventually reached a glacier. Only this time, as it reached the top… the glacier got loose. Unable to sustain stability, the glacier broke off and slowly crept down its path… right towards Scrat. Seeing what he had unintentionally done, he quietly squirmed as if thinking, ‘Oh no…’

Seeing the glacier coming toward him, Scrat took off to run. But then he stopped and realized his acorn was still stuck. Yelping with shock, he rushed back to retrieve it. He grabbed the acorn and pulled hard, trying to get it out. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t budge and Scrat started panicking. After one mighty tug, the nut finally came loose landing into Scrat’s paws. Unfortunately, the worst was still to come, as the glacier toward over him ready to run him over!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Screaming loudly, as the glacier drew closer, Scrat made a mad dash for his life. Falling pieces of ice flew toward him from the moving glacier, which kept charging toward the squirrel, demolishing everything in its path. Scrat kept running, hoping to get far enough away. But suddenly, he spotted another glacier coming towards him from the opposite direction somehow. Trapped between two massive bodies of ice approaching, Scrat made a run for it just as they collided and started closing in.

Seeing no time to run, Scrat slid on his acorn, screaming loudly as the two walls were closing in like two boxes crashing together. Scrat slid until he reached the edge, where the two glaciers started squishing him, locking him in place. Scrat pushed his acorn out of the way, while trying to push himself out. On the verge of unconsciousness, his body squeezed tightly, Scrat was finally pushed out, along with his acorn. Now midair, he grabbed for his acorn and embraced it, only to realize he was now falling from a very high altitude.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Scrat landed along an ice wall, sliding down into a dirt wall. A ledge launched him into the air again, only this time Scrat crashed on the wall as it slid to the ground. Bouncing off the dirt, the squirrel landed on the ground, his teeth dug into it. Eventually, he pulled himself free and looked around, hoping his acorn survived the crazy experience. But his acorn was nowhere in sight.

It seemed to be a heavy loss for Scrat… when his acorn landed on his head and slid onto the ground.

Scrat squealed with happiness upon seeing his beloved acorn intact. He hugged it tenderly and began to walk off in search of a place to store his food…

WHAM!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant mammoth foot stomped on Scrat, who lost his grip on his acorn. Flattened by the massive weight, Scrat picked himself up as the mammoth walked off. But then, another prehistoric mammal, a Brontothere, stepped on him. Then another mammoth and even a dodo bird. Soon, another foot landed on Scrat, only this time, the poor squirrel was stuck on it and was carried away from his acorn groaning in pain.

This foot belonged to a Macrauchenia, a prehistoric mammal part of an enormous migration of mammals heading away from the northern regions in search of warmer climates. They had no idea just where this warmer climate could be found or how long they’d have to travel. But one thing was absolutely certain… an ice age had begun.

Meeting Manny and Sid

Author's Note

First off, thanks to Dramamaster for all your hard work editing on this chapter. Secondly, thanks to Phantom Dragon whose awesome quotes make up most of this chapter

Meeting Manny and Sid

A cold chill blew through the air, as a swirling green portal opened up. Emerging from this portal, Quill Cast, Curtain Call, and Atalanta stepped through as the portal closed behind them. Looking around, the group noticed that they were completely surrounded by a bunch of ice and snow which covered the landscape. Looking around, they could see that all the ice and snow seemed to stretch on for miles. The sudden rush of cold air immediately had them shivering.

“S-S-S-Sweet Celestia!” Quill chattered through his teeth. “W-W-Where d-did we end up t-t-this time?”

“N-N-No idea!” Curtain replied. “B-B-But it’s a-as c-c-c-cold as a m-mother in law’s h-h-heart.”

“I k-k-know w-what you mean,” Quill replied, trying to chuckle.

This only earned a stiff jab in the side from his fiancé, causing him to wince a slight.

“I-I-It’s w-w-way too cold t-t-to stay here l-l-long,” Curtain shivered, clutching himself. “T-T-This is why I p-p-prefer tropical.”

“D-D-Don’t worry g-guys,” Atalanta chattered. “I’ve g-g-got us c-covered.”

The Changeling princess quickly lit her horn with her magic, conjuring the entire group a bunch of nice warm apparel. Winter coats, hats, boots, and the works. Once they all were bundled up in warm clothing, their sighs of relief swept through the frigid air while the warmth their clothes provided left them content.

“Thanks babe,” Quill thanked Ata. “Last thing we need is to catch hypothermia when we should be finding a monster.”

“No… the last thing we need is to get ‘eaten’ by the monster,” Curtain retorted. “I suggest we try finding it before it tries to eat us… or some pony else.”

Just as Quill was about to respond, something sharp gently pressed against his back and his lips immediately sealed.

“Move one inch and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

A voice from behind him left Quill frozen in place… figuratively and literally. Curtain Call and Atalanta were about to confront whoever was behind them, but one look from Quill was enough to instruct them to stay back.

“All of you, turn around… slowly.”

Obeying the order, the trio slowly turned to see who exactly was addressing them. They were quick to take notice they appeared to be standing beside what resembled a tiny makeshift camp which they hadn’t noticed at first. However, their main focus was toward the sole individual standing before them.

The figure was that of a man of at least twenty five years of age with fairly curly shoulder length dark hair and a matching goatee. He wore dark leather clothing, boots, and a thick fur cloak around his shoulders. But what they noticed most about him was the very sharp sword with a wolf’s head pommeled handle he held in their direction.

Upon a closer inspection of the man’s face, Quill Cast and Curtain Call immediately recognized the stranger.

“Jon… Snow?” Quill questioned. “Is that you?”

Quill took a step towards the man, who held the sword in front of him till the tip of the blade nearly touched the stallion’s muzzle.

“How do you know my name?” Jon asked. “Who are you?”

“It’s us, Jon!” Quill responded. “Quill Cast and Curtain Call… remember? You’re old friends?”

“Your names mean nothing to me,” Jon replied.

Quill shot a look toward Curtain and the two stallions both shared a mutual look of understanding.

“Alright, how about we tell you something only a select few know?” Quill suggested. “You were working to negotiate an alliance between the Night’s Watch and the wildlings against the others…”

“But your policies were met with hostility by some among the Watch,” Curtain added. “You were left for dead in a mutiny following a desired attempt to break your vows to fight House Bolton.”

“How would you know that?” Jon asked, suspiciously.

“Because Mr. Snow,” Quill spoke up. “Our real names are…”

Quill gestured the man to come closer, so he could whisper their names to him. Jon Snow cautiously lowered his sword before slowly approaching the stallions, leaning toward their level on one knee. Quill leaned up on his hind legs and whispered into the young man’s ear. When he backed away, Jon’s eyes widened as he looked toward the group.

“It is you!” Jon gasped.

Within a split second, Jon sprang forward and wrapped his arms around Quill, who returned the hug in earnest. Seeing it was safe, Curtain quickly came over and joined in the hug until the three chaps finally parted.

“Dang man, we thought you’d skewer us for a second there,” Curtain chuckled.

“I’m glad you told me it was you,” Jon replied. “Why do you both look like… ponies?”

“We’re blending in with the natives of the land we currently reside in,” Quill explained. “We walk around as we really are, they’d freak out, they’d start asking questions… and the balance is ruined.”

“At least now we know who Amethyst was talking about when she mentioned an old ally,” Curtain realized. “I still can’t believe they banished you here.”

From the sidelines, Atalanta was watching the exchange between the three males with great confusion.

“Okay, hold up,” The princess interrupted. “Who is this guy? And how do you two know him?”

Turning back toward his fiancé, Quill looked as though he nearly forgot she was even there… for only a split second.

“Oops, sorry sweetie,” He quickly apologized. “Atalanta, this is our old ally Jon Snow, son of Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell in the North of Westeros.”

“Technically, he’s the ‘illegitimate’ son,” Curtain corrected. “But it’s a longer story…”

“Jon, this is my fiancé, Atalanta,” Quill introduced Jon.

Jon turned toward the changeling princess and gave a bow of his head in respect.

“My lady,” He greeted.

To which Atalanta responded with her own little bow of the head before turning back toward her fiancé.

“Quill, how exactly do you know him?” She asked curiously.

“Well, Curtain and I first met Jon during an excursion in a place known as Westeros,” Quill responded. “He was a member of the Night’s Watch, who guard the far norther borders from the wildings living beyond ‘The Wall’.”

“But then we heard rumors that Jon was left for dead by his own watch, following a desired attempt to break his vows to fight House Bolton,” Curtain added. “With the initial ‘Game of Thrones’ series over, and we had no idea how long it would be till the next two books come out, nor even if he would appear, Quill and I may have ‘accidentally’ created a paradox after we nursed him back to health, we got into trouble with the ‘management’, and… turns out they must’ve sent him ‘here’ while they tried to restore the balance of the ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ realm.”

“But before any of that, it was around our time working with Mr. Snow that we first encountered the beast we’ve been hunting,” Quill butted in. “It’s known by many names across different worlds and dimensions, but we know it as… the Wendigo.”

“Don’t you mean ‘Windigo’?” Atalanta questioned.

“Oh no, it’s nothing like the Windigo’s of Equestria,” Curtain spoke up. “The Wendigo is far worse. It’s an evil spirit brought upon by one of the most ultimate acts of evil… cannibalism.”

“The story goes that when a person resorts to cannibalism, this spirit possesses them and mutates them into this horrifying monster that will eat anyone it wishes,” Quill explained further. “It’s never satisfied with how much it eats, leaving no end of it’s rampage unless we destroy it.”

“We’ve seen what this creature could do, it nearly devoured a group of adults at some mountain lodge,” Curtain recalled. “It was a very confusing time. We created one too many alternate futures trying to catch this creature, and in one universe… none of the kids survived.”

“Oh my!” Atalanta gasped in horror.

“Which is why we really should get underway of finding it. Or else any creature unfortunate enough to get in its path stands no chance against this monster. And when there’s one, more will likely come, and it’ll spread like a plague here.”

“Couldn’t agree more, buddy,” Quill nodded, before facing Jon. “What do you say, Jon? Want to help us out for old time’s sake?”

“If it means traveling with you both again, how could I refuse?” Jon smirked.

With a nod of approval, Jon quickly grabbed any essentials he figured he’d need as well as sheathing his sword ‘Longclaw’ at his side. The group proceeded to make their way across the frozen landscape.

“By the way, where’s Ghost?” Quill asked.

“No need to worry about him,” Jon assured them. “He’ll be along soon; he can take care of himself.”

“Basically, Ghost is Jon’s closest companion,” Curtain explained to Atalanta. “Can’t have one without the other, so we made arrangements so they could be in banishment together.”

“Is there anything else you two have done in the multiverse?” Ata asked Curtain.

“The biggest question is… what haven’t we done?”

The group kept walking, completely unaware of a pair of bright yellow eyes spying on them through a nearby snowstorm. A deathly moan howled through the air, as a large claw scraped across the snow. A ravenous hunger was building, a hunger which needed to be sated.

The crystal clear portal from Equestria opened wide as the Mane Six, Spike, Gabby, and Gilda emerged from the other side. Much like the others, whom they didn’t know had shown up earlier, they too took notice of the frozen tundra around them. Pinkie Pie soon popped up sporting a Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat.

“Well, here we are!” Pinkie Pie declared. “The beautiful, sunny state of Hawa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa…”

Pinkie Pie soon started to shiver and chatter violently as her pink fur briefly turned blue, as ice started to form on her curly locks. Even when she physically returned to normal, it didn’t take long for the pony to feel the wintery breeze… despite the landscape.

“Wa-wa-wa-why is it so cold?” Pinkie clutched herself.

“Maybe I’m just new to this whole transporting thing,” Gilda replied sarcastically. “But why would it ever be so cold in what’s supposed to be a tropical paradise?”

“We’re no strangers to sarcasm Gilda,” Twilight sighed. “Wherever we are, it’s not the place Pinkie intended.”

“Story of my life,” Spike pouted. “One request to take a vacation with my favorite griffon, and now we’re stuck in who knows where?”

“Uh guys… where do you suppose ‘they’ are going?” Gabby asked, pointing out.

The two griffons looked across the area, while the others followed suit. Sure enough, the Mane Six and their friends discovered a most astonishing sight. Marching along the road was a whole herd of animals. But not just their run of the mill animals back home, rather… it was the prehistoric kind.

A massive herd of animals consisting of creatures long extinct in their present time. From Macrauchenia to Glyptodons, Palaeotherium to prehistoric aardvarks, and even Brontotherium. For reasons our heroes couldn’t understand, these animals were slowly traveling away from the snowy regions of this landscape. But it appeared that they were migrating south to avoid a freezing cold front developing. Miles behind this herd was a glacier monument known as Glacier Pass, a large ice formation with a huge cut engraved on it, like some form of ice gorge.

“Just when we think we’ve seen it all in that wacky draconequus’s theater,” Gilda commented. “Check out these freaks!”

“They’re not freaks, they’re prehistoric!” Gabby exclaimed excitedly. “I’ve once read about these creatures, from Princess Twilight’s library, during one of my dates with Spike!”

“Yep! Totally studying amazing facts about these creatures,” Spike nodded quickly. “That’s all we were doing.”

“This is amazing!” Twilight Sparkle gasped, wide-eyed. “We’ve seen our share of prehistoric creatures, but this is the real deal! Not a group of clones, but these are among the first mammals to ever walk the Earth!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s let eggheads be eggheads,” Gilda rolled her eyes, spying a pair of Macrauchenia. “Hey, big nose! What’s your hurry?”

“Haven’t you heard?” The Macrauchenia grumbled. “It’s the Ice Age! We’re moving someplace warm! Shouldn’t you be flying south?”

“Hey, don’t let the snowball hit you on the way out!” Gilda squawked in retaliation. “And spoiler alert: You’re going to be extinct, and NO ONE WILL MISS YOU!”

“Gilda! Easy!” Gabby coaxed her friend.

Whether or not the creature heard the snippy griffon, the Macrauchenia kept going. But as if being offended by some strange bird-lion hybrid wasn’t enough, his companion was asking him something rather rhetorical… a dumb question, one that really made him grit his teeth.

“Why not call it the Big Chill or the Nippy era?” The other Macrauchenia asked. “I’m just sayin’, how do we know it’s an Ice age?”

“Because… of all… THE ICE!” The first Macrauchenia answered impatiently.

With irritation heavy on his face, the Macrauchenia stomped off, leaving his friend alone. Gilda just casually fluttered over toward the stunned creature, looking him straight in the eye.

“DUH!” Gilda replied, before fluttering off.

“Well, things just got a little chillier,” the Macrauchenia commented.

“That’s the cold shoulder for ya, pal!”

Meanwhile, Gabby turned to her right and spotted a group of baby Paleotherium sinking into a tar pit. The poor babies were crying for help.

“Help! Help!” The little piglets cried.

“Goodness!” Gabby exclaimed, flapping toward the piglets. “Don’t worry little ones! I’ll get you out!”

But before Gabby could lend a claw, an even bigger Palaeotherium – their father – trotted over.

“Hey! Get away from them you buzzard!” The Papa snorted, facing the kids. “Come on, kids, let’s go! The traffic’s movin’.”

“But, but, but Dad!” One Piglet tried to protest.

“No buts,” The Papa shook his head, not buying it. “You can play extinction later.”

With a snort and a huff, the papa turned to walk away, much to his kids’ dismay. Much to Gabby’s surprise, the piglets quickly stood up, revealing they weren’t even sinking at all… let alone any serious danger.

“Ok,” The piglet sighed. “Come on, guys.”

Gabby watched as the tar-covered piglets took their leave, as Gilda landed beside her.

“How do you like that?” Gilda smirked. “You were about to save a bunch of naughty kids playing in the mud.”

“They looked like they were in trouble,” Gabby shrugged. “Besides, you’d do the same for your kids. Wouldn’t you?”

To which Gilda didn’t even reply, not at first. She just looked toward Gabby with a stone-faced expression.

“Keep that talk of family between you and your boyfriend, okay?” Gilda broke the silence. “I’ve got better things to pass my time.”

Leaving it at that, the Griffons continued to watch as the remainder of the herd marched on. Among them were a pair of Glypto passing through, and the griffins couldn’t help but overhear what’s essentially a private conversation.

“So, where’s Eddie?” One Glypto asked.

“He said he was on the verge of an evolutionary breakthrough,” The other Glypto replied.

“Really?”

Off in the distance, Gilda caught sight of a random Glypto running towards a cliff.

“Yo, turtle shells!” Gilda called out, pointing to the cliff. “Is that him?”

“That’s him alright…” One Glypto frowned.

Both Griffins and Glyptos watched as Eddie flailed helplessly in the air, proclaiming to the world, ‘I’m flying!’. Gabby cringed as Eddie landed in the trees with a loud ‘CRACK!’.

“Can’t say he’s falling with style,” Gilda scoffed.

“Some ‘breakthrough’,” One Glyto frowned.

“I hope he’s okay,” Gabby expressed her sympathy.

Suddenly, as the massive herd continued on, a large gasp erupted among the crowd of mammals. Everyone, especially the Mane Six and Spike, looked with shock upon their faces, as a huge Wooly Mammoth stomped his way across the herd, going in the opposite direction. Spooked, the mammals in his path frantically started moving out of the way.

“Look out, look!” Someone shouted.

“You’re going the wrong way!” Another shouted. “The other way!”

“Crazy mammoth!” A prehistoric Aardvark cried.

All this was chaos happening around him, yet the Mammoth hardly glanced over what he stirred. As a matter of fact, this creature hardly seemed to care. He kept stomping his way through the crowd, ignoring everyone around him. This mammoth, Manfred (Or ‘Manny’ as we prefer to call him), had a grumpy expression on his face as he plowed through the crowd. This hadn’t gone unnoticed by any of the Equestrians, especially a certain Griffon.

“What’s his problem?” Gilda asked. “Can’t he see past the end of his nose? A really long nose, I might add?”

“Don’t be mean, Gilda!” Gabby scolded her friend. “Maybe we can go over and ask him—”

However, someone else had already beaten Gabby and Gilda to the punch. For only one mammal had the guts to stand up to him for his actions, loudly shouting toward the mammoth and stopping him in his tracks. It was none other than the papa Paleotherium from earlier.

“HEY! DO THE WORLD A FAVOR!” The Palaeotherium shouted. “MOVE YOUR ISSUES OFF THE ROAD!!!”

But rather than complying, however, the mammoth proceeded to intimidate the little prehistoric ungulate.

“If my trunk was that small, I wouldn’t draw attention to myself, pal,” Manny grumbled.

“Hey, g-give me a break,” The Palaeotherium pleaded. “We… We’ve been waddling all day.”

The creature gestured to his family: A mate, and their children. While all this was going on, Gabby thought it best to make herself and Gilda known to this moody mammoth.

“Uh, excuse me, Mr. Mammoth…” Gabby spoke up. “I’m sorry for barging in, but… I think everyone would appreciate it if you could maybe… oh, how do I say this politely, um… not make a scene? Please?”

“What my friend’s trying to say is… GET OUTTA THE WAY, PAL!” Gilda asserted. “This ain’t no two-way street and you’re making it harder for everyone with your stomping!”

“Gilda, please!” Gabby frowned, before smiling. “I’m sorry about my friend’s uncalled behavior. She doesn’t know her manners. But, if you please, no one needs to get hurt today. Maybe if you could just move out of the way just a smidge, I think everyone would really appreciate it.”

Manny took one look at the griffons, then toward the Paleotherium family. Finally, seeing they weren’t worth his time, he shrugged them all off.

“Oh, go ahead,” Manny rolled his eyes, walking off. “Follow the crowd. It’ll be quieter when you’re gone.”

“Same to you pal!” Gilda shouted.

“Ehh, c’mon,” The papa Paleotherium gestured. “If he wants to freeze to death, let him.”

The griffons watched as the Paleotherium family waddled off to join the rest of the migrating herd.

“Have a good trip!” Gabby waved goodbye, before looking back with concern. “… Hmm, I wonder what’s wrong with him. Why is that Mammoth such a grump?”

“So what? Who cares? It doesn’t matter,” Gilda shrugged, flapping her wings. “Elephants are elephants. C’mon! We should get back to our friends.”

Sure enough, the griffons took to the air to find their friends. They were blissfully unaware that they didn’t have much farther to look.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for the griffons to fly far from the herd and made a landing for a nearby petrified tree near a cave. Gilda brushed off her feathers from the flight, while Gabby hung back in the air.

“I’ll go and tell the others where we are!” Gabby called out. “You just hang out till we get here, alright Gilda?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, not like there’s nothing interesting here,” Gilda brushed off. “Take your time.”

As Gabby raced off to retrieve their friends, Gabby casually leaned on the side of the tree, turned her head to the herd, and happened to see a trio of young anteaters marching their way down the trail with some of the herd. Gilda’s head turned to the left, then to the right, and suddenly, mischief started to spread on the moody griffon’s face. It was then she decided to have a little ‘fun’ with these kids.

“Hiya kids!” Gilda greeted, feigning politeness. “And where are you three going?”

“To the migration!” One of the kids answered.

“The Migration, huh?” Gilda nodded, smirking. “Did you pay your toll?”

“Our toll?” The kids asked in unison.

“Oh yeah, sure! Everyone knows you can’t migrate without paying the toll. It’s the law.”

“But we—”

“Haven’t heard of the toll?” Gilda finished, slyly. “That’s too bad, you still have to pay. Let’s see what you got.”

Gilda quickly grabbed the lengthy nose of one aardvark. She peered an eye down the peepholes, then held it over her free talon, and shook the nose. A total of three berries emerged into her palm.

“Berries,” Gilda confirmed. “Well, better than nothing. That’ll be one from you… one from you…”

Gilda had just gotten the remainder of the aardvarks to snort out their own food into her paws, when an ‘Ahem!’ caught Gilda’s attention. She stopped as she finally noticed the shadows hanging over her. She looked up and sure enough, Gabby along with their flying friends hovered over her, crossing their hooves and arms while staring toward Gilda. It didn’t take long for their more Earthbound friends to catch up, seeing the act.

“Seriously, Gilda?” Rainbow Dash asked, annoyed.

Then magic suddenly conjured in Gilda’s grip as she saw the berries lifted off her as Rarity hovered them over the air with her magic.

“Migration toll,” Rarity huffed. “Of all the biggest load of Blueblood I’ve ever heard. I do apologize for that kids, here… you can have your lunch back, free of charge.”

“Kill joy…” Gilda muttered, crossing her hooves.

The anteater kids happily took their berries back despite how strange this creature was or even how she got their food back. But who were they to complain? Once the kids got their food back, they proceeded to head off to rejoin the rest of the herd.

“Nice doing business with ya,” One kid called out.

“See Gilda?” Gabby hovered over Gilda. “I told the guys to meet you here by the petrified tree, and there you were. Got here in record time too.”

“Yeah, that’s great Gabby…” Gilda muttered.

The whole group stood by the tree now trying to determine what else to do with their time. The ground shook beneath the feet of those who chose not to take to the air. However, someone else was feeling the tremble from the migration.

It was a giant ground sloth with a purple nose, buck teeth, and lime green fur. This sloth, Sid by name, slept on his branch when he started slipping off as a result of the shaking ground. Startled awake, he grabbed onto his branch.

“Whoa! Huh? Hey- Hey, I’m up, I’m up!” Sid called out, climbing atop his branch. “Hey, rise and shine, everybody!”

However, as Sid looked about the rest of the tree, he was surprised to see not a single one of his family about.

“Huh? Zack? Marshall? Bertie? Uncle Fungus? Where is everybody? Come on, guys, we’re gonna miss the mi- the mi- the mi… migration.”

But by the time Sid was putting things together, everything was silent. The entire herd had since left this area and not a single Sloth, especially in Sid’s family, could be seen for miles. It was in that moment that Sid had suddenly released what had happened, much to his chagrin… and sadness.

“They left without me, they do this every year…” Sid grumbled, crying desperately. “Why? Doesn’t anyone love me? Isn’t there anyone who cares about Sid the Sloth?”

All he got in response was silence. In a way it was almost as if the universe was telling him that indeed he was very much alone during this trying time.

“All right, I’ll just go by myself,” Sid replied.

Sid was just about to make his leave for his own march, when suddenly…

“Excuse me, Mr. Sidney!”

A heavy shriek escaped Sid’s lips, and his face dropped with horror as he proceeded to retreat behind a tree. That high squeaky voice reminded him of someone he really hoped he wouldn’t hear from… ever again.

“Sylvia?!” Sid whispered to himself. “Oh no, anyone but her!”

Sylvia… a name that Sid wished he had never heard of nor a sloth he ever had to run into again. Of course, he’s known her for a very brief period and yet that sloth, as nice and sweet as she was, was very affectionate toward Sid… which wouldn’t be so bad for the guy, if it weren’t for the fact that she was a little… ‘too’ clingy. But knowing there’d be no escape if she were this relentless, he sighed with defeat and prepared to emerge from his hiding spot.

“Hi Syl—”

But Sid suddenly stopped mid-sentence and his chagrin shifted to surprise. Standing before him was a group of colorful pastel ponies… and some tall lizard creature with green scales on its head and back. Even stranger was how these equines had strange markings along their flanks, something this creature has never seen before. One particular pony, the bright pink one with the poofy mane, eyed him with a toothy grin.

“Hi there, I’m Pinkie Pie!” The pony greeted.

The sloth paused for a moment as if just taking in the shock… but then sighed with heavy relief, as he wiped his brow.

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Sid thanked himself. “I thought you were somebody else.”

“I’m more like some ‘pony’ else, actually…” Pinkie giggled. “But I tend to get that from every creature.”

“Please pardon my friend sir,” The purple pony spoke up, politely. “Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends: Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike. You’ve already met, Pinkie Pie.”

“Sup!” Spike greeted casually.

“Wow… that’s definitely a mouthful,” Sid replied awkwardly. “I must be going nuts, forgive me for saying, but I’ve never seen creatures like you before.”

“The horns and wings give it away, don’t they?” Rainbow Dash replied. “Yeah, believe it or not, the fact you’re being this ‘chill’ is a bit of fresh air. Ha… ‘chill’…”

“And you, buddy,” Sid approached Spike. “You’ve got to be the biggest lizard I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Oh, I’m not a lizard,” Spike denied politely. “Actually… I’m a dragon.”

“… Name doesn’t ring a bell, but who am I to judge?”

“Yes, that seems to be just about everybody,” Twilight Sparkle declared. “Except for…”

“O.M.G.!!!”

All eyes looked up as the griffons hovered over them in the air. Gabby squealed with excitement as she zoomed toward the ground and landed gracefully before the surprised sloth. Gilda, on the other talon, merely hovered slowly while maintaining her cool persona.

“Hi there! I’m Gabby, we only just met, and I think you’re one of the most amazing creatures I’ve ever seen!” Gabby replied rapidly. “Oh, that up there is my good friend, Gilda! Hey Gilda, isn’t this amazing! A talking sloth? She was very excited to meet you.”

“… Ecstatic,” Gilda replied, unenthusiastically.

“Uh well, it was nice to meet you, I could’ve sworn—” Sid began.

“Say… what are you doing hanging out by this tree all by yourself?” Gabby interrupted, looking around.

“Yeah, shouldn’t y’all be migrating with the rest of the herd?” Applejack pointed out.

“Well, about that—” Sid attempted to answer.

“GASP!!! I have an idea!” Pinkie gathered every pony. “Why don’t we take part in this migrating trip together? We’d get to see the rest of this world, meet new creatures, so Spike and Gabby can be alone and having some fun together…”

“Would be great if you didn’t say that aloud!” Spike spoke, through gritted teeth.

“Although now that I think about it,” Pinkie Pie pondered. “All that walking is bound to make my little hoofsies swell…”

“Pinkie…” Twilight spoke up.

“You wouldn’t mind if you carried me a bit like a gentleman, Mr. Sidney?” Pinkie requested.

“Just Sid—” Sid corrected briefly.

“—Just until we get over the mountains,” Pinkie rambled on. “You know, if I had known there’d be mountains on this trip, I would think we’d have packed some hiking supplies, maybe some ingredients for s’mores like graham crackers, the marshmallows, and some—”

“PINKIE PIE!!!” Twilight shouted, exasperated. “… Please. He’s only just met us.”

“Ooh… heh-heh, sometimes I get carried away,” Pinkie chuckled. “Sorry about that Sidney. We just get so excited meeting potential new friends.”

“That’s exactly what I was going to say!” Gabby replied.

“Urgh… as if one wasn’t enough,” Gilda groaned.

“Again… just ‘Sid’ is fine, ladies,” Sid corrected. “That’s very sweet of you to offer, but actually I just—um—I actually won’t be migrating this year. That’s all I mean, I um… I was thinking of…”

Sid looked around from the spot of his tree, toward a supposed empty cave that happened to be nearby.

“HIBERNATING!” Sid smiled, approaching the cave. “Yes, I was actually going to hibernate this year. Yes, yes, I mean how hard can it be? Gorge yourself on food, sleep it off for four months. I’ve been training all my life for this.”

“Uh Fluttershy, do sloths hibernate during the winter?” Spike asked curiously.

“Actually… no, sloths don’t hibernate,” Fluttershy shook her head.

“Nice try, Sid,” Rainbow Dash dragged Sid out. “You don’t have to put on an act in front of us.”

“But I think I can do it,” Sid argued. “My metabolism’s really slow.”

“Sid, was it? I’m going to give it to you straight,” Gilda spoke firmly. “Do you even know why you were standing by this tree all by yourself this morning?”

“Because I overslept?” Sid answered nervously.

“No, because deep down you know that your family up and ditched you because they couldn’t stand being around you. And now with a spot left open off your family tree, they can just remodel until the family gets it just right.”

“Gilda!” Gabby gasped, exasperated.

“Sheesh… and I thought Applejack was too brutally honest at Rarity’s fashion show,” Spike replied, facing A.J. “Says the mare who dressed as ‘AppleJewel’ to get Rarity to cut the country act, am I right?”

“Hardy har,” Applejack frowned in annoyance.

“No… she’s right,” Sid sighed sadly. “The truth is my family did abandon me; I don’t really know why but it’s not the first time they’ve done this. I have no idea where they went or how far they walked off, and honestly, you’d think I get the picture but… they’re still family.”

“You poor little guy…” Fluttershy replied sympathetically.

“Well, that offer still stands if we at least want you to get through the migration,” Twilight Sparkle offered. “We didn’t actually ‘plan’ to be out here in all honesty, but we never turn down on a friend in need of help. We could at least get you as far as the rest of the herd, then we can move on.”

“Did you… call me a friend?” Sid’s eyes widened.

“Get used to it,” Gilda rolled her eyes. “Once they set their mind on this ‘friendship’ stuff, they stick to you like glue. It’s contagious…”

The sloth pondered over what these strange group of characters were willing to offer. Here they were showing up out of the blue, somehow knowing his name (Even though they just overheard his self-pity cry), and willing to help him out before even knowing him. Maybe his family wouldn’t even be happy to see him, but he’d hate to feel left behind or going through with this migration entirely alone. He could always use the company… not like he has many options left.

“You know what girls… you’re right,” Sid declared determinedly. “It would just pain me to have last look at what I once called home and all the neighbors that pass this relic of beauty!”

To which a passing Glypto merely replied with a ‘Harumph!’ before waddling away from the sloth.

“The tree?” Gilda raised her brow.

“Say what you will, but it’s obvious I can’t fight destiny anymore,” Sid continued. “I may have no idea where I’m going or who will reach for me when I get to who knows where. But don’t worry ladies…”

“Ahem!” Spike cleared his throat.

“And my tall scaly amigo,” Sid added. “Wherever we go, we’ll find it because we have each other! I am so close to home I can just feel it!”

“Uh, Mr. Sid!” Fluttershy raised a hoof.

SQUISH!

Sid stopped as he felt something soft against his foot and detected a rather odious stench. The group cringed as Sid looked down, realizing what he had just stepped on.

“Ahw… sick!” Sid muttered, facing the passing Glypto. “HEY WIDE BODY, CURB IT NEXT TIME!!!”

The group watched as the sloth started sliding his foot trying to remove the ‘unmentionable’ off, groaning and muttering as some of the group tried to cover their nose from the stench.

“Oh now, that’s only going to make it worse!” Rarity complained. “I can’t even… I simply cannot allow to leave a mess like this. What civilized creatures would do such a thing?”

“Uh… it’s part of our nature?” Gilda replied sarcastically.

“Nope, this must be done right. Does any pony have a shovel?”

“You mean this?” Pinkie held a shovel from her mane.

“Thank you, Pinkie dear. Now if you be so kind every pony, I simply must have this mess buried. It’ll only take a moment or two.”

“Well, no stoppin’ her soon as she starts,” Applejack shook her head. “I reckon I oughtta check in on Sid and make sure he don’t make a further mess of himself.”

“Maybe I better come along too…” Fluttershy volunteered. “Just to make sure he’s okay.”

“Well alright, but don’t you guys take too long,” Twilight Sparkle called out. “The sloth’s late for his migration already!”

“If we think this migration will be rough, wait till the movie with the family of mallards,” Pinkie Pie whispered to the audience. “And I don’t mean the mallards that include a Mr. Plucky Duck.”

Somewhere nearby, a pair of rhinos were about to graze into a pile of leafy greens. A refreshing looking salad that one rhino, Frank by name, had prepared for his ‘partner’.

“I can’t believe it,” The rhino exclaimed to his friend. “Fresh wild greens. “Frank, where did you ever?”

“Go ahead, dig in,” Frank insisted.

Just before the other rhino could dig in, it was then he noticed a tiny yellow flower poking up from the leaves.

“A dandelion! I thought the frost wiped ‘em all out.”

“All but one.”

Unfortunately, the rhinos lunch would be rudely interrupted. Sid, who came stomping about all over their food. By the time Applejack and Fluttershy arrived, having followed close behind him, they spotted him struggling to wipe the muck off his feet, unaware he was stepping all over the rhinos mistake. Being that they were the only ponies to notice the mess he was making, the girls were horrified to see the expressions on the rhinos’ faces.

“Oh, this makes me so… I wanna… oh yuck!” Sid groaned.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy gasped worriedly.

“Uh, Sid?” Applejack spoke up nervously. “I’d be careful where I’m steppin’ if I were you…

“Too late for that, orange pony,” Sid replied, scrubbing his feet. “This has definitely not been my day.

“You know what I’m sayin’, buddy?” Sid asked Frank, flicking dirt onto the rhino’s friend. “What a mess. You rhinos have tiny brains. Did you know that?”

“Sid!” Applejack exclaimed nervously. “Ix-nay on the upid-stay!”

“It’s just a fact,” Sid replied, before addressing the rhinos. “No offence. You probably didn’t even know what I’m talkin’ about.”

“Okay!” Applejack shouted, leaping into the salad. “That’s enough outta ya, little fella.”

“Pardon us for the intrusion sirs,” Fluttershy smiled nervously. “We’re just gonna go now…”

“Yummo!”

The girls looked in horror as Sid reached down to pick up the flower in the midst of the salad.

“A dandelion!” Sid smiled. “Must be the last one of the season!”

Sid proceeded to consume the flower, much to the rhinos display. Up till now, they were annoyed with the sloth’s antics. But now, this was the very last straw.

“Carl,” Frank began.

“Easy, Frank,” Carl advised.

“He ruined our salad!”

This finally got Sid’s attention, as he and the two ponies turned toward the rhinos. Unfortunately for Applejack and Fluttershy, not only were they advancing upon the sloth, but the girls as well.

“My mistake, that was my mistake,” Sid stammered nervously. “Let me…”

“Listen, I… I apologize for our friend,” Applejack began. “We’ll kindly fix up whatever mess he’s made.”

“I can whip a new salad!” Fluttershy added. “I have an amazing recipe for every vegetarian.”

“And we’ll find another dandelion!” Applejack added.

But the rhinos weren’t buying it. They stalked towards the ponies and sloth, with murderous intent on their minds. Desperate, Sid looked around the ground until he stumbled upon… a pinecone.

“What is this?” Sid asked. “Pinecones! Oh, my goodness. They’re my favorite.”

“They are?” Fluttershy asked, confused.

“Yeah!”

Attempting to sell his bluff, Sid bit hard upon the pinecone. The girls could only cringe as their sloth friend recoiled in pain. The sharp plates poked the insides of his mouth and the poor guy nearly choked trying to swallow them.

“Delicious… ow!” Sid groaned. “That’s good eating. But don’t let me hog them all up.”

Sid proceeded to stuff some cones into Carl’s mouth, forcing him to chew on them. This would only invoke the rhino’s ire even further.

“Here, you have some. Tasty, isn’t it? Bon appetit-ue.”

With that, Sid quickly turned tail and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Fluttershy turned toward the rhinos, raising a hoof up, as if ready to speak. But instead, she quickly ran after Sid in a blue, leaving behind a smoke shaped like her, which ran after her.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Fluttershy screamed.

Applejack turned toward the rhinos herself, cracked a nervous grin, and proceeded to quickly follow Fluttershy and Sid.

“Now?” Frank asked.

“… Now,” Carl answered.

The two rhinos pursued the two ponies and sloth, the trio trying to stay ahead as best as they could.

“Nice goin’ Sid!” Applejack frowned. “Ya just had to go an’ ruin some pony’s salad.”

“I didn’t know they were eating!” Sid screamed in defense. “I thought it was some clean pasture to wipe my feet with!”

By which time, the remainder of the Equestrians, Spike and the griffons included, were turning a corner to investigate the commotion. It was then they spotted the two ponies and Sid running for their very lives.

“Guys, what’s going on?!” Twilight Sparkle called out.

“RUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!” Fluttershy screamed her lungs out.

The trio raced past them in a trail of smoke and the group watched them briefly. The second they turned was when the rhinos came barreling toward the group. Not knowing what’s going on, nor wanting to stir a fight, they quickly raced away after their friends, their winged companions taking toward the sky. Unfortunately, Sid and the two ponies with him hadn’t looked were going and had accidentally bumped into someone.

“Hey!” A loud voice boomed.

“Oh, I’m so sorry mister…” Fluttershy began.

Fluttershy stopped as the three looked up and a rather grumpy mammoth loomed over them.

“Hey!” Another voice screamed.

The three turned as Gilda and Gabby flew over them, along with the remainder of the Equestrians. Gilda eyed the mammoth, refusing to be intimidated.

“Why don’t you watch where ya going!?” Gilda waved her talon.

“Are you okay, guys?” Gabby asked concerned.

“Can’t say we’re off to a great start,” Applejack sighed.

“Are they friends of yours?” The mammoth asked the griffons.

“Yup!” Gabby smiled. “All six ponies, plus my boyfriend! How do you do, our names are—”

“No time for that, Gabby!” Fluttershy shrieked. “HIDE!”

The remaining ponies, Spike, and the griffons looked back as the rhinos finally caught up. Fluttershy and Sid were already hiding behind the mammoth, while Applejack joined the others to hold their ground.

“Just pretend that we’re not here,” Sid pleaded the mammoth.

But the mammoth merely turned to confront the two rhinos himself, which left Fluttershy and Sid exposed. Even the two griffons decided to join up with the mammoth to see what threat they were up against.

“Who invited Dumb and Dumber to the party?” Gilda scoffed.

Gabby, while rather annoyed with the blunt griffon, never took her eyes off the two rhinos. Even in anger, they were wise enough to stop upon seeing the mammoth. While they were curious to see these griffons, along with pastel ponies in greater numbers and a rather unusual looking lizard, they paid no heed.

“Aw man, I wanted to hit him at full speed!” Frank complained.

“That’s okay,” Carl reassured. “We’ll have some fun with him.”

“Darlings, what did you do to make them so mad?” Rarity asked, concerned.

“It’s a long story,” Fluttershy chuckled nervously.

“Ask him!” Applejack pointed at Sid.

“Don’t let them impale me,” Sid pleaded, hiding behind the mammoth. “Please, I wanna live!”

“Get off me!” The mammoth shook the sloth off.

“Come on, you’re making a scene,” Carl told the sloth.

“Ah-huh,” Frank nodded, facing the mammoth and group. “We’ll just take our furry pinatas and go if you don’t mind.”

“Look! I have no idea what just happened,” Twilight stepped forward, playing peacekeeper. “But whatever our friend has done, I’m sure he’s very sorry.”

“Yeah, why don’t we all just kick back and settle this over a party?” Pinkie asked. “We’ll have some cake, chat, schmooze, and maybe share some stories of social bonding. What do you say?”

The two rhinos merely turned toward each other and shook their heads.

“Nah!”

“Hey, buddy,” The mammoth addressed the sloth. “If it’s not them today, it’s just someone else tomorrow.”

“Well, Id like rather not be today, okay?” Sid replied.

“Look, we’re gonna break your neck, so you don’t feel a thing,” Carl told the sloth. “How’s that?”

“That’s even worse!” Fluttershy exclaimed, horrified.

“Now that’s just crossin’ the line!” Applejack grimaced.

“Well as long as it’s quick and painless, I’m all for it,” Gilda rolled her eyes.

“Gilda!” Gabby scolded her friend.

“What?” Gilda shrugged. “We eat fish. It’s the same thing!”

“Wait a minute, I thought rhinos were vegetarians,” Spike pointed out.

“An excellent point,” Sid agreed.

“Shut up!” The mammoth and Gilda said.

“Who says we’re gonna eat him after we kill him?” Carl asked rhetorically.

“Yeah, c’mon, move it!” Frank barked.

But the mammoth, while visibly annoyed by the wild antics of these strangers, refused to bend down.

“You know, I don’t like animals that kill for pleasure,” The mammoth said.

“That’s double for me!” Gabby frowned, flaring her wings in defense.

“Count me in,” Gilda added.

“Got room for six?” Applejack asked, bringing out her lasso.

“We gave you two a chance to just walk away,” Twilight Sparkle stomped her hoof. “But now you just threatened our friends, and as Princess I won’t stand for it!”

“Save it for a mammal that cares,” Carl barked.

“I’m a mammal that cares,” Sid spoke up.

The mammoth soon noticed a large swirl positioned conveniently between his group and the rhinos. An idea soon crossed his mind, which he hoped would work.

“Okay, look,” The mammoth began. “If either of you make it across that sinkhole in front of you, you get the sloth.”

Carl and Frank looked toward the sinkhole in front of them, nervously backing away.

“Yeah, that’s right, big nose!” Rainbow Dash shouted, cockily. “You chumps either back off, or you’re buried six feet under!”

“Sinkhole?” Applejack stammered in confusion. “But we just crossed—OW!”

Gilda and Gabby both elbowed Applejack in the gut, stopping her from blowing their cover. It didn’t take long for even the Element of Honesty to catch.

“OH! That sinkhole!” Applejack struggled to play along. “I mean… yeah! Definitely a sinkhole, right there. I wouldn’t step on it if I were you.”

“That’s right, you losers!” Sid said confidently, picking up a rock. “You take one step and you’re dead!”

Sid hurled the rock, which bounced off the ‘sinkhole’ instead of sinking. The rock rolled about till it landed right before the rhinos, who looked up with even greater fury. Gilda smacked herself with a face palm while the ponies and Spike slowly turned back toward Sid.

“You were bluffing, huh?” Sid asked the mammoth.

“Yeah,” The mammoth answered. “Yeah, that was a bluff.”

“You… IDIOT!!!” Gilda scowled.

“GET ‘EM!” Frank and Carl shouted.

The rhinos made a made dash toward the group with no hesitation. Now under heavy fire, but refusing to go down without a fight, the mammoth, Spike, the ponies, and the griffons glared angrily toward the duo, holding their ground and ready for a fight.

“JUMP!!!” Twilight Sparkle shouted.

The ponies and Spike leapt to the side as the rhinos rammed into the Mammoth’s trunks, while Gilda and Gabby took flight and intercepted the rhinos, attempting to pry them off the horns. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike flew in to aid their friends. Even with their assistance, however, the rhinos remained undeterred. They kept pushing the mammoth backwards, while Sid hid behind the big animal.

As the latter felt himself pushed back, the former’s feet were getting closer to the edge of a cliff. The sloth hung onto the mammoth’s leg, screaming for his life. This hadn’t go unnoticed as Fluttershy turned behind her.

“Oh, dear goodness!” Fluttershy gasped.

Deided to edge away from the rhinos, the timid Pegasus flew toward Sid and clutched behind him.

“Don’t worry, Sid! I’ll protect you!”

“Yeah, but who’s going to protect you?!” Sid exclaimed.

In the meantime, Gilda and Gabby started pecking the rhinos around their eyes, while Twilight Sparkle lit up her horn to blind them with great radiance. With their vision slightly impaired, the rhinos were losing concentration. With the beasts distracted, the mammoth used all his strength to push them back. A mighty struggle later, and he flung them back from the cliff knocking the rhinos head over heels.

“WAHOO!” Sid hollered, leaping in celebration.

“Don’t celebrate just yet!” Applejack exclaimed. “Here they come!”

Sid and Fluttershy proceeded to hide behind the mammoth once more, as the rhinos charged. With a twirl of her lasso, Applejack hurled her rope, catching Carl by the horn. Mustering every ounce of strength, Applejack proceeded to pull Carl into the air, slamming him into the ground. She pulled him up in the air again, spinning him rapidly like a tornado and hurled the beast off the side.

“Whoa! You’re strong!” Gilda complimented. “No wonder why Rainbow Dash pegs ya so much.”

“Uh… thanks?” Applejack answered awkwardly.

The remainder of the group joined Sid and Fluttershy, watching Carl fly and crash heavily. Just then, they saw Frank charging to attack. Before our heroes could react, Frank was suddenly picked up by the mammoth’s tusks much to their astonishment. With all his strength, the mammoth tossed Frank into the air toward Carl.

Speaking of whom, Carl was just recovering from his landing when something caught his eye.

“A dandelion?” Carl exclaimed.

Unfortunately, the dandelion was crushed as Frank landed on it.

“WAHOO!!!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “FLAWLESS VICTORY!!!”

“WE DID IT!!! WE DID IT!!!” Sid cheered.

The sloth and the party pony clutched onto Mammoth’s trunk, the mighty beast stepping back in surprise… toward the edge of the cliff. The pair only noticed this predicament right as the mammoth was about to slide down the mountain.

“Oops,” Pinkie gasped.

The trio were soon screaming down the mountain as the remainder of their friends looked down in horror. They quickly raced to the edge to see their landing… but fortunately, it wasn’t even that great a fall. Merely a steep slide down to the ground, even as Sid and Pinkie still clung to the mammoth’s trunk. When they saw they were completely unharmed, they gazed into the mammoth’s eyes.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie greeted with a smile.

“You have beautiful eyes,” Sid complimented.

“Get off my face!” The mammoth grumbled.

Pinkie Pie and Sid slid off the mammoth as a great flash of light sparked a few before them. To Sid’s surprise, and the mammoth’s brief curiosity and suspicion, Twilight Sparkle and the remainder of her friends appeared while the griffons merely hovered to the ground nearest them.

“Are you okay?” Spike asked the pair.

“Whoa…” Sid gasped. “How did you do that?”

“Yeah… I kind of forgot to mention that some of us can do magic,” Twilight Sparkle admitted sheepishly.

“I have no idea what that is, but that really could’ve been useful back there.”

“You think that’s something, just wait till you see me in action next time,” Spike spoke up.

The mammoth, finally having had enough, decided to walk on ahead. But the mammoth hadn’t gotten very far when the group, Sid included, followed the big guy.

“Hey mister!” Gabby waved for attention. “We just wanted to thank you for standing up for our friends. We sure make a pretty good team!”

“Yeah, why don’t we just head south together?” Sid offered.

“Great!” Manny answered sarcastically. “Jump on my back and relax the whole way.

“Wow, really?”

“No…”

“Well! How rude!” Rarity frowned.

“Wait, aren’t you going south?” Sid asked curiously. “The change of seasons, migration instincts. Any of this a-ringin’ a bell?”

“I guess not, bye!” The mammoth responded, still walking.

“Okay, Mr. Grouchy!” Gilda muttered. “Thanks for nothing!”

“Good luck wherever you’re going, Mr. Mammoth!” Gabby responded politely. “We’ll take it from here.”

“Well, I don’t know about you girls,” Spike spoke up. “But I think that’s enough excitement for today. Let’s get this little guy back to the herd and figure out where else we should go.”

“Hold on a minute,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. “What about the mammoth?”

“What about him?” Rainbow Dash replied. “I think it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t want to do the whole migrating thing.”

“But why though?” Fluttershy asked. “And why was he even out here all by himself in the first place? Something doesn’t quite add up.”

“It’s a might bit curious,” Applejack admitted. “If mammoths are like elephants, they’re pack animals and yet this mammoth’s all alone. We oughtta investigate.”

“Oh please! I swear you ponies will do anything to solve a problem that’s not our own,” Gilda shook her head.

“C’mon Gilda, don’t you think this is one of those moments where we reward a good deed with another?” Gabby asked innocently.

“No… this is one of those ‘drop it and leave it alone’ moments. We should just go.”

“I’m afraid you’re outnumbered Gilda,” Twilight Sparkle assumed command. “For one, we have no idea where we are and perhaps wherever this mammoth is going, he knows the land more than we do. And besides, there’s a greater strength in numbers and we could learn from him. We should follow him.”

“Yeah… maybe I shouldn’t get involved with this,” Sid replied uncertainly. “I can hear my mama calling me, and I should probably get to migrating.”

“Well okay… it’s your choice buddy,” Pinkie Pie replied. “But I’d hate to be out there all alone if those two bullies show up.”

“Thanks for the heads up, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Sid was just about to walk away, as the Equestrians proceeded to follow the Mammoth. Unfortunately, the sloth hadn’t gone very far when the two rhinos suddenly appeared from the top of the cliff.

“HEY, YOU OVERGROWN WEASEL!” Carl called out. “WAIT TILL WE GET DOWN THERE!”

Not wanting to risk any further trouble, Sid quickly proceeded to run away and managed to catch up with the rest of the group.

“Well, that didn’t take very long,” Spike replied. “You changed your mind, Sid?”

“Eh, that south thing is way overrated,” Sid brushed off. “The heat, the crowds – who needs it?”

“If you ask me, this is much better!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “All of us together, with a pair of love birds and bachelors knockin’ about in the wild. Know what I mean big guy?”

“No, you just want a bodyguard, so you don’t become somebody’s side dish,” The mammoth retorted in annoyance.

“For your information pal, we can defend ourselves just fine,” Rainbow Dash fluttered ahead. “Those rhinos were just lucky I was holding back; otherwise, I’d give them the old Rainbow Dash special.”

“Right… sure you would’ve.”

“Aren’t you even the least bit curious that some of us ponies have horns and wings?” Fluttershy asked. “We only just brought this up, yet you’re taking this so well.”

“Because I don’t really care what you are,” The mammoth answered. “Now go away.”

“You’re a very shrewd mammal,” Sid noticed. “Okay, lead the way, Mr. Big… didn’t get the name…”

“Manfred,” The mammoth answered bluntly.

“Man-Fred?” Gilda worded out. “Wow, did you have a bad childhood.”

“I do have to agree that the name’s a mouthful,” Pinkie nodded, then lit up. “So, we’ll call you ‘Manny’. Before you object, just trust me on this. That name’s going to stick to you like glue.”

“Yeah, I like that!” Sid rambled. “How about ‘Manny the Moody Mammoth’? Or ‘Manny the Melancholy’… ‘Manny the’…”

But the sloth stopped mid-sentence when the mammoth glared at him. Afraid that he was about to be pummeled, Sid proceeded to climb the nearest tree, which was just high enough to reach the mammoth’s eye level. But rather than crushing the puny sloth to a pulp, he merely pulled the tree toward him so the sloth could look him square in the face.

“Stop following me,” Manny warned.

The mammoth snapped the tree back, the force sending the sloth sliding down to the surface. The ponies and their friends gathered toward the sloth, helping him back to his feet. They proceeded to continue trailing the mammoth despite his warnings otherwise.

“Okay! I can tell you’ve got issues!” Pinkie Pie called out. “We can just call you Manny; no fancy titles required!”

“You won’t even know we’re here,” Sid added, following Manny. “I’ll just zip the lip. When I say, ‘MMPH!’, I’m ‘MMPH!’.”

“I’m really sorry about this Gabby,” Spike apologized to the griffon. “I swear when I wanted us to have a relaxing vacation for two, this was definitely not part of the agenda.”

“Are you kidding, Spike?” Gabby replied optimistically. “We are standing in a landmark of history. There’s a lot we can learn about this landscape, with creatures we’ve never seen nor met before. And besides, the important thing is we’re in this together no matter what happens.”

“Well, color me impressed. I’ve always liked how you find the good in everything.”

“Yeah kid, well you’re not the one living with it,” Gilda grumbled.

“You know, I get you got this whole ‘I’m better than this’ personality going on,” Spike argued. “But can you ever say something ‘positive’ for once?”

“Okay… I’m positive that this whole trip is a complete waste of time. I could be at home hunting for gold, but no…”

Gilda proceeded to flutter off ahead leaving Spike confused and annoyed at the same time. Rainbow Dash was passing by, having seen the commotion.

“Don’t take it so personally Spike,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Even I don’t get her sometimes.”

For a moment, all was quiet amongst the group as they continued their way keeping a steady pace behind the mammoth. They had no idea where he was going or what lay ahead. But they figured that so long as they stuck together, any predators they could encounter would be overwhelmed by their odds. Even though a few questions still lingered in the air.

“By the way, Sid,” Pinkie broke the silence. “You mentioned the name ‘Sylvia’ before we left. Is it anyone you know?”

“I’m willing to talk of a lot of things…” Sid replied nervously. “But, uh… I’d rather not talk about this one.”

“Ooh, I get it… maybe later then.”

When Sabers Attack

Author's Note

Big thanks to my guy PD for the awesome quotes in this chapter, as well as my other guy Drama for his awesome editing work.

When Sabers Attack

The air was still by the time it was morning. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful as the sun slowly rose over the valley. In the small village nestled on the cliffs, the Neanderthal tribe slept soundly in their tents. In one tent in particular, Quill Cast and Atalanta slept snuggling close to one another. On the other side, Curtain Call laid on his side along empty bags of Doritos (Nacho Cheese flavored), a calico plushie held tightly in one hoof, and his other hoof… caught in Curtain’s mouth. All eyes were still shut… par from one pair.

Meanwhile, Jon Snow sat wide awake inside the tent. Up till daybreak, he’d been sharpening his blade in preparation for today’s events. He never was one to sleep for very long, not after everything he’d been through back in Westeros. He knew something was coming to disturb the peace, and so long as threats still existed, he couldn’t afford to sleep for any reason. But not even Snow realized he had any further reason to be awake that day.

Suddenly, he snapped his head toward the entry of the tent. It was very faint, almost non-existent, but Jon swore he heard something drawing near the village. Slowly the man made his way toward the flap of the tent, quietly peaking his head out toward the valley entrance in the distance. Along the higher cliffs, he could make out the outlines. A whole pack of Sabretooth tigers slowly prowling toward the village.

Apparently, Jon wasn’t the only one to notice. Ghost’s head popped up and he started growling. Hearing the direwolf’s growling, the rest of the wolf pack arose and started full on barking toward the approaching saber pack. Jon quickly ducked back into the tent and shook his friends awake.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Jon shouted.

“Huh-what?” Quill mumbled groggily. “What’s going on?”

“No mom, I don’t want to go to school today,” Curtain whimpered dreamily. “The kids make fun of me; just let me stay home and bake cookies with you.”

Quill and Atalanta both slowly rose from their sleep, watching Curtain Call squirm while putting that one hoof back between his lips. Having seen enough, Quill proceeded to give his partner in crime a good kick in the hindquarters and Curtain Quill sat straight up, dropping everything.

“I’m up! I’m up!!!” Curtain proclaimed.

“Jon, what’s going on?” Quill asked their other companion.

“The village is under attack,” Jon responded. “We have to go now!”

The remainder of the group quickly sat right up, their faces showing great concern.

“What is it?” Quill asked urgently. “Is it the Wendigo?”

“No,” Jon replied, shaking his head. “Not Wendigos.”

Jon quickly drew out Longclaw from his sheath, departing from the tent. But he was not alone. The other tribes people, all of them men, emerged from their tents carrying spears. At the lead was the village chief, Runar himself, keeping them together ready to defend their home. Quill, Curtain, and Atalanta emerged from their tent soon after Jon. That was when they saw the beasts leap into the fray and realized what they were up against.

“SABRETOOTH!!!” Curtain Call called out.

The battle was waged between the two opposing sides. Soto took a great leap toward Runar, who was able to hurl the great saber off him. The others lunged toward the humans, keeping them on their toes. It didn’t take long for Quill Cast, Curtain Call, and Atalanta to cast themselves into the fight. What they lacked in ‘handiwork’ with spears, the two stallions relied on their martial arts capabilities blocking the claw swipes and retaliating with their own hooves. Whereas Ata maintained her distance using her magic to keep the pack at bay, the sabretooth was wise enough to avoid the beams of light emanating off her.

As it would turn out, however, all of this was playing in favor of the pack. Seeing everyone distracted, Diego crept around the fight while spears hit the floor, growling filled the air, and fabric was torn as claws slashed toward the enemy. Eventually, Diego reached the entrance to the main tent, and it didn’t take long to spot his catch. The baby, the only child of the entire tribe, sleeping peacefully in the comfort of its satchel atop his bed. But Diego knew this was no ordinary child; this was the chief’s son himself. The sabretooth slowly prowled towards the child, his growls vibrating in the air. All he’d have to do was grab the baby, not to kill but to bring him back to Soto and the rest of the pack. Soon, all that time spent plotting their revenge would be complete.

Suddenly, just as the baby was in reach, the child himself blissfully unaware of the danger, a pair of hands snatched the baby out of the bed. Diego looked up as Nadia, the chief’s wife, held the baby in her grasp, swat the sabretooth away with a club, and dashed out of the tent. The human female emerged, seeing the fight amongst the tribe and the sabretooth, and quickly took off to carry the child to safety. Diego emerged quickly, caught sight of the human with the baby, and raced after him.

Jon and his allies were keeping the sabretooth at bay when a female cry called out to them. They turned their heads and looked on in horror as a sabretooth pursued Nadia with the baby in hand.

“NADIA!!!” Atalanta shouted.

Runar turned and spotted the chase. He made to chase after them, only to be stopped by a pair of sabretooths and watched helplessly as his wife and child faded off into the distance. Fortunately for Runar, Jon leapt in and swiped his sword toward the hungry tigers, the pair working together to drive them back.

“I’ll hold them off!” Jon shouted. “Save them!”

Nodding their heads, the stallions and the Changeling princess raced as fast as they could to catch up to Nadia and Roshan. The chase brought them toward a rushing river, Diego following the human’s trail toward a looming rock. Nadia desperately tried to race over but Diego quickly leapt in front of her. He made a snatch for the baby, only to grab the necklace which he hurled aside. Nadia tried hiding under a rock, only to come face-to-face with Diego. Never taking his eyes off the baby, the prize he sought to claim, Diego raced Nadia across the water. The woman scrambled toward a rock looming toward the falls. It was then she realized there was nowhere to run and when she turned toward the sabretooth, the cat smirked.

‘Trapped!’, He thought.

Thankful the chase was over, seeing his pray was trapped, the tiger slowly advanced toward the woman. Nadia looked around desperately, but realized no matter where she’d run by now, she was too tired and there was no way to outrun a sabretooth. She looked toward the baby, her most precious treasure. Just a tiny new beacon of life she brought into the world, so much promise to grow into a strong man like her husband. And now this hungry animal was threatening to take that away from her, she couldn’t bear it.

By then, Ata and the two stallions finally reached their human companion and skid to a halt. They looked on silently, horrified seeing the woman and her child trapped between the edge of the falls and a hungry animal. Nadia made one last look toward the sabretooth, seeing it slowly stalk its way toward her. But her eyes also caught sight of the trio staring toward her, their eyes widening as they realized what she was about to do. Before they could act, Nadia hugged the baby close to her chest… and leapt.

“NO!!!” The three shouted.

Diego stood shocked for a moment before making his way toward the edge. He looked down toward the falls, but he couldn’t see where the pair of humans landed or if they survived. They just vanished down the rushing rapids miles down the falls.

‘Idiot!’ Diego scolded himself. ‘Never underestimate what a mother will do for a child.’

“YAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Suddenly, Diego was pounced on by a great force that sent him off his paws. One of the stallions, with a light peach coat, was on top of the beast now, blinded by rage and proceeded to attack the sabretooth recklessly with his front hooves.

“YOU MURDERING… HEARTLESS… BEAST!!!” The pony shouted. “HOW DARE YOU KILL A WIFE AND HER CHILD!!!”

Growling, Diego used his back legs to shove the pony back and the latter rolled against the floor clutching his chest. The sabretooth crawled back as the other stallion and the strange colorful creature raced to their fallen friend.

“QUILL!!!” The other pony shouted.

“Quill!” The creature leaned toward the pony, holding him. “You’re okay… it’s going to be okay…”

The two loomed toward their friend, seeing he was still alive but clutching his stomach. Diego’s back claws pierced the belly, not deep enough to kill but to leave the prey in pain. Those left standing stood in defense of their fallen friend, clearly ready for Diego to make his move. But he didn’t have time for these creatures. He quickly took off as the group looked on, realizing it was heading for the camp.

Speaking of the camp, one swing of an axe, and the wolves were set free. They pounced towards the pack, protecting their human companions from these beastly cats. The sabretooths were on the defense, until Soto took one glance toward a familiar figure.

“There’s Diego!” Soto called out to the others. “Fall back!”

The other tigers proceeded to follow his lead, racing away from the camp before meeting up with Soto’s right hand tiger. But when he got there, he realized Diego had come alone… not a trace of the baby on him.

“Where’s the baby?” Soto snarled.

“I lost it over the falls,” Diego confessed.

“You lost it?!”

The sudden impact of a spear piercing the ground caused them to stop and turn. The humans and the wolves were advancing toward the pack, who were clearly outnumbered. The tigers had no choice but to flee as spears rained toward the path they stepped. Soon as they were far enough from the humans, they stopped.

“I want that baby, Diego!” Soto snapped, expressing frustration.

“’ll get it!” Diego snapped back.

“You better, unless you want to serve as a replacement,” Soto warned. “We’ll go up to Half Peak. Meet us there. It had better be alive.”

Soto turned and bounded away, leaving Diego staring after him.

“Can we trust you with that, Diego?” Oscar taunted, following Soto.

“Let’s go!”

Diego could only watch the backs of his packmates for a moment before racing off down the river. Whether the woman survived or not was not of Diego’s concern. He needed to hope that somehow, he could still catch the baby; otherwise, it would do him no good if he already drowned. Retrieving the child was his top priority.

As the chaos settled, Ata and Curtain Call had taken some bandages to cover the flesh wounds across Quill Cast’s stomach preventing further bleeding. Their friend groaned in pain, and it hurt as much trying to stand up, but he pushed through as he got back on his feet. They marched toward one spot by the falls, where the wolves, including Ghost, sniffed the ground where a necklace laid. Runar and Jon made it to the spot and the chief gasped when he spotted the necklace. While Runar examined it, Jon reunited with the trio.

“What happened?” Jon asked, concerned.

“We tried to reach Nadia, but we were too late,” Curtain Call confessed.

“She leapt over the falls before we could reach her,” Ata added. “And Quill… he got hurt.”

“Sorry…” Quill apologized weakly.

It slowly dawned on Runar what happened and why those sabretooths showed up. They came for his family; they came for his wife and child. He looked ahead, catching the sabretooth just as they were fleeing from the valley. If his wife was killed by them, then Roshan… his son. Grunting in anger, Roshan charged toward the pack and the rest of the men ran after him, shouting war cries determined to hunt the pack to the end, with the wolves taking the lead. Jon saw this and proceeded to give a shrilling whistle, summoning Ghost toward him.

“Get your friend onto Ghost!” Jon instructed. “We’re going after them!”

Ata and Curtain Call carefully carried their injured friend onto the Direwolf’s back, positioning him carefully. But another matter came up.

“What about the Wendigo?” Quill asked.

“We can’t worry about it now!” Jon brushed off. “We don’t deal with that pack now, they’ll just come back. We must get the baby back.”

“Jon, about that—” Curtain began.

“No time! We must go; now!”

Jon raced ahead with Ghost carrying Quill along the way, his sword gleaming under the sunlight. Curtain Call and Atalanta looked toward each other, the two friends realizing now was not the perfect time. They proceeded to follow their companions up the path to catch the sabretooth to exact the chief’s revenge and help them get his son back. But little did they realize, at least what the humans hadn’t realized, was that the child was not as far as they thought he was.

It was later during the day as the Equestrian Heroes and their new allies marched their way down the trail, passing a few cherry blossom trees. Along the way, Sid proceeded to ramble off in regard to a former relative – probably his mother, but it’s anybody’s guess. For what seemed like hours, the ponies, the griffins, Spike, and even Manny had to listen to the lecture Sid was giving. Needless to say, Sid’s talking was boring everyone and every pony present to death.

“… And, and she picked a hair off my shoulder and says, ‘Look, if you’re gonna have an extra mating dance, at least pick a female with the same color pelt, right?’” The ground sloth said, chewing an apple. “And I thought, ‘Whoa, she’s gonna go praying mantis on me’. You know what I’m saying?”

“And you’re sure she’s not talking about this Sylvia?” Twilight asked, patiently.

“Yeah… don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Hey, if you find a mate in life, you should be loyal,” Manny grumbled. “In your case, grateful. Now, get away from me!”

“Well, I think mating for life is stupid, and there’s plenty of Sid to go around here.”

“You say that now my friend,” Pinkie Pie grinned. “But wait until Collision Course comes in… eh, three, four… no, FIVE seasons! Trust me, you’re going to eat your words!”

All eyes, including Sid’s, gazed oddly toward Pinkie Pie. As for Manny, he didn’t seem to react or care for basically any of it. He just kept walking forward without ever looking back.

“… Whatever you say, Pinkie,” Spike spoke up. “Look Sid, there’s nothing wrong with ‘mating for life’. I’m not saying it should be right away, but every creature does it at some point in their lives. It’s an amazing feeling when you find that special someone. At least someone you share things in common with, willing to do things together, growing old and all that stuff. Take me and Gabby for example! We’re a dragon and a griffon, we couldn’t be any more different.”

“But we’re together!” Gabby smiled, eyeing Spike. “And we’re so much in love!”

“Yeah, right,” Gilda scoffed. “Was that before or ‘after’ Lady Marshmallow here broke your boyfriend’s heart?”

“Excuse me?!” Rarity frowned in disdain. “For your information, I did not break Spikey-Wikey’s heart!”

“Kind of falls short when you’re the one who tried to break them up,” Gilda rolled her eyes, smirking toward Rarity. “I dare you to prove me wrong.”

“Good grief! This talk again?” Rarity rubbed her temples. “Look… I admit what I did back then was immature and unbecoming of me. But I’ve madeamends between Spike and Gabby; I brought them back together. And ever since then, I’ve learned my lesson, and I’ve given them all the space they want. Maybe I was a little jealous, but that’s over now! I have Erik, we’re married, and we both have a lovely daughter back home!”

“Then why are you here, instead of – oh, I don’t know – at home with her and your precious husband?” Gilda scoffed. “Honestly, you claim to be a devoted wife and mother, but the way you’re paling around with Spike makes you look… how do I say it without being offensive? Oh yeah! Clingy.”

“Does immaturely making fun of me make you feel better about your sad, single, lonely life?” Rarity frowned.

“It actually does,” Gilda smirked.

“Okay Gilda, that’s enough!” Gabby interrupted, confronting her friend. “I don’t appreciate you badmouthing, Rarity! She’s learned her lesson and we all forgive her for it.”

“Besides, I’m actually glad Rarity’s finally married to Erik,” Spike added. “Now I have all the free time to spend with Gabby.”

“Who knows what else will happen after this trip? Can you just imagine how our wedding will be?”

“W-W-Wedding?!” Spike exclaimed.

Spike clutched his chest as if he were about to have a heart attack. Not because he was against the idea, but he was trying so hard to be careful. He looked at Twilight Sparkle, Spike’s worried gaze silently asking if Gabby potentially knows. Twilight just shook her head quickly, as if to suggest not even she knows. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Spike quickly straightened up and cleared his throat.

“I-I-I mean… wow, a wedding,” Spike replied casually. “Yeah… perhaps someday. A bit early to talk about it, but… right now, I just want to live in the moment with my best griffin.”

“Mmm… keep sweet-talking me Spike, and there won’t be room for dessert,” Gabby giggled.

“Get a room, you two!” Gilda groaned. “Sheesh, I swear you two are just as bad as—"

Gilda got so caught up in the soap opera drama, she forgot to look where she was going and ended up bumping her face into Manny’s behind. The impact sent her back and she fell to the ground. Spike tried to hold back a giggle while Gilda frowned in annoyance, but the others were too focused on the mammoth.

“What’s the hold up, Manny?” Applejack called out.

But the mammoth didn’t reply, not one single syllable. Instead, the Wooly Mammoth stood frozen in place like a statue.

“Manny?” Sid called out. “Manny?”

The sloth and everyone else walked around the mammoth, seeing the shock upon his face. Curious, they followed where his gaze looked, and soon their expressions matched his. There, amidst the rushing river, barely clinging onto the branch of a fallen tree for dear life, was a woman… a human woman. She held onto the tree with one of her arms, by the elbow, while clutching a satchel in the other.

The woman wearily looked toward the group staring at her. She didn’t react with either shock or fright, much like the many humans the Equestrian Heroes have met in their previous adventures. Not that she seemed to care anyway, and it was plain to see she was very weak. She struggled to wade across the icy cold water to reach the surface, holding onto the log to keep herself from floating away, and keeping the satchel close.

“Hold on there!” Applejack called out. “We’re comin’!”

The Earth Pony sprinted into action, jumping into the water… and leapt out.

“Ah! Cold! Cold, cold, cold! Freezing cold!”

“I got her!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

The rainbow maned Pegasus flapped her wings and flew toward the woman, reaching down to help her. Gilda soon followed, a faint hint of concern, and joined in. Together, the Pegasus and Griffon aided the woman as close to the shore as possible. With her last bit of strength, the dying mother gently placed the satchel onto dry land pushing it forward. The satchel would’ve rolled back into the water, had the Mammoth not caught it in time. The mother looked up toward the mammoth and the magical companions eyeing down at her. The Pegasus and Griffon soon prepared to rejoin their group, the former looking toward her.

“Just hang in there, ma’am,” The pony spoke. “We’ll be right back.”

The woman didn’t utter a word, either still processing the coincidence of this gathering of creatures… or she couldn’t speak. But somehow, she felt this was a sign that hope had come in some form… just not for her. With one last breath of air, she leaned her head onto the ground, and smile gratefully as she closed her eyes… forever.

The ponies and their friends gathered around the satchel, curious to see what was so important for this woman. Carefully, they adjusted the satchel and made a small opening. When they saw its contents, they silently gasped. Inside the satchel was a baby, stirring awake and opening his eyes. When the baby’s attention turned toward the animals, he smiled at them.

“Aw!” The girls, even Gilda, cooed together.

“It’s a boy!” Pinkie gasped.

“You can tell just by the face, Pinkie?” Spike asked amazed.

“Mother’s intuition.”

“Look at that,” Sid smiled. “He’s okay.”

“He’s so cute!” Gabby cooed, channeling her maternal instincts. “Hi little baby!”

“Cootchy-cootchie coo~” Fluttershy joined in.

“Wait a minute!” Twilight Sparkle realized. “If this is a child, then the woman is—”

All eyes looked back toward the woman, realizing who she was. But when they turned… their faces dropped with shock. One moment, the woman was clutching to the ground for dear life… and next she was gone, completely vanished out of sight.

“Where did she go?” Rarity asked.

“She was here a moment ago!” Rainbow Dash insisted. “You don’t think…”

But it didn’t take long for any pony or any creature to figure it out. It dawned on them the moment they looked out toward where the river flowed, but not a trace of the woman was in sight. It was possible that the water had taken her, probably halfway to the ocean by now. A majority of their eyes reached the brink of tearing up, but one sloth soon revealed what everyone else was thinking.

“She’s gone,” Sid gasped.

“Oh no…” Fluttershy whimpered. “He’s an orphan now…”

There was a moment of silence amongst the group, as they stood around the baby. They quietly mourned over the death of the mother, a woman they only just met for a few brief seconds. They had no idea how she got into the river in the first place nor where she even came from. But now the real question was what to do with this child, whom this woman entrusted to them before she left.

“… So, what now?” Gilda asked.

It was then she noticed Manny turning away and started to leave.

“Hey! Where’re you going, Jumbo?!” Gilda called out.

“Hey, Manny!” Sid called out to the mammoth. “Manny, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“No,” Manny answered bluntly.

“But you just saved him!”

“Yeah, well, I’m still trying to get rid of the last thing I saved.”

“That’s not very nice!” Fluttershy frowned. “How can you say something so cruel? His mother just drowned in the river and… and you would just… leave this defenseless baby to fend for himself?”

“Not my problem,” Manny continued.

“You can’t leave him here,” Sid insisted.

“And we won’t,” Twilight declared. “We just need a better plan.”

While Twilight tried to figure it out, Sid proceeded to pick up the baby who cooed in response. It was then that the Sid looked up and spotted smoke from the top of the waterfall.

“Look, there’s smoke! That’s his herd right up the hill.”

“I do declare yer right, Sid!” Applejack nodded, adjusting her hat. “I reckon we get on up there and return the little sugar cube to his rightful relations.”

“Yeah! And return him to his family too!” Pinkie Pie squealed with glee.

“Let’s get something straight here, okay?” Manny scowled, rebuffing the idea. “There is no ‘we’. There never was a ‘we’. In fact, without me, it wouldn’t even be a ‘you’!”

Another silence of shock filled the air, till Twilight broke it.

“What is wrong with you, Manny?” Twilight confronted. “How can you be this way? Whatever happened to you to make you so… so… how do I put it politely—”

“A big grumpy pants and sourpuss?” Pinkie Pie suggested.

“… Yes, thank you Pinkie,” Twilight nodded, addressing Manny. “This is a baby. His kind must be worried sick about him.”

“And his home is just a hop and a skip away!”

“Just up the hill,” Sid pointed feebly.

“Listen very carefully,” Manny continued, using his trunk to talk. “I’m… not… go-ing.”

“… Manny, you’re as stubborn as a—OMPH!” Rainbow Dash began, before Pinkie Pie stopped her.

“Rainbow Dash! Everyone’s watching back home!” Pinkie Pie reminded. “Let’s not forget to mention you-know-who?”

“Oh… sorry.”

Rainbow Dash awkwardly put Pinkie’s hoof down, leaving Sid, Manny, and the baby very confused. Brushing off the random moment between the ponies, Sid scowled over the stubborn mammoth’s rejection.

“Fine, be a jerk,” Sid declared, walking away with the baby. “I’ll take care of him.”

“Oh yeah, that’s good,” Manny huffed sarcastically. “You’ll take care of him. You can’t even take care of yourself.”

“Correction! We will take care of him!” Gabby volunteered herself and her friends.

“We are?” Gilda asked, before receiving an elbow nudge from Gabby.

“Yes, we are!” Gabby added. “No offense, Sid. But a baby is a lot of work, even for one sloth. He needs all the help and care he can receive.”

“Plus, it’s what Rainbow Dash’s human father would’ve done for her,” Pinkie Pie added. “It was such a great story! She was de-aged into a filly, by accident, and found herself lost in another time, another place… in this case another fanfic! You guys should read it sometime!”

They allowed Pinkie Pie to ramble, nodding their heads as if pretending they actually understood what she said. Priorities compelled the group to make sure the baby was returned to his family and they could be on their way. But it wasn’t long until Sid started growing attached to the little munchkin.

“I’ll return you,” Sid baby-talked the child. “We don’t need that meany-weeny mammoth, do we? No, we don’t.”

The baby merely giggled in response as the sloth turned and stopped. Looking up, he realized that to get the child back home… he’d have to climb a very tall… very steep… very large mountain. Sid slowly looked back as Manny looked up the mountain, then down toward the sloth with a smirk. He nudged his head up, daring the sloth to climb. Not wanting to be deterred, Sid quickly put forth a brave fence and braced himself to climb.

The sloth tried to scale the mountain, but either he couldn’t get a firm grip… or he couldn’t reach it. The Equestrians were starting to worry seeing the sloth was not off to a great start.

“Do you need any help, Sid?” Twilight Sparkle asked, concerned.

The sloth merely looked at Twilight Sparkle, with a look that says, ‘I’m just warming up’. Eventually Sid began to climb the mountain once he got a proper hold along its surface and put in some extra leg worth. But suffice to say, Sid still wasn’t quite scaling the mountain as quickly as he hoped. Having to carry the baby in one arm and using the other for climbing certainly didn’t make things easier. He was only scaling a few inches before fell… but luckily his head caught along the side.

“You’re an embarrassment to nature, y’know that?” Manny called out.

“Manfred… shut… up!” Gilda hissed, shaking her head.

“Sid, are you sure you can scale the mountain?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“We don’t mind carrying the child to the village ourselves!” Gabby offered.

“This is cake!” Sid feigned confidence. “I’m fine, I’m fine… I’m gonna die.”

The Equestrians gathered together, looking up with nervous anticipation as Sid continued to scale the mountain. Surprisingly, even Manny approached behind them never taking his eyes off the sloth and the child. Suddenly, just as Sid was scaling a solid distance, he suddenly heard a ‘SNAP!’ and felt the satchel in his grip getting lighter. The Equestrians gasped in shock as the bottom of the satchel snapped open and the baby was about to fall.

“SID!!! THE BABY!!!” Spike called out.

Before the baby fell from his satchel, Sid was able to catch the child with his toes. Only now Sid was dangling helplessly as he could feel the baby slipping.

“TWILIGHT!!! MANNY!!!” Sid cried out.

Suddenly, the child started to slip from the sloth’s toe and fell to the ground.

“Don’t worry buddy, Mama Pinkie Pie will catch you!” Pinkie reached out.

The mammoth too reached out, trying to catch the baby, when suddenly… a sabretooth tiger leapt in and grabbed the back of the child’s shirt with its mouth. The tiger whirled about, aiming for a quick getaway only for the mammoth to whack him under the chin with his trunk and recovered the baby, who seemed more surprised than scared. Diego attempted to swipe at the mammoth, but the griffin pair delivered a double uppercut knocking the bad cat back. Soon, ponies, griffins, and a dragon gathered in front of the mammoth, prepped for defense while the latter glared fiercely. It seemed the tiger realized this was going nowhere, and it cleared its throat.

“Um… that pink thing is mine,” He spoke casually.

To which the sloth, stilling clinging to the wall, laughed.

“Uh, no. Actually, that pink thing belongs to us,” Sid replied.

As he spoke, the sloth’s grip slipped, and he fell toward the ground. Spike quickly raced over to catch him… but Sid’s head landed on the dragon’s and they both fell forward. It took great control for both Gilda and Rainbow not to laugh as Gabby and Twilight hovered over to help their friends.

“Us?” Gilda asked, amused.

“You two are a bit of an odd couple,” Diego smirked, finishing her sentence.

“There is no us!” The mammoth snapped, glaring at the sloth.

“SHOULDN’T YOU BE TAKING A HIKE OR SOMETHING?!?!” Rainbow snapped back.

The tiger rolled his eyes, as if he were eyeing a bickering ‘couple’… and their friends.

“I see. Can’t have one of you own, so you want to adopt.”

“Look, I’m sorry to interrupt your snack, but we gotta go,” Sid said, pulling the baby away.

“As you can see, he just lost a mother and we’re hoping he has a dad to go home too,” Spike added. “So, we’re just going to be on our way. See you never!”

But the tiger jumped to Sid and Spike’s level, hoping to stall them.

“The baby? I was returning him to its herd.”

“Right… and I’m the Queen of the Hungry Hippos, watch me dance,” Spike remarked sarcastically.

“Nice try buck tooth!” Sid scoffed.

“You calling me a liar?” The tiger growled, following the pair.

“Uh… no?” Sid gulped, leaning away.

“We didn’t say that—" Sid added nervously.

“You were thinking it,” The tiger growled, circling them.

The sloth and dragon looked around, then toward each other, and then to the ponies.

“We don’t like this cat,” Spike whispered harshly.

“He reads minds!” Sid added.

Reminded that he was standing in the presence of a mammoth, and the strangest bunch of animals he’d ever seen, the tiger addressed the group.

“Name’s Diego, friends,” He greeted cordially.

“Uh, hi…” Twilight greeted nervously. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. This is Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, you’ve already met Spike and Sid—”

“Name’s Gabby,” Gabby fluttered by. “And this is Gilda… no relation.”

“Sup…” Gilda grumbled.

“Manfred,” The mammoth replied, glaring. “And I’m not your friend!”

“Fine, Manfred,” Diego growled.

By this point, Sid picked up the human again and, with Spike next to him, they walked away. All the while, Twilight could practically see the wheels turning in the tiger’s head, as if he were thinking of something. To suggest the alicorn was slightly suspicious was an understatement.

“So, as my faithful assistant was saying,” Twilight Sparkle continued. “As soon as we return the baby to his family, we’ll just be on our way.”

“If you’re looking for the humans, you’re wasting your time,” The tiger informed Twilight. “They left this morning.”

“Gee, thanks for the advice, we’ll have it engraved,” Gilda remarked dryly. “Now BEAT IT!”

“GILDA! Don’t tempt the cat with the teeth and claws!” Gabby hissed anxiously.

“Manny, please come with us!” Pinkie begged the mammoth, on her knees. “I know it’s none of your business; I know we’re not exactly buddy-buddy! But we really need to get this baby to his family, or he’ll starve! Just one teeny, tiny, itsy-bitsy favor. Oh please, please, OH PLEASE!”

“Alright!” The mammoth grumbled. “I’ll help you bring him to his herd, but promise me that you’ll leave me alone after that?”

“Okay! Okay, deal!” Sid answered quickly. “What’s your problem?!”

“You’re my problem!” Manny emphasized.

“Pardon for interrupting, but you seemed stressed,” Fluttershy observed sweetly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about?” Gilda huffed indignantly. “He’s a bad-tempered grouch who eats so much!”

“Says the griffin who bakes scones that break your teeth…” Spike muttered, under his breath.

“I HEARD THAT!!!”

“You’d think it be tough to get fat on a vegan diet,” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“I’m not fat!” Manny argued. “It’s all this fur, it makes me look poofy.”

“Oh sure, of course darling,” Rarity nodded. “And I’m sure it’s a lovely coat, very fashionable in these parts. But we’re here when you’re ready to talk.”

“Better get used to it,” Applejack advised. “We’re stickin’ to ya like caramel on a candy apple.”

“OOH! Candy Apple?!” Pinkie gleamed, looking around. “Where?! WHERE?!”

“Just keep walking, Pinkie…” Twilight Sparkle spoke patiently. “Hmm… I think if we go around this corner, there should be a trail leading to the camp. We’ll have the baby home in no time.”

But as they walked away, behind their backs, Diego growled darkly. What started as a simple retrieval task suddenly got complicated with all these animals in the mix. And it was plain to see that they don’t trust him, so getting close to the baby would be tough. He proceeded to go around another path leading to the camp as he’d figured out what to do.

Baby Blues

The cold, icy wind of the Ice Age blew heavily through the air. The Neanderthal tribe, among them Jon Snow, Ghost, and the Equestria trio trudged through the snow across the valley. Following the sabretooth attack earlier that morning, the collective group attempted to track the tiger pack down. Sadly, they’d since lost the trail and the search didn’t last very long.

A dejected Runar determined it was best to lead his tribe to Glacier Pass, a place where their people had a settlement just beyond. The tribe marched across the snow with their wolf pack as the two stallions, the changeling princess, the warrior, and his direwolf followed from the rear. Quill Cast still rode atop Ghost’s back as Atalanta and Curtain Call walked alongside them. The concern upon their faces was as clear as the morning sky.

“Does it still hurt?” Atalanta asked her fiancée.

“Kind of,” Quill replied. “It’s getting better.”

“Can you walk?” Curtain asked.

“I can try.”

Quill Cast slowly adjusted himself upon Ghost’s back and slid off the giant direwolf. The moment his hooves touched the ground, he tried lifting his own weight. A sharp pain hit his abdomen and the stallion released an uncomfortable grunt as he hunched over. Ata and Curtain were about to reach out to help, but he held up his hoof.

“I’m fine!” He groaned. “Just give me a minute.”

Atalanta and Curtain remained in place, despite wanting to come to their friend’s aid. The pair waited as Quill slowly regained his strength and slowly stood back to his full height again.

“Ain’t no saber claw sharp enough to take me out,” Quill spoke defiantly. “Neither any Wendigo nor evil creature lurking out there.”

Atalanta rolled her eyes over her fiancée’s arrogance but gave a smile over the fact he was still himself. This was the stallion she truly loved.

“Just don’t push yourself too much,” She warned. “It might not kill you but a claw to the abdomen still has its effects.”

“No worries, babe,” Quill assured her. “I’m alright.”

Regardless of his assurance, however, Atalanta still remained at his side to offer any support just in case. Curtain Call approached their side as they slowly caught up with the remainder of the tribe. As they ventured on, they noticed Jon making his way toward them with a smile upon his face.

“You certainly seem to be doing better,” Jon commented.

“I’m not easy to kill, Jon,” Quill smirked. “You know that by now.”

“After all the battles we’ve been through together, I know that all too well,” Jon retorted.

“Guys… you may want to come see this!”

The group turned toward Curtain Call, who stepped away from the path and now stood in the middle of the snow. They made their way toward where he stood and looked down into the snow. A trail of prints seemed to lead off into the mountains toward Half Peak. Except these weren’t sabretooth pawprints. They actually bared a strong resemblance to ‘human’ footprints; however, the strange thing about them was how they morphed into something… monstrous.

“Oh… crud!” Quill Cast groaned.

Elsewhere, Twilight Sparkle and her group made their way up the cliff, leaping from rock to rock. They had committed to returning the human baby to his family, much to Manny’s reluctance. This cliff was the only thing that stood between the group and getting the child back to his herd in the village. They made it a few moments after the mammoth and the sloth, the village now being a few steps away.

But if recent encounters had taught them anything, they had no idea how these humans would react to seeing oddly colored ponies with extra appendages and the ability to speak (Neither did it help they’re in the company of a dragon, a pair of griffins, a mammoth… and even a sloth). Their interaction with the late mother was brief, and the baby, being so cute and innocent, was hardly bothered to be in their company. It was how the rest of this tribe would react, what kind of people they’d be returning the child to, that left the group concerned. So much so, they initially stopped to consider their options before ultimately deciding to advance forward. Manny, however, refused to wait.

“What are you doing? Just drop it on the ledge.”

Not wanting to drag the mammoth’s patience further, Sid placed the baby up along the ledge. A few seconds in and the baby started to crawl back toward the village. But this didn’t really sit well with the rest of the group.

“Should we make sure they found him?” Sid suggested.

“That’s a great idea, Sid,” Gilda remarked slyly. “Thank you for volunteering.”

“Oh, no! No, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! AAAHHH!!!”

Against the sloth’s will, Gilda picked up Sid in her talons and hurled him onto the ledge. Screaming in panic, the sloth shielded his arms in defense, ready for the worst.

“DON’T SPEAR ME!” Sid screamed, closing his eyes.

Quickly racing toward the defenseless sloth, Gabby quickly landed before the sloth and landed in front of him.

“Wait, wait! Don’t hurt him!” Gabby cried out. “We come in peace; we’re just trying to—huh?”

Gabby stopped when she saw something up ahead. Removing his own hands from his face, Sid looked toward the griffin’s direction and the sloth himself was surprised.

“Oh, this is a problem,” Sid murmured.

“What is it, Sid?” Twilight Sparkle called out.

Twilight Sparkle and the remainder of the group climbed toward the ledge to investigate what was going on. The moment they turned toward their friends’ direction; their own eyes widened with shock. They had found the campsite, but instead of a warm welcome the whole area seemed to resemble a disaster area. A few of the tents were either abandoned or torn apart. The ground was littered with supplies, footprints of the residents were seen in every direction. A campfire had since been reduced to nothing but a smolder of burnt wood. But there was not ‘one’ trace of a human being to be seen. Manny was the last to join the group, but when he eyed the scene with annoyance.

“Aww, that’s perfect,” Manny grumbled.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy gasped, in shock.

“Boy howdy, just look at this place,” Applejack looked around. “It’s messier than Sweet Apple Acres after a family reunion.”

“What happened here?” Spike asked. “You don’t think—”

“Spread out,” Twilight Sparkle instructed. “Search for survivors.”

The group proceeded to scan the camp for any trace of human society left. The baby crawled ahead through all the clutter, when his eyes spotted a necklace of sorts handing along a line. He tried to reach up to touch it, but it was high. When the child tried to stand, he tripped into a bowl. The baby was still crawling when Sid and Pinkie Pie spotted him.

“Hey, wait up, baby!” Pinkie Pie called out. “This is no time for hide and seek!”

Pinkie and Sid ducked down, or in this case leaned back, to avoid the line hanging over them. They smirked, especially Pinkie Pie who saw it as like a game of limbo. The pair looked back, not watching where they were going and…

WHAM!

Sid took one step on a stick, sending it up and smacking him in the face knocking him out. Pinkie Pie eyed the fallen sloth, then at the stick, then back.

“Wow… that’s one of the oldest forms of slapstick in history,” Pinkie Pie observed, then pondered. “Except… would this be considered new since we’re in the distant past? Huh… I’m sure it’ll catch on in a couple decades or so.”

As for the others, they were exploring the remainder of the camp or at least inspecting what was left of it. But with the destroyed tents and scattered objects, it was then they truly realized that the humans were gone. Though whether they had moved on or were killed they didn’t know. Manfred stopped upon the baby, who stumbled upon the very bed he had slept in the other night. Somehow, it reminded the child of his mother, cuddling with it before turning to Manfred and the ponies.

Manfred looked down toward the baby somberly, as the baby slid into a basket again and watched the others. The Equestrians felt sorry seeing the baby stumble upon all of this, but none more so than Spike. It pained him seeing this child reaching his home, only to be very much alone. Whether this child was aware of it or not, something terrible had happened here, and there was no way of knowing if his family was still around. At least this kid must still have a family somewhere in this world, if only they knew where to look.

The momentary silence didn’t last very long when Diego the sabretooth leapt in. His paws crushed the bed the baby slept in not long before.

“I told you they were gone,” Diego reiterated.

“Well, look who it is,” Manny replied. “Don’t you have some innocent animal to disembowel?”

“I’m afraid Diego’s right, darling,” Rarity sighed. “There’s no pony here. The entire camp is completely deserted.”

“I’ve scanned every inch of this camp left and right, there’re no bodies,” Twilight Sparkle confirmed. “It’s possible they’re still alive. Now the bigger question is how to find them.”

As the Equestrians attempted to figure out what to do, Sid moved back and forth around the camp pointing in all directions. The Equestrians eyed Sid with annoyance watching him attempting to figure out where the humans had gone.

“They couldn’t be far,” Sid said, looking around. “I mean, they went this way, or this way?”

“You don’t know much about tracking, do you?” Diego voiced irritation.

“Gee, what gave it away?” Gilda asked rhetorically.

“Hey, I’m a sloth,” Sid shrugged, breaking a stick in half. “I see a tree, eat a leaf, that’s my tracking.”

“Unfortunately, he’s not wrong,” Fluttershy agreed reluctantly. “Even if the humans survived all this, they could be miles away by now. We might never find them.”

Diego rolled his eyes and sniffed the ground carefully. He picked up a stick, examining it carefully. He was clearly pretending to look for clues, but he was very careful not to give it away.

“You didn’t miss them by much,” Diego observed. “It’s still green. They headed north two hours ago.”

The sloth picked up the sticks he had broken and stuffed them in his cheeks.

“It’s still green, they headed north two hours ago,” He mocked.

Diego worked his claws in the ground but was careful not to let the mammoth or any pony else see.

“Honestly!” He thought internally. “How am I going to get the baby if this stupid sloth, mammoth, and these other creatures are around?”

To determine whether the sabretooth was bluffing or not, Rainbow Dash hovered up toward the sky as the others looked on. Gilda followed and eventually caught up with the rainbow-haired pony, hovering together as they squinted toward the northernmost distance. Although it was practically a slight spec, they could see some figures heading toward the direction Diego indicated. They could only guess that it was the humans.

“He’s right!” Rainbow Dash confirmed. “They are definitely on the move. I’ll bet one of them has to be the kid’s parent.”

“Then why are we wasting time?” Gilda retorted. “Can’t you just swoop the kid and hoof-deliver him to those humans?”

“Are you kidding? I could get that done in ten seconds flat.”

“Wait!!!”

Just when it seemed Rainbow Dash and Gilda had it all figured out, Fluttershy of all ponies came between the pair with a hint of concern on her face.

“You shouldn’t just fly the child toward his family that way,” Fluttershy advised. “We might scare him, or he could fall mid-flight.”

“Aw come on Flutters!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “I thought the idea was to return the boy to his family and be done with it!”

“I do want to see him reunited,” Fluttershy argued. “But we should think about this. They’ve never seen creatures like us before; who knows how they’ll respond to us?”

“Oh, give me a break!” Gilda groaned. “We could be rid of the kid in a matter of seconds, and you’re talking to us about safety? If you ask me, you just want to keep the kid around us because you’re growing attached to it like it were a pathetic, wimpy puppy!”

Under normal circumstances, Fluttershy would either bend down to such a confrontive nature or be heavily intimidated by the griffin. There was no mistake that she was still scared of Gilda, but she did not leave. Instead, she took a deep breath and attempted to take the more assertive approach.

“Gilda, I don’t think you realize how severe this situation is,” Fluttershy spoke calmly. “From what we know of this tribe based on the camp alone, they are hunters and gatherers. If the boy’s father is part of that tribe, think about it from his perspective. He sees a pony with wings or a creature whose half-bird and half-cat carrying his child in the sky, he may assume the worst and think we’re endangering his son.

“These humans are a primitive race in this period. Any creature they meet that either could pose a threat or is something out of the ordinary, they’ll instinctively assume the worst and attempt to kill you. But if you’re still willing to risk endangering yourself, then I ask you… am I wrong?”

By the time Fluttershy was finished, even Rainbow Dash was surprised by the forward nature of her winged companion. Gilda was speechless after that lengthy speech, surprised that all of that came out of the very same pony she reduced to tears long ago. Gilda felt the urge to say something snappy, object to it, even roar at this pony’s face for such defiance. But then she took one look toward Rainbow Dash, then toward the distant herd, then down to the ground where the baby was… and sighed in defeat.

“You ponies really give me a headache,” Gilda groaned, floating down.

By the time Gilda made her way toward the ground, Rainbow Dash slowly turned toward Fluttershy who gave a sigh of release as she watched Gilda land.

“Wow Flutters,” Rainbow Dash gasped, impressed. “Just when I think I know a pony, you surprise me sometimes.”

Fluttershy cheeks merely flushed as she gave a light smile before making her way to rejoin the group. Rainbow Dash was the last to make her landing, but she was coming down a little too fast. She landed upon a stick which propelled an abandoned fish into the air like a catapult launch. It flew in the air for a few seconds before it flopped right onto Manny’s face. Rainbow Dash, seeing the scene, tried to control herself… but she burst out laughing and fell back. Even Spike laughed at the scene and joined Rainbow Dash while Manny looked on with annoyance. While they were fighting for control, Diego stepped close to the baby, claws hooked around its diaper. But this hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“What’re you doing?” Twilight Sparkle asked, suspicious.

“You don’t need this aggravation,” Diego reasoned, eyeing the group closely. “Give me the baby. I can track down humans a lot faster than you can.”

“Heh-heh… hey, wait a minute!” Rainbow Dash realized, frowning. “That’s exactly like my plan… only not as cool as mine.”

Diego’s plan, however, didn’t seem to work for the mammoth either. Instead, Manny pulled the baby away from the sabretooth while every pony else looked toward Diego with suspicion.

“And you’re just a good citizen helping out, right?” Manny replied skeptically.

“Alright, wut’s the scam?” Applejack questioned, raising a brow. “Yer gonna run off with the baby, leaving us stranded here in Celestia knows where. You drag the little boy miles across the sleet and snow, and yer gonna leave him to rot?”

“We’re sorry Mr. Diego, but we’ve only just met you,” Gabby added. “How can we trust that your intentions are noble?”

“I just know where the humans are going,” Diego replied, pulling the baby back to him.

“Okay… where are the humans going?” Spike crossed his arms.

“Glacier pass,” Manny replied. “Everyone knows they have a settlement on the other side.”

“Then that’s where we’re taking the child,” Twilight declared, drawing the baby back.

Diego could tell just how stubborn these creatures were based on their tone. As annoying as they were, they outnumbered him and so he needed to keep his cool.

“Well, unless you know how to track, you’ll never reach them before the pass closes up with snow,” Diego said. “Which should be like tomorrow. So, you can give the baby to me, or go get lost in the blizzard. It’s your choice.”

As much as the group hated to agree with the sabretooth, he made some good points. They were able to piece together that the humans were going north because of what he said and the settlement at Glacier Pass was that direction. The problem was: They had no idea how far they’d be able to get, if flying and teleportation were out of the question. Whether or not Diego was lying about the snow blocking up the pass by the next day, time was not exactly on their side. And yet, the idea of leaving this child with a predator known for eating small creatures like him… that left them uncomfortable.

All eyes turned toward Manny, nervously wondering what he’d have to say. They watched as Manny proceeded to lift the baby up in the air, swinging it towards the saber. Diego opened his mouth to grab him, and the Equestrians thought he was willing to give him away. But much to their surprise… he swept past the cat and instead carefully handed the baby to Sid. The group sighed with relief, perhaps thinking this mammoth wasn’t such a jerk after all.

“There’s your little bundle of joy,” Manny declared, avoiding the tiger. “We’re returning it to the humans.”

“Ooh… oh, thank you very much, Mr. Manny sir!” Gabby clutched her heart. “Maybe you’re not such a bad guy after all.”

“Don’t mistake this for some act of kindness,” Manny warned, walking ahead. “Once the baby is back with the humans, you’re on your own.”

“… And there it is,” Spike sighed.

Diego merely growled realizing that whatever he was planning was foiled by this mammoth. While several of the Equestrians made to follow Manny, Sid turned towards Diego with a smirk.

“Awww, the big bad tigey-wigey gets left behind,” Sid mocked. “Poor tigey-wigey…”

Diego glared at Sid with a low growl, ready to bite his neck. Until…

“Sid, Tiger-Wigey is gonna lead the way,” Manny corrected.

“WHAT?!?!” The Equestrians reeled back.

While the group were shocked by Manny’s announcement, Sid turned toward Diego, who merely smirked toward the sloth. Realizing what a mess he was in, Sid waddled towards the mammoth.

“Uh, uh, Manny, can I—can I—can I talk to you for a second?” Sid smiled nervously.

“No!” The mammoth snapped. “The sooner we find the humans, the sooner I get rid of Mr. Stinky Drool-face… and the baby too.”

“Yeah, he’s definitely talking about you,” Gilda teased Spike.

“… Seriously!” Spike frowned.

Manny proceeded to walk on with the others in toll, Twilight flapping her wing on Spike’s shoulder as they joined the rest. Sid stood there nervously with the baby in his arms, as Diego slowly walked towards the sloth.

“You won’t always have ‘Jumbo’ around to protect you,” He warned. “And when that day comes, I suggest you watch your back, because I’ll be chewin’ on it.”

“Ahem!”

Diego turned toward Applejack, who stood before the pair with her front hooves folded.

“Yer wanted up front where we can see ya, Mister Uber-tracker.”

Diego gave a small growl and slowly walked ahead to the front. As Applejack followed the sabretooth, this left Sid with a nervous smile on his face.

“Help me.”

Ultimately, the group determined that their best choice of action was to permit Diego to be their guide to Glacier Pass. The trust issues toward the tiger were clear; however, they kept it to themselves. They hadn’t gone very far, however, when the baby Roshan started to cry. The little baby kept whining for what felt like hours and not once calmed down for a minute.

The sun had begun to set, and the group were beyond annoyed with Roshan’s crying. Sid carried the baby the rest of the way, trying to calm him down. But no matter how much he tried, it was proving no good and the group were at their wit’s end.

“Ugh, he’s been like this for hours!” Spike clutched his head. “My ears are bleeding!”

“No kidding!” Rainbow groaned, covering her ears.

No pony else could deny this fact: Whatever was bothering Roshan, even though they didn’t know it was his name, it was putting the kid in a very bad mood. Sid nearly dropped the baby but was able to get a better hold of him… only now he was upside down.

“Oh, you got to make it stop,” Manny moaned. “I can’t take it anymore!”

“I’ve eaten things that didn’t complain this much!” Diego frowned.

“Sid, could you please be gentle with him?!” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

Poor Roshan was so upset he began kicking Sid in the face a few times.

“I’m trying!” Sid grunted. “He won’t stop squirming.”

“Yer holding him wrong!” Applejack warned

“Watch his head!” Twilight shouted.

“Just put it down!” Diego groaned.

“Jeez, ‘Pick him up, put him down…’” Sid gibbered, muttering with annoyance.

Carefully, Sid placed little Roshan on a big, flat rock along his back. Diego, Gabby, Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie approached the boy, trying to determine the kid’s needs.

“Hey look!” Gabby noticed. “His nose is dry.”

“That means something’s wrong with it,” Sid pointed out.

“Someone should lick it,” Diego declared, staring at them. “Just in case.”

“Ugh! No chance, flea bag!” Gilda protested. “There’s no way one of us would do that.”

“I’ll do it,” Sid volunteered.

Sid was about to pick up the baby when suddenly…

“Hey, hey, wait!” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. “He’s wearing one of those baby diapers.”

“So?” Sid asked, his tongue out.

“So… if he poops, where does it go?”

The group eyed each other with disgust, realizing the possibility. Sid slipped his tongue back and there was a momentary pause in the air… until Roshan resumed whining. Sid, not liking the sound of it at all, pulled him away.

“Humans are disgusting,” He frowned.

“I second that,” Rainbow fluttered away. “Count me out.”

“Okay, you,” Manny shoved Sid. “Check for poop.”

“Hey, why am I the poop checker?”

“Because returning the runt was your idea,” Manny scowled in his face. “Because you’re small and insignificant, and because I’ll pummel you if you don’t.”

“Why else?” Sid muttered.

“NOW, SID!” Manny demanded.

Without further argument the sloth did just as he was told, and the group gave him some space. Manny scowled toward the rest of the group.

“Anyone else?” He inquired madly.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight shook their heads. Spike and Gabby looked toward the sky whistling, while Diego and Gilda backed away slowly. It was then Applejack shoved her marefriend forward.

“Rainbow, help him.”

“Me?!” Rainbow complained. “Why do I have to do it?”

“May ah remind ya that some pony once said she’d prove to be good with kids?” Applejack pointed out. “And that pony is you.”

It was true Rainbow Dash did recall that way back when. But the thought still made her cringe and for a moment she didn’t even say a word. In her head, she really didn’t want this to happen.

“Or am ah wrong?” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me ah’m wrong, and ah’ll apologize right now. Hmm?”

“Is that a threat?” Rainbow squinted.

“Sounds like it,” She snapped back.

“… Nope, sorry A.J.,” Rainbow turned away. “I’m not gonna do it.”

With a huff, Rainbow Dash aimed to fly away without a care. But Applejack refused to tolerate such an attitude.

“Let me make this clear, Rainbow!” Applejack declared loudly. “If ya don’t get yer flank over here, there will be no ‘special activities’ for a week, if ya know what I mean.”

Now that was enough to draw Rainbow Dash’s attention. Not liking the sound of that, she zoomed back toward her marefriend.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Rainbow shook worriedly.

“Yes, ah would,” Applejack smirked, before giving a serious stare. “Now quit bein’ such a sap and help Sid. Now!”

It was very rare for Rainbow Dash to see her marefriend so fed up. But eventually, she cast her gaze down with a defeated sigh.

“Only cause it’s you,” Rainbow grumbled.

The rainbow-haired pony trotted toward the sloth. She didn’t look back to see Applejack giving a smug look. To say the others were shocked was quite an understatement. Even Manny the Mammoth was surprised.

“Wow,” He gasped, before snapping out of it. “Okay, that makes ‘two’ poop checkers. Who else wants to do this?”

“Ooh! Ooh! I’ll do it!” Pinkie chirped happily. “I’ve got fresh diapers with me… in case of diaper emergencies.”

“You do?” Manny asked, confused.

“Yes sirree! Why I’ve been taking care of my baby boy Lil’ Cheese at Ponyville, even Mrs. Cake’s kids way back. These diapers I have in my mane should fit Roshan perfectly.”

“Why didn’t you tell us that was his name before?” Twilight Sparkle questioned.

“You never asked!” Pinkie shrugged, pulling out a diaper from her mane. “Will this work?”

Seeing the proof held in the grinning pony’s hoof, Manny’s surprise only grew by ten-fold. He was unsure how this pony was doing it, but something told him he’d get nowhere with asking.

“Okay, that’ll work. Go right ahead,” Manny insisted.

“Thanks, Manny! You’re a pal!” Pinkie chimed, hopping away.

The remainder of the group proceeded to make some space for the volunteers. Sid began the process of removing Roshan’s diaper, which proved very unsatisfying for him. Rainbow and Pinkie were right beside him and the feeling was understandable mutual.

“Ew! Yuck! EW!” Sid moaned. “I mena, my goodness.”

“Disgusting!” Rainbow faked gagging.

“Ugh! I think I’m gonna be sick!” Pinkie mumbled, her face turning green.

Fortunately, it only took seconds for Pinkie to quickly place a fresh diaper on the baby while barely looking.

“Phew! All done!” Pinkie Pie peeped.

As for Sid, he picked up the dirty diaper and started running in random directions. The group stared in horror as the sloth was waving the diaper toward them.

“Alright, look out, look out, coming through!” He spoke.

“Watch out!” Manny screamed.

“Don’t let it touch me!” Rarity shrieked.

“Watch where you’re swinging that thing!” Gilda yelled.

“Stop waving that thing around!” Diego shouted.

“Ooh! Ooh, I’M GONNA SLIP!” Sid cried.

The sloth was running towards Manny now, and he shared a brief look toward Pinkie and Rainbow before hurling the diaper into the air. Rainbow Dash flew around raising her hooves up.

“I got it!” Rainbow Dash called.

She paused in the air toward where the diaper was flying… and deliberately let it slip through her open hooves.

“Oops!” She spoke smugly.

The dirty diaper flapped open, landing directly on Manny’s face before he threw it off.

“Yuck!” The mammoth grunted.

“It’s clean!” Sid laughed.

“GOTCHA!” The sloth and two ponies mocked.

Soon, the three were bursting out laughing as the other ponies looked toward them with annoyance.

“Oh, man!” Pinkie spoke, through laughter. “You should’ve seen the looks on your faces!

“Oh, don’t let it touch me!” Rainbow mumbled, imitating Rarity. “Oh, man! That was priceless!”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were rolling around laughing their heads off alongside the sloth. The moment was short-lived, however, when Manny bonked Sid on the head, while Applejack smacked the back of Rainbow’s head, and Twilight doing the same to Pinkie Pie.

“Will you/ya cut it out?” Manny and the ponies groaned.

The baby actually giggled over their facial expressions, but the moment they recovered he was crying again. The others noticed it and found it intriguing. It was then they had an idea.

“Hey, do that again,” Diego grinned. “He likes it.”

This time, Manny hit Sid again, Rarity hit Rianbow, and Spike did so to Pinkie Pie.

“Sorry Pinkie,” Spike apologized.

“I know mama…” Pinkie Pie spoke dizzily. “No desserts till I eat my rock soup…”

“It’s making me feel better too,” Manny smiled.

“I’m not one to engage in repulsive activity,” Rarity admitted. “But I must agree.”

Sid and Pinkie stumbled toward Diego and Gilda.

“Here, you hold it,” They muttered dizzily.

Diego and Gilda smirked before giving a smack to Sid and Pinkie respectively. Roshan giggled and decided to slap Sid’s face too. But Sid, with one stern look, grabbed the baby’s hand stopping him before placing him back down. As Roshan started wailing again, Diego shoved the sloth aside.

“Here! Turn him towards me!” Diego instructed, covering his face. “Where’s the baby? There he is!”

The moment the sabretooth uncovered his face, Roshan stopped crying.

“Hey! It’s working!” Gabby chirped.

“Where’s the baby?” Diego repeated. “There he is!”

Unfortunately, this only made the baby resume crying… in terror.

“Or not…” Gilda frowned.

Annoyed, Manny shoved Diego aside.

“Stop it, you’re scaring him!” Manny berated.

“Well, now what are we supposed to do?” Spike asked. “We tried cleaning him; we tried making him laugh. What are we missing?”

All eyes turned toward the baby trying to determine what to do. But as the baby bawled his eyes out, he suddenly stopped. A gurgle from his stomach soon brought everyone’s attention.

“I get it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “You’re hungry, aren’t you? I’d be a grumpy pants too on an empty stomach!”

“Okay… so, what do babies like him eat?” Gilda asked.

“How about some milk?” Manny suggested.

“Ooh, I’d love some!” Sid answered.

“Not you, the baby!” Diego frowned.

“Well, I ain’t exactly lactating right now, pal!” Sid spat.

“You’re a little low on the food chain to be mouthin’ off, aren’t ya…?!” Diego argued.

While Diego and Sid argued, Gabby looked at the baby, tapping her beak in thought.

“Hmm… what do baby humans eat?”

Gabby reached into Pinkie’s mane and presented the baby with a variety of food she pulled out.

“You like cupcakes?” Gabby asked sweetly. “No? Well, there’s… pizza? Donuts? Griffon scones? Muffins? OOH! How about cookies? Everyone loves cookies!”

But baby Roshan simply grunted and shook his head, refusing each one.

“I don’t think he’s got the teeth to eat hard stuff,” Gilda told Gabby. “We’ll just have to chew them and spit them into his mouth.”

“Ew! No!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “That’s disgusting!”

“What?” Gilda shrugged. “It’s how griffins feed their chicks.”

“Gilda… in case you forget, this is a baby ‘human’,” Spike emphasized. “I don’t think he’ll like being fed like a griffin.”

“You’re one to talk!” Gilda argued. “You’ve grown up eating pony food; who are you to judge?”

Now that was all Spike could stand… and he could stand it no more.

“All right, what is your problem?!” Spike snapped. “You’ve been giving every pony nothing but beef since you’ve came on this journey, and it’s getting on my nerves!”

“News flash! I never wanted to come on this trip!” Gilda argued. “You dragged me into this!”

“All right guys let’s just calm down,” Twilight Sparkle approached. “I know we’re all tired—”

“Oh, I am WAY past tired, Twilight!” Spike shook off. “I can’t stand this anymore! I’ve tried being patient with Gilda; I’ve tried to be the bigger dragon for Gabby’s sake. But now all I want to know is ‘when’ is it ever going to stop?!”

“You got a problem with me, just say it!” Gilda dared.

“All right… fine! I can be honest! Rainbow and Pinkie said you all made up after choosing to save them over some idol! But you’re still that rude, short-tempered griffon who busts her own party! You think you’re so cool, I wonder if you even learned ‘anything’ about friendship!”

“You… don’t… know me! If I’m so cool, how come I can barely hold a conversation with Greta?!”

Tired and stressed from all the arguments, together with the baby’s crying, Manny finally lost it.

“ENOUGH!!!”

The mammoth’s shout echoed all around the group, and all became silent again. Suddenly, a rustling from nearby drew every pony’s attention. Before their eyes, a watermelon rolled out right from a nearby bush.

“Food!” Everyone shouted.

Manny picked up the melon and was about to take it to the baby. Suddenly, the head of a dodo bird burst from the bush and snatched the melon away. The dodo scurried off, squawking like crazy, leaving everyone confused.

“Uh… what just happened?” Gilda asked.

Dancing with Dodos

Dread…

This was the core feeling coursing through the veins of Quill Cast, Curtain Call, Atalanta, and Jon Snow, as they stared toward the footprints in the snow. Footprints that showcased something grotesque, something monstrous. They knew exactly what creature made these footprints, the one they had followed to this world. As they studied the prints, they observed that they were heading towards a large, jagged rock formation… Half Peak. It was then that they had a clear idea of where this monster was going.

“Well, now we know where it’s gone,” Quill stated.

“What should we do now?” Atalanta asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Curtain questioned. “We follow the prints, find the monster, and put an end to it.”

Jon kneeled down, examining the tracks very closely.

“They seem fresh enough,” Jon informed. “They’ve sunk deep enough into the ground, and they’re not covered in fresh snow. It must be close.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Quill spoke up.

Quill proceeded to take the first steps toward the direction the prints were leading. Curtain Call and Atalanta began to trek behind him, anxious to get the task done as soon as possible. After only a few steps, Quill looked back noticing that Jon and Ghost still held their ground.

“Jon? Are you coming?” Quill asked.

Jon looked over his shoulder toward the remainder of the Neanderthal tribe who stopped for a rest. After a few seconds, Snow turned back toward his comrades.

“I can’t go with you,” Jon informed.

“Why not?” Curtain asked curiously.

“I swore to help Runar find Roshan and I stand by my word,” Jon stated determinedly. “As long as that saber pack is still out there, I’ll hunt them down one-by-one until I recover the child.”

Quill, Curtain, and Atalanta looked toward each other as somber looks spread upon their faces. They felt bad knowing that they had to tell Jon. But if he was truly their friend, he needed to hear the truth. Quill slowly walked toward Jon, sighing reluctantly.

“Jon, I’m sorry to tell you this,” He apologized. “Nadia and Roshan… they’re dead.”

Hearing the news had Jon Snow frozen in place, the truth of the scenario weighing heavily upon his shoulders.

“What are you talking about?” Jon asked slowly.

“We followed the saber chasing them and found them at the edge of a waterfall,” Quill confessed. “We tried to get to them as fast as we could, but we were too late. Nadia took Roshan… and jumped off the waterfall.”

The words Quill Cast spoke rang through Jon Snow’s ears, as the man cast a downtrodden look towards the ground.

“Are you sure… that they’re dead?” Jon asked.

“The chances of falling down the falls without hitting any sharp rocks at the bottom are slim, Mr. Snow,” Curtain Call explained. “Even if by some miracle they missed, that water has to be frigid cold. They’d be frozen in seconds, dragged all the way across the ocean by now.”

“Then… I’ve failed again,” Jon spoke, disappointed. “All I seem to do as of late is fail people. I swore to protect my family, only to have them all die. I swore to protect my homeland, only to have it fall to war. All I’ve ever wanted to be seen as a great warrior, yet it seems I can’t save anyone…. I’m a failure.”

Giving off a low growl, Jon walked a a few yards away and took a seat upon a nearby rock. Quill, Curtain, and Atalanta looked toward each other once more before slowly approaching their companion.

“Jon, you are many things, but certainly not a failure,” Quill assured him. “You’ve saved more lives than anyone else possibly could. You took back Winterfell from that Ramsay Snow jerk; you stopped an army of the dead. And for every failure you’ve experienced, for every person you lost, you’ve still accomplished many things most warriors can only dream about.”

Jon merely shook his head, refusing to accept the kind words from his friend. All three equines took a seat alongside Jon, as they all looked upon him.

“You are a great warrior, Jon Snow,” Curtain Call encouraged. “But even the greatest warrior can’t save everyone. You must stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You are a mortal man, and mortals can only do so much.”

“I may not know much about you as these two, but in the short time we’ve spent together, you’ve shown great bravery and compassion for others,” Atalanta spoke up. “If that’s not enough to deem you a hero, I don’t know what else there is.”

Quill stood upon his hind legs, placing his front hoof upon Jon’s shoulder.

“We need you with us, Jon,” Quill told his friend. “If we don’t stop the Wendigo, who knows how many victims it will take? We might have failed to save Nadia and Roshan, and yes it will hurt for the rest of our lives, but we still have a chance to save every other creature and human in this world.”

Jon slowly looked up toward his three companions as the truth of their words sank in. Though he acknowledged what they were saying, one pressing matter still weighed heavily on his mind.

“What will I tell Runar?” Jon asked.

“I won’t deny that it will pain his heart knowing he lost his family,” Curtain Call admitted. “But when that time inevitably comes, which may come very shortly, there’s no point to mince words. If you truly value this friendship you’ve shared, you must tell him what he ‘needs’ to know… not what he ‘wants’. Revenge against the sabers won’t bring his family back, but first chance we get they ‘will’ have much to answer for.

“For now, we have a spirit to put to rest and we can’t catch him by ourselves. What do you say? Are you in?”

After a few moments, the man slowly rose from his seat upon the rock and gave a shrill whistle. Ghost, his most faithful companion, immediately walked alongside his master. Now Jon dawned a more determined look.

“Then, let’s hunt this monster down,” Jon declared.

The trio smiled toward their comrade’s newfound determination and began to walk off toward the direction the footprints took. Jon and Ghost began to follow closely but stopped briefly for the man to turn his shoulder toward the tribe. His eyes caught sight of Runar, who stared at him for a moment. Whether or not the chief knew what was going on, he gave a small nod of acknowledgement somehow knowing what had to be done. Jon, in turn, gave a small nod of his own before he and his direwolf companion followed their friends.

“I don’t know, but I’ve been told!”

“End of the world be mighty cold!”

So many scenarios played in the minds of the Mane Six, including Spike, Gabby, and Gilda as they stumbled upon the insanity they waltzed into. They followed the dodo who took the melon they intended to give to the kid, initially hoping for a simple recovery mission. However, none of them expected to stumble upon this stirring discovery before them.

The flightless bird that had stolen the melon had unintentionally led the group toward a rocky cliff side. Creeping up slowly, their eyes spotted a large number of these dodos. But what caught their attention was how they acted like some huge military unit, one of them leading a flock of dodos in a march. Which would’ve come off as impressive… had one dodo not tripped over himself, as the others walked all over him.

As it turned out, that was only a fraction of the dodos they initially saw. All around the area were numerous amounts of dodos as far as their eyes could see. They were all performing various forms of drills and exercises, a form of preparation for what the future had in store. Whatever it was, they were committed to performing in tip-top form… despite their clumsy nature.

“Prepare for the Ice Age!” One dodo announced.

“Protect the dodo way of life!” Another proclaimed.

“Survival separates the dodos from the beasts!”

“Protect the dodo way of life!”

“Prepare for the Ice Age!”

Upon a nearby hill, overlooking the preparations, the entire motley crew of animals and the little human baby included observed the birds initially unnoticed. To suggest that a few of them were confused was a major understatement of the century.

“Ice Age?” Sid asked, confused.

“I’ve heard about these crackpots,” Diego replied softly.

“It’s much like the story of Equestria’s founding,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up. “When the Windigos cast a blizzard upon the land, every pony feared this was a sign of the end of the world. That every pony would freeze… had they not learned to care for one another.”

“Hold on!” Spike interrupted. “Sid, you really didn’t know about the Ice Age? What other reason did you think all those animals were migrating in the first place?”

“I just assumed it was like one big trip to someplace warm until winter passes,” Sid admitted. “I didn’t think it be ‘this’ bad.”

All at once, their gaze drifted toward the very dodo who stole their melon. The bird in question carefully placed the fruit next to two others on a flat rock. The dodo turned around only to find itself in the shadow of a mammoth and finally saw the animals eyeing him.

“Uh… excuse us mister!” Pinkie greeted. “We were wondering—”

But the bird cried out, startled, before racing around the camp crying:

“AWK! INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS!”

In the midst of the dodo’s panic, the leader of the dodos himself was giving a lecture to a group over a smoking crater.

“Now, don’t fall in,” The leader instructed. “If you do, you will definitely…”

“Intruders! Intrud—AAAAHHH!!!”

Much to Gilda’s amusement (and subsequent astonishment), the dodo sprinted into the lecture not paying attention to where he was going. Within seconds, he tripped and fell right into the crater, a sizzling sound was herd and his brethren cringed as death took its toll in seconds. Suffice to say, the leader half-expected this scenario to happen.

“… burn and die,” The leader concluded.

It was then that the Equestrians and the others climbed their way down the hill into the valley currently occupied by the remaining dodos. Manny took the front, to address what seemed to be the most confident bird.

“Hey, can we have our melon back?” Manny asked. “Junior’s hungry and uh…”

“NO WAY!” The dodo said, bouncing forward. “This is our private stockpile for the Ice Age. Sub-arctic temperatures will force us underground for a million, billion years!”

“So… your pile consists of three melons?” Gilda asked, amused.

The dodos looked at their melons before turning back toward the group, offended by the remark.

“If you weren’t smart enough to plan ahead, then doom on you!” The leader declared.

Soon, all the other dodos proceeded to chant, ‘Doom on you, doom on you…!’, as they proceeded to advance toward the anxious group.

“Get away from me!” Manny demanded.

“You take one step closer, and you are chicken nuggets!” Gilda threatened.

“Oh, sure Gilda, insult the birds that’ll solve everything,” Spike muttered.

“Can’t we just be willing to negotiate?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.

But these dodos wouldn’t listen, neither did they stop advancing. They just kept chanting over and over, performing a measure of psychological warfare against these outsiders while plotting their next move. Just then, the melon under the talons of the lead dodo rolled away.

“OH NO! NO!” The leader cried out.

All chanting stopped as the dodos watched the melon roll directly into Roshan’s arms. Seeing part of their food supply in danger, the leader sprang into action.

“RETRIEVE THE MELON!” The dodo cried out. “TAE KWON DODOS! ATTACK!!!”

The lead dodo leapt into the air and several dodos suddenly performed martial arts poses, attempting to be intimidating. Initially, the Equestrians took a defensive stance for the incoming attack… only to watch the birds kicking each other.

“You’ve got to be kidding…” Rainbow Dash muttered.

One of the dodos kicked another straight towards the group, inches from Roshan. The bird kicked the melon out of Roshan’s hands. All eyes watched as another dodo caught the melon with his head and tossed it to another. The dodos tossed the melon to one another, a process that continued until one dodo accidentally tossed it over a cliff.

“THE MELON!!!” The dodo cried out.

Several dodos started squawking, ‘THE MELON, THE MELON, THE MELON, THE MELON…’, as they raced to get the melon back. Unfortunately, the birds were paying much attention, as they pushed the dodo off the cliff, taking themselves with him. Vaguely, Gilda could hear one of the birds say, ‘There goes our last female’.

“Well, they’re doomed,” Gilda thought, amused.

Somehow, Sid and Fluttershy managed to sneak behind the tree stump and attempted to take one of the two remaining melons. Unfortunately, it took seconds for the dodos to notice them, and they charged after them.

“FLUTTERSHY!!!” Rarity cried out, racing ahead.

Together, the dodos took the melon out of Sid’s hands, and it was tossed about. Fluttershy tried to retrieve the melon, but the dodos kept tossing it toward one another from her reach. Rarity leapt into the fray, drawing several of the birds away to help Fluttershy and once tried to get the melon. But the attempt was foiled when one dodo kicked the fruit away toward the beaks of three dodos… standing right above the smoking crater.

“GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT!” The dodos called, before they slipped. “… DON’T GOT IT!”

All three birds, including the melon, slipped right into the geyser sizzling into a smoldering crisp. It was then that the birds realized the severity of the situation.

“The last melon!” The dodos gasped.

Sure enough, Gabby held that very melon in her talons as she eyed the dodos awkwardly.

“Hi…” Gabby smiled feebly.

But soon Gabby was mobbed by the entire Dodo group, when Spike emerged from the group and attempted to fly away with the melon. But Spike was ambushed by a hurled dodo, like a wacky video game, and the melon flew out of his hands into the grasp of Manny’s trunk. The mammoth held the fruit up high, preventing it from being snatched by the dodos. Adding insult to injury, to some degree, Pinkie Pie stood atop Manny waving a red cape while wearing a matador’s costume.

“OLE!” Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully. “OLE!”

But Pinkie Pie and Manfred were so busy concentrating on protecting the melon, they failed to notice one of the dodos directly behind the mammoth. The dodo leapt up and clamped its beak on Manny’s tail, causing him to release a high-pitched girl scream, crying in pain, and tossing the melon high into the air. The Equestrians saw the melon flying high, fearing the worst.

“It’s going to crash!” Spike pointed out.

“Come on, every pony!” Applejack called out.

Applejack, along with Sid, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and even Gilda, raced to retrieve the melon as the other Equestrians helped a flustered Gabby to her feet. This motley group managed to dodge several dodos along the way. Even within reach, the melon bounced off the heads of several birds comically before it landed upon Sid’s hands.

“Way to go, Sid!” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“I wouldn’t celebrate so soon,” Gilda pointed out.

The moment the group looked up, they noticed all the dodos beginning to close in on them, ready for the final assault to recover the melon. They found themselves surrounded, but their eyes were focused upon Roshan, who held his hand out, wanting the melon. Though they were outnumbered, despite holding some advantage against the birds, their focus was getting food for this boy and couldn’t risk anything happening to the melon. They couldn’t afford to give up this one chance, a fact confirmed as Spike and Gilda turned toward one another.

“What do you say, skinny jeans?” Gilda asked, holding out her talon. “Truce?”

“… Okay,” Spike nodded, shaking her talon.

Spike and the other Equestrians took their positions, leaning down in a defensive stance in front of Sid who clutched the melon tightly.

“BLUE FORTY-TWO! BLUE FORTY-TWO!” Spike shouted. “DOWN…”

Time seemed to slow down as Spike kept his eyes on the approaching dodos, waiting to make their moves. The ponies and griffon prepared themselves for action. Rainbow Dash stretching her wings; Gilda clawing the ground with her talons. Applejack’s piercing gaze eyeing the dodos as sweat briefly dropped down her face.

“SET…!” Spike called out.

Spike turned to his left, then to the right, noting where all the dodos were positioned. He briefly glanced at Sid, who stood at the ready. Spike took a final deep breath, as he cast his gaze back toward the center. There was no turning back now…

“HUT!!!!!!”

One final shout, and Spike, the Equestrians, and especially Sid, race toward the dodos in their path in a scene much like a football game. The Equestrians formed a wall, as Sid bravely ran his way through the countless dodos still in their path. Some of the dodos attempted an offense, but Gilda and Rainbow Dash shoved several of the birds out of their way, leaving Sid racing ahead with Applejack and Spike. Spike and Sid used their hands/claws to protect themselves, pushing, shoving, and smacking all the other dodos in their path. Several dogpiled atop Applejack, while others inadvertently launched into each other.

The remaining Equestrians fought their way through the flocks, till Spike spotted the remaining flock charging from all around. Taking a risky action, Spike skid upon the ground and held his claws out toward Sid. The sloth ran atop Spike’s hands and the dragon propelled the sloth up for a great leap, hurtling above all the dodos. Manfred, Diego, Gabby, Twilight Sparkle, the remaining ponies, and even Roshan watched Sid take to the sky. Roshan, along with Fluttershy and Gabby, closed their eyes fearing the worst.

Sid managed to land on the ground, painfully yet managing to save the melon. Roshan and the girls looked and cheered, along with the others. Even Pinkie Pie, now in a cheerleader’s outfit, leapt up shouting, ‘WAHOO!!!’, while waving pom poms with her hooves. Twilight Sparkle smiled proudly toward Sid, seeing him save the food for Roshan.

Sid and his team celebrated their victory, Rainbow Dash colliding into Applejack while Gabby lifted Spike up into the air pecking his face gleefully. The dodos mourned the loss of their food supply, as Gilda turned back and stuck her tongue out at the birds. Sid, and the others, weren’t paying much attention to notice. They were so busy celebrating, that amidst Sid’s joy… he threw the melon to the ground like a football player spiking the ball after a touchdown.

“SID!!!” The Equestrians shouted.

Everyone’s joy suddenly turned to shock in a matter of seconds.

“AAH, Sid!” Diego snapped. “Now we gotta find more food!”

But much to their surprise, the baby crawled over to the melon and began eating it. The group looked at the baby and whatever tension was built it went away just as quickly.

“I think he likes it,” Pinkie Pie declared.

“Right, more to the right. Right, right, right.”

Suddenly, the group saw a couple dodos running about. They were standing on each other’s shoulders, while the dodo below tried to maintain some balance.

“Look at that,” Manny remarked. “Dinner and a show.”

“See, this is exactly what I was talking about,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

The group shook their heads as they watched the dodos waddle about, right toward the edge of a cliff.

“Left, left, left!” The dodos shouted. “LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

Soon, the dodos slipped over the edge one by one, much to the amusement of one particular griffin.

“Huh… I almost feel sorry for those little guys,” Gilda remarked.

But one turn from Gilda toward Rainbow Dash, and their expressions said otherwise.

“Almost…”

Later that night, underneath a starry sky, Sid wandered the valley in search of food to celebrate his victory. His search led him towards a small, old tree as he pulled the branch aside to go around it.

“Now to find a meal befitting a conquering hero,” Sid declared dramatically.

The sloth released the branch only for it to smack him on the head, knocking him to the ground. Sid stared at the tree for a moment, glaring as he got up and looking to make a comeback.

“What ho? A foe? Come on, come on. You want a piece of me?”

Making karate sounds, Sid struck the hole in the tree. Much to his surprise, he found an acorn in his grasp.

“Spoils worthy of such a noble—”

Sid tossed up the nut, aiming to eat it when something flew right to his face and grabbed the acorn. It was none other than Scrat himself, who was not about to let a random sloth steal his only food supply. Sid gripped the acorn in his teeth, while Scrat tried to tug it out. After a brief struggle, Scratt pried the acorn out of Sid’s mouth and scurried away, but not before shaking his fist at Sid for nearly taking away his booty.

Meanwhile, the ponies, griffons, and Spike finished setting up their tents again where the group would sleep for the night. Gabby and Spike had to help Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Applejack set the tents since Pinkie Pie was aiding Rainbow Dash with changing Roshan’s diaper… for ‘real’ this time. Apparently, the melon he ate made him make a, for lack of more appropriate words… a ‘boom-boom’. Manny was keeping watch for any predators and Sid when Twilight flew up to meet him.

“The tents are nearly done,” Twilight informed, wiping her forehead. “Any sign of Sid?”

“The triumphant went out to find some food,” Manny groaned.

“Shouldn’t we go after him?” Fluttershy suggested worriedly.

“Nah, let him go,” Manny shook his head. “He’ll never find anything out here.”

“That’s for sure,” Gilda chuckled, till Gabby nudged her. “OW! Dude!”

“Be nice, Gilda,” Gabby frowned, rubbing her elbow.

“It’s not what he won’t find out here,” Fluttershy emphasized. “It’s what could find ‘him’.”

“Please…” Gilda rolled her eyes. “I’m scarier than anything we’ll find in this valley. And you know it.”

As they pondered over when Sid would return, Rarity took one sniff in the air and gagged.

“Ugh! That smell!” Rarity grumbled. “Rainbow and Pinkie should’ve changed that diaper by now.”

“Ain’t you a mother by now?” Applejack remarked. “Yer in such a hurry, why ain’t you doin’ it?”

“Erik handles all the changes when it comes to little Gemstone,” Rarity admitted.

“… Course he would.”

Meanwhile, Diego was trying to sleep. But between the stench in the air and the babbling from the group members, getting some rest would be extremely difficult.

“They’d better be done,” Diego spoke bluntly. “I can hardly sleep.”

The others could hear Rainbow Dash groaning and whining within earshot. The group too wondered how long it would be till she was done. Deciding to check on her, they made their approach as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were working with Roshan. The smell emanating from the child made Rainbow’s eyes water.

“Ew! EW! So gross!” Rainbow complained. “Pinkie, why did I volunteer to do this?”

“C’mon, Rainbow. Just pull the diaper off,” Pinkie Pie gestured. “You wanna make A.J. proud, do ya?”

“Don’t remind me,” Rainbow whined sadly, feeling green.

It was then her friends came to check their progress.

“Hey poop checkers,” Manny inquired. “What’s the report?”

“We’re working as fast as we can!” Rainbow snapped. “Don’t get your trunk in a twist. Jeez!”

Pinkie Pie was beginning to feel green as well. But unlike Rainbow Dash, she was as bright and cheerful as usual. She waited for Rainbow Dash to drop the dirty diaper in a bucket, which she pulled out of her mane of course, and the like of which laid on the ground beside a shovel so they could bury it somewhere away from their campsite. The group watched as Rainbow removed the diaper, very carefully, all while she moaned and complained the whole time. Behind Rainbow’s back, Applejack grinned with satisfaction seeing her marefriend understand what being a parent feels like. Even Rarity was enjoying this, unable to stop a snicker from escaping. At long last, Rainbow removed the diaper off the baby, quickly tying it before dropping it in the bucket.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Pinkie asked smugly.

“Whatever,” Rainbow scolded her. “Just finish the rest for me, please?!”

“Okay, okay, I’m on it,” She giggled, pulling a garbage bag from her mane. “Hold this.”

The Pegasus gripped the bag with one wing, staring with confusion.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Rainbow retorted.

“Just keep it wide open silly,” Pinkie instructed, before glaring at her face. “And don’t fly off… I’m watching you.”

Rainbow Dash timidly nodded with Pinkie’s request, knowing better than to make her mad. Pinkie proceeded to hum a little tune before putting two disinfecting gloves on her front hooves and proceeded to pull out a few supplies from her mane. With her eyes shut, she proceeded to wipe Roshan’s tushy clean with a wipe. She then tossed the now filthy wipe directly into the bag without once opening her eyes. Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof impatiently, turning her eyes side to side.

“Will you hurry up, Pinkie?!” Rainbow complained.

But her friend ignored her. Pinkie soon gently poured a bit of baby powder on Roshan’s behind and soon applied a fresh clean diaper on him. With his diaper completely changed, Pinkie carefully removed her gloves and tossed them into the bag. Rainbow quickly tied the small garbage bag before dumping it into the bucket. To her chagrin, the aroma of the stench still resided.

“All done. You’re a good boy, aren’t ya little Roshan?” Pinkie cooed, nuzzling his nose. “Yes, you are. Yes, you are!”

The baby started laughing along with everyone else, minus Rainbow Dash, Manny, and Diego. Rainbow waved her hoof, trying to get rid of the smell, but somehow it still got into her system.

“Ugh! Yuck! Worst… day… ever!” Rainbow groaned, covering her nose.

“That’ll do, Rainbow,” Applejack nudged her. “That’ll do.”

“Aw, shut it!” Rainbow growled.

“Great job, you two,” Manny approached. “Bury that thing good and deep now. We don’t need any cave bears sniffing around.”

“Aye-aye, mon capitan!” Pinkie Pie saluted happily.

Pinkie Pie picked up the shovel with her tail and sallied forth to find a good digging spot. Rainbow Dash prepared to pick up the bucket, but not before glaring accusingly at Roshan.

“That’s it! No more fruit for you mister!” Rainbow frowned at Roshan, who only giggled. “C’mon, Pinkie. Let’s get this over with.”

Rainbow proceeded to carry her bucket with Pinkie Pie hopping casually behind. As they watched their friends take off, Twilight Sparkle faced Applejack.

“You know A.J., I never thought Rainbow would pull this off,” Twilight admitted.

“Had to, Twilight,” Applejack chuckled. “Sooner or later, she’ll get used to it when we’re older.”

“Alright. Bedtime, squirt,” Manny spoke.

The mammoth proceeded to lift Roshan with his trunk, then proceeded to lay down to make himself comfortable. The others stared toward the saber, who was fast asleep.

“I doubt this furball will keep his promise to us,” Gilda whispered.

“We agreed to follow him to Glacier Pass,” Twilight sighed. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we return Roshan to the humans.”

“Think we should keep an eye on him for a while?” Spike inquired Manny.

“No, it’s fine,” Manny quietly mumbled. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Get some sleep every pony,” Twilight quietly declared. “First thing in the morning, we continue our journey. I got a feeling it’ll start snowing by the time we wake up.”

“Well, that’s a pleasant surprise,” Rarity sighed.

“Here comes, Sid,” Gabby pointed.

Sure enough, Sid had returned with a rather glum impression.

“Poor guy,” Spike whispered to Gabby. “Guess he couldn’t find anything.”

“Oh, the triumphant return,” Manny teased.

“What happened, Sid?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “Couldn’t find any food?”

“Huh? Oh that. I’m so full,” Sid chuckled, rubbing his belly. “Where’s Rainbow and Pinkie?”

“They’ll be back,” Gilda assured, with a smirk. “Just missed them changing the kid. But I tell ya, that kid’s the bomb.”

“A stink-bomb, that is!” Spike added.

To which that actually got Spike and Gilda laughing, when their gaze turned toward each other. But then things got awkward, and their laughing stopped, turning away to face the ground. Suffice to say, Gabby seemed happy to know that the two were slowly starting to find common ground. At least they hadn’t been bickering since earlier today, and who knows? This could be a good thing not just for Gabby, but for Spike himself moving forward with their relationship.

While the group chatted the night away, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were a few yards away from the camp. They finally managed to find the perfect spot to bury the diaper and the bag of… unmentionables. Rainbow Dash proceeded to dig a hole in the ground, fuming heavily. All the while, Pinkie watched her dig with a smirk on her face. While she felt sorry for Rainbow, she was enjoying the fact that this was an important life lesson for the overconfident Pegasus.

“So not cool…” Rainbow grumbled to herself. “Every pony always pushing me. ‘Bury this, bury that’…”

“I’m waiting…” Pinkie sang smugly.

This only increase Rainbow’s annoyance to her friend by tenfold. But it didn’t take long to finish digging, as Rainbow lightly flapped out of the hole and shook the dirt off her mane

“Okay, Pinkster,” Rainbow sighed. “Drop ‘em in.”

“Your wish is my command, oh master,” Pinkie replied jokingly.

Rainbow just rolled her eyes as Pinkie emptied the bucket, dumping the diaper and bag respectively into the hole. Rainbow quickly dumped the dirt back in the hole with the shovel until it was perfectly buried.

“That’ll keep the area clear,” Rainbow sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

“Could be worse,” Pinkie joked. “Roshan could’ve made a terrible—”

“Don’t… say it!” Rainbow stopped her. “That’s it, I’m never changing the brat’s diaper ever again. You’re getting a ‘no’ from me. No means ‘no’.”

“Okay, okay, I’m just kidding,” Pinkie giggled, then sighed. “But you know, A.J.’s right about you.”

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow frowned.

“You have to remember that raising a child’s a big responsibility,” She reminded. “Believe me, I know.”

“Please…” Rainbow scoffed. “Raising a child’s not that hard.”

“Says the pony who had trouble changing a human baby’s diaper,” Pinkie mocked. “If this is how you’re going to act around Roshan, what if you and Applejack decide to have a filly or colt of your own? You expect her to do all the work?”

Rainbow Dash merely turned away, feeling annoyed enough. She looked away for a moment when she felt her friend place a hoof on her shoulder.

“Look Dashie, I’m sorry you don’t enjoy being a poop checker,” Pinkie calmly stated. “But you said it yourself that you’d be a great parent when we met Grant and Ellie. All A.J. wants is proof that it wasn’t just talk.”

“Yeah, well… maybe I take it all back,” Rainbow stared down, glumly. “Why do I kid myself? I’m not cut out for this. And when Applejack discovers the truth… she’s not going to want me around anymore.”

Hearing Rainbow Dash being so hard on herself made Pinkie’s concern grow. Gently, she placed her hooves on Rainbow’s face.

“Look at me, Rainbow,” Pinkie instructed. “Look at me.”

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked at her, the misery as plain as the muzzle on her face.

“You and A.J. will be amazing parents when the time comes. Raising a child is hard, but it can be fun just the same. The important thing is that being a caregiver is way more responsibility than just being a playmate. My first day babysitting Pumpkin and Poundcake, I had so much trouble I almost gave up. But now I see you change Roshan’s diaper, and in that moment, I wasn’t having fun at your expense… I’m proud of you.”

“You are?” Rainbow asked, shocked.

“We all are,” Pinkie Pie emphasized. “When you really set your mind to it, you can be a great caregiver and an even greater parent. And it’s okay to ask for help too… something I should’ve learned when Twilight offered to help me.”

“I suppose…” Rainbow Dash sighed. Maybe if I had realized that lesson when I was made the cheerleading coach, I could’ve had a far better time especially for those kids. But I’m so caught up on deciding what’s cool and what’s not, I nearly took the fun out of it.”

“You know Dashie, maybe the actual reason that some activities don’t seem cool enough for you is because there hasn’t been a pony to make it ‘cool’. If any pony can make anything exciting, you can. That’s why Twilight Sparkle still trusts you… we all do.”

A small tear slid down Rainbow’s eye, as she turned toward Pinkie. Suddenly, anything she may have thought about the most random pony in all of Equestria… now she was not only feeling sorry for Pinkie, but also to herself for being so judgmental. With a smile, Rainbow gently hugged her friend.

“Thanks, Pinkster,” Rainbow said softly. “I guess I really don’t know much about parenting like you do.”

“It’s okay to admit your own limits,” Pinkie smiled assuredly. “If you want, as soon as we get back, I can teach you how to take care of my Lil’ Cheese. What do you say?”

Rainbow Dash pondered the offer for a moment or two. It slowly dawned on her that taking care of a child was more challenging than she thought it was. But then she saw the way her friend cares about her. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea the more Rainbow thought about it.

“I’d like that very much,” Rainbow smiled. “If it will make Applejack proud of me.”

“We should probably get back,” Pinkie motioned. “This place is getting pretty spooky.”

The two ponies proceeded to trot back to rejoin their friends. As it turned out, however, the ponies weren’t alone. Out in the distance were the two saber-tooth tigers Oscar and Zeke. As it turned out, they’d be trailing Diego while also keeping an eye out on the baby. The moment the pair reached the area, their nostrils caught the stench from the pile Rainbow buried. The littlest saber started coughing, as if he were about to puke.

“Ew, ew, ew! What’s that smell?” Zeke cringed.

Oscar took one whiff of the stench; to him, he had a hunch they were getting closer.

“I think we’re on the right track,” He smirked.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie made their back to the camp. Their friends looked upon Rainbow Dash with smirks on their faces.

“So… how’d it go?” Applejack asked sarcastically.

“Whoo! A lot of digging,” Rainbow sighed, stretching her wings. “I’m beat.”

“Don’t you mean ‘pooped’?” Gilda joked.

The girls, Spike, and Sid snickered which only made Rainbow frown. Pinkie merely placed an arm on Rainbow’s shoulder offering her a smile. Rainbow smiled back before returning her attention to Gilda.

“Well… at least I’ll enjoy being a parent when we’re older,” Rainbow smirked. “And same goes for you too… big mamma.”

This made the rest of the group snicker further, but not loud enough to wake the baby. Gilda’s face turned red and now it was her turn to be annoyed.

“Typical,” She huffed.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Twilight announced. “Let’s get some sleep.”

“You guys are boring me anyway,” Gilda groaned. “Good night.”

“Good night!” They all said, entering their tents.

“Hey Sid!” Spike called out. “There’s room in the tent if you want to sleep with us again.”

“Nah, it’s cool, Spike,” Sid waved off. “I’ll be sleeping under the stars tonight.”

“Okay,” Spike nodded, closing the tent. “Night buddy.”

Before joining her friends in one tent, Fluttershy fluttered toward Roshan and gave a gentle peck on his forehead.

“Sleep tight, little Roshan,” She spoke quietly.

Manny stared toward Fluttershy for a moment and started to feel slightly upset. It was as though it reminded him of something that happened long ago, something he truly didn’t want to talk about. But whatever it was, his friends were so fed up with his grumpy attitude they couldn’t understand ‘why’ he was this way. Fluttershy’s voice soon snapped Manny back to reality.

“Manny? Are you okay?” She inquired.

“Yeah,” Manny assured, trying to relax. “I’m okay.”

“You seemed sad about something,” She wondered.

“It’s nothing, Fluttershy. I’m fine, okay?” Manny scolded her, before sighing. “You should get some sleep. We need to be ready before the weather changes.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Fluttershy questioned.

“I’m sure,” Manny nodded. “Now go to sleep. You need it.”

“Well… okay,” She answered kindly. “But if there ‘is’ a problem, you can always tell us. We’ll understand. Good night, Manny.”

“Good night, Fluttershy,” Sid called out, watching her enter the tent. “She sure cares about you, huh Manny?”

“I guess,” Manny grumbled.

“How about a good night kiss for your big buddy Sid?” Sid smirked.

“Shh! He’s asleep,” Manny muttered.

“I was talking about you,” Sid frowned.

Manny gave a disgusted look toward Sid, as the sloth prepared to dust off the rock to sleep.

“Fine, I’ll tuck myself in,” Sid complained.

Sid proceeded to recline along the rock, moaning and groaning until he eventually assumed a more relaxing position.

“Alright… good night…” Sid yawned.

The sloth flopped along the rock, then turned over. As he turned over and over, the sloth started to moan about. Manny was slightly irritated as he watched Sid quirk around the rock, groaning. The Equestrians, having a hard time getting to sleep, heard Sid making those noises. Spike tried to cover his ears with his pillow but could still hear the sloth. Rarity heard it too and proceeded to remove her eye mask, her eyes lined with red.

“What’s going on?” Rarity yawned.

She, Gilda, Rainbow, Applejack, and Spike peeked their heads from their tents seeing who was disturbing their nap.

“It’s just Sid…” Spike groaned.

“I thought I kept every pony awake when I sleep,” Rainbow retorted.

The group nodded in agreement, especially Applejack and Rarity, who recalled the time Rainbow made weird snoring noises that nearly frightened Scootaloo. So much so that she thought the headless horse had come to get her. All they could do now was watch Sid lay his head on the ground groaning, ‘Nah! Nah! Nah!’. He soon shuffled his body counter-clock wise towardsthe rock’s front, making fizzing noises with his teeth and tongue. He flopped to the side with an ‘Argh’ and suddenly jerked his arm and head up and down with loud moans.

This was the last straw for Manny, Spike, Rarity, Gilda, and Rainbow Dash.

“WILL YOU STOP IT!!!” They angrily shouted, startling Sid.

“All right, all right, jeez…” Sid sighed sheepishly. “I was just trying to relax.”

Eventually, the sloth found a very comfortable spot on the rock and began sucking his thumb just like Roshan.

“Oy,” Manny groaned annoyingly.

“Good grief!” Gilda grunted.

“So uncouth,” Rarity shook with disgust.

“Ugh, Sid… I want to like the guy, but still…” Spike mumbled, with a facepalm.

Eventually, the group returned to their sleeping bags and went back to sleep, albeit unhappily. As for Manny, he looked toward Diego one last time and slowly closed his eyes, ready to sleep for the night. But with everyone dozing off to dreamland, Diego quietly opened his eyes. With the moonlight in his eyes, he quietly approached Manfred. He looked toward the mammoth and then at the baby, both of them fast asleep. Diego smirked, proud to have fooled them into accepting him into the group before turning back to the baby.

Slowly he lifted his paw, attempting to take the baby out of Manfred’s trunk, but a noise stopped him as he quickly retracted his claws. To his relief, it was just Sid snoring. The tiger extended his paw again, hoping nothing would backfire. But then another noise stopped Diego and this time Manny moved his trunk, holding the baby tighter. Frustrated, Diego looked at Manfred before hearing a noise up on the nearby hill. He quietly approached the hill, noting the rustling of a dead bush. Crouching down, like he was hunting, he leapt into the air and tackled his watcher. Just as Diego prepared to attack, he saw that it was only… Zeke?

“What the…?” Diego mumbled in shock.

“Go ahead, slice me,” Zeke teased. “It’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

“I’m workin’ here, you waste of fur,” Diego grumbled.

“Frustrated, Diego?” Oscar approached. “Tracking down helpless infants too difficult for you?”

“What are you two doing here?” Diego inquired.

“Soto’s getting tired of waiting,” Oscar informed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Zeke cackled. “He said, ‘Come back with the baby, OR DON’T COME BACK AT ALL!’ HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Well, I have a message for Soto,” Diego exclaimed. “Tell him, I’m bringing the baby. And tell him I’m bringing… a Mammoth.”

“A ‘mammoth’?” Zeke gasped.

“Mammoths never travel alone,” Oscar spoke in disbelief.

“Well, ‘this’ one does,” Diego replied, showing the campsite. “And I’m leading him to half peak.”

Oscar and Zeke were surprised when they stared at Manny, seeing the sheer size of this creature. But that wasn’t all they spotted.

“Hey, look at those tents!” Zeke pointed. “They don’t look like any tents I’ve ever seen before.”

Oscar looked at the tents Zeke was referring to and that made him curious.

“What’s going on here, Diego?” Oscar mocked. “Traveling with humans now? Not cool.”

“No, I’m not, Oscar,” Diego snapped. “There’s something else I’m bringing to Soto, and it’ll last us a lifetime.”

“And what is it?” Oscar wondered.

“I’m bringing ponies, griffons, and a dragon,” Diego smirked.

“Oh… wow! Okay…” Zeke laughed. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard; you must be crazy! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Zeke laughed so hard that Diego had to shut him up with a bonk to the head.

“Ow!” The little saber moaned.

“I’m serious, Zeke!” Diego grumbled. “Do you really want to be a mangey little kitten for the rest of your life? I’m sick of your annoying attitude. Now, unless you want to starve to death, I suggest you wait. I’m bringing a huge buffet to Half Peak.”

Zeke licked his lips, drooling when Diego said that.

“A… buffet?” He spoke dreamily.

“Oh please,” Oscar scoffed. “There’s no such thing as ponies, griffons, or dragons.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Diego explained. “But they’re with the mammoth and the sloth. Together with six ponies, two griffons, and one dragon, they’re bringing the baby to the humans. But I’m making sure they never get to them. Just think: When Soto sees what I’ve brought to Half Peak, we’ll be able to feed ourselves for a whole year.”

“A whole year, huh?” Oscar expressed intrigue. “Huh, I guess I could go for an extra meaty mouthful.”

Zeke stared at the campsite, shaking his little body with excitement. The little saber’s hunger was growing higher by the minute.

“Mmm… look at all that meat. We should kill them all before they least expect it,” Zeke said, preparing to run. “Let’s get ‘em!”

But Zeke didn’t get very far when Diego jumped in front of him, moving him back.

“Not yet! We’ll need the whole pack to bring this herd down.

“Get everyone ready,” Diego ordered with a glare. “Now!”

The two sabers headed out, unhappy with the decision but decided not to go against the order. With the two sabers spreading the word out, Diego soon returned to his sleeping spot and started to doze off. If all went as planned, it will all be over very soon. Soto will have his revenge, the pack will have a feast big enough to last the entire winter, and Diego will finally get the respect he rightfully deserved. No matter what, he couldn’t afford to allow anything to go wrong… nor let anything cloud his judgment. Above all else, Diego was a predator, through and through.

On My Way

Author's Note

Firstly, be sure to thank Dramamaster again for his great editing skills.

Secondly, Happy Halloween

On My Way

Flurries of snow billowed in strong winds, generating almost a blizzard effect. Jon Snow, along with Ghost and the Equestrian trio trekked their way across the snowy valley. They had to keep their heads down to both shield their eyes from the icy winds in their way and follow the footprints before them. Having discovered the Wendigo’s footprints earlier that day, the group followed the tracks in hopes of finding the very monster they had come all this way to find. However, the prints were growing harder to track with this blizzard blowing the prints away.

“We can’t keep this up much longer,” Quill spoke loudly, piercing through the raging blizzard. “If we don’t find it soon, we’ll need to set up camp for the night and try again tomorrow!”

“We can’t stop now!” Curtain yelled back. “We lose these tracks now, who knows how long it’ll take to track it again?!”

“Not to mention we’re in the middle of nowhere!” Atalanta spoke up. “We have no idea where to go next!”

Suddenly, Ghost stopped dead in his tracks. The direwolf immediately ducked his nose to the ground and began to sniff. Everyone else stopped in place, staring toward the large direwolf in confusion. Ghost soon snapped his head up and looked straight ahead, generating a low growl. Though the blizzard made it impossible to see what was ahead, Jon knew something was alerting his companion.

“It’s close,” Jon spoke quietly.

Slowly, the man unsheathed Long Claw and held it out as he slowly crept forward. The remainder of the group eyed nervously, but they followed the man, nonetheless. They crept alongside Jon, keeping their eyes peering in every direction. As they drew nearer, they were suddenly overwhelmed by a horrible stench.

“Sweet Celestia!” Atalanta groaned, with a hoof over her nose. “What is that smell?!”

“The stench of death!” Quill replied. “It must be close.”

“Well, if the smell wasn’t indication enough… this sure is!” Curtain stated, looking down.

The group looked toward the ground, noting a line of blood leading deep into the blizzard. They crept closer until they stumbled upon something hunched over in a crouched position. The Wendigo was nearly folded in half in its position, ravenously eating something within its grasp. The group tried to be as sneaky as possible, quietly creeping towards it. However, the creature’s enhanced hearing caused it to rapidly snap its head toward the group’s direction and unleashed an ear-piercing shriek.

Jon raced toward the monster; his sword raised at the ready. But the beast swung one claw and sent Jon flying back at least twenty feet and he crashed toward the ground. Seeing his master manhandled, Ghost snarled at the Wendigo and sprinted towards the monster. The two engaged in a mad scuffle, while the trio ran over to check on Jon. Upon inspection, it was easy to determine the huge claw marks across the fallen warrior’s chest.

They had little time, however, as Ghost too was thrown off to the side by the monster. The direwolf whimpered in pain from the damage inflicted upon him, as the Wendigo loomed over.

“What do we do now?!” Atalanta yelled in concern.

“You stay here and help Jon,” Quill instructed. “Curtain and I got this.”

“Are you insane?!” Atalanta shot back. “That thing just manhandled a direwolf!”

“We never once said we were sane, princess,” Curtain shrugged.

Quill and Curtain soon charged towards the Wendigo, who snarled at its latest challengers. The creature attempted to swipe at them, but the pair leapt over the monster and delivered two buck-shots toward the beast’s back as they landed. But this didn’t seem to faze the monster as it spun right back around and lunged toward the two stallions. The Wendigo snatched them by their throats, lifting them into the air. The stallions struggled and gasped before the monstrous face, as it shrieked loudly and revealed its jagged sharp fangs.

“Buddy…” Curtain gasped. “Breath… mints…!”

Just as it was about to finish them off, a fireball flew into the air and nailed the monster in the back. The beast shrieked in pain, dropping the two stallions before snapping its head back towards Atalanta, who stood defiantly with her horn glowing.

“Take that you walking dumpster fire!” She yelled.

The Wendigo shrieked back at her, the scream sending her mane flying and yet she held her ground with fierce determination. But rather than charge toward her direction, however, the beast bolted off into the blizzard. It moved so swiftly that one would miss it if they blinked. This left the two stallions gasping for breath and massaging their throats.

“Yep… this is why I’m not a ‘choking’ type of stallion,” Curtain groaned.

“This is going to be tougher than I thought…” Quill Cast declared.

Elsewhere, dawn was just rising upon the valley where Twilight Sparkle and the Equestrian heroes slept with their new friends. Slowly, one by one, the group started to pick themselves up from their slumber, preparing to seize the day. Among the group, Manny was stirring himself awake and adjusted his trunk to feel for the baby. But all of a sudden, the mammoth’s eyes widened upon realizing that the baby was gone from his grasp. He immediately stomped over to the sleeping Diego, who woke up with a start. The disturbance also awoke the remainder of the group, startling them awake.

“Where’s the baby?!” Many demanded sternly.

“You lost it?!” Diego asked confused.

“Hold it, hold it!” Spike stepped in. “If the baby isn’t here, and Diego doesn’t have it…”

“The only other explanation I can imagine is…” Twilight realized, looking around. “Uh… where’s…?”

It was then, upon one look toward one another, it soon dawned upon the group that the baby wasn’t the only one missing.

“SID!!!”

Unbeknownst to the group, Sid was not as far away as they assumed he would be. The sloth himself currently had baby Roshan while he was lounging about in a muddy hot spring like a jacuzzi. It appeared Sid was using the baby as a ‘chick magnet’ of sorts, to attract the attention of two female sloths named Rachel and Jennifer respectively. The fact that these two were fawning with the baby more so than the sloth was somewhat of a miracle… that or his phony-baloney story he was conjuring.

“Oh, he’s lovely!” Rachel cooed at the baby. “Positively adorable!”

“Hello Pumpkin!” Jennifer spoke baby-talk. “Hello, little bunny baby.”

“Where did you find it?” Rachel asked Sid.

“Ah, poor kid was all alone in the wild,” Sid replied. “Sabers were cornering him, so I just snatched it!”

“Oh, so brave of you!” Rachel sighed dreamily.

To which Sid merely shrugged and leaned back with the cockiest expression on his face. He had these girls hooked, now it was just a matter of reeling them in.

“Yeah, well… he needed me…” Sid continued wistfully. “And I wished I had one of my own, too…”

“REALLY?!” Jennifer gasped excitedly, before calming down. “I’m… I’m attracted to that quality in a male.”

Sid was so busy having his way with the ladies that he neglected to notice that Roshan was slowly sinking into the mud hot spring.

“Who wouldn’t be?” Sid replied.

“You caring for a baby…” Rachel gushed.

It was then Sid finally noticed that Roshan was gone and quickly pulled the muddy baby out of the spring.

“Yeah, well… you know…”

All of a sudden, the baby playfully threw mud onto Sid’s face cutting him off. Not out of annoyance or an act of revenge, of course. It was just a kid having fun with the sloth, which caused them both to laugh.

“Cute kid, huh?” Sid chuckled, reaching out. “So, as I was saying ladies…”

Sid managed to grab something to wipe the mud off his face. But as he smeared his face, he realized he had actually grabbed onto… Manny’s trunk. With a gasp, he looked up and the mammoth loomed over him, giving the sheepish sloth the skunk eye. But the big guy was not alone, as the Equestrians stood beside the sloth, shaking their heads.

“Oh, hey! Hey… Manny! Girls!” Sid greeted sheepishly. “Spike… how are you doing?”

“Sid…” Spike frowned.

“What’s the matter with you?” Manny grumbled, taking the giggling baby away.

“Sid, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Rarity crossed her hooves. “Using a baby to get a lady to notice you.”

“Yeah, we were worried something could’ve happened to the little guy,” Gabby added.

“We’re terribly sorry about this, ladies,” Twilight Sparkle apologized. “As you can see, this guy was helping ‘us’ return the baby to his rightful owners. In fact, we should be on our way now… right, Sid?”

The group proceeded to leave with the baby in their possession. But not wanting to lose possibly his one chance with two of the most attractive sloths he’s seen for miles, he had to act fast.

“Excuse me, ladies,” Sid gestured casually. “You just keep marinating and I’ll be right back. Sexy!”

As the sloth clumsily climbed his way out of the springs and made his way after the group, this left the two ladies to talk about the male sloth privately.

“He’s not much to look at, but it’s so hard to find a family guy,” Jennifer admitted.

“Tell me about it,” Rachel agreed. “All the sensitive ones get eaten.”

Speaking of ‘Mr. Sensitivity’, Sid desperately chased after Manny and the Equestrians drawing them to a stop.

“No, no, no. Guys, please, I’m begging you!” Sid begged. “I need him!”

“Some creature definitely has needs,” Gilda remarked.

“Sid, I don’t understand why you would drag the kid along with one of your schemes without consulting us,” Twilight voiced disappointment. “What if he got lost? Or fell in a tar pit?”

“Please Twilight, he’s my only chance!” Sid insisted. “I’ll never get this good in another lifetime…”

“… Then I shouldn’t be spoiling what happens in one of the next adventures,” Pinkie whispered to Fluttershy.

“Please guys, I’m begging you!” Sid continued. “Just give me twenty minutes!”

“Why, a good looking guy like you?” Manny remarked.

“No, you say that but, you don’t mean it.”

“No, seriously, look at you. Aw, those ladies, they don’t stand the chance.”

Confused, Rainbow Dash tipped her head to the side and used her wings to measure the sloth.

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m not seeing it…”

“You have a very cruel sense of humor,” Sid pointed out.

“Don’t let me cramp your style,” Manny remarked.

“Look Sid, speaking from experience, you don’t need anything cute to attract a woman’s attention,” Spike butted in. “If neither of them can see what a good guy you can be, they just don’t deserve you. Just ‘try’ to be yourself… maybe you’ll get lucky.”

“Oh thanks, guys, your real pals,” Sid thanked, grabbing the baby. “You are the best.”

“Without Pinky!” Manny took the kid back.

“Huh? You say something Manny?” Pinkie Pie turned back.

“Not you!”

“Manny, Manny, I need him!”

“No…” Spike circled the sloth away. “Do not be the guy that gives sloths a bad name. Just… be… yourself.”

Sighing, the sloth decided to take the dragon’s advice and made his way back to where he left the girls. As he hummed to himself, and brushed the top of his head, the rest of the Equestrians looked on.

“Twenty minutes…” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Heh, like he’d last ‘five’.”

“I’d be a might surprise if he lasts ‘three’,” Applejack voiced her honesty.

“Hmm… care to make a little friendly wager to see how long he lasts?” Rainbow Dash asked mischievously.

“Deal,” Applejack shook Rainbow’s hoof.

“Oh sure, when Griffins gamble we’re seen as greedy,” Gilda remarked. “But when ponies do it, it’s all fun and games.”

“What about the kid?” Spike pointed toward Manny.

“Don’t worry Spike, I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure Manny’s treating him well,” Gabby promised, fluttering by.

“I should probably go along, just to be on the safe side,” Fluttershy meekly volunteered.

“Just don’t take too long guys, we’ve burned enough daylight,” Twilight called out, sighing. “Well, we might as well start packing up.”

As Twilight Sparkle and the remainder of the group made their way back to camp, Rainbow Dash was about to follow the group when Applejack tugged her tail back.

“Ow!” Rainbow winced, turning back with annoyance. “Now what did I do?”

“Listen Rainbow, I hope you ain’t mad at me for puttin’ you up with changin’ the young’in last night,” Applejack spoke up. “I’m really proud of ya for how ya handled it.”

“Eh, it wasn’t even that hard anyway,” Rainbow brushed off, cockily. “I don’t see what every pony was complaining about.”

“Heh… I can hardly imagine,” Applejack chuckled. “But look, all jokes aside, ya got the idea of wut it’s like. If there’s anythin’ I can do tah make it up to yah, lemme know.”

“Well…” Rainbow pondered, facing a nearby spring. “Where I feel like going, the baby can’t follow if you catch my… innuendo.”

“… You have no idea wut that means.”

“Not a clue. So, what do you say the two of us jump in the gene pool and see what happens? Huh?”

“Now ‘that’ I can manage in five minutes, if you can keep up,” Applejack smirked, swatting Rainbow’s flank.

“Ow! Oh-ho-ho, you’re so on!”

The girls laughed as the raced toward one of the unoccupied springs and took a dive into the muddy depths to enjoy some… busy time. Not as if this went unnoticed by the remainder of the group.

“Looks to me like the girls are going to be a little busy, if you catch my drift,” Pinkie spoke to Rarity.

“And yet they’re still in no rush for kids,” Rarity replied, turning back. “I for one don’t know who’s going to be in more trouble. Sid… or those other sloths.”

“Ah, cut the guy some slack. So, maybe he’s a little rusty… clumsy… exaggerates a lot. But it’s not like he intentionally causes trouble. What more could he have to lose?”

Suddenly, a high pitch scream caused Pinkie’s head to turn clockwise like an owl.

“Sidney?”

A few seconds earlier, Sid had just arrived back in the very spring he left the two lady sloths.

“So, ladies, where were we?” Sid asked, flirtatiously.

Unfortunately for him, he stumbled upon ‘a’ pair of creatures… but not what he was hoping for.

“Carl?”

“Easy, Frank!”

Just his luck, the two rhinos that Sid had unintentionally antagonized happened to be taking their spot in the muddy hot spring… when the sloth showed up. They growled as Sid started to scream like a schoolgirl.

“Sidney?” Pinkie’s voice called out.

In the meantime, Fluttershy and Gabby were tailing their mammoth companion as he carried the baby. Initially it seemed as though the mammoth was carrying the baby back to the camp. But instead, it seemed like he was just carrying the kid some place where he could voice his frustrations about the ‘party’ he’s had to deal with.

“Pretty tail walk by, suddenly he moves like a cheetah,” Manny grumbled. “And that tiger… yeah, Mr. Greatest Tracker. Can’t even find a sloth. I get cavities every time those ponies talk, I have no idea what’s the deal with those two birds, and Spike… don’t even get me started on the guy. What am I? The wet nurse.”

The baby was merely giggling over every remark the mammoth made as he positioned the child on a rock gently. It was then he finally noticed the two girls trailing him from midair.

“What are you looking at bone bags?” Manny asked, in annoyance.

“Well, that’s a fine fancy way to say hello,” Gabby replied.

“We were worried about you,” Fluttershy voiced concern.

“And you’re obviously not referring to the kid?” Manny remarked sarcastically.

“I just don’t understand why you have to be so grumpy with everyone, especially the baby,” Gabby shrugged. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost assumed you’re intimidated by the little guy.”

“Sure, just look at him,” Manny remarked. “He’s gonna grow into a great predator, huh?”

“We’re not strangers to sarcasm, Manny,” Fluttershy sighed.

“Yeah… I don’t think so,” Manny continued, examining the baby. “What have you got? You got a little patch of fur. No fangs, no claws. You’re folds of skin wrapped in… mush. What’s so threatening about you?”

In response, the baby wrapped his arms around the mammoth’s trunk, and he stopped instantaneously. His eyes started to widen, and his face softened as the baby hugged the trunk.

“Aw…” The girls sighed, smiling.

While the girls found this sequence adorable, however, Manny was quick to change his expression as he lifted the baby to his face.

“Hey, does this look like a petting zoo, huh?” Manny asked.

The baby nearly slipped off the mammoth’s trunk when he grabbed onto some nose hair. The mammoth screamed as the hairs were pulled off and the baby landed unharmed back on the ground. The baby giggled as he waved the nostril hair at the mammoth. Manny, however, was not going to have it.

“Okay, all right, wise guy,” Manny spoke, picking up the baby. “You just earned a time-out.”

Manny proceeded to pick up the baby and positioned him on the branch of a nearby tree. But the baby merely giggled, as the ponies watched the guy trying to assert some form of authority.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Manny eyed the baby. “How about this?”

The mammoth proceeded to position the baby upon the highest branch on the tree. The fact that such a thinly branch could hold such a plump bundle of joy was a miracle.

“You’ll be a little snack for the owls,” Manny declared.

“Is he joking?” Fluttershy asked Gabby.

“I don’t think he knows how to joke,” Gabby shook her head.

Whether the mammoth could hear the girls or not, it didn’t matter. He just stood by just to at least make sure the baby didn’t fall. And yet, through it all, the child wasn’t even scared of this predicament. If anything, this was the most fun he’s had since the trip began.

“You’re a brave little squirt, I’ll give you that,” Manny admitted.

Suffice to say, things were not looking too well for Sid. The poor sloth was running for his life with those two angry rhinos literally on his tail. He hadn’t run very far, however, when he found Diego and Pinkie Pie.

“Sydney?” Pinkie Pie gasped. “What happened now?”

“Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness…” Sid sighed, then yelled. “OH NO! A TIGER! HELP! HELP!”

“Where’s the baby?” Diego questioned sternly.

“Did he get lost? Did he get eaten?” Pinkie asked rapidly. “Oh, Twilight won’t be happy if he’s eaten…”

“Oh, he’s fine!” Sid whispered. “Manny has him.”

“Oh… that’s a relief,” Pinkie whispered back. “I know the baby’s not everyone’s favorite, but even Roshan wouldn’t deserve…”

“Pinkie, Pinkie, listen! I need you to do me a big favor!” Sid spoke frantically. “Just put me in the tiger’s mouth. Hurry up!”

Diego looked on incredulously as Sid was pretending that he was eating him. Even Pinkie Pie seemed a bit confused, scratching her head with her tail.

“AAAAOOOOOHHHHHH!” Sid screamed. “HE GOT ME! Oh, help…”

“Get away from me,” Diego muttered, walking away.

It was then that one of the pony’s ‘Pinkie Senses’ started to kick in… that, or she could feel the ground shaking beneath her hooves. She stretched her head up to the sky like a giraffe, and that’s when she silently gasped at the sight of the two rhinos charging towards them.

“He went this way!” Carl shouted. “Over here.”

Realizing that somehow Sid landed himself in a pickle again, and out of desperation, Pinkie Pie proceeded to deliver a quick buck to Diego’s hindquarters. The sabertooth growled and lunged to attack. By the time the rhinos arrived, they skid to a halt toward a frantic sight. A sabertooth tiger clutching onto Sid’s neck and that pink pony running about frantically, wailing her head off.

“NOOOOOOO… SID!!!” Pinkie wailed, waving a handkerchief. “YOU MONSTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?! SPEAK TO ME, SID! SAY SOMETHING!”

Sid slowly lifted his head up, pretending to die while Diego clutched his neck tightly.

“Oooh… Sylvia…” Sid feigned dying. “I lo… lo… ACK!!!”

And just like that, Sid dropped his neck as if he finally died as Pinkie Pie dropped on the knees of her hindlegs.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Pinkie cried dramatically. “THE HORROR! THE HORROR!!!”

“Oh, Carl!” Frank groaned. “The tiger beat us to him!”

“Wait a minute…” Carl voiced suspicion.

As the rhino called Carl went over to investigate Sid, all this drama hadn’t gone unnoticed. Gilda and Spike happened to be flying by when they heard all the screaming. They happened to be within that part of the valley to investigate.

“What in Celestia’s name is going on—SID!!!” Spike shouted. “Diego, what have you—”

Spike was about to fly over to confront the sabertooth when Gilda stopped him with one wing.

“Just a minute, drama king,” Gilda spoke.

The two retained their position as they watched Carl sniff Sid. From what the griffin could see, he was trying to determine if this sloth was really dead. He backed away a few inches, irritated by the sloth’s smell. It was as though this guy hadn’t had a decent bath in weeks.

“How stupid can that rhino be?” Gilda remarked. “I can see him breathing even for miles.”

“Are you sure he’s, okay?” Spike asked, concerned.

“Dude… he’s literally holding his breath.”

In the meantime, Diego kept his eyes on the rhino while keeping his jaws locked on the sloth. He was determined to maintain this claim that Sid was his own kill, hoping the rhinos would buy it. Even Pinkie Pie started to sweat as she clutched the handkerchief tightly. Seeing that he and Frank were too late, Carl turned toward Pinkie Pie.

“Tell the cat he can eat him,” Carl told Pinkie Pie. “We’re done.”

“What?!” Frank complained.

“And you’re absolutely, positively sure that my poor little friend is dead?” Pinkie Pie spoke teary-eyed.

“He’s dead alright,” Carl confirmed. “As for you… hope you’re fast. Come on, Frank.”

“Oh, carnivores have all the fun,” Frank sighed, walking away with Carl.

All three pairs of eyes watched as the rhinos made to leave, especially Sid as he slowly lifted his head while their backs were turned. It was only after they finally disappeared that Sid finally gasped for air after holding his breath for so long.

“And… that’s a wrap, people!” Pinkie Pie declared, clapping a movie slate. “If that doesn’t get us a Tony, the system is definitely rigged.”

“Gosh, I hate breaking their hearts like that,” Sid sighed. “But you know how it is.”

Sid was just about to release himself, but the sabertooth’s jaws would not budge. Instead, Diego was holding Sid tightly.

“Okay, kit-cat, thanks for all the help,” Pinkie giggled nervously. “You can let him go now.”

Pinkie Pie reached out and tried to use her hooves to pry the tiger’s mouth open. But Diego stubbornly locked his jaws against the sloth, who tried vainly to pull himself free.

“Manny!” Sid gasped. “Manny!”

“Guys, I thought we were in a hurry!” Manny called out, approaching.

“I swear Sid, I know you have girl issues, but we really need to…” Rarity paused, catching the scene. “What in Celestia’s name is going on here?!”

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Gilda replied, landing on the ground.

It wasn’t long till everyone and every pony made it just as Pinkie Pie fell back after failing to release Diego’s jaw from Sid’s neck. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash, their hinds caked with hot mud strolled onto the scene equally confused.

“Diego, spit Sid out now!” Fluttershy ordered, assertively.

“Ya don’t know where he’s been,” Applejack added.

Reluctantly, Diego spit Sid out giving the sloth a chance to breathe.

“Unbelievable!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “We can’t have two minutes to ourselves and not leave you alone anywhere. What the hay happened?”

“I was attacked!” Sid answered. “I was attacked by two…”

“Two… hundred, vicious rhinos!” Pinkie Pie emphasized dramatically. “And Diego had to save our friend by pretending to eat him before they got the chance.”

“Really…?” Gilda raised her brow.

“Are you okay now, Sid?” Twilight voiced concern.

“I survived,” Sid replied.

“Great. Now, if we don’t have any further delays, can we please make our way to Glacier Pass while it’s still open?”

“Yeah, of course we’re ready!” Pinkie Pie smiled assuredly. “As soon as every pony gets… a candied turnip!”

Pinkie Pie swiftly pulled out two hoof-fulls of turnips from her mane, presenting them to her friends with a toothy grin.

“Candied… Turnips?” Spike’s brows dropped.

“Sure! We obviously have to stuff our cheeks if we’re going to be walking five hundred miles… or so.”

“Pinkie…” Gilda loomed toward Pinkie. “You… are… so… random!”

“Thank you! That’s the nicest thing you said about me,” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Well, best be running! Don’t want to miss the people!”

Pinkie Pie started humming a cheery tune to herself as she proceeded to snack on the candied treat. The Equestrians just looked toward each other and shook their heads with a sigh. The majority of the group proceeded to walk on until mainly Sid and Diego were left behind.

“Boy… for a second there, I actually thought you were gonna eat me,” Sid spoke to Diego.

“I don’t eat junk food,” Diego answered bluntly, walking away.

“Thought you were gonna… I thought you were gonna… were you?”

Sid just stood there pondering on what the sabertooth was actually planning, as Applejack and Rainbow Dash passed by cleaning off most of the mud.

“So… does this count as part of the bet or what?” Rainbow Dash asked Applejack.

After a series of random events, the Equestrians and their allies spent the rest of the day trudging across the landscape to carry Roshan to his family. By now, the snow had been falling at a rapid pace and the grounds was starting to pile with the frozen ice for miles. Poor Sid struggled to keep up with the group, waddling behind and pushing his way through the snow.

“Come on, wait up! Wait up!” Sid called out. “Come on, come on. Can you wait a second, please? Hey Fellas!”

Eventually, Sid had finally caught up to the group who stood waiting for the sloth by a single geyser.

“Phew! Thanks for waiting!” Sid sighed.

Sid proceeded to lay upon the geyser to catch his breath. It was then that Manny, Diego, Spike, and the girls started counting…

“Three, two, one…”

Within seconds, the geyser shot Sid into the air and the sloth screamed as he flew.

“Sure is faithful,” Manny declared, walking away.

Fortunately, before Sid fell straight into the geyser, Gabby managed to catch him as the sloth’s eyes rolled in all directions.

Further into their walk, it was Sid’s turn to carry Roshan. The baby proceeded to poke the sloth along his neck, trying to play with him. At first, Sid tried to ignore the kid. But after getting poked again, the sloth got his attention. Sid poked Roshan back, but the baby poked him once more. It started out friendly at first, but soon it turned into a tense poking match between the two. Roshan squirmed as he kept poking the sloth.

“Don’t make me look back there!” Twilight Sparkle warned.

“Yeah, well, he started it!” Sid complained.

“I don’t care who started it, I’ll finish it!”

The group continued their walk when they stopped upon seeing a geyser blow out a red colored amount of steam. They were just about to move when they saw a huge glacier roll past them. It was as though they were looking at a train made of ice.

“I’m… not going to question that,” Rarity spoke, eyes widen.

“Me either,” Applejack agreed.

After the glacier rolled by, the geyser blew out a green colored amount of steam. It was confusing, but the group was far from worried having seen their share of weird events.

Moving on, they travelled past a giant slab of ice that dropped onto a cliff due to the group’s combined weight. But just as most of the group got across, the slab went back up like a seesaw and Sid, the only member left, flew back where he came.

Later on, with Sid behind them, the group continued their journey. Sid, having an idea to entertain himself, picked up a snowball and threw it at Manfred. The mammoth turned back, and Sid pointed towards Roshan. But Manny preferred to ignore their antics, for the time being. The group’s walk led them to a monument which resembled Stonehenge.

“My… what an interesting formation,” Rarity admired.

“Maud would love this,” Pinkie Pie nodded.

“Modern architecture,” Manny murmured. “It’ll never last.”

“Don’t be so sure, Manny,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “We have many places in Equestria as old as the princesses. You’d be surprised how long they’ve stood the test of time.”

Later, Diego spotted a tiger’s pawprint, an indication that his pack had passed by here. But the last thing he wanted was for the remainder of the group to know what he was up to. Quickly, he changed the pawprint into a human footprint to show the gang they’re heading the right way.

Meanwhile, the gang stumbled upon some ice struggling to make their way across. Sid and Pinkie Pie were making this easy as they skated around the group. Sid kept the baby on his person as he skated. For everyone else, it was a struggle to get across the ice and Twilight found herself in a familiar predicament. Diego practically clawed across the ice, but if they didn’t know any better, he looked pretty scared.

“Hiya, Manny!” Sid greeted, as Manny fell.

“Hi, Diego!” Pinkie greeted Diego. “Hiya, girls! Hi Spike! Hi—”

But Gilda lifted one leg and ‘accidentally’ tripped Pinkie who proceeded to skid across the ice, waving her hooves comically as she screamed. She soon slid right into Sid, and they crashed into a wall. The baby slid unharmed across the ice as Spike slid over to pick him up.

“Hey, Sid! Hey, Pinkie!” The ponies spoke as they passed.

After having their fun, the gang made their way across a four-way. Scrat happened to be in the region, once more attempting to bury his acorn. But at the moment, the group had their own problems.

“Face it, Diego,” Rainbow Dash groaned irritated. “You’re lost.”

“No. I know exactly where I’m going,” Diego insisted.

“Ask him for directions,” Manny addressed Scrat.

“I don’t need directions!” Diego argued.

“Well, we do!” Fluttershy spoke up. “If you won’t ask him, I will.”

Deciding to step in, Fluttershy approached Scrat, who held his acorn behind him as an act of defense.

“Hello, little friend!” Fluttershy greeted politely. “Have you seen any humans come around here?”

To which Scrat shook his head meaning ‘no’. But then Scrat made a motion with his arm and his face, indicating he had an idea.

“Oh, I love this game!” Sid stepped in. “I love it!”

“Me too!” Pinkie Pie joined in. “Okay, let’s see… three words. First word…”

Scrat proceeded to step on his foot.

“Uh… stomp!” Pinkie Pie guessed.

“No, no! Stamp, stamp, stamp!” Sid butted in.

Scrat angrily jumped around, trying so hard to communicate with the group. He even put his acorn over his back trying to emphasize his sentence.

“Let me try,” Manny offered. “Uh… pack!”

To which Scrat nodded his head.

“Good on, Manny!” Sid congratulated.

With the first word out of the way, Scrat was now pretending to be a sabertooth tiger.

“Pack of… long teeth and claws…”

As Sid attempted to figure it out, Diego took one look at his claws and arched them back deep in his paw. He was starting to get worried as the group started making random guesses.

“Pack of… wolves, pack of…?” Sid guessed.

“Pack of bears?” Manny suggested.

“Pack of coyotes?” Applejack added.

“Pack of fleas!?” Manny spoke.

Scrat could hardly believe how dense this group turned out to be. Angrily, he kept pointing at Diego trying to inform them that he meant ‘Pack of tigers’. But clearly, they weren’t getting the picture.

“Pack of whiskers?” Sid guessed.

“Pack of donkeys?” Pinkie guessed.

“Pack of… noses?”

“EW!” The girls groaned.

“Pack of raptors?” Spike shrugged.

“Pachyderm…” Manny guessed.

“Pack of llamas?” Rainbow jumped in.

“Pack of lies?” Sid guessed.

“Pack of reindeer?” Fluttershy spoke nervously.

“Pack of troubles?”

“Pack of falcons?” Twilight guessed.

“Pack of wallop…?!” Sid jumped in.

Eventually, Diego flicked Scrat toward the mountain slope while everyone was still guessing.

“Pack of fossa?” Rarity guessed.

“Pack of birds?” Gabby guessed.

“Pack of yaks?” Pinkie added.

“Pack of flying fish…!” Sid jumped up.

“I’m surrounded by idiots…” Gilda shook her head.

Poor Scrat flew so far that he eventually landed upon a snowy hill. His acorn also landed on the hill, only now it was rolling down creating a snowball. Scrat caught into the snowball, only to roll down the hill with it as it grew bigger by the mile.

As for the group, the Equestrians and their friends continued their journey in search for the humans. Sid, once again mischievous, putting Roshan on a rock and picked up a snowball. He threw it toward Manfred, who got irritated and swiftly turned around. This time, however, Roshan pointed towards Sid. The sloth got nervous, worried of what Manfred might do, before seeing a snowball fall from the sky. It landed right on him, burying the majority of his body in snow. Roshan giggled at Sid’s misfortune while Manfred, though irritated with Sid, couldn’t help but give a slight smile.

However, this adventure was not without its problems. A blizzard soon crossed their path, leaving the group shivering. But still they marched on, determined not to stop for anything. Diego led them across the blizzard, getting ice on his saber teeth. Manfred, on the other hand, had icicles growing along his tusks while Roshan rode atop his back. Sid had icicles on his nostrils as he shivered in the freezing cold. While Spike and the girls were cold too, the former keeping warm due to the fire within him, they refused to stop until Roshan was returned to the humans safely.

Further into the journey, Diego marched a great distance from the group, looking for where to travel next. But when he looked up, he spotted the human tribe, not far away. The tribe was slightly smaller than he last saw them, minus one human, two stallions, a big wolf, and… whatever the female companion was. Still, he was surprised to even see the group come this far at all.

Diego turned back toward his group marching up the hill. Diego couldn’t afford to let them return Roshan to his rightful owner so soon. Diego turned toward his left and spotted a cave he passed by. Thinking fast, he decided to stall them as he raced back.

“Hey! Great news!” Diego called out.

“What is it, Diego?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Did you find the other humans?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Even better,” Diego smiled. “I found a shortcut.”

“A… shortcut?” Gilda squinted.

“Uh-huh! Right over there,” He motioned.

All eyes turned toward the cave. Roshan slid along Manny’s trunk, the mammoth caught up and put him back on his head.

“What do you mean shortcut?” Manny inquired.

“I mean ‘faster’ than the long way around,” Diego frowned.

Roshan slid off Manny’s head again. The baby was acting rather fussy today, trying to climb back up. This only made Manny slightly irritated.

“Ow! I know what a shortcut is,” Manny groaned.

“Just get to the point, darling,” Rarity sighed. “We’ve been wandering around this frigid wasteland for hours.”

“Look, either we slip through there and beat the humans to Glacier Pass,” Diego explained. “Or we take the long way and miss them.”

“Through there?” Gabby questioned curiously. “Are you sure?”

“C’mon, trust me on this,” Diego insisted.

“Trust you?” Spike pondered.

“Yes, trust,” Diego inquired. “It’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

The ponies, Spike, and the griffons looked at each other.

“And you’re sure there’s another way out of this cave?” Gilda inquired.

“I am sure,” Diego answered.

“If ya say so, sugar cube,” Applejack shrugged.

“Better than walking through another storm again,” Rarity agreed. “What do you think, Twilight?”

“If Diego is certain we catch up to the humans, we might as well go in,” Twilight sighed. “Spike?”

“I don’t know, Twilight,” Spike mumbled. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

It was then the dragon felt Gabby put an arm around his back.

“C’mon, Spike,” Gabby grinned. “It’ll be fun.”

The way the griffin batted her eyes toward the teenage dragon, Spike suddenly felt his cheeks blush.

“Okay, okay, you got me!” Spike chuckled. “I’m in!”

“Yay!” Gabby embraced him.

“Oh brother,” Gilda rolled her eyes.

“Hold on,” Manny stopped them. “This all sounds too good to be true. What do you take me for, tiger?”

“This time tomorrow, you could be a free mammoth,” Diego smirked. “Or a nanny. Personally, I never get tired of peekaboo.”

Roshan grabbed hold of Manny’s eyelid. The poor mammoth tried to pry him off, but the baby refused to let go. The others merely giggled at the scene.

“I think Roshan’s growing attached to you, Manny,” Fluttershy giggled.

“You don’t say,” Manny grunted, till Roshan gripped his eyelid. “Ow! Let go.”

“Hang on, I’ll help you,” Twilight chuckled.

The alicorn princess proceeded to activate her horn and carefully moved Roshan’s hand. This allowed the baby to release Manny’s eyelid which smacked his eye. Manny put the baby on his back again before massaging his eye.

“Thanks,” The mammoth moaned.

“No problem, Manny,” Twilight spoke humbly.

Just then, Sid, along with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash came by holding icicles.

“Hey guys, hey guys!” Sid called out. “Check this out.”

Sid proceeded to place the icicles on his neck, groaning and making funny faces. The two pranksters started to join in.

“Oh, the pain! The agony!” Pinkie feigned moaning.

The others merely rolled their eyes, groaning with annoyance.

“Oh, sweet Celestia! Help me, A.J.” Rainbow cried dramatically. “I’m dying! Everything’s getting dark!”

“Oh, knock it off!” Applejack bonked Dash’s head.

“Jeez! I was kidding!” Rainbow rubbed her head.

“Sid, girls, the tiger found a shortcut!” Manny mentioned.

“Where?” Pinkie looked around.

Soon, Sid, Rainbow, and Pinkie stopped as their eyes gazed upon the cave. Pinkie’s cheerful personality dropped as her fur started quivering with fear

“Uh no-no-no! Very, very, very bad idea every pony!” Pinkie denied, shaking her head. “My Pinkie Senses tell me we’ll be barricaded when we first step in that cave!”

“No, we won’t, Pinkie,” Applejack assured. “Diego’s certain there’s another way out.”

“The cavern, huh?” Rainbow scolded the tiger. “I don’t think so.”

“Do you have a better option?” Diego groaned.

Rainbow squinted her eyes for a second, for a moment she was suspicious of the tiger. But unable to find a better idea, Rainbow sighed with defeat.

“You better be right about this, cat,” Rainbow warned Diego.

Pinkie Pie got in Diego’s face. The tiger was uncharacteristically uncomfortable with this pony being so close.

“Do you Pinkie promise?” Pinkie warned.

The pony proceeded to wave a hoof near her chest, crossed her heart, and placed that same hoof over her eye. Diego stared at her for a moment or two. But not wanting to risk this pony’s rather, he sighed regrettably.

“I will make sure to find an exit when we go through,” Diego mimicked Pinkie. “Pinkie promise.”

As bad as the imitation was, the Equestrians smiled with approval. Manny, on the other hand, still kept his suspicions on the tiger.

“Sid, you with us?” Twilight asked Sid.

Poor Sid had been staring at the entrance the entire time. He seemed to study the edge of the cliff for a moment. Soon, he dropped the icicles as fear swept over him.

“No thanks,” Sid denied. “I choose life.”

The sloth was prepared to leave in a hoof when Diego jumped in front of him.

“Then I suggest you take the shortcut,” Diego snarled.

“Are you threatening me?” Sid narrowed.

“MOVE, SLOTH!!!” Diego yelled angrily.

Diego’s shout could be heard across the entire area. All of a sudden, the ice above them started to crumble.

“Way to go, tiger,” Sid patted Diego’s head.

“What did I tell you!” Pinkie shouted. “My Pinkie Senses are never wrong!”

Soon, ice started to crumble off the cave. A sheer sign that an avalanche was coming.

“Quick, inside!” Manny shouted, running for it.

“C’mon, every pony!” Twilight ordered.

Having no choice, the group raced into the cave just before the snow fell to the ground covering the entrance. They slid to a stop upon seeing the frozen ice-shards above. The vibration from the avalanche was making them shake.

“Go back! Go back!” Spike yelped.

They raced in the opposite direction only to find the entrance entirely blocked. Twilight Sparkle quickly generated a forcefield around the group, preparing for the falling shards of death. But fortunately, the shards along the ceiling stopped shaking as the vibration came to a complete stop. The group sighed with relief as Twilight lowered the shield, thankful that none of the shards fell. She pondered what would’ve happened if she hadn’t used her magic in time, the icicles piercing through them… a terrible thought.

“Wow!” Gilda admitted. “When Pinkie senses stuff, she senses them really good.”

“Uh-huh!” Rainbow murmured in agreement.

“Okay, I vote shortcut,” Manny declared.

“Guess we have no choice but to move forward,” Twilight agreed. “Let’s go every pony.”

Soon the group proceeded to walk their way through the cavern. There was no point in going back the way they came. A single rock sealed the passage completely, blocking the airflow. Even if they could clear the entranceway, it would put a strain upon the group and an untimely move could send the shards falling. All they could do was move forward hoping not to run into any more surprises…

Earlier…

Quill Cast, along with Curtain Call and Princess Atalanta, were nursing Jon Snow and his direwolf Ghost following that encounter with the Wendigo. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too severe, but they had to tighten the bandages around the wounds to prevent infection. The majority of the time, the search for the Wendigo had been fruitless and the trail was difficult to track. They were getting closer to Glacier Pass, knowing the human tribe was working their way there, and it seemed as if they weren’t making any progress. While applying the finishing touch, they heard a shout and felt a rumbling, more than enough to cause them to turn toward some activity with confusion.

“Did you hear something?” Curtain Call asked Quill Cast.

Sketchy Shortcut

Author's Note

Big thanks to Cyan Tank whose awesome quotes make up pretty much this whole chapter.

Sketchy Shortcut

And so, the Equestrian heroes, along with their Ice Age companions, found themselves exploring the depths of the icy cave. A short while ago, Diego insisted that this cave would be a ‘shortcut’ designed to cut a path clear below the valley to reach Glacier Pass in a short amount of time. They hadn’t had long to decide as an avalanche, on account of Diego and Sid, forced our heroes into the cave and they had been trudging along the ice ever since. Even then, none could fathom how large this cave system was nor how long it would take. Not to mention it was as cold inside the cave as it was outside.

“Come on, guys. Stick together,” Diego announced to everyone. “It’s easy to get lost in here.”

Not willing to form an objection, given the circumstance of their situation, none of the Equestrian heroes or their friends made room to argue. All that mattered was getting the baby Roshan out of this cave and back to the humans where he belonged. Yet another obstacle unveiled itself as Twilight Sparkle turned her gaze ahead to find…

“Two passageways,” Twilight Sparkle confirmed. “But which way should we go?”

“We go this way, Twilight,” Diego motioned right.

“You heard him, c’mon,” Manny mumbled.

To which Twilight Sparkle responded with a shrug and lead her team as they progressed to the right. However, while the majority of the group turned right, a small collection of the group hung back a bit. Specifically, four minds were at work between the likes of Spike, Gabby, Pinkie Pie, and especially Sid. They were so busy staring across the cave walls in awe that they weren’t paying attention to what their friends were saying.

“This cavern is amazing!” Gabby smiled. “Isn’t it Spike?”

“Yeah… I guess so,” Spike sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Gabby worried.

“I’m just hoping Diego knows what he’s doing,” Spike confessed to Gabby. “I know I shouldn’t be judgmental, but he is a sabretooth tiger after all. What if he’s luring us into a trap? Or worse?”

“Oh, I hear ya, Spike,” Sid agreed. “That pussy cat’s almost setting us up for something. But he’s actually not that bad.”

“You do realize he did try to gnaw your head off, right?”

“Well… nobody’s perfect.”

It was then Gabby leaned her head on Spike’s shoulder in an effort to cheer him up.

“Don’t worry about Diego, Spike,” Gabby assured. “Remember, he believes there’s another way out of this cave.”

“And he did Pinkie Promise,” Pinkie added. “We should at least show some respect to him for a change.”

Spike pondered for a moment until a smile spread across his face.

“I guess you are right guys,” He answered.

“That’s the spirit,” Gabby hugged Spike comfortably.

Both Gabby and Spike rubbed their heads together in such a cute fashion. Of course, this motley quartet were so preoccupied with their own concerns they weren’t entirely looking where they were going. Just before them, the four were approaching some long-frozen glaciers roughly about their heigh. Spike and Gabby were the only ones to notice the glaciers just up ahead.

“Watch out!” Spike shouted.

Spike and Gabby were quick to duck before they got smacked in the face. Sid and Pinkie, on the other hoof… did not. Both came in contact with the glaciers with a ‘BAM!’, their faces striking the icy surface knocking them backwards. The goofy pals collapsed upon the ground dizzily, with their tongues hanging out, lying there on the frozen floor. Gabby and Spike quickly rushed towards them.

“Sid! Pinkie!” Gabby gasped. “Are you okay?”

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the pair to wake up. Albeit recovering from that wipeout at least.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Pinkie mumbled, her tongue hanging out.

Pinkie Pie tried to pull herself up right. Unfortunately, she found herself stuck to the floor.

“Hey! What gives…” Pinkie groaned. “I-I’m stuck!”

Sid tried to get up, but much like Pinkie Pie his tongue was stuck on the floor.

“Me too!” Sid mumbled. “Spike, Gabby, do something!”

“Help!” Pinkie cried.

The party pony and sloth looked at each other, realizing neither one could get up. Spike and Gabby realized they needed to act fast.

“Say, you’re a dragon,” Gabby pointed out. “Maybe you can use your fire to thaw them out.”

“And risk melting their faces without consent?” Spike reminded. “No, we’ll need to do this safely. Come on, help me pull.”

They reached to grab their friends’ legs, proceeding to pull them back up with all their might.

“Don’t worry guys,” Spike grunted, pulling Sid. “We got you.”

Spike and Gabby groaned, pulling them back and forth. Pinkie Pie and Sid groaned in agony, as they felt their bodies tugged away with their tongues still stuck to the ground. Like being stuck on a frozen telephone poll as a cruel prank.

“Hang on… almost got it…” Gabby panted, pulling Pinkie.

Within a matter of seconds, the pony and sloth’s tongues were stripped off the ground. The force was so great Spike and Gabby flopped into each other. Both cheeks blushed bright red, and they couldn’t help but giggle.

“Well, this has been some unexpected turn of events,” Spike spoke sheepishly.

“Yea…” Gabby giggled.

They both stood up and turned their attention toward Sid and Pinkie Pie. While mostly unharmed, their tongues dangled out from their mouths. Pinkie Pie shook her head for a quick recovery.

“Thank you,” She spluttered.

“Yea, thanks for saving us,” Sid moaned.

“Just try and be a little careful next time, okay?” Gabby asked.

Just as the four turned back toward the passageway, they were stunned to discover that their friends weren’t around.

“Oh, great!” Spike groaned. “Where’d they go?”

“We must’ve fallen behind,” Gabby shrugged.

“Uh, guys?” Sid called out.

“Where are you?” Pinkie shouted.

With no clue where they went, the four took their chances by taking the left passageway. They hadn’t gotten very far when they paused to notice all the scenery in the cave. True, most of it was all ice and yet just seeing a cave of this structure was a remarkable sight. Still, neither one had any idea what they might encounter in these caves. They slowly turned a corner until their travels led them to a clear block of ice. They only turned to stare at the wall briefly when something spooked them.

“AH!” They yelped collectively.

There upon the wall was the creepiest piranha they had ever seen. True, this creature was frozen solid but the way it held its mouth wide open proved rather disturbing.

“Oh… it’s just a fish,” Pinkie sighed, giggling.

The rest couldn’t help but chuckle if only not to make this situation awkward.

“Right,” Sid chuckled. “A fish.”

“That didn’t scare me at all,” Gabby chuckled, sweating.

“Cheap jump scare,” Spike added.

The four walked away from the frozen fish toward the other side of the path. They soon stumbled upon another clear ice wall where another animal was frozen… a much larger animal. The moment they turned around, they screamed in horror at the sight of… a big tyrannosaurus rex. Gabby leapt right into Spike, who caught her as they trembled in free. But since their friends were on the other side, they had no idea what the others were up to. Then again, the path the others went on didn’t show ‘any’ frozen animals… or much of anything.

Sid, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Gabby tried their best to stay calm as they approached another frozen wall which looked peculiar. They lowered their heads to get a closer look. Along the frozen wall, it appeared to show THE biological evolution of a sloth starting from a mere fish to the breathing mammal they know today. Spike, Gabby, and Pinkie stared between the sloths and their friend.

“Huh, so that’s where you came from,” Spike said, shocked.

“Who knew?” Gabby added equally.

“Somehow, I get the feeling in the next few stories, Sid’s family will come back for him,” Pinkie expressed aloud.

To which all eyes turned toward Pinkie Pie with confusion.

“Pinkie, what are you talking about?” Gabby inquired confused.

It was then Pinkie Pie realized that she just ruined the moment, as she faced the fourth wall.

“N-Nothing! Spoilers!” Pinkie yelped nervously, dashing away.

As Pinkie Pie took off like a rocket, Spike, Gabby, and Sid looked at each other more confused than ever.

“Pinkie is a strange pony,” Gabby confessed.

“She has a habit of saying the weirdest things,” Spike admitted with a sigh. “Doesn’t even make sense most of the time.”

But regardless, the pair walked after her. Sid was taken back from the wall and what Pinkie said for a moment. But he merely shook his head and attempted to catch up with the others. At last, they finally made it through the passage along with their friends off the other. The four rushed towards the group when suddenly they stopped immediately upon a huge clear block of ice. Turning their heads, they stumbled upon what appeared to be… a gigantic alien spaceship?

“Whoa!” They gasped in awe.

“I’m not even going to comment on this one,” Spike muttered to himself.

As they moved on to catch up, surprisingly Roshan saw it too.

“Bah,” He babbled.

But it was the way he waved hello with two of his fingers close together, the way actual alien lifeforms greet humans, that would usually shock any creature in range. And yet nobody seemed to notice what the baby was doing. Manny, Gilda, and the ponies merely turned when their four friends finally came in.

“And where have you been?” Gilda groaned.

“We were worried about you four,” Rarity added, concerned.

“Sorry, got a little sidetracked,” Spike answered sheepishly.

“We just saw some frozen animals in the cave!” Pinkie beamed. “And there was this big—”

“Will you keep up, please?” Manny interrupted. “Hard enough to keep track of one baby.”

“Hmph! Party pooper,” Pinkie frowned.

The party pony didn’t appreciate Manny spoiling this moment. She knew something was bound to happen in the future. But alas, the mammoth will have to discover this the hard way.

Speaking of Manny, the mammoth wasn’t entirely paying attention to where he was going. As he walked under a frozen ledge about his height, no one seemed to notice the baby accidentally sliding off Manfred’s back. Roshan went down an ice slide, slipping past everyone who all turned with confused expressions. They watched him slide into a small bump, hurtle into the air, and waved goodbye before slipping away. The gang screamed, realizing the baby had gone on a ride by himself. They raced up the hill, spotting the baby.

“Roshan!” Fluttershy screamed, horrified.

All eyes watched the baby cheer, loop-de-looping his way down the tunnel.

“After him!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

And soon, the race to retrieve Roshan proceeded. The Equestrians, along with Sid, Diego, and Manny screamed all the way down the wildest ride of their lives. It didn’t take long for them to lose control along the ice, which turned out to be bumpy, slippery… and very dangerous. Roshan sped further along the path, but the others were catching up. Some of them bumped into each other on the slide.

“Try to stay together!” Twilight called out.

“Stay together?!” Rarity panicked. “I’m trying to stay in one piece!”

“WHEE!!!” Pinkie cheered. “This is fun!”

“NO, IT’S NOT!!!” Spike yelled.

“There he is!” Gabby spotted Roshan.

Despite sliding very fast, the baby was having the best time of his life. He’d never guess he’d have as much fun as he’s having now. Little Roshan raised his arms in the air, giggling with excitement. By the time the group caught up to him, they were approaching three separate passageways. Sid, Pinkie Pie, Gabby, and Fluttershy followed Roshan down the right tunnel. Diego, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Spike went to the left. Lastly, Manny, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Gilda made it to the center. All three groups went up the ice ramps, screaming, flying passed each other, and a certain pair reaching for their hands.

“SPIKE!!!/GABBY!!!” The pair yelled and missed.

Suddenly, Scrat randomly appeared from another ramp along with his nut. He screamed and nearly had his acorn in his grasp when it soon passed him. Everyone else got separated as they each went down three separate tunnels.

As Roshan kept spinning around and giggling, Sid, along with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Gabby were right behind him. They were determined to catch Roshan, but the baby was going so fast. And yet, despite their circumstance, they were actually having some fun despite the need to be careful of what lied ahead.

“Come on,” Fluttershy groaned, reaching out. “Just a little further.”

“We got him! We got him!” Pinkie shouted, preparing to snatch him. “Come… to… Pinkie!”

But sadly, Pinkie Pie missed the baby.

“PHOOEY!!!”

“Having fun, aren’t ya little one?” Gabby laughed at the baby.

“Well, so are we! WHEE!!!” Pinkie cheered.

Sid and the others laughed along. The little baby spun towards them, waving hello at them. Then finally, Sid got him.

“I gotcha!” Sid shouted triumphantly.

“WOO-HOO!!!” Gabby/Pinkie/Fluttershy cheered.

But their luck just ran out when they approached a hole.

“Or not…” Pinkie cringed.

The group shrieked, but before they fell in Sid let go of Roshan just as they plunged into the depths. This allowed Roshan to continue his own journey safely down the path. Sid, Pinkie, Gabby, and Fluttershy rode along the long slide so fast they were flung off the ground over giant icebergs.

“AHHH!!!” They screamed.

Sid and Pinkie found themselves upside down, trying to run the other way on the ceiling before landing on their noggins. Gabby and Fluttershy landed on their backs, right behind them, and they slid down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Diego’s group were along the upper parts of the cave spinning out of control. They each went onto separate icy slides, going on loop-de-loop ramps, and sending them flying in random directions into separate tunnels.

“Whoa!” Rainbow cried.

“I’M GONNA BE SICK!” Applejack screamed.

Diego sped further along the path, laughing, and actually having fun. Spike, above him, approached a double loop-de-loop track. Spike went up the first loop but didn’t make the other one.

“OH, TARTARUSSSSSSSSSS!!!” Spike screamed.

The teenage dragon landed directly onto Diego’s stomach making him groan in pain.

“Spike?!” Diego grunted.

“Sorry…” Spike apologized, in pain.

Applejack and Rainbow went down a bunch of loop-de-loop ramps. Unfortunately, Applejack didn’t make the other one.

“WHOA NELLY!!!” Applejack screamed.

The cow pony hurtled all the way down, till she landed onto Rainbow’s chest. Both groaned, though they found themselves very close. The two girls stared at each other, giving small smiles and blushing.

“Hey…” Applejack mumbled.

“Hey…” Rainbow mumbled back.

Sadly, the moment was immediately broken when they hit a small bump. Both went down a long slide, screaming their heads off before they were hurdled into the air. Applejack was the first off, rapidly approaching Spike and Diego who were stuck together. Accidentally, the pony dogpiled atop them when they slid close to her landing zone. The poor saber-tooth tiger couldn’t handle this much weight on his chest.

“Get off me!” Diego complained.

Just then, Rainbow came ‘dashing’ fast along the track.

“GAIN WAY!” She screamed.

Soon, the Pegasus known as Rainbow ‘Crash’ bashed right through them like bowling pins. They started spinning about in circles, till they reached the end of the track. Up ahead, there was a big icicle hanging upside down. Taking the change, they grabbed hold of it just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the icicle was very slippery and the four started losing their grip.

“No! No! No!” Applejack winced.

But soon Applejack and Spike were the first ones to fall, screaming their lungs out. Rainbow soon lost her grip but managed to clutch onto Diego’s back. But the tiger started to slip slowly toward the tip of the icicle.

“Why…?” Rainbow muttered sadly.

Diego lost his grip, and they screamed all the way down. Applejack clutched onto Spike’s back before the pair, along with Diego and Rainbow dropped into a hole sending them toward the bottom of the cave.

Manny, Twilight, Rarity, and Gilda traversed further down into the lower parts of the cavern. They rode along a long slide until they finally emerged toward a dead end. Luckily, there was an additional tunnel to their left.

“HARD LEFT!” Twilight cried.

They leaned their bodies toward the left tunnel just in time, sending them further below the cavern. When they came out, they slid along a long-frozen bridge… which proved very narrow. The rest were able to maintain balance, but not Manny. He was so big his body nearly slipped off the edges of the bridge.

“Whoa! Whoa!” He yelled.

“Will this insanity ever end?!” Rarity whined.

“Suck it up and deal with it, drama queen!” Gilda lashed out.

“I beg your pardon?!” Rarity gasped, squinting her eye.

“Not the time girls!” Twilight snapped.

Up ahead were two entryways. One to the right had a clear path across, the other was left incomplete.

“Go to the right!” Twilight called out.

“It’s too narrow!” Manny cried. “We’ll never make it!”

Rarity turned her head up and an idea lit up as bright as her horn.

“I got this!” She announced.

Rarity blasted the ceiling with her horn, causing bits of ice to fall. Thinking fast, she levitated long flat sections of ice that fell, quickly placing them close to the edges of the bridge and widening it for every pony to cross.

“Smart thinking, Rarity!” Twilight complemented. “Every pony, lean!”

The three leaned to the right as they were approaching close to their path. Manny tried to lean, but again his body was too big. Twilight Sparkle quickly noticed that he was about to slip off the bridge.

“Manny!” Twilight gasped, facing Gilda. “Gilda, follow me!”

Gilda nodded as they took of and flew towards Manny.

“You go left, I’ll go right!” Twilight motioned.

“You got it, princess!” Gilda confirmed.

Twilight Sparkle nudged Manny to the left and Gilda from the right, preventing him from falling. When they approached the two paths, Twilight flew toward Gilda helping her shove Manny to the right.

“And push!” Twilight Sparkle cried.

The two shoved him hard right, groaning tirelessly. Until at last, Manny made it safely across the bridge. Twilight and Gilda panted before flopping along the slide and the group sped further down the path. Suddenly, Rarity’s magic somehow made the ceiling form an avalanche as giant icicles fell, destroying the entire bridge. The group rode down the tunnel, spinning in circles a bit. Surprisingly, they laughed in triumph after making it across together.

“Thank you for saving my life, girls,” Manny said, with a gentle smile.

“You’re welcome, Manny,” Twilight smiled.

“Well, that could’ve been worse darlings,” Rarity giggled.

Unfortunately, Rarity spoke too soon. The four sped out of the tunnel, slipping and sliding on the floor away from each other. But something else caught their attention. High above the cavern were gigantic icicles that were starting to shake. It appeared Rarity’s blast not only caused the cavern at the bridge to shake, but now the other end of the cavern started to collapse into a crumbling mess.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Twilight groaned deeply.

“You just had to jinx it!” Gilda shouted at Rarity.

The icicles shook furiously, then fell off the ceiling right where the group were sliding.

“Look out!” Manny yelled.

They screamed as they attempted to evade the icicles as best as they could. Twilight and Rarity created bubble shields around themselves. Manny swatted the shards away from his friends with his trunk. Gilda tried dodging them, but the shards kept falling at a rapid pace. One came straight at her until Manny pulled her away in time.

“You, okay?” Manny asked worriedly.

“Never better…” Gilda voiced her thanks.

The mammoth saw that they were heading toward a very large tunnel. He steered himself toward Twilight and Rarity, latching onto them and positioned them right in front of him.

“Hold on everyone!” Manny called out. “We’re going down!”

They held onto his legs as they spiraled straight down the tunnel, all heads screaming with fright. Soon as they reached the bottom, Sid’s group slid on top of the tunnel, screaming, and spiraling out of control. Sid, along with Pinkie, Gabby, and Fluttershy were flung off the top of the tunnel and landed right on top of Manny the moment he and his group emerged from the tunnel.

“Hey, guys!” Pinkie smiled in relief.

“Where are the others?” Twilight asked worriedly.

“We don’t know!” Fluttershy cried out.

But an answer would come the moment Diego’s group screamed their way down the hole. Rainbow and Applejack held onto Diego and Spike’s backs. The tiger and dragon tried gripping a hold of the hold with their claws, but to no avail. Soon they all fell from the hole above.

“Look out below!” Rainbow/Applejack screamed.

Diego and Spike landed on Manny with their claws gripping firmly on his back.

“OW!” Manny moaned in agony.

“Incoming!” Twilight screamed.

Sure enough, as if it couldn’t get much worse, they were hurdling towards an iceberg.

“Captain, iceberg ahead!” Sid called, through Manny’s trunk.

“All hooves and claws on deck!” Pinkie screamed.

“Whoa!!!” Manny screamed.

The others screamed for impact until they came to a stop on the iceberg. The group panted trying to catch their breath.

“Whoa… oh…” Manny muttered gravely.

“Phew!” Sid sighed.

“That was close!” Rainbow Dash sighed.

But then something happened. It seemed the iceberg couldn’t support their weight and it was starting to crack. The group spotted Roshan on the move, only to find themselves lurching forward the moment the iceberg tipped.

“Oh no…” Diego mumbled quietly.

“HOLD ON!!!” Twilight cried.

They screamed as they fell their way down the ground atop the iceberg. Sid and Pinkie held onto Manny’s tusks. Most of them grabbed onto Manny’s back, while the rest were up front. Manny tried maintaining their balance along the iceberg. But up ahead, they were heading straight for ice shards stuck to the ground.

“AHHHH!!!” The boys screamed.

“FAUST!!!” The girls cried out.

All arms held on for dear life before the iceberg ran into the shards and shredded to bits. They soon approached four slides. Roshan took the closest to the right, followed by Fluttershy. Sid, Pinkie, and Gabby took the ‘farther’ right one. Manny, Spike, Twilight, and Rarity took the left close one while Gilda, Rainbow, Applejack, and Diego took the far left. The ponies and Sid slid fast given their bodies were small and it didn’t take long to reach Roshan. Manny, Diego, Spike, Gabby, and Gilda fell behind due to their own size. Spike watched Diego lower his body to build up speed and suddenly it gave him an idea.

“Lower your bodies to gain more speed!” Spike called out.

To demonstrate, the dragon proceeded to position his belly to the ground, and he zipped faster. Manny, watching Diego, started to catch on as he, Gilda, and Gabby did the same. Diego tried lowering his body further but was stunned to see Manny lean his frame hard and speed past him. Meanwhile, Sid and smaller ponies were catching up with Roshan. Those closest to him tried to catch him.

“Grab him!” Twilight shouted.

Sid tried to snatch him but missed with a grunt. Pinkie pulled out a long butterfly net from her mane to catch the kid. Unfortunately, Roshan was still far from her reach. She took one swing of her net, only for it to hit an iceberg she slid past, and the net broke.

“Aw, come on!” Pinkie growled.

Twilight and Rarity realized they weren’t going fast enough, but at the same time couldn’t use their horns to levitate the baby off the ground towards them. It was now up to Fluttershy to save the day.

“I’m coming, Roshan!” Fluttershy called out.

The others watched as Fluttershy slid closer to him.

“Get him, Fluttershy!” Rarity cried.

“You can do it!” Applejack cheered.

“Go for it!” Rainbow waved her wings.

Fluttershy grunted as she reached her hooves out to him. In no time, she grabbed the baby.

“Gotcha!” Fluttershy cheered.

All of her friends cheered in triumph now that the baby was safe.

“Way to go, Fluttershy!” Sid cheered.

But it was then Twilight noticed Fluttershy was heading for trouble.

“Look out!” Twilight cried out.

By the time Fluttershy looked where she was going, it was too late. She held Roshan as tightly as possible as they slid up the ice ramp, into the air. Roshan cheered, while hugging the screaming yellow Pegasus. The gang watched as they soared high in the air, but realized they wouldn’t be up there long. Manny twisted his body around, trying to slow down for the pair falling toward him.

“Hang on!” Manny shouted.

The rest watched until they looked back, screaming at the trouble they were heading for.

“OH NO!!!” The Equestrians screamed, wide eyed.

Down the end of the line was a large wall of ice. It was there Scrat had his acorn jammed within the wall and he seemed content to finally have a place to store his food. He was just about to leave when suddenly…

“LOOK OUT!!!” Gabby and Pinkie screamed.

The moment Scrat heard the girls, he saw the pair heading toward him and screamed, ‘AHHH!’. Scrat desperately tried to pull his nut out of the wall, but it was too late. One by one, each crashed into the ice from smallest to largest, leaving a body print on the wall. Manny raised his trunk up high, waiting for Fluttershy and Roshan who were coming down fast.

“MANNY!!!” Fluttershy screamed tearfully.

Manny timed the moment until the very last minute, catching them in his grasp. The mammoth was very pleased they were both safe.

“Thanks, Manny!” Fluttershy thanked happily.

But the moment she looked away; her face dropped with fear.

“Oh no…”

The rest emerged from the snowbank, recovering from their crash. Unfortunately, they weren’t prepared for what was bound to happen next as Many came for them fast. They immediately screamed before Manny crashed into them, leaving a giant body print of himself on the wall as snow fell everywhere.

Luckily, no one was hurt apart from having lumps of snow on top of their heads. Manny still had a hold of Fluttershy and Roshan. Fluttershy shook heavily from the anxiety, while the little baby was still giggling. The others groaned from the crash except Diego, Rainbow, and Gilda, who popped from the snow feeling great.

“Whoa! WHOO! Yeah!” Diego cheered, nudging Manny.

“That… was… AWESOME!!!” Rainbow cheered.

“I’ve never had this much fun in like… FOREVER!!!” Gilda yelled eagerly.

“We gotta do that again! High five!” Diego motioned.

Rainbow and Gilda grinned as the three delivered high-fives.

“Oh yeah!” They hollered.

“Who’s up for round two?” Diego asked eagerly.

The trio raised one of their arms for the others. Suffice to say, the rest of their friends said not a word. But the stern expressions on their faces said more than enough. It was then the three realized they were in a bad mood. Their smiles slowly dropped, seeing as though no one was in a hurry to do it again.

“Oh, um…” Diego muttered, clearing his throat. “T-T-Tell the kid to be more careful.”

“Yeah, he nearly got us killed,” Rainbow sighed.

“But… I’ll say this for the little squirt,” Gilda spoke up. “For someone who can’t walk, he sure gets around!”

Gilda’s joke got Diego and Rainbow chortling with laughter. Even Roshan giggled over the joke while the rest groaned over the cheesiness. The three immediately shut their yaps.

“Sorry…” Gilda mumbled dryly.

Scrat also emerged from the snow. After shaking himself around, getting the snow off of him, the little guy looked around for his acorn. He saw his acorn and squealed with delight. He rushed towards it… ‘WHAM!’. The little guy crashed into a wall, with an ‘acorn’ drawing.

“Oooh…” The Equestrians cringed.

“That’s gotta hurt!” Pinkie muttered.

“Oh, poor little guy,” Fluttershy shook her head.

“That squirrel’s totally nuts, am I right? Right?” Rainbow chuckled.

“Shut up, Rainbow!” They yelled.

“Man, you guys are no fun…”

Lava Rescue

The ghostly moan of the whistling winds echoed throughout the dark walls of the cave. None would dare enter these foreboding dwellings except for Jon Snow, Ghost, and the Equestrian Trio housing it. Their recent run-in with the Wendigo left Jon with huge gashes across the front of his chest, which fortunately required only a few stitches. Currently, Atalanta was wrapping his chest in gauze while Quill Cast and Curtain Call tended to Ghost, who also received heavy damage courtesy of the Wendigo. Fortunately, Atalanta’s fireball was more than enough to scare away the beast or else they could’ve met a most unfortunate end. A sigh escaped her lips as the Princess applied the finishing touch on Jon Snow.

“You’re telling me that beast is impervious to pretty much everything except fire?” Atalanta questioned.

“Indeed,” Jon nodded. “When we first fought against it in Westeros, we stabbed it multiple times and never once had it down to one knee.”

“It wasn’t till we picked up a burning log from our fire and managed to burn it that it finally ran off into the wind,” Curtain added.

“Since then, we’ve scoured for as much information as we could gather,” Quill spoke up, scratching Ghost’s ear. “According to legend, a Wendigo’s heart is made purely out of ice. Only by melting its heart can one truly manage to destroy it.”

“It’s physical destruction anyway,” Curtain corrected. “It’s spirit needs a living host in order to rebuild a new ice heart, and it’s up to us to contain it before it truly gets loose.”

“Then why did you just charge into the fight like that?” Atalanta questioned.

“With this blizzard, there’s no way we could obtain any fire or even keep it lit,” Quill responded, approaching Atalanta.

“Thankfully, you have magic,” Curtain pointed out. “That was some quick thinking on that fireball pitch.”

“I just wish you’d told me all this earlier,” Atalanta scolded. “Maybe no one would’ve gotten hurt.”

Before the argument could go any further, a ringing sound echoed throughout the cave. Quill lifted his hoof and looked down upon his wrist where a clock-like device was ringing.

“Hold that thought,” Quill spoke quickly.

Quill ventured off toward another cave, and once far enough he proceeded to tap the device on his wrist.

“Hello?” Quill spoke to the device.

“What in God’s name are you two doing?”

“Look, I know you’re upset with us right now,” Quill replied. “But we’ve found that Wendigo we’ve been searching for.”

“You two had better finish what you’re doing soon. You are to return here as soon as possible.”

“May I ask what’s the hurry?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. All this meddling and interference you two have been up to lately has caused indescribable damage to the Multiverse. If we have any hope of restoring it, we have work to do. Get back here fast!”

And just like, the device went dead. Quill released a long sigh of frustration but knew there was truth in those words. With everything happening as of late, he knew it was a matter of time before things escalated like this.

“Curtain!” He called, walking back. “We’ve got a problem!”

“What could it possibly be now?” Curtain asked, equally irritated.

“The Doc’s not happy with us right now!” Quill responded. “We need to hurry this up as soon as we can.”

“You mean that Phantom-Dragon guy?” Curtain sighed. “If this is about the theatre needing a better quality toilet paper, I’ve told him I’d…”

“No, not Phantom,” Quill interrupted. “I mean theDoctor.”

Hearing this sent Curtain’s eyes widening with worry, as he quickly shot his head back toward the rest of the team.

“Alright, here’s the deal!” Curtain spoke quickly. “We rest here for the night, but we need to be out of here by tomorrow. We must find this monster as fast as we can.”

“Why?” Atalanta questioned curiously. ‘What was that all about? Who were you talking to?”

Quill Cast and Curtain Call looked toward each other, wondering if they should tell her what was happening or keep their mouths shut. After a moment, they turned back to face her.

“Someone who’s very displeased with all this tampering with the Multiverse as of late,” Quill responded.

“And someone who is sure to tear us a new one when we get back,” Curtain added, with chagrin. “Like my exes…”

Across the valley, deep within another cave system, a series of hi-jinxes has led the Equestrian Heroes and the Ice Herd walking slowly through the ice caves they were currently trapped in. A majority of the group were still dizzy and wobbly following their tumble down the ice slides. It had been pure, utter chaos, the likes of which only Discord could appreciate. It was honestly amazing none of them were dead… if not seriously injured.

“Sweet Celestia!” Rarity groaned, wobbling along. “My head’s still spinning from all that sliding about.”

“No kidding!” Twilight Sparkle agreed.

“Aww come on guys, that was the most awesome slide I’ve ever been on!” Rainbow said happily. “We should look into building something like that in Equestria!”

“Heh, couldn’t agree with you more Dash!” Gilda chuckled.

The two delivered a hoof/claw bump as they pressed onward through the cave.

“Ah’m sure Apple Bloom and the other crusaders woulda loved somethin’ like that,” Applejack commented. “Maybe ah’ll talk tah Big Mac about fixin’ somethin’ like that up at the farm next Hearth’s Warming. On a smaller scale ah course.”

“Meh! Give me a good jump into the lava springs any day,” Spike shrugged.

“That reminds me, you still need to show me that new triple corkscrew backflip you’ve been working on,” Gabby smiled at her boyfriend.

“Oh yeah… right,” Spike smiled awkwardly. “I’ve totally got that nailed.”

To which Gabby merely gave a sly smile and a raised eyebrow toward him.

“You haven’t practiced at all, have you?” Gabby asked.

“Actually… no,” Spike confessed. “It’s been so busy lately with all the trips we’ve been going on that I haven’t made time to practice.”

“It’s alright,” Gabby smiled. “I’m just glad you make time for dates.”

Gabby leaned close toward Spike and nuzzled along his side as they walked. Casually, Spike brought one arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.

“For you… always,” Spike smiled back.

Eventually, after a lengthy walk, the group noticed that the ice along the caves seemed to shift into stone the further they walked. Soon enough, they emerged from the mouth of the ice cave into a larger stone cave system. What amazed them most was the sight from all around the cave at every turn. Every wall was etched with an assortment of cave drawings of great variety.

“This is amazing!” Twilight gaped with wonder. “History documented in real, authentic cave paintings. You know, during our previous trips, I did a little reading on these. Apparently, these cave drawings won’t be discovered again for another forty thousand years or so. Most cave art consists of paintings made with either red or black pigment. The reds were made with iron oxides, whereas manganese dioxide and charcoal were used for the blacks.”

A loud yawn stopped her from going further as Twilight turned around spotting both Rainbow Dash and Gilda yawning in boredom.

“Seriously Twi, is there any time when you aren’t going all egghead on us?” Rainbow questioned.

To which Twilight Sparkle turned her head and kept walking, now with her bottom lip stuck out in a frown. As Sid carried little Roshan along, they passed a nearby wall depicting an encounter between the sabretooth tigers and antelopes.

“Whoa, look, look! Tigers!” Sid pointed out. “Eesh!”

Sid cringed over the depiction of the tigers actually eating the antelope. This scene caused little Roshan to whimper as he tried to bury himself further into Sid’s fur. Noticing the little guy’s distress, Pinkie Pie bounced over and tried to comfort him.

“Don’t worry Roshan, they’re just paintings,” Pinkie smiled assuredly. “Ooh! How about a funny face? Will that help?”

Pinkie Pie proceeded to make a few funny faces while blowing raspberries for Roshan.

Seeing the pink pony acting silly made the baby giggle and clap his tiny hands happily. At that moment, Gabby approached the group.

“Don’t worry little buddy,” Gabby spoke sweetly. “You’re perfectly safe with us. Ain’t nothing going to happen to you while we’re around.”

Gabby reached up with her paws and started tickling the baby, which made him giggle heavily. From the sidelines, Spike watched Gabby playing with Roshan and he couldn’t help but smile. ‘She is so great with kids’, the teen dragon thought to himself. He could already picture what it would be like when they have kids of their own.

Eventually, as Pinkie Pie and Gabby followed the remainder of the group, Sid was left carrying Roshan.

“See, it’s alright,” Sid assured the baby. “The tigers are just playing tag with the antelope… with their teeth.”

At that moment, Diego walked up behind Sid.

“Come on Sid, let’s play tag,” Diego spoke menacingly. “You’re it.”

“Eh heh, heh, sure,” Sid chuckled nervously. “Alright, where are the sloths? You know you never see any sloths. Have you ever noticed?”

“No worries, Sid, sloths will eventually get their spotlight moment in time,” Pinkie Pie called out. “They’ll get a few supporting roles in movies at first, and next thing you know they’re the main characters of their own story. Though I question why they’d make a sloth a horror character in that sorority movie without explanation… eh, I blame the writing…”

While Pinkie Pie kept rambling ahead, something caught Sid’s eye and he felt as though he needed to share.

“Oh! Look Manny, a mammoth!” Sid pointed out.

“Ooh! Somebody pinch me,” Manny replied uninterested.

“Hey, hey, this fat one looks just like you!” Sid pointed. “Aw, he’s got a family…”

Manny immediately froze at the mention of family, something that Spike, and the others were quick to notice.

“Oh, and he’s happy!” Sid described the painting. “Look, he’s playing with his kid. See Manny? That’s your problem. That’s what mammoths are supposed to do.”

“Sid…” Diego spoke up.

“Find a she-moth, have little baby mammoths…”

“Sid!” Diego and the gang shouted, ceasing the sloth’s rant.

“W-What?” Sid asked.

“Shut up.”

“But… Oh…”

Eventually, Sid finally caught on to everyone’s concerns. All eyes stared toward Manny, seeing him so spaced out by this one drawing. Spike and Twilight Sparkle followed Manny’s gaze toward the painting. It seemed like a random sketch of two adult mammoths and a tiny calf of sorts. But as they stared at the drawings, the art seemed to come to life, and it wasn’t long until they were able to see what Manny saw.

In that very painting, the mammoth family were playing happily in a lush meadow. The parents were eyeing proudly over the young mammoth calf as he trumpeted and bellowed about merrily. It raced toward its father, to his warm embrace. Soon as the young mammoth raced off, the father was left to embrace his mate, who’s coat was as white as snow. The father bore a great resemblance to Manny, just as the calf resembled his father. The mammoth indeed seemed happy, content with nothing else but the loving embrace of his family.

But sadly, all good things were coming to an end…

The calf stopped and ran away, bellowing in horror and his cries drew the concern of his parents. To their shock and horror, a horde of human hunters were rushing toward the mammoth family wielding spears. The mother and child escaped, leaving the father to fend off the humans. But their numbers were many and before long, they surrounded him with their spears keeping the mammoth in place. Worse still, the terrified scream of his mate and their child drew his attention.

The mammoth could only watch helplessly as his family were trapped against a rock wall by humans aiming their spears at him. Another group of hunters stood atop the wall, ready to rain heavy boulders upon them. Watching the mother and son crushed before his eyes, hearing their cries of anguish and pain, the father bellowed in horror as his precious family was destroyed before his very eyes…

By the time he woke back to reality, Spike had collapsed upon his knees as the truth overwhelmed him. Twilight and Gabby leaned upon Spike for emotional support, but they too were overcome by what they saw. These cave drawings, and the memories captured within them, were so horrible and it felt so real. And as their eyes turned toward Manny, they could see him breathing heavily while trying to regain control of his runaway emotions.

But the truth was clear as the ice: The surviving mammoth in the drawing was Manny himself, it was him who’s family were killed by humans. And as the group’s eyes watched with worry, they slowly turned back to the painting and cleared their throats uncomfortably. That explained why Manny was walking toward the forming glaciers while all the other animals were migrating. Manny was walking into the Ice Age… to die if it meant being with his family again.

Manny’s eyes kept staring toward the cave drawing, his gaze fixated towards what they could only presume to be his late child. Slowly, Manfred raised his own trunk toward the illustration, stroking across the painting as if wanting to stroke his child’s back, one last time.

As he stroked the back, his trunk touched Roshan’s tiny hand, the boy also touching the drawing gently. The boy stood on his feet, propping himself against the cave wall. Surprised, Manfred pulled back his trunk and blinked toward the little human boy. Roshan stroked the picture of the baby mammoth with his fingers, glancing back at Manny as though he was connecting the two in his mind. The baby suddenly stumbled toward Manfred, who caught the baby with his trunk. He slowly lifted the boy off the ground, eyeing the precious child curled in his trunk. After a moment’s pause, he hugged Roshan close, nuzzling his cheek against the baby’s head. Sid sniffled, wiping snot from his nose with his paw onto Diego, much to the cat’s annoyance.

At that same time, both Spike and Gabby faced each other, their tearful eyes watching each other. They held each other close for comfort, as Twilight Sparkle and the others joined in. The only one uninterested in the moment was Gilda.

“Ugh! Can we move on already?” Gilda groaned. “We’re not getting back home by just standing around.”

The grumpy griffin started walking off to a corner of the cave with a huff. This hadn’t gone unnoticed by a certain cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash broke away from the group hug and slowly hovered up and over alongside her fillyhood friend. Gilda could hear the faint flapping of wings beside her and turned her head toward Rainbow before turning away.

“What?” She grumbled.

“Look Gil, I get it,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “You think it’s easier to play the big, bad, tough girl than to actually show you care for others. Trust me, I thought that way a long time ago too. But as much as you try to hide it, you really do have a caring heart in you.”

Gilda merely released a sarcastic chuckle as she looked toward her friend.

“You’re really trying to do this, huh?” Gilda asked sharply. “Trying to analyze me, Doctor Dash? Well, you can keep your sappy talk for your pony friends.”

“Cut the act, Gil!” Rainbow replied sternly. “That macho façade of yours may work on others but not me! I remember back when we first met, when you first showed up to Junior Flight Camp and you were so shy at first when…”

Rainbow’s sentence was abruptly cut off when Gilda grabbed her and slammed her against the stone wall of the cave, glaring with fire in her eyes.

“Never talk about that!” Gilda hissed. “You swore you’d never bring that up again!”

“Why is it so bad if I do?” Rainbow retorted.

“Don’t toy with me, Dash!” Gilda warned. “I’m not above smashing this wall down with your face.”

“Seriously, what’s up with you?” Rainbow asked.

“Nothing!” Gilda replied quickly.

“Why are you always such a jerk?!”

“Shut up!”

“Why can’t you just learn to be nice?! You’d think after what happened in Griffinstone, I’d figured you put in the effort to…”

“BECAUSE I’D LOOK WEAK AGAIN!!!”

The scream was so loud everyone off the side immediately jumped and looked toward the girls with concern. Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock, as did Gilda’s. The griffin finally lowered the Pegasus back to the ground and turned away again. But clearly Rainbow Dash was far from finished.

“What do you mean you’d look weak again?” Rainbow questioned curiously.

Gilda released a deep sigh as she sat on the floor. Rainbow Dash approached her side and took a seat beside her.

“You wouldn’t understand, Dash,” Gilda said quietly. “You didn’t grow up the way I did. Whenever I’d come to your house when we were kids, I remember how your parents always praised you for every little thing, even for something so small. Yet they gave you the confidence that you were the best at everything. Me… I had none of that.”

As Rainbow Dash listened to her friend talk, she spotted something more rare than any gem in Equestria. A small tear ran down Gilda’s face as she spoke.

“You know my parents died when I was little,” Gilda continued sadly. “I spent my entire life living with Grandpa Gruff, and you know he’s not exactly nurturing. Every time I’d get sad or show any kind of happiness, he’d tell me, ‘You’re too soft Gilda. Griffins are supposed to be tough as rock and you’re soft as rice pudding.’”

The more Gilda talked, then the more tears rolled down her face.

“I had to harden up really fast. I buried all my emotions as low as I could push them. I was always made to believe emotions were weakness, and I swore I’d never look weak for any creature again. So, there you have it, Dash. You want to know why I’m a ‘jerk’ all the time? Why I can never be nice to any creature? Look at me! It’s as plain as I can give it.”

Gilda quickly wiped away the tears along her face and tried to put on her stone cold expression again. But a hoof upon her shoulder made her turn her head toward Rainbow, who looked at her softly.

“I’m sorry, Gilda,” Rainbow spoke softly. “I had no idea that’s how things were for you.”

“Yeah, well… now you know,” Gilda huffed.

The two sat there for another few moments, letting everything that was said sink in. Finally, Rainbow decided to break the silence again.

“You know Gil, it’s never too late to change your outlook,” Rainbow spoke honestly. “I know it can’t happen overnight, but I’ve already seen a little of it. I mean you were pretty quick to jump in and rescue Roshan on that ice slide.”

Gilda couldn’t help but chuckle over that.

“Maybe I just wanted to enjoy the ride,” Gilda joked.

To which Rainbow chuckled over that statement as well.

“Seriously though, that shows you do care,” Rainbow emphasized. “You could try to make the excuse that we need him in order to go home so we had to rescue him. But clearly, you care more than that. Believe it or not, showing others you care and being nice to them won’t kill you.”

Gilda gave another glance toward her friend, before she faced the ground with another sigh.

“I just don’t want to be looked at like I’m weak,” She confessed. “I embarrassed myself enough at Flight Camp, and I made a fool of myself when Pinkie threw that party. Then after I couldn’t get our sacred treasure back…”

“I know Gilda… I know,” Rainbow nodded. “But acting tough and uncaring all the time won’t make anyone think you’re strong. They’ll just think you’re a jerk. There will always be others telling you who you are your whole life, but you can’t let them turn you into something you’re not. You need to push back and say, ‘No, this is who I am’. I’ll let you think about that a bit. But now, let’s get going.”

Rainbow Dash stood back up and walked back toward the rest of the group. Gilda sat still for another moment or two, pondering what Rainbow said to her. Finally, she got back up and walked back toward the others who were heading out of the cave. The only one who stayed behind was Diego, the tiger took another look toward the painting on the wall. Many thoughts ran through his head, particularly about this whole scheme of his. It was as though Diego was starting to have second thoughts after seeing someone else’s pain.

Eventually, Diego turned and started to follow the rest of the herd out of the caves. It was plain to see that everyone had so much to ponder after this experience. But in a way, somehow this moment granted them this chance to learn something.

Deep within the glacial valley, Runar led his fellow hunters across a snowy plain. The hunters had their wolves by their leashes, their animal companions sniffing the ground like hunting dogs. The humans stopped beside a set of footprints for the wolves to examine, but then they shook their heads sadly. These were not the tiger tracks they were tracking. The wolves sniffed around, digging their noses in the snow, but they seemed very confused.

Runar tightened his grip on one wolf’s leash—it was hard for him to admit that the wolves had lost the scent. One of the hunters approached his chief and took the leash from Runar’s grip. With a deep sigh, the chief looked down toward his son’s broken necklace in his hand. Their search for the boy had been in vain, and it was clear to him that his wife was dead too. He shook his head, having lost all hope of seeing his family again.

Right now, Runar had to think what was best for his tribe and lead his people through Glacier Pass to their settlement on the other side. With the snow growing rapidly, the trip would be impossible, and time was not on their side. With a heavy heart, Runar led his hunters back toward the rest of the tribe ready to leave his pain behind him.

Unbeknownst to the Neanderthals traveling in the valley below, on a higher plain above, the Equestrians and the herd had finally emerged from the cave system. They were currently in the process of crossing a long stretch of icy plain. All eyes could see Half Peak and Glacier Pass just beyond the valley. The end of their journey was fast approaching.

“Well, would you look at that!” Manny said surprised. “The tiger actually did it. There’s Half Peak, next stop, Glacier Pass. How could I ever have doubted you?”

Beside the mammoth, Diego continued onward without even looking toward Manny. Though he refused to show it, a seed of doubt had been planted in his head since their venture in the caves. After learning about Manny’s past and hearing Gilda talk to Rainbow about her issues, so much was going on inside his head. But for the moment, Diego tried to focus on the task at hand. He couldn’t afford to turn back now; this trip couldn’t be for nothing.

“Did you hear that, little fella?” Sid said to Roshan. “You’re almost home.”

As the remainder of the group trekked across the plains, Rarity walked behind the herd where Gabby and Spike were walking. What no pony or creature else knew was that she secretly had something on her mind as well. Something she’d been wanting to get out for a while but not having another chance before. Now, it seemed today was as good a time as any.

“Pardon me, Spike, but would you mind if I had a private moment with Gabby?” Rarity asked sweetly.

Spike took a look toward the marshmallow unicorn, raising a curious eyebrow.

“Sure… but why?” Spike asked curiously.

“No need to fret darling,” Rarity assured him. “I just need a moment to talk with Gabby about… girl things.”

Spike turned toward Gabby, who walked at his side. The giddy griffin merely smiled with a single nod. Spike nodded in return and walked a little faster to catch up with the remainder of the group. This left Gabby and Rarity completely alone to talk.

“So… Gabby,” Rarity began. “How are you and Spikey—uh, I mean… Spike. How are things between the two of you?”

“Oh, it’s been amazing!” Gabby smiled happily. “Spike is amazing! He’s so dreamy; he’s considerate! And he’s a hard worker! He makes me feel like one in a million! Or as he puts it, his ‘Diamond in the Sky’… so romantic.”

“That’s wonderful,” Rarity smiled.

“Rarity, would you mind if I tell you a little secret?” Gabby asked seriously.

“Of course, darling,” Rarity nodded. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Well, as you know, Spike and I have been seeing each other for a few years now,” Gabby informed Rarity. “Things couldn’t possibly be any better between us. He might not think I know, but I believe he’s planning on proposing sometime soon.”

This caused Rarity to pause for a moment, her eyes widened with shock.

“Are you quite serious?” Rarity asked bewildered. “How did you know?”

“I don’t know for certain, but I do know he’s been jewelry shopping,” Gabby smiled. “I know if he does ask me, there’s no doubt I’ll say yes. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I can’t wait to spend the remainder of my life with him. Building a life together, having at least four kids, growing old together. It’s a dream come true.”

“Hmm… well, I’m happy for you two,” Rarity smiled sadly, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“W-What’s wrong, Rarity?” Gabby asked in concern. “Something I said?”

“No, don’t get me wrong darling,” Rarity replied. “I’m happy that both you and Spike are an item, that you both want to marry. Not to mention you’re already talking about how many children you’ll be having. And I suppose the baby is good practice for the two of you. It’s just…”

Rarity took a deep breath before releasing the feelings she had pent up for so long.

“I still feel bad for the way I treated Spike in the past!” Rarity exclaimed. “Before I met Erik, Spike is—was a gentleman to me. So attentive to my needs, ready to partake to my every whim, all to… win my affection! But in the end… it was all for naught.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I love him as a… a best friend. I never meant to pawn off on him; I just didn’t know how to let him down easily. Then you came and… I saw how happy the two of you are together. I knew if any creature could really take care of Spike, it’s you. I felt relieved at first, since… I’ve spared the burden of… breaking Spike’s heart.”

Rarity choked on her words, remembering that it wasn’t the case.

“Unfortunately, I just couldn’t leave well enough alone… for the two of you,” Rarity cried.

Feeling sympathetic for the unicorn, Gabby wrapped a wing around her for comfort as Rarity continued.

“I got in the way… between the two of you. I stole Spike from you and worse still, I drove you apart. All because I missed having Spike in my life… and still do. To this day, I regret what I did. I don’t know how I can ever truly amend myself after that…”

Rarity quietly cried into her hooves, while Gabby stroked her soft feathers across Rarity’s back for comfort.

“You know what we really like about you?” Gabby asked. “Your generosity and how you care about everyone’s feelings besides your own. Well, except that time between us, but still… who says we can’t be friends?

“Look Rarity. Spike and I forgive you, even though what you did was… unexpected. But it’s not like you didn’t do the right thing and tried to fix it. The fact you’re going through this much length to ensure our happiness, for us to take our relationship to the next level, that really tells us how much of a friend you really are!”

Rarity smiled lightly upon hearing the griffin’s forgiveness. But now came the moment of truth, to have the griffin something valuable.

“Here… I… consider this my… wedding gift for the two of you,” Rarity said.

Gabby looked in her claws to discover a beautiful golden choker, with a blazing ruby, carved in the shape of a heart, embedded in the center.

“Wow! It’s so pretty!” Gabby smiled. “What is this?”

“It’s a Fire Ruby,” Ruby explained. “Well… specifically Spike’s… Fire Ruby. It was… his birthday present… until it was stolen from him. But I found it, and I’ve kept it safe until… the day it would return to him… from you.”

“Wow, Rarity! That’s so thoughtful of you!” Gabby hugged the unicorn. “We’ll cherish this treasure and remember you as the bestest friend anyone could ask for! Always!”

On the outside, Rarity smiled for Gabby’s hug and happiness. But on the inside, she was crying and could feel her heart shatter seeing the Fire Ruby leaving her. She actually loved that ruby. But deep down, she knew it wouldn’t be right for her to hold onto it. It was always meant to be Spike’s birthday meal until she manipulated it off of him.

And now that Rarity was married to someone else, with a child of their own to love, what value does a ruby have for her when they have something more precious than all the treasure in Equestria?

The pair eventually made their way towards the remainder of the herd, and everyone continued onward. After another few moments of walking, Sid felt something odd beneath his feet. As if suddenly, it felt very hot on the ice. He looked down and saw his footprints in the snow started to glow a bright orange.

“My feet are sweating,” Sid announced.

“EW! TMI, dude!” Rainbow commented.

“Seriously, do we have to get a news flash every time your body does something?” Diego asked, irritated.

“He’s doing it for attention,” Manny brushed off. “Just ignore him.”

“Seriously!” Sid exclaimed concerned, hopping back and forth due to his burning feet. “My feet are reallyhot! Ow, ow, ow, ow!”

But Sid wasn’t the only one hopping about in pain. Pinkie Pie started copying the sloth, jumping around on her hind legs.

“I’m feeling it too!” She groaned. “Hot hooves, hot hooves!”

“Guys, if they say the ground feels warm, it must mean—” Twilight Sparkle began.

Suddenly, a low rumbling cut off the princess of friendship. Everyone else stopped in their tracks, looking around with concern.

“Tell me that was your stomach,” Manny told Diego.

“Shh!” Diego hushed, listening.

“M-Maybe it was just the wind?” Fluttershy guessed nervously.

“Ah don’t reckon so, Fluttershy,” Applejack shook her head. “Ain’t no clouds in the sky, and it ain’t no storm either.”

“I’m sure it was just thunder,” Sid replied positively. “From under… ground?”

Suddenly, a huge geyser of fire blasted through the snow right behind the herd. It was though a volcano was erupting below them.

“RUN!!!” Twilight yelled.

The entire group started zig-zagging their way across the ground. The ice started to fall beneath them, revealing a river of lava running across the valley. Fortunately, most of them managed to avoid the geysers. But the ground crumbled in front of Diego, leaving the tiger stuck on a platform. For everyone else, it was a race for survival.

“Come on, keep up with me!” Sid said urgently.

The sloth’s legs moved at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, he wasn’t going anywhere as his feet were just slipping in place on the ice.

“We would if you were moving!” Manny said loudly.

Sid finally collapsed when his legs had given up under him. Eventually, Diego leapt across to join the group.

“Nice jump, Diego!” Gabby chirped impressed.

“Yeah, I wish I could jump like that,” Sid agreed.

“Wish granted!” Manny replied.

Manny proceeded to punt Sid with a kick so powerful it sent the sloth flying and screaming across the gap. The sloth slid across the ice and finally smashed into a rock.

“Ooh!!!” The Equestrians cringed.

“That’s going to hurt in the morning…” Spike remarked.

“Come on, move faster!” Diego spoke anxiously.

“Have you noticed the river of lava?!” Manny retorted.

With all the steam bursting from the lava, which was slowly melting the ice beneath their feet, Roshan started to whimper with fear.

“It’s okay, squirt,” Gilda patted his head. “Princess… a plan would be nice right now!”

“Okay, anyone who can fly grab someone who can’t!” Twilight Sparkle ordered.

Twilight Sparkle proceeded to carry Rarity over the ice, while Rainbow Dash carried Applejack and Flutershy grabbed hold of Pinkie Pie. The non-flying ponies dangled as they eyed the ground nervously while the fliers proceeded to fly across the gap. Manny leapt next and just barely made it. By the time it was Diego’s turn, he leapt as far as his legs could push him… but didn’t quite make it.

Diego found himself hanging over the edge, barely keeping hold of the ice with his paws. Manny and Gilda looked back, seeing the severity of the scenario.

“Hold him!” Manny instructed Sid, handing him Roshan.

“Hang on, Diego!” Gilda called out.

Manny cautiously inched his way toward Diego, as Gilda hovered over the mammoth. Together they reached out with trunk and claw toward Diego, who struggled to reach for them. Suddenly, the ledge broke, and the tiger nearly fell… until Manny and Gilda grabbed both his paws.

“Gotcha!” Gilda shouted.

The rest of the group looked on with worry, Pinkie was so nervous she started chewing her own hooves. Slowly, the ledge beneath Manny’s feet started to break as Diego tried to climb along Manny’s trunk. In an act of sacrifice, Manny hurled Diego and Gilda, who still held onto Diego, to safety. But just as Manny started to march, the ledge fully gave way… and he fell.

“MANNY!!!” Everyone shouted.

All eyes looked on with worry, as Manny’s trumpeting faded. It seemed as though they had lost a major part of their traveling part… until Manny was launched high in the air by a powerful geyser. The mammoth hovered over the sky briefly until he landed toward his friends with a hard thud. By the time the dust cleared, the Mammoth lay on the ground, and he appeared to be unconscious.

“Oh my gosh, Manny!” Twilight Sparkle gasped.

The whole team rushed over to check on him, praying that Manny was alive.

“Manny! Manny, Manny, Manny!” Sid cried out. “You okay?!”

“Come on, Manny, old buddy, old pal!” Pinkie begged. “Please say something, anything!”

Mumbling escaped Manny’s lips, but at first, they couldn’t tell what he was saying.

“What? What?” Sid asked anxiously. “We can’t hear you.”

“You’re standing on my trunk,” Manny whimpered.

Sid realized he was standing on Manny’s trunk and stepped off, as the mammoth took a big gasp for air.

“Oh, you’re okay!” Sid cheered. “You’re okay!”

Relieved that their friend made it safely, they all raced toward the mammoth to hug him, as the big guy was laying upon the ground without a single argument.

“We’re so glad you’re alright, Manny!” Fluttershy smiled tearfully.

“And that I can agree on,” Gilda nodded, with a small smile.

“Why did you do that?” Diego asked Manny and Gilda, shocked. “You could’ve died, trying to save me. And… I know we don’t have the greatest track record Gilda, so why stick your neck out for me?”

“That’s what you do in a herd,” Manny answered. “We look out for each other.”

“And friends always have each other’s back,” Gilda added.

“Well… thanks,” Diego smiled.

“I don’t know about you guys, but we are the weirdestherd I have ever seen,” Sid declared.

“Sid… normal is overrated,” Pinkie Pie replied.

Pinkie Pie’s little remark actually got everyone to laugh, even Gilda couldn’t help but chuckle. As scary as it was, barely surviving a near death experience with lava, this moment demonstrated that when they put their minds together, they could accomplish anything. Never in the history of this Ice Age had there ever been a herd such as this. Herbivores and carnivores, even a human, all together and all knowing that if they lost their way, they would either fall to the freezing cold of the Ice Age or miss their chance of returning a child to his family. Worse still, finding themselves in the shadow of an equally dangerous obstacle.

Battle in the Blizzard

Author's Note

A big hand to Drama for his amazing editorial work once more.

Another thanks to Cyan Tank, yoman556677, and Phantom-Dragon for their great quotes.

Battle in the Blizzard

Dark clouds hung over the jagged rock formation that was Half Peak. A powerful snowstorm was fast approaching, and soon the entire land would be wrapped in a blanket of a frozen sea. High upon one of the jagged formations, a pair of dark eyes scoured the land. Soto, leader of the saber pack, snarled in wait for Diego to deliver his promised meal.

It had been almost a week since the pack returned to Half Peak, leaving Diego to locate the baby. After sending Zeke and Oscar on a rendezvous to meet Diego, only to return with news Diego was not only bringing the baby but a mammoth as well, the head saber grew more impatient each passing day.

A moment of scouring the frozen wasteland with anger passed and soon Sota turned away to rejoin the rest of the pack. Zeke, Oscar, and Lenny were in the midst of talking about how much they looked forward to finally having such a large meal. A meal of which would guarantee they would never be hungry again.

“Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!” Zeke twitched madly. “I can’t wait to get my claws on that mammoth!”

“Remember Zeke, it’s not just a mammoth Diego’s bringing us,” Oscar reminded him. “It’s a whole smorgasbord of dining options. Ponies, griffins, dragons, sloths… we’ll be eating like kings.”

“No one touches the mammoth or any of those creatures until I get that baby,” Soto voiced frustration.

As Soto passed the remainder of the pack, Zeke continued his crazy rant.

“First, I’m gonna slice its hindquarters in sections,” Zeke explained ravenously. “I’m gonna put the white meat in one pile and the dark in another.”

“Hey, knock it off!” Lenny snapped. “I’m starving!”

“Next, the shoulders,” Zeke continued. “Occasionally tough, but extremely juicy…”

“I told you to knock it off!”

Lenny raised his pay, but before he could strike the smaller tiger, Soto quickly snatched the large saber’s paw and pinned it to the ground.

“Save your energy!” Soto demanded loudly. “We have no idea how much of a fight these other creatures will provide so we must be ready for anything. As for mammoths, they don’t go down easy.”

Seeing the wild, angry gleam in his leader’s eyes, Lenny’s eyes widened with fear as he backed away. Meanwhile, Soto and the rest of the pack drew close on him in a menacing way.

“There is only one way to do it,” Soto said sinisterly. “First, you have to force it into a corner…”

No sooner did he say this than Lenny backed into a wall. Soon Soto was right upon his face.

“Cut off his retreat, and when you three have it trapped… I’ll go for the throat.”

Lenny released an audible gulp as he held his own throat, while Soto smirked wickedly. Soon enough, not only would he have his vengeance on the humans, but enough food to sate the hunger of his pack for much time. Unbeknownst to the pack, upon a higher rock formation, another starving creature loomed upon them with its milky white eyes. Its razor sharp claws actually dug into the stone beneath it. The beast was waiting patiently, for a moment to ravenously dig into the hearts of all the animals soon to be in its midst. And if things went its way, nothing would stop it… nothing.

As the sun set over the horizon, a massive blizzard swept across the entire land. The heavy winds picked up since the Equestrians and the herd left the cave. Ice and snow fell from above, covering the pelts of the animals. The baby was pressed against Manny’s back, desperately trying to avoid the blistering wind.

“Sweet Celestia!” Twilight Sparkle shouted over the wind. “This blizzard is worse than when we first found the Crystal Empire!”

“And I thought winters in Griffonstone were rough!” Gilda added.

“Guys, we gotta get this kid outta the wind!” Manny called out.

“No kidding!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “If we keep going at this rate, we’ll be permanently part of this Ice Age. Emphasis on the ‘ice’ part.”

Soon enough, they found shelter in a small, secluded spot along the cliffs. The high stone wall provided enough protection from the strong winds and falling snow. Manny lifted Roshan off his back with his trunk, passing him over to Gabby. Roshan nestled as close to her as possible, finding comfort amidst her fur and feathers.

“Don’t worry Roshan,” Gabby assured him. “We’re building camp right now.”

“And Uncle Spike will make sure you’re nice and toasty for tonight,” Spike nodded.

While the remainder of the group started building camp, Manny and Diego stepped off the side and looked towards the distance.

“How much further?” Manny questioned.

“Three miles,” Diego answered automatically. “We’ll get there in the morning.”

The two rejoined the rest of the group as Rarity and Twilight used their magic to summon the tents for the night.

“I can’t wait to get back to Equestria,” Rarity declared. “I enjoy a lovely snow day just fine, but this cold is just too much.”

“Ah hear ya,” Applejack agreed, approaching them. “Ain’t been this cold since that winter after a twister took the roof off our barn. Me and Big Mac had tah breathe on the tools so they wouldn’t freeze.”

Off the side, Sid found a small rock and began using it to draw along the side of the large stone wall.

“What are you doing?” Diego asked, approaching the wall.

“I’m putting sloths on the map,” Sid replied happily.

All heads turned toward the drawing. One-by-one, every member examined the crudely drawn sloth upon the wall.

“Why don’t you make it more realistic and draw him lying down?” Manny joked.

“And make him rounder,” Diego offered.

Rainbow Dash chuckled, as she grabbed the rock and drew an exaggerated circle around the sloth’s belly.

“Perfect!” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Not bad, Dash,” Gilda chuckled. “Looks exactly like him.”

“Ha-ha,” Sid laughed sarcastically. “I forgot how to laugh.”

Sid grabbed another rock and began scribbling out the picture furiously. Just as he lifted the rock, sparks flew and struck a small pile of twigs on the ground. The twigs slowly crackled, as flames danced on them. This amazed the Equestrians, but none more so than the sloth, who gazed at the rock in his hand. Or in which case, a piece of flint stone.

“I’m a genius!” Sid cried, kissing the rock.

“Well done, Sid!” Fluttershy complimented him.

“Not bad buddy!” Spike nodded. “But I could’ve just made that fire myself with one breath.”

Fluttershy quickly flew toward the dragon and whispered into his ear.

“Let him have this one,” Fluttershy suggested quietly.

To which Spike released a chuckle and gave the butter-yellow Pegasus a nod.

“We should probably gather some more sticks,” Twilight pointed out. “We need to keep this fire going.”

Soon the rest of the gang spread out in search of sticks. After a while, they managed to gather enough to last for the night. While the blizzard raged on, and the sky darkened at nightfall, the fire crackled and sparked as everyone and every pony settled down beside the fire.

“From now on, you’ll have to refer to me as Sid, Lord of the Flame!” Sid called dramatically.

“Hey, Lord of the Flame, your tail’s on fire,” Manny smiled.

Sid gasped and turned as his tail was indeed on fire. He proceeded to run around in circles, shouting ‘Hot! Hot! Hot!”. Everyone laughed at the mere sight of the poor sloth until Diego reached out and pulled the sloth into the snow beside him, putting out the fire.

“Ahh, thank you,” Sid sighed gratefully. “From now on, I’m gonna call you Diego.”

“Lord of ‘Touch Me and You’re Dead’,” Diego replied.

Sid gasped in fear, worried that this tiger was serious. After a moment’s pause, Diego chuckled.

“I’m just kiddin’, you little knucklehead.”

Diego pulled Sid into a headlock and proceeded to rub it playfully.

“Hey everyone, look at this!” Manny told everyone.

All eyes turned towards Manny, and they all gasped in surprise. Before them, Roshan stood upright and took a few wobbly steps forward.

“Oh, my gosh!” Fluttershy gasped. “His first steps!”

Beside her, Pinkie Pie’s eyes started to well up with giant tears. She pulled a tissue from her mane and blew her nose comically.

“Reminds me of when Lil’ Cheesy did this for the first time,” Pinkie cried.

“I don’t believe it,” Sid said, amazed.

The group watched in silence while Diego and Manny shared a meaningful look. Roshan started to fall forward, but Manny caught him with his trunk. Soon the kid kept walking toward Sid and Pinkie Pie.

“Come here you little biped,” Sid encouraged. “Come here, you little wormy worm.”

“Come on, walk to Auntie Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie smiled.

To their surprise, Roshan turned around and walked toward Diego instead.

“No, no, no, no,” Sid chuckled. “This way, this way.”

“Wrong way, little Roshan,” Pinkie added. “Wrong way.”

But for some reason, Roshan kept walking toward Diego.

“No, go to them,” Diego spoke worriedly. “Go to them.”

Roshan reached for Diego and caught himself by hugging the big cat’s leg. Diego just looked toward the little baby holding onto his leg. An awkward expression formed on his face.

“Um… okay,” He chuckled nervously. “Good job. Uh, keep practicing.”

The sabretooth tiger turned around and Roshan kept walking till he reached the next creature. To everyone’s surprise, Gilda was watching apprehensively as the baby was walking toward her.

“Uh, what’s he doing?” Gilda asked confused.

Roshan steadied himself against Gilda’s leg and looked up toward her. Gilda looked around and noticed everyone eyeing her with huge smiles on their faces. Having spent so long as the take-no-nonsense tough girl, suddenly having a baby holding onto her and all eyes looking at her this way just made her feel… weird.

“Uh… alright,” Gilda cleared her throat.

Roshan babbled happily again and hugged her leg. The griffin was uncertain about this at first. But then, a smile spread across her face as she wrapped a wing around the boy.

“Great work, kiddo,” Gilda finally said.

Gently, she turned the baby around and ruffled her hair.

“Keep at it, squirt,” Gilda nudged the boy along.

As the baby wobbled his way back towards Manny, Gilda turned over toward Rainbow Dash. The cyan Pegasus stared at her with the slyest smirk one could possibly give.

“Knew you were a softy,” Rainbow spoke cockily.

“Shut up,” Gilda rolled her eyes.

“Look at that,” Sid said proudly. “Our little guy’s growing up.”

“Yeah… they grow up so fast,” Pinkie sobbed, blowing her nose.

The baby sneezed, breaking his concentration, and fell. He gave a cute little yawn and rubbed his tiny eyes.

“All right, come on,” Manny said. “Sleep time, lumpy.”

The mammoth grabbed the baby gently and curled his trunk around him.

“Look at that big pushover,” Sid smiled at Manny. “You know, Diego, I’ve never had a friend who would risk his life for me.”

“Yeah, Manny’s… he’s a good guy,” Diego agreed.

“I’ll admit I thought he was a jerk when we first met,” Spike agreed. “But in the end, he’s not so bad.”

“I knew he was a big softy all along,” Gabby smiled happily. “He tries to bury it down deeply, but I could tell it was there. He really is a good friend.”

“Yeah, he is,” Sid nodded.

Blinking a couple times, the sloth soon realized this was the first time he had spoken to Diego without feeling scared of him. At the same time, this wasn’t just Diego trying to intimidate him as usual. But instead, this was the sincerest answer as though he was addressing Sid… as a friend. Sid then turned toward the girls and Spike.

“The same goes for all of you,” Sid spoke to the Equestrians. “I know I can be a pain. Anyone else would’ve just ignored me… or left me. But you… you welcomed me with open arms, and you’ve stuck by my side to help me, even for no reason at all. I guess you can say we’re lucky to have you here, aren’t we Diego?”

Instead of answering, however, Diego turned away. The group eyed Diego wondering what could possibly be bothering the guy.

“Well… we did have a pretty long day and he must be very tired,” Rarity determined.

“We’ll talk more about it tomorrow,” Twilight agreed. “For now, we should get some sleep. The sooner we do, the sooner we wake in the morning and get Roshan back to his family.

“Yeah…” Sid yawned. “Well, good night fellas.”

“Good night,” The girls and Spike spoke in unison.

Sid yawned, and fell back onto the snow, completely passed out. The Equestrians, yawning tiredly, got up and entered their respective tents one by one. This left Diego the only one still awake, lying on the ground and yet couldn’t sleep. The tiger was deep in thought and the more he pondered, the more the seeds of doubt grew fast telling him that perhaps this scheme wasn’t such a good idea. It wasn’t even just that they saved his life either, but the words they said to him after…

‘That’s what you do in a herd. We look out for each other…’

‘And friends always have each other’s back…’

‘We are the weirdest herd I have ever seen…’

In all that time Diego spent with this most unusual group, the tiger couldn’t deny he’d grown fond of their company. Sure, they hadn’t gotten off on the right foot (Or leg, since they are animals), and at first, they didn’t really matter to him. But little by little, everyone stopped looking at him with fear and treated him like a companion… no, more than that. They saw him as a friend whom they were willing to put their lives in danger for, just as he had come to see them all as friends. That was something none of his fellow sabertooth tigers had ever done, none from his pack proved more faithful than these creatures.

And how could Diego know that these creatures were so different? It was because he experienced it for himself…

Many years ago…

A group of sabretooth pups jumped between the cliffs towering above a river. Oscar, Lenny, and Zeke had made it to shore, leaving only Diego left to cross. The tiger was preparing himself to jump yet couldn’t deny that the rushing rapids looked mighty intimidating.

“Come on, any day now!” Lenny called out.

“Yeah, hurry up and jump!” Zeke yelled.

“And you consider yourself a tiger?” Oscar provoked him.

That was the last straw. As much as Diego feared falling, if he chickened out now, they would never stop mocking him. He couldn’t allow himself to look weak. He took a few steps back, broke off with a running start, and reached the other side.

“You were saying?” Diego asked proudly.

Suddenly, no sooner did he speak than the ground beneath his feet gave away. Thanks to his reflexes, Diego was able to grab the edge, but couldn’t climb up. Being a mere inch from the water, his claws wouldn’t hold him long.

“HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE!” Diego shouted, frightened.

The trio looked at each other… and suddenly turned around, running away.

“Sorry Diego, I don’t want to fall too!” Lenny shouted.

“If you survive, tell us!” Zeke shouted.

Diego couldn’t believe his ears. These tigers were supposed to be a pack, his closest companions. But they’d rather leave him behind to die alone. He felt pain equivalent to a stone in the head… more like a knife to the heart. Unfortunately, that discomfort he felt made him lose his strength and he let go. Diego closed his eyes, assuming the worst… but he wasn’t falling.

The moment Diego opened his eyes, he saw Soto, the leader of the pack, grab him with his mouth and soon he pulled him safely to the ground. Diego couldn’t be any happier.

“Thank you, Soto!” Diego sighed heavily. “For a moment I thought…”

*WHAM!!!*

Diego didn’t finish his sentence, as Soto struck him on the head. Not a very strong blow, but it still hurt. Diego didn’t speak, knowing that would only make things worse. He merely fell down and bowed to his leader.

“Diego, this pack is strong because ‘we’ are strong,” Soto spoke firmly. “One life of a tiger does not matter; the pack is all that matters. If even ‘one’ member is weak, the entire pack weakens. You understand that I cannot allow that, right?”

“No sir,” Diego responded, trying to sound firm.

“I tell you this because you have potential, Diego. But it won’t help you if you always depend on others. I helped you this time, but no more. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir…”

Back to reality…

Diego looked toward Half Peak for a few seconds as all these thoughts raced around his head before he fell asleep. He couldn’t think any more; he had come too far to back down. Tomorrow, Soto would have his revenge, the pack would feast, and he’d finally have the respect he worked so hard for. After all, everything that Manny, Twilight, Gilda, and the others knew about him was not true. If they knew what he was truly like, they wouldn’t even want to be friends with him…

Or would they?

While all eyes were asleep, Gilda too was preparing to rest when a commotion drew her attention. Curious yet suspicious, Gilda leaned her head from her tent to investigate. To her surprise, Spike had emerged from his tent and soon the teen dragon was silently passing the other sleeping animals to a secluded spot from the camp. Emerging from her tent, following Spike without making a sound, she tracked him towards a large rock where he could sit and look out towards the breeze. Without drawing his attention, she took a seat beside the dragon and looked out.

“You know the wind only gets colder when you stray from the camp, right?” Gilda asked Spike, rhetorically.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Spike answered quietly.

“All winds fade away… eventually.”

“It’s not the cold that’s bothering me. I was just… thinking…”

Initially it would seem that neither the griffin nor the dragon were making any progress with this conversation. But Gilda sensed something was bothering the dragon and she refused to believe for a moment this was the soul reason for Spike being out by himself.

“Listen kid… I’ve said a lot of things during this trip, and I won’t deny you’ve been the butt of my bad jokes,” Gilda sighed. “I owe ‘a lot’ of creatures many apologies for the way I’ve been acting, especially to your pony friends. But if I said anything that really offended you in some way, all I can say is… sorry.”

“… Why did you bring up Greta?” Spike asked.

“What?”

“When we were fighting a few days ago, you were claiming that for a griffin who thinks she’s cool you could barely talk to this Greta. Does she… mean anything to you?”

“That really depends on how you word it out.”

Gilda took a pause and released a deep breath, which got caught up in the snowy breeze and flew away. Spike faced Gilda, who didn’t return a gaze but stared ahead as if contemplating her own thoughts.

“Before Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came to Griffonstone, we didn’t really believe in having ‘friends’,” Gilda explained. “I hated living there, and initially I wanted to bake and sell goods so I could make enough to leave town and find a place for myself. It was mostly Grandpa Gruff’s recipes; they weren’t really good, but nobody actually cared. At the time, I didn’t think I was leaving ‘any’ creature behind except…

“There was this one Griffin… Greta. Rainbow Dash would talk about how I’m the coolest griffin around, but if I were to be honest… I thought she was cool. We hadn’t really ‘talked’, she was just some griffon I knew. Then, after Pinkie Pie helped perfect the recipe for Griffon Scones, I was able to convince Greta to try it… even offering them as ‘free’ samples, which is unheard of in our town. She was weirded out at first, but after trying it she said, ‘It tasted good’. The nicest compliment ‘any’ griffin gave me.”

“Well… at least she did speak to you,” Spike spoke hopefully. “Surely that wasn’t the last time.”

“That’s the problem, kid,” Gilda sighed. “I ‘wanted’ to speak to Greta more, but any time I tried I get so awkward that I just take off in a huff before I embarrassed myself. I could only really get close to her when offering her baked goods and even then, our conversations are small. I’m supposed to be this tough girl who’s not afraid of anything, but with Greta… I think to myself, ‘What if even she is too cool to even notice you, Gil?’. And then I see you and Gabby getting along like its nothing, and I think to myself… why can’t that be me? What am I doing wrong…”

Spike eyed Gilda for a moment, seeing this rare vulnerable side out of a Griffin who mainly tried to hide her inner conflicts. Something about the way Gilda voiced her problems reminded Spike of his reasons for being out here. He figured this would be his chance to share his own concerns.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Spike asked curiously.

“Not if you’re asking me to keep it,” Gilda replied gruffly.

“Okay, here it goes…” Spike began, taking a deep breath. “… I’ve been plagued by nightmares about Malakai, and I’ve been dealing with some troubling thoughts for months. There I said it!”

Gilda faced Spike, and while skeptical it was enough to draw her attention. Granted, she hardly really knew about this ‘Malakai’ Spike was talking about except it may have had something to do with a previous trip. But the way Spike brought it up, she can feel that it somewhat hurt the dragon to bring it up.

“You’ve been seeing someone about that, haven’t you?” Gilda questioned.

“Princess Luna comes to visit me in my dreams several times,” Spike admitted. “But no matter how hard she tries this darkness won’t leave and we still don’t know why. The worst part is that I can feel it growing worse each and every day. You’ve seen it yourself when we were arguing. It’s been haunting me, and I’m at my wit’s end”

“Does Twilight know this is going on…?”

“No! No, she can’t know anything about this. She’s already been going through enough as it is. What with Sunset Shimmer leaving, the deal with Celestia and Chrysalis… she finds out what’s going on with me, that pressure will only get worse. That’s why I’m really hoping for a way to sort this out before I can truly feel ready to take the next step with Gabby… and she deserves more than what I’m dealing with.”

Gilda could tell there was some form of truth in Spike’s words. She may not have agreed entirely with his choices, but she understood where he was coming from.

“Take it from me kid, you can’t keep hiding your issues forever,” Gilda advised. “You shouldn’t be taking advice from me, nor should I be telling you what to do. But at least consider this: If you ‘do’ have a problem, it’ll be up to you to figure out how to deal with it. But those friends of yours, as annoying as they may be, will stand by your side and will do everything to help you. Argue all you want how it’s your problem, but sooner or later you’ll need to swallow your pride and ask for their help. You’d be surprised what they can do.”

“… Whoa…” Spike answered, surprised. “That’s actually some very good advice. Kind of makes me wish I hadn’t said all those things, about you not learning anything…”

But a firm claw on Spike’s shoulder stopped his words. He looked down at the claw, slightly confused, then turned back toward Gilda’s face… which grew stern just as quickly.

“Just understand this, dude,” Gilda warned. “Gabby and I may not be family, but her happiness does ‘mean’ something to me… as irritating as it is. But so help me, if you ‘say’ or do ‘anything’ that hurts Gabby in any way, curse or no curse, the only creature that’s going to be haunting you the rest of your life… will be me. Is that clear?”

“… Crystal…” Spike gulped nervously.

“Good talk,” Gilda nodded, tapping Spike’s shoulder.

Just like that Gilda proceeded to march her way back to the tent, leaving Spike standing along the cold floor stunned and wide-eyed. He took a deep breath then casually laid on his back along the stone, his eyes looking toward the stars pondering over Gilda’s advice.

Bringing a claw up to the right side of his face, he wiped his eye and a large smudge of purple make-up came off. As it turns out, the nightmares weren’t the only thing he’d been plagued with as his scales and skin had started turning black not too long after he started seeing Malakai. It had now consumed his entire right eye and seemed to be spreading more and more with each passing day. He hated having to keep this whole mess a secret and he truly hoped he’d be able to tell someone at some point. For now though, he couldn’t stand to burden anyone else with this curse. He quickly rubbed the make-up back onto his scales and it completely covered the darkness once more as Spike looked up into the heavens.

For a moment, he seemed to be at peace with himself and his eyes started to close, ready to embrace some sleep. But then a noise woke him suddenly, and he turned slowly.

Before his eyes, Scrat the Squirrel quickly sneaked his way into the camp. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he slunk his way toward the roaring fire. He proceeded to pull out his acorn, which was now frozen in a block of ice. He attached it to the end of a stick and hung it over the fire to thaw. Slowly, the ice around the acorn melted away till finally it was gone making Scrat smile. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as the acorn popped like the kernel of popcorn and Scrat released a defeated sigh. The teen dragon loomed over the squirrel, seeing the state of his food, and tapped his head.

“Better luck next time, little buddy,” Spike spoke, before retiring to bed.

The very next morning, the blizzard blew strong but not to the point for no one to be in it. The Equestrians and the herd had left the overlook early that morning and had since made it to the outskirts of Half Peak. All they had to do was cross the rock way and they’d be at Glacier Pass in no time.

“Alright every pony, be careful walking through here,” Twilight Sparkle warned. “These rock formations don’t look safe.”

“Tell me about it,” Pinkie nodded in agreement. “Growing up on a rock farm, I know what rock formations are safe or not. Then again, Maud knows more than I do… even Limestone knows a thing or two… maybe Marble… wow… how much do I know about rocks?”

“Either way, the last thing we want on this last leg of our journey is damage by rocks,” Twilight replied.

“Let’s get you all cleaned up. What’s your daddy gonna say if you go back all stinky?” Sid asked Roshan, licking his claws. “Let me just clean that up. That looks good. A little bit here…”

“EWWW, Sid!” Rarity cringed. “That won’t clean him; allow me.”

Using her magic, Rarity conjured up a few wipes and proceeded to run them over the baby’s face till it was spotless. Once she was certain he was entirely clean, she gave an approving smile and zapped the cleaning supplies away.

“There we are!” Rarity voiced approval. “Clean as a whistle.”

“You clean up nice, little fella,” Manny pulled Sid’s paw away, gently.

“I think he’s starting to look like me,” Sid smiled, examining the baby’s face.

“No offense or anything, but I sure hope not,” Gilda shook her head.

“Diego, what do you think?” Sid asked the sabretooth.

But the cat didn’t answer Sid’s question directly. Diego took one look around through the blizzard, observing all the familiar jagged rocks in their path. He took a pause in his steps as if a thought came to him.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” Diego contemplated.

The entire group looked at Diego with confusion.

“Why not?” Spike asked. “We’re on the home stretch. Why stop now?”

“If we save him, he’ll grow up to be a hunter,” Diego replied. “And who do you think he’ll hunt?”

“Diego, how can you even insinuate something like that?” Fluttershy asked. “Roshan is a gentle little soul; he couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Yeah, and it’s that sort of thinking that gets you killed,” Diego retorted.

“Maybe because we save him, he won’t hunt us,” Sid smiled optimistically.

“Yeah, and maybe he’ll grow fur and a long skinny neck and call you Mama!” Diego snapped.

“What’s the problem with you?” Manny questioned.

“Nothing…” Diego sighed. “Let’s go. I’m freezing my tail off.”

And so, the group continued walking, even though many of the Equestrians still had questions. They didn’t realize it, but the saber began to feel as though eyes were watching him. But it wasn’t from either of the ‘herd’ or the ponies and their friends. Diego turned toward one of the higher cliffs, spotting a pack member drawing away from the edge. But that was more than enough time for Diego to acknowledge that the pack was expecting his arrival.

“Diego, you frozen back there?” Manny called from ahead.

Diego watched as the group were making their way through the rock way. He knew they were walking into a trap, and they didn’t even know it. Shaking his head, struggling with his conflicts, he darted forward.

“Get down!” Diego hissed desperately.

The group stopped just as they made their way under one of the peaks.

“What?” They all questioned in surprise.

“Get down and follow me!” Diego whispered.

“What’s goin’ on?” Sid asked, clutching the baby tighter.

Taking a deep breath, Diego let out a sigh.

“At the bottom of Half Peak…” Diego confessed slowly. “There’s an ambush, waiting for you.”

“What?!” Sid gasped in surprise.

“What do you mean ‘ambush’?” Manny questioned.

“And how would you know about it?” Gilda added. “The only way you would know is if… you…”

It was then that realization started to set in for everyone in the group. They all looked toward Diego, half of them were visibly angry while the others were gravely hurt.

“I don’t believe it…” Rainbow shook her head.

“You overgrown flea bag,” Gilda snarled. “You scammed us!”

“You set us up!” Manny realized.

“It was my job!” Diego tried to explain. “I was supposed to get the baby, but…”

“You brought us home for dinner!” Manny stated angrily.

“I knew we couldn’t trust him!” Spike frowned. “From the very beginning, he led us to this spot so his pack could eat us all!”

“That’s it!” Sid pointed at the saber. “You’re out of the herd.”

“How could ya lie to us like that?!” Applejack yelled. “We trusted you!”

“I oughtta skin you alive!” Gilda threatened.

“I’m not a fan of violence…” Spike cracked his knuckles. “But allow me to roast him right here and now!!!”

“I’m sorry,” Diego apologized.

But the Mammoth slammed the saber against the wall, holding him at bay with his tusks.

“No, you’re not,” Manny threatened. “… Not yet.”

“Listen, I can help you!” Diego offered desperately.

“Stay close, guys,” Manny hissed. “We can fight our way out.”

“You can’t! The pack’s too strong. You have to trust me—”

“Trust you?!” Manny snarled. “Why in the world would we trust you?”

“… Because I’m your only chance,” Diego whispered.

The group were still angry with the saber, their doubt for the cat still strong after learning the truth. Under most circumstances, they would’ve just taken their chances and at least proved to the pack they were more than prepared for a fight. But if there was even a hint of truth in Diego’s words, that the only chance of getting by was to take his advice, they needed to hear him out whether they wanted to or not. But as far as his fate was concerned… this was his ‘last’ chance.

At the bottom of Half Peak, Soto and his pack were still waiting for Diego. Altogether, they prepared for their ambush the moment Manny, Sid, the Equestrians, and the baby arrived. The snow blew fiercely, while the pack’s hunger grew further. It was then that Diego walked in slowly, from behind the pack.

“Hello, ladies,” Diego mumbled.

All eyes turned toward Diego, who had returned to their allegiance.

“Hey, look who decided to show up,” Oscar spoke mockingly.

Diego chose to ignore Oscar, his attention set on Soto. The pack leader eyed Diego with a sinister smile, as he slowly approached his second-in-command.

“Diego, I was beginning to worry about you.”

“No need to worry,” Diego assured deeply. “In about two minutes, you’ll be satisfying your taste for revenge.”

“Very nice,” Soto complemented.

“Guys, look!” Zeke shouted.

The sabers stared at Zeke, who eagerly shook his body. Right in front of them was Gilda, Gabby, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Sid. The sloth held the baby, who was bundled in its cover to keep warm.

“Whoa!” Lenny gasped in shock. “There really are griffins and ponies!”

“Where’s the rest of them?” Oscar frowned, suspicious.

“Does it matter?!” Zeke grinned excitedly. “I see the sloth with them, and he’s got the baby!”

“Don’t give away your positions until you see the mammoth,” Soto instructed. “He’s the one we have to surprise.”

Oscar and Lenny remained silent, waiting for Soto’s command. Zeke, on the other hand, grew impatient. The small grey tiger whimpered badly, wanting to get his claws on them. But Soto told him to stay hidden till the right time. This made Zeke worry as he stared toward the group coming their way, as Soto’s instructions echoed repeatedly in his head. Diego noticed this and decided to step toward him. He knew the best way to sabotage their plan was to convince Zeke to go forward with the attack.

“You want to maul something, don’t you Zeke?” Diego mumbled quietly.

“I wanna maul…” Zeke whined, nibbling his paw.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Diego motioned.

Hearing his comment, Zeke finally lost his patience with a roar and raced after them. Oscar and Lenny, unable to hold it in either, followed Zeke in suit. Soto was not very pleased seeing his pack giving away their positions.

“No, I said wait for the mammoth!” Soto shouted.

Diego just shrugged his paw without a word. When Soto saw the remainder of his pack getting closer, he groaned in defeat and decided to catch up with the pack to exact his revenge as swiftly and painfully as possible. Diego smirked seeing the plan in motion and quietly returned to rendezvous with the others.

In the meantime, Sid, Rainbow, Gilda, Pinkie, and Gabby had their hooves and claws buried within the snow. When Gilda looked up, a gasp escaped her beak.

“Here they come!” Gilda announced.

The others gasped with fright as the sabretooth pack raced toward them. They waddled their way across the snow as fast as their legs could push. What these felines hadn’t realized, however, was that this particular group of Equestrians were just waiting for them to make their move.

“Okay, on three…” Rainbow Dash instructed. “One… Two…”

“THREE!!!” They screamed in unison.

Soon, all five leapt from the snow revealing big, long boards carved out of logs attached to their legs the entire time. The group sped away, with Rainbow Dash and Gilda taking the lead on snowboards. The others each had two boards for their legs, much like skis.

“WHOO-HOO!!!” Sid & Gilda cheered.

“WHEE!!!” Pinkie Pie & Gabby squealed excitedly.

“Gotta juice, boys!” Rainbow mocked the tigers smugly.

The scenario they witnessed had the tigers paused for a second. Oscar, Zeke, and Lenny were shocked to see them descending the snow so quickly. Which only encouraged them to run faster than usual. At some point, Sid, Gabby, and Pinkie almost lost their balance as they nearly fell off their skis.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” They cried out.

“Sid, Pinkie, you can do this!” Rainbow called out. “It’s just like ice skating, remember?!”

“Just like ice skating… just like ice skating!” Pinkie echoed.

Pinkie Pie suddenly remembered Winter Wrap Up Day when she’d skate along the ice to cut the frozen water into squares to open up the lake for spring. Deploying similar tactics, Pinkie maintained control of her body and soon got the hang of skiing.

“WHEE-HEE-HEE!” Pinkie cheered. “You’re right, Rainbow! This is like ice skating!”

Sid too remembered the time he was ice skating along the ice with his friends. Soon, it was his turn to seize control of himself.

“WHOO!” Sid cheered. “This is fun!”

“There you go!” Rainbow smiled approvingly.

Gilda steered close to Gabby who was swerving to her left, then to the right.

“Relax, Gabby!” Gilda encouraged her friend. “You’re doing fine! Long… slow… smooth. Nice and steady.”

Gabby calmed herself as she began to slide smoothly along the snow just like Gilda.

“It’s almost like we’re flying!” Gabby reminded.

“That’s it, Gabby!” Gilda cheered. “You’ve got this!”

The group proceeded to slide toward a tiny edge of the cliff. They leapt off and slid safely along a curved rock.

“WHEE!” They cheered.

“Backscratcher!” Sid laughed. “Ha-ha! Eat my powder!”

“Try to keep up, boys!” Gabby mocked.

But of course, the tigers weren’t far behind. Oscar and Zeke leapt halfway down the cliff as Lenny traversed down the slope. The group turned back with wide eyes seeing they were heading for danger. For up in the distance, the group were heading straight for some big, sharp rocks.

“Watch out, guys!” Rainbow warned.

Rainbow Dash and Gilda easily avoided the rocks without fuss. Sid, Pinkie Pie, and Gabby, however, couldn’t dodge them as well as their friends. Their skis prevented them from making sharp turns. With a majority of the rocks so close together, this proved difficult for the trio to dodge. Eventually, they each headed straight for one rock they were unable to steer away from.

“LOOK OUT!” Gabby screamed.

The three bumped into one of the rocks and found themselves spinning about. The impact made them lose a board, which became a problem for those gliding along the snow. Rainbow Dash and Gilda were quick to notice.

“You guys alright?” Rainbow called out, worriedly.

“We’re okay, Dash!” Sid replied.

“Need a hand? Or claw?” Gilda cried.

“No worries!” Pinkie assured, positioning her legs on the board. “Everything’s under control.”

Just as Pinkie Pie placed her right hind leg and foreleg along her board, Gabby was doing just the same. Sid, meanwhile, swung his right foot back along his board. Soon, rather than skiing, the trio were snowboarding, their gliding improving along the snow. For Rainbow Dash and Gilda to see their friends not giving up so easily, to say they were impressed was an understatement.

“No way!” Rainbow gasped in awe.

“All right!” Gilda cheered, with a thumbs up. “Way to go you three!”

“Right back at ya, girl!” Gabby spoke, with the shaka sign.

Sid and Pinkie Pie chuckled as the trio eventually caught up with the two fliers. Most of the rocks ahead were bent and curved almost like ramps. They had determined to glide along them, all while performing a few epic tricks just for fun. Each went up one and came down as though they were skateboarding on stone and snow. Gabby kept gliding along the rocks while performing backflips and spinning in the air.

“If Spike could see me now!” Gabby giggled.

In the meantime, Sid and Pinkie slid up a big rock together, cheering, ‘WHEE! WHOA!’ along the way. Soon they slid down and went up a rock that made them loop over one another.

“Loop-de-loop!” They shouted, before ascending another rock.

“I love loop-de-loops!” Rainbow eagerly noticed.

“There’s your chance!” Gilda spotted.

Together, Rainbow Dash and Gilda performed one with a slide on another rock, looping over, and landing on the other. ‘Up, over, and gone!’ They hollered before landing, laughing over how much fun this was.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash cheered.

“Just like Junior Speedsters, huh Dash?” Gilda smiled.

“You bet, Gilda!” Rainbow nodded.

As the two fliers high-fived each other, the five regrouped and dodged the rocks together.

“Slalom! Slalom, baby!” Sid cheered, while holding Roshan.

Sid and the others giggled as they climbed up a small rock, which they leapt over before landing smoothly along the snow.

“WHOO-HOO!” They cheered.

The group turned back, noting they were now far away from the sabers, who were incredibly tired from all this running. Sid and the others retained the lead as they now made to return to their friends. They were having so much fun showing off they unfortunately weren’t paying attention to where they were going. Then suddenly, they slid off the edge of a crag and flipped off their boards.

“AHH!!!” They screamed their lungs out.

As they slid down the crag slope, Sid lost his grip on the baby who was now lying upon the ground.

“NO!” The girls cried.

They slid up another steep crag and landed atop each other with a thud. Though unharmed, they groaned from the stiff fall. All five watched as Oscar, Zeke, and Lenny surrounded little Roshan. Zeke eagerly leaned forward for a closer look, when the three backed away for Soto to pass through. The lead saber smiled in triumph, ready to put an end to the poor baby’s life.

Slowly, he turned the baby wrap around for one final look at its face. But in that moment, the tiger soon discovered it was ‘not’ little Roshan, but instead a little snowman in the baby wrap. Soon the tigers realized they had been pranked with a decoy.

“GOTCHA!!!” The girls mocked, laughing in unison.

“Sorry, fellas!” Sid teased. “He got a little frostbite!”

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Gabby, and Gilda made funny faces at the tigers’ expense, as Gilda waved her tail at them.

“You want us? Come and get us you overgrown furballs!” Gilda mocked.

Soto growled and swatted the decoy away in frustration.

“Get ‘em!” Soto demanded.

The pranksters ran away, laughing hysterically as they proceeded to lead Soto’s pack into a trap. Just as the tigers turned a corner after their prey, what Oscar, Lenny, and Zeke saw drew them to a halt.

“Huh?!” They said in unison.

Before their very eyes, Manny, Spike, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Applejack stood in their way. Manny, Spike, and Twilight each held a log and shouted, ‘Surprise!’ The three hurled the logs, knocking the sabers off the ledge, and they landed upon the ground with a thud.

“And stay there!” Applejack shouted.

“Okay, follow me!” Diego told everyone. “We’ll pick up the others and get outta here while we can.”

“Let’s get moving!” Twilight nodded in agreement.

Just before they could leave, however, Soto appeared. The lead saber was pleased to see Diego had Manny and the others cornered.

“C’mon, Diego, let’s bring these creatures down,” Soto declared.

“Ah crud!” Spike groaned.

In the meantime, Sid and Pinkie Pie trudged their way across the snow in search of Roshan. What neither the sloth nor the party pony knew was they were secretly followed by one of the tigers. Zeke, having just recovered, had his sight set on the pair and was more than eager for a quick bite. The tiny saber followed them toward a small hole along the cliffside just as little Roshan poked his head out with a giggle.

“There he is!” Sid smiled at the baby.

“Hey little Roshan!” Pinkie giggled. “Boy, did we show those dumb sabers not to mess with us!”

Roshan saw the diminutive sabretooth prowl behind his two friends, eagerly ready to pounce. The baby started making a scary face while growling cutely. Sid and Pinkie, of course, interpreted this as him playing around.

“That’s right, where’s the baby?” Sid chuckled.

“There he…” Pinkie began.

Just then, the sound of growling interrupted the pair and drew their attention. They turned just as Zeke made a mad lunge for them. Releasing a scream, Sid and Pinkie quickly pulled Roshan out of the hole, managing to duck beneath Zeke. The little sabretooth flew right over the sloth, the pony, and the baby and got himself stuck inside the hole. Seeing the tiger’s predicament, Pinkie whispered an idea in Sid’s ear and the sloth jumped atop the tiger, sticking him further down the hole.

“Survival… of the… fittest!” Sid said, mid-jump.

“I don’t think so!” Pinkie smiled, high-fiving Roshan. “Yeah!”

Now with one of the tiger’s ‘disposed’ as it appeared, the three made to regroup with their friends to deal with the other tigers. But even our heroes weren’t even prepared for what was still to come…

The remaining sabers stalked forward, with Manny pressed against the wall. Everyone stood around Manny, assuming the defensive stance, prepared for the fight of their lives. All of a sudden, Diego turned toward Soto and stared daggers toward him.

“What are you doing?!” Soto snapped.

“Leave… them… alone,” Diego snarled.

Just as it was only Soto left to deal with, Lenny and Oscar appeared behind their leader. To which, Soto smirked as if he ‘knew’ deep down that this moment would come.

“Fine. I’ll take you down first.”

Diego and Soto circled each other, growling threatening. Just as they were about to pounce, a deafening shriek made everyone freeze and all eyes looked towards the source. From high above, the Wendigo clutched along the side of a jagged rock and stared toward the entire group with bloodlust within its milky eyes. In the blink of an eye, it leapt from one rock to another at such an accelerated rate that it seemed impossible to catch. With one last might leap, it landed upon the snow in the midst of everyone.

From the sidelines, the Equestrians stared at this monstrosity with wide eyes. Never before had they seen such a creature.

“W-W-What is t-that?” Fluttershy shuddered fearfully.

“Nothing good!” Applejack replied.

The monster scanned its surroundings and all the creatures within the surrounding area. No longer could its insatiable hunger be contained; it was time for the beast to have its fill. Whether it be mammoth, pony, griffin, or even sabretooth, the Wendigo was prepped to eat.

Finally, it set its sights along the ponies, griffins, dragon, and mammoth. The Wendigo slowly stalked its way toward them. But before it could get very far, something flew through the air very fast and imbedded itself into the beast’s shoulder. The Wendigo shrieked in pain as its shoulder suddenly caught fire and it looked over its arm seeing a flaming arrow. The beast twisted its head, spotting a mysterious figure racing away in the distance and the Wendigo unleashed a deathly shriek as it now followed the assassin back up the mountain. To suggest the group was confused was an understatement.

“What the heck is going on around here?!” Gilda flipped out.

As one battle was taking place, another was in the process. Princess Atalanta waited for the arrival of her companions as they planned to lead the Wendigo into a trap. All of which was left under the supervision of Curtain Call, who proceeded to set up a trap similar to a temporary storage container from a notable spirit removal team. As he finished setting up the trap, it was noted that around his shoulders was a flame thrower of sorts, approximately 88 centimeters long and weighing 2.7 kilograms. The death cry of the Wendigo itself briefly stopped his work.

“Sounds like Snow and Quill got their attention!” Curtain declared, resuming his work.

“Mr. Call, what exactly is the plan?” Ata asked curiously.

“Elementary dear lass,” Curtain explained. “As soon as the Wendigo gets here, we need to make sure it stands at this very spot. Using this incinerator unit model, we ‘borrowed’ from the Marine Corps of the 2120s, we blaze the beast with some pressurized, ultra-thickened napthal which should ignite the monster in thirty meters.

“It won’t be long till the spirit leaves the host. Due to dealing with a powerful spirit, we’ll need your magic to capture the spirit and lure it into this trap. Normally these weren’t built to withstand sub-zero temperatures, but now with the right modifications it should work… hopefully.”

“And how do you rate our chances of survival?” Ata asked nervously.

“Honestly… I’m trying not to think about it.”

“Go, go, go!”

Both heads turned as they heard Quill Cast’s shout from atop the hill.

“Quill!” Ata cried out.

Having gotten the monster’s attention, thanks to careful aim on Snow’s part, he, along with Quill Cast, and Ghost were running down the slope to meet up with the others. Knowing how fast this Wendigo ran, they didn’t slow down for an instant.

“Go, run!” Jon Snow ordered. “We have to go!”

“Ah crud!” Quill turned back.

The Wendigo soon appeared; its shoulder burnt black as a piece of an arrow was still lodged. Princess Atalanta soon appeared before them, gasping at the sight of the Wendigo and ushered the group.

“Run, boys!” Ata called out. “Run!

Following orders, the two men and the direwolf ran faster as the Wendigo charged down the mountain. The trio managed to race back toward Curtain Call, who just finished setting the trap. The three passed Curtain Call and took their positions as Ata raced toward them. But the princess suddenly tripped over an exposed rock and fell forward, sliding hard along the snow. Quill looked up, staring at the Wendigo appeared from atop a rock edge. Quill raced to get Ata, when Curtain raised a hoof up.

“Don’t… move,” Curtain whispered, facing Ata. “Don’t move a muscle.”

Ata laid perfectly still while staring toward the Wendigo in fear. The Wendigo snarled, its jaws drooling as it eyed the landscape. From its perspective, the entire landscape was orange, and its field of vision was slightly weak. It was determined to track any movement within the area. The direwolf growled slightly at the beast, but Snow urged his companion down to prevent him from attacking.

Curtain Call slowly leaned on the cold ground, eyeing the flame thrower in his hooves. He slowly eyed the princess, who noticed and nodded in agreement. As the Wendigo slowly made its approach, Ata slowly crawled toward the ground but one of her front hooves accidentally cracked a branch. The wendigo screamed in Ata’s direction, much to the group’s horror. Just as the beast slowly approached the princess, Curtain cautiously turned on the nozzle burner, setting off a small flame.

The Wendigo quickly turned, and it seemed that its sight caught the flame as it slowly stalked toward Curtain Call, who held his ground while sweating slightly. Beneath his breath, Curtain Call was praying, just hoping that this plan was going to work.

Back on the Equestrian Heroes’ side, Twilight Sparkle viciously bucked Soto, rolling him away from her friends. As the pack leader righted himself, she joined Diego’s side and the pair stood defiant against the monster. Soto circled around before making a leap toward them, when Diego crashed into the pack leader sending them rolling along the snow. Diego swiped his claws toward Soto’s cheek, and the leader took a temporary pause.

Manny tried to race forward, but Lenny and Oscar stopped him. Applejack raced toward Manny’s side, bucking her hind legs at anything that moved in their direction. Lenny leapt onto Manny and Oscar took a swipe toward the mammoth. Fortunately, Spike managed to breathe a blast of fire in Oscar’s direction, and the beast backed off. Unfortunately, this left Spike vulnerable when Lenny was shoved aside and saw the exposed dragon.

Just as Lenny attempted to pounce on the dragon, Gabby and Gilda zoomed forward and managed to tackle Lenny and tried to hold him down as Spike ducked away.

Just as Twilight Sparkle admired their handiwork…

*THUMP!!!*

Twilight Sparkle turned and gasped, as Diego struck a rock. Fortunately, she could see that his chest was rising and falling, indicating that he was still alive. At the same time, Lenny used all his muscles to shove the griffins away and the force sent the Fire Ruby around Gabby’s neck flying off and it struck the stone wall, shattering the ruby to pieces. As Gabby gasped in horror, Soto had his sights set on Manny and only then did the princess see the severity of the situation.

Another princess was facing troubles of her own. Ata’s friend, Curtain Call, was currently in trouble as the Wendigo loomed over him. Ata knew she couldn’t lay there idly by and had to act. Slowly, she got back to her feet and stared determinedly toward the monster.

“HEY!” Ata shouted.

The beast screeched horrifically and slowly approached the princess, who stood as still as possible. The beast was now inches from the princess, so close and still it couldn’t see the Changeling because she was trying so hard not to move. When the beast couldn’t find her, it walked away seeking its prey. Curtain knew that with the beast still so close to her, he couldn’t shoot. And so, he waited, biding his time for the right moment. Ata could feel her heart racing, watching as the beast was slowly drifting away from her. Her eyes darted toward the trap and knew she needed to act fast.

Back with the battle with the pack, the two male sabretooth tigers switched tactics. This time, they had Twilight Sparkle against the wall as she tried to usher them away with her horn. Soto was just doing the same with Manny. The mammoth desperately swiped toward Soto, but to no avail. Soto leapt, with intent to strike a deathly blow upon his intended prey. When all of a sudden, Diego got in the way and cringed when the claws swiped him instead landing limply upon the ground.

Sid, along with the other ponies, had just turned the corner when they witnessed Soto swipe Diego’s neck, and they gasped in horror.

“DIEGO!!!” Pinkie Pie shrieked.

Soto paused and his eyes moved toward the group. The baby was gurgling happily, when Sid clapped a paw over his mouth and the cyan Pegasus covered Pinkie Pie’s. Rainbow Dash stared daggers toward Soto, who’s eyes darted toward the baby and its defenders. All this time waiting and scheming, Soto was determined to see his revenge to the end.

Finally, princess Atalanta made a run for the center, her movement catching the beast’s attention. It leapt from one corner to the next and made a daring leap, reaching for the princess. It was then Jon Snow got up, and fired another flaming arrow toward the beast’s head, lodging itself through its neck and the creature fell as Ata rolled away. This left Curtain Call’s field of range open.

“EAT THIS, SUCKER!!!” Curtain shouted.

He released the switch and fired a burst of flame toward the monster. The beast was soon shrouded in flames, screaming hysterically as its whole body was ignited and the fire eating away its shell. Curtain Call kept firing even as he was running low on fire and could just see that a glow within what little remained of the beast.

“QUILL, NOW!!!” Curtain Call bellowed.

Without a moment’s haste, Curtain Call slapped an activation pad near the trap and the device opened, unleashing a wave of light. The spirit of the Wendigo tried to escape when Ata managed to catch the wandering spirit with her magic, grunting as she tried to pull the beast toward the trap. The spirit snarled and cried, as it felt itself caught in the wake of the trap’s force, feeling itself drawn like dust with a vacuum cleaner.

All the screeching and glowing from the mountain had Soto momentarily distracted, as he looked up toward the glowing sky. Seeing his chance, Manny struck the sabretooth and launched him against the wall with his tusks. The icicles above clinked together and by the time Soto looked up, they fell toward him and pierced his chest before he could even scream. The very sight of their leader’s death horrified the two remaining sabretooth, as Soto’s final breath escaped.

The Equestrians and the herd gathered around the Mammoth, as Manny glared toward the remaining cats. Magical energy glowed from the horned ponies as Twilight and Rarity stared towards the cats with all their friends behind them. All the while, Spike stood before the group, bits of smoke escaping his nostrils.

“Leave… NOW!!!” Spike growled.

The sudden deep voice from the dragon had the sabretooth scared, as Lenny and Oscar ran away from the field not wanting any part of the hunt anymore. The group looked on as the sabretooth vanished deep within the blistering winds, never to be seen or heard from ever again.

Steam escaped the trap, as it sizzled before the eyes of the two stallions and their allies. They gathered around the spot where the flames melted the snow leaving only the stone ground it covered. They fell upon their knees, sighing after a successful battle, as Jon Snow leaned along his direwolf for support.

“Finally… we got him…” Quill Cast declared.

“Just a regular Tuesday…” Curtain Call agreed.

“It wasn’t easy,” Jon Snow added. “But now that’s one less threat to worry about.”

“… Can we go home now?” Ata asked, tiredly.

Two battles came to an end, seeing the Wendigo escape and with the death of Diego’s former leader, Twilight Sparkle and her friends could finally catch their breath after everything that happened. Gabby, meanwhile, scooped up the snow, picking up the fragments of the Fire Ruby that was destroyed during the battle. Spike approached his fiancé to check on her. This drew Rarity’s attention, and she followed behind her friend.

“Are you okay, Gabby?” Spike asked.

Gabby turned toward Spike sadly, the broken shards of the ruby in her clutches.

“This was Rarity’s gift… for us,” Gabby choked tearfully. “She said this was your Fire Ruby. She’s been taking care of it, until it would come back to you… she gave it to me, entrusting that I would care for it as I would care for you. But… it’s broken… how could I let it be smashed like this?”

Gabby breathed heavily, fighting back her tears against the bitter cold. Rarity could feel her heart break seeing Gabby so crestfallen. Like a repeat of the episode when she purposely drove a hard wedge between Spike and Gabby. Only now, this heartbreak had increased tenfold. For the Fire Ruby, once treasured, was now destroyed.

Spike looked toward the broken ruby, then toward Gabby as he drew her into a warm hug.

“Don’t feel bad about it, Gabby,” Spike comforted the griffon. “It’s just a gem; no biggie.”

“Just… a gem?” Gabby sobbed. “This was your Fire Ruby! Your gemstone.”

“True… and like any gem, I knew I could always find more,” Spike shrugged. “But you, Gabby… you’re irreplaceable! There’s only one ultimate treasure and that’s you. You’re the one who makes me feel so high, my Diamond in the Sky!”

“Oh… Spike!” Gabby smiled tearfully.

Spike and Gabby clamped their jaws and beaks together in a passionate kiss that lasted ten seconds. When they broke apart, tears still streamed from Gabby’s eyes only they were out of joy.

“How has no girl ever claimed you before?” Gabby asked. “How come I’m so lucky?”

“Guess I was just waiting for the right girl,” Spike replied.

“We did it!” Sid cried happily.

But this momentary happiness for victory was short lived, however. All eyes drifted over the side as everyone slowly approached the ground where Diego lay. They looked down toward the saber, who deliberately betrayed his own kind just for them. His eyes stared weakly toward the group, acknowledging their presence.

“We were some team huh?” Diego chuckled dryly.

“Were?” Manny spoke quietly. “Come on, we’re still a team.”

“He’s right, Diego,” Twilight agreed, tearfully. “It wasn’t right of you to lead us here, but you stepped up and defended us to the end. We’re all proud of you.”

“I’m sorry I set you up,” Diego apologized.

“You know me,” Sid tried to joke. “I’m too lazy to hold a grudge.”

Sid set the baby down carefully. Roshan patted Diego’s face, making small noises. It was clear he couldn’t understand that his friend was dying.

“Knock it off, squirt,” Diego chuckled weakly. “You gotta be strong. You have to take care of Manfred and Sid… especially Sid.”

“Don’t talk like that, Diego,” Spike voiced his concern. “You’ll be fine.”

“All I have to do is a simple healing spell,” Twilight began. “And then you’ll…”

“No!” Diego interrupted. “Just let me have this. Let me go knowing that in the end, it wasn’t too late to do the right thing.”

“Come on, you can lick this!” Sid urged. “You’re a tiger. Look, I’ll carry you. Come on, what do you say? Come on, Diego, come on! Tell him he’s going to be okay, Manny.”

Tears streamed down everyone’s faces as they stared toward Diego.

“Listen, you have to leave me here,” Diego told them. “If those humans get through the pass, you’ll never catch them.

“We can’t leave you, Diego,” Gabby sobbed sadly. “You’re our friend; friends never leave each other behind, remember?”

“You have to…” Diego replied weakly.

“Don’t tell us what to do or don’t!” Gilda yelled tearfully. “I finally learn to let others in and truly make friends. I’m not about to let one of the first friends I truly made die.”

“At least… I’ll die knowing… I protected the only true friends I’ve ever had,” Diego groaned.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Manny said.

“That’s what you do in a herd,” Diego informed, with a pained smile.

And just like that, Diego laid his head upon the snowy ground once more… and would rise no more. Tears continued to flow, as our heroes silently sobbed for the loss of one of their own. Manny pulled little Roshan away from Diego, even as the baby reached out to pet him one more time. For the longest time, they stood around Diego, mourning for his loss and sacrifice. True, he was deceitful at first, but to give up his life for theirs… such was the essence of a true friend.

Eventually, they knew that Diego was right and there wasn’t enough time to get to the pass. They needed to get Roshan back to his family or else it would be too late. So, they left his body to lie there in the snow, with no time to properly bury the body or say some last minute prayers. Silently, with no words, the group walked away to continue their journey to Glacier Pass leaving with some hope that Diego may finally find peace…

That is… if not for a certain mysterious Equestrian, who stood before Diego’s body as the Equestrians and the Herd vanished from sight…

Proposals & Old Faces

Author's Note

Well here it is everyone, the end of Ice Age. Before we go on, two things everyone needs to know.

A big thanks to Drama for his editing and a big thanks to everyone whose wonderful quotes made it in the story.
We’ll be taking a break until after Thanksgiving before we move on to the season finale

Proposals & Old Faces

The icy winds eventually faded, as the blizzard slowly died down. A gentle snowfall took over the land in this silent hour. Finally, the Equestrians and the herd managed to find a way out of Half Peak as they approached the formation of Glacier Pass. One would imagine that the end of this little excursion through the Ice Age would be cause for celebration. However, at the moment, not a soul was in the mood for celebration or any joy for that matter.

Following the recent defeat of the sabretooth pack and the vanishing of a strange monstrous beast, the group had no choice but to leave their dying friend Diego behind if they had any hope of returning Roshan to his tribe. They still couldn’t fathom the whirlwind of events that took place. In such a short time, Diego admitted to leading them to Half Peak for his pack to eat them and suddenly sacrificed himself for them when it truly mattered most.

All of this weighed heavily on everyone and every pony’s minds, but they still kept walking to Glacier Pass… no matter how much it hurt to take a step.

“I can’t believe Diego’s gone,” Twilight sighed sadly. “No pony deserves to go out like that.”

“He went out of his way to protect us all,” Spike spoke up. “It sucked he lied to us the whole trip, but he still chose friendship over his pack. He saved our lives today, and I can’t think of a braver way to go out.”

“He shouldn’t have gone out at all,” Gilda grumbled sadly. “He should be walking with us.”

“I know it hurts, Gilda,” Gabby told her friend. “It’s terrible not having him here anymore. But he wouldn’t want us moping around; he’d want us to finish this mission and get Roshan back to his family.”

At the head of the group, Manny stared toward the valley between the pass and the settlement. He could just make out the outlines of the Neanderthal tribe, slowly trudging their way through the snow.

“Well, looks like we’re about to,” Manny informed the others.

The remainder of the group quickly approached the mammoth’s side. Indeed, they could see the tribe moving forward unaware of their presence. Sid grew incredibly nervous, especially since every human in that herd were carrying spears.

“Eh heh, so um…” Sid chuckled nervously. “What’s the plan, fellas?”

“It’s not like we can just walk up and talk to them,” Rarity pointed out.

“No kiddin’!” Applejack nodded. “That’d be like a long-tailed cat in a room full ah rockin’ chairs. Won’t be long till somethin’ goes wrong.”

“As long as we make sure to give Roshan back, nothing bad will happen to us,” Fluttershy interjected. “… Right?”

Manny turned back toward the human tribe, who were quickly disappearing over the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before they made it through the pass. A determined glint worked its way into Manny’s eye, as he turned back toward the group.

“Alright, here’s what’s gonna happen,” Manny told them. “You all stay behind me, and we’ll head down there to return the kid.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Twilight questioned skeptically.

“I don’t know,” Manny shook his head. “But it’s the best one we’ve got.”

The huge mammoth grabbed little Roshan in his trunk, positioning him upon his back before heading towards the tribe. The remainder of the group looked toward each other for a moment, but they knew what had to be done. One by one, they proceeded to follow Manny through the valley with a slim bit of hope that all would go accordingly.

The Neanderthals and their wolves ventured their path to their settlement. All they needed to do was pass under Glacier Pass, and the lengthy journey would be over. It was the final leg of their journey, and Runar had been traveling at the back of his party. The whole time he kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Just as the tribe passed under the pass, their leader paused in his tracks and turned back toward the frozen land they’d soon be leaving behind.

Runar stared across this land for a few moments, letting the memories of his wife and son waft back into his mind. For some time, even after they ceased looking, he secretly hoped that they’d come back to him. He even hoped that motley little crew would arrive with his family intact, having last seen them after the sabretooth attack. But they never returned and just as well he figured they were dead too. And now that he and his tribe were returning to their settlement, it was a good time to bury any trace of the past for good.

Taking a few steps forward, the man knelt by a snow covered rock and laid the necklace he carried throughout his journey onto it. It pained him deeply, having to leave his wife and son behind. But sadly, he was not a father but a chief and it had to be done. After one last look upon the necklace, he stood to his full height and turned to rejoin his tribe.

Suddenly, he heard the crunching of fresh fallen snow behind. Slowly, the man turned around and at first, he saw nothing. But then, a strange sight came into his view: A giant mammoth, along with a sloth, and a herd of most unusual creatures slowly trudged down the path. Yet what was strangest to him, apart from certain creatures he hadn’t seen, was the mammoth himself. Mammoths were never in the company of these creatures and even more so… mammoths never traveled alone. Runar had hunted his fair share of mammoth before, for food and tools for his people.

But something about this mammoth it felt… familiar. Had he encountered this mammoth before?

Manny, along with Sid and the Equestrians slowly made their way up the path. Eventually, they stood a few steps away from who they presumed to be the tribe leader. There was a measurable amount of distance between themselves and the man, as both parties stared at one another for what felt like an eternity.

“I really hope this works,” Twilight whispered to Rarity.

“As do I,” Rarity whispered back.

After a moment, Manny raised his trunk high in an attempt to grab Roshan. But Runar, however, saw it as a threat and lifted his spear in defense. Sid immediately flinched, worried that something terrible was bound to happen.

“Annnnd… it’s not going well,” Sid whispered.

“We can see that Sherlock,” Gilda replied.

The last thing the mammoth wanted was another violent encounter with man, but Manny could tell this wouldn’t be easy. Deeming a different approach necessary, Manny reached out his trunk and grabbed the end of the spear. Runar attempted to pull it back, but the mammoth thrust it away and hurled it behind them. Unfortunately, this act would attract a measure of unwanted attention.

Amongst the tribe, the wolves had picked up the commotion through their heightened hearing. Immediately, they spotted what appeared to be their master in danger with a mammoth. They barked and ran back to save the tribal chief. The remainder of the tribe followed suit, catching the scene, and charged with their spears raised, yelling their battle cries.

“Manny… now would be a good time to speed this up!” Fluttershy spoke frantically.

Running out of time, Manny quickly raised his trunk again as the tribal chief looked up. Before the man’s very eyes, when the mammoth slowly put his trunk down, something or someone was within his grasp… Roshan. The sight of his little boy, alive and well, made Runar immediately smile. Hearing the wolves and his tribe quickly approach, the leader quickly turned and raised his hands up with a grunt, signaling everyone to stop. The shock of this series of events was so intense that Sid fell backward and passed out.

“Crazy sloth down!” Pinkie gasped, running to check on him.

Gently, Manny placed Roshan upon the ground before his father. Runar held his arms out for the little baby. Before his very eyes, Roshan slowly walked toward his father, wobbly yet still he was walking. Then finally, when they were inches from one another, Runar scooped up his little boy and hugged him tightly. As the entirety of Runar’s hunting party gathered before the reunited family, Pinkie Pie had finally brought Sid back to his senses. Soon as they saw the touching scene, the pair smiled happily over the reunion.

“It’s so beautiful,” Pinkie cried tearfully.

“A real kodak moment,” Sid nodded.

Runar continued to hug his son for the longest time, happy that a remainder of his family had come home. Soon, the whole tribe had crowded around their leader and his son, offering their own joy over the return of the little baby. However, it wasn’t very long after that they all turned away to continue their venture into the settlement. This left the herd and the Equestrians standing there, watching them disappear through the passage.

After a moment or two, the heroes decided to turn away to make their own journey back into the valley. However, a voice called out to them stopping them in their tracks. Their attention drawn, they turned back and saw Roshan reaching out for them.

“What’s he doing?” Gilda asked.

“I think he wants to say goodbye,” Fluttershy smiled.

Runar, sensing his son’s need, placed Roshan down and the boy slowly approached the group. Pinkie Pie was the first to scoop up the boy, holding him closely as she cried.

“Oh, Roshan!” Pinkie sobbed. “I’ll miss you so much!”

After placing him down, the boy approached Gabby, who also hugged him closely. Spike walked beside his girlfriend, patting the little baby gently on the head.

“We’ll always remember our time together,” Gabby smiled at Roshan.

“Take care, little buddy,” Spike said.

As soon as Gabby set him down, the baby approached Fluttershy, who wrapped her wings around him.

“Goodbye, Roshan,” Fluttershy smiled tearfully. “Be good for your daddy, okay?”

As Fluttershy held the baby, Rarity approached and used her magic to conjure up a little scarf just for him.

“Here’s something to remember us by,” Rarity said, wrapping the scarf around his neck. “Farewell, little one.”

As Rarity planted a kiss along his forehead, Fluttershy passed the boy toward Rainbow Dash.

“Well… I guess this is it, huh?” Rainbow smiled sadly.

Roshan suddenly hugged Rainbow’s muzzle. It stunned her at first but eventually she warmed up to him, smiling as she nuzzled him. It was then Applejack approached, nudging her marefriend playfully.

“Guess ya are good with kids after all,” Applejack smirked.

The country pony leaned down, nuzzling the boy as well.

“See ya later, sugar cube,” Applejack said.

Soon they both handed him toward Twilight Sparkle, who hugged the boy closely.

“This isn’t goodbye, not forever,” Twilight Sparkle smiled. “Just… until next time.”

She soon placed him upon the ground, and now the boy made his way toward Gilda. Admittedly, the griffin had no idea how to proceed.

“Look kid, I’m not usually into sappy goodbyes, but—”

Roshan cut her off with a hug to her right front leg. Much like Rainbow Dash, this action stunned her at first. But also, just the same, Gilda smiled warmly and drew the boy closer with a deep hug.

“Take care of yourself, squirt,” Gilda chuckled.

Finally, Roshan approached Sid, who picked him up with a tight hug.

“Don’t forget about us, okay?” Sid choked up.

Manny then picked Roshan up in his trunk, bringing him up so he could smile before the tiny boy.

“We won’t forget about you,” Manny spoke honestly.

Roshan hugged Manny’s trunk before the mammoth finally handed the boy back to his father, who looked upon the creature with a smile. Looking toward his feet, Runar reached down and grabbed the necklace previously laid along the stone. He picked up the necklace and instead placed it on Manny’s tusk.

Without words, their expressions told it all: That Runar was thankful for this mammoth for saving his son, even if he would never know how he and these creatures did it. But if they were to ever return to this land, the next time Runar would lead a hunting party along these parts, that necklace will remind him of the mammoth who performed a valuable service for him and his tribe. That this mammoth will forever be indebted for his valuable act of bravery.

After sharing his gratitude, Runar turned away with his son in his grasp and the heroes watched as the human tribe made to leave to complete their own journey.

“Goodbye!” Sid called. “Goodbye! Goodbye!”

“Sid…” Manny groaned.

But it didn’t matter. No matter how many times Manny would attempt to stop Sid, either the lad was selectively deaf, or he merely wanted to enjoy every waking moment of seeing their little friend before they never see him again.

“Bye! Bye!” Sid called again.

It was then that the baby covered his eyes, before moving his hand away. A sign Sid will never forget.

“That’s right!” Sid called, repeating the gesture. “Where’s the baby?”

“Come on, Sid,” Manny said. “Let’s head south.”

Manny turned to leave but hadn’t gotten very far when what he saw next had stopped them in their tracks. A figure approached from over the horizon, and the closer it came into view he realized the figure was limping. To his surprise, it was none other than… Diego, the sabretooth they assumed had died until he appeared. The cat smiled toward the baby, who shared the gesture with him and he in turn silently responded back. As the baby passed out along his father’s shoulders, the family finally disappeared down the final mile that would take them… home.

“Bye!” Sid yelled again.

“Save your breath, Sid,” Diego chuckled. “You know humans can’t talk.”

“Yes, we know they don’t speak ‘now’,” Pinkie Pie replied absently. “But give or take a couple centuries, they’ll learn to speak beyond sharing expressions and gestures, unless they decide to start a career in mime and…”

Pinkie Pie gasped when she realized the source of the familiar voice. All eyes immediately spun around and they gasped with shock.

“Diego?” Sid cried happily, racing toward him. “You’re okay!”

“I don’t believe it!” Gabby proclaimed excitedly. “It’s a miracle!”

“Nine lives, baby!” Diego laughed.

“YOU’RE OKAY! YOU’RE OKAY!” Sid cheered.

The sloth tackled Sid along the snow and hit his shoulder, which caused the cat to hiss. But the clumsy critter was just so happy seeing Diego alive he couldn’t stop himself.

“I could kiss ya!” Sid declared.

And kiss Diego he did, right along the head. Everyone witnessing this act couldn’t help but laugh, even a few pretended to puke.

“Welcome back, partner,” Manny gestured. “Wanna lift?”

“No thanks,” Diego replied. “I gotta save whatever dignity I’ve got left.”

“You’re hanging out with us, buddy,” Sid chuckled. “Dignity’s got nothing to do with it. But I’ll take that lift.”

“Yeah, climb aboard,” Manny relented.

“Pick me up, buddy. Mush!”

Manny glared at Sid in response, while the sloth cringed out of embarrassment.

“Or not mush. Either way,” Sid corrected sheepishly.

All eyes rolled and the group shook their heads, but they determined it best to keep walking. The Equestrians may not have had a single clue as to how Diego survived that attack, one that would normally kill a creature like him. But given all the crazy events they had seen throughout their adventures, they determined it best not to think about it… at least for now. Now with Roshan back with his family, their new friends can make that long awaited trip to take part in the migration and yes, that did include Manny.

“This is gonna be the best migration ever,” Sid rambled. “I’ll show you my favorite watering holes. I turn brown when the fungus in my fur dries.”

“Attractive,” Gilda mumbled.

“This whole Ice Age thing is getting old,” Sid continued. “You know what I could go for? Global warming!”

“Keep dreamin’,” Manny chuckled.

“No, really…”

Sid was about to defend his argument when, all of a sudden, a strong wind began to pick up. The entire group stopped in their tracks and eventually their eyes turned toward a bright light about six feet away. In seconds, the portal back to Equestria opened once more and Twilight Sparkle knew exactly what that meant.

“It’s time to go,” Twilight spoke up.

Before the Equestrians took that big step back home, they turned their attention back to the herd. They smiled toward their new friends, whom they had grown close to for an uncertain amount of time.

“Can’t you guys just stay a little longer?” Sid told them. “I’ve really come to like you guys.”

“Don’t worry, Sid,” Pinkie giggled. “We’ve still got four more stories of zany adventures to come. Yes, the fourth and fifth ones weren’t the best in terms of critical reviews… but we’ll still have a blast. That’s just what we do.”

“… Say what now?” Sid asked quizzically.

Pinkie quickly slapped a hoof over her mouth as Twilight Sparkle stepped up.

“What my friend means to say is… this won’t be the last time we see each other,” Twilight Sparkle assured.

Gilda flew in front of Diego and the pair shared a friendly fist bump.

“You stay cool, kit-cat,” Gilda smirked.

“Back at you, feather head,” Diego replied.

Manny looked down toward the necklace hanging off his tusk and reached to grab it with his trunk. To the surprise of the group, Manny held it before them.

“Take it,” Manny told them. “So, you’ll always remember our little adventure.”

Although she felt the necklace rightfully belonged to Manny, Twilight Sparkle smiled over the gesture. Conjuring her magic, she took the necklace with her aura.

“We will treasure it, always,” Twilight Sparkle responded.

Soon, all those among the gathering exchanged one final goodbye hug. After a brief moment, the herd looked on as the Equestrians stepped through the portal back home one by one. But much like the herd, so long as there remains an adventure or two to discover nothing will ever truly be over. A fact made certain by the watchful eye of a certain stallion, who had witnessed everything within that short period before deciding to rejoin his own allies back home.

“Heh… they really are incredible,” The stallion told himself, before vanishing through the other portal.

It hadn’t taken very long before Twilight Sparkle and all her friends stepped together through the other side of the portal. Within seconds, they found themselves back in Discord’s theater, surrounded by every attendee who had assembled into this theater. Despite how exhausted one particular member was, Spike approached Gabby and stopped her from walking farther.

“You’re all back!” Applebloom said excitedly.

“You guys were awesome out there.” Scootaloo praised.

“No kidding.” Sweetie Belle smiled.

The group all received a number of hugs and congratulations from just about everyone else in Ponyville before they started to make their way out of the theatre. As they stepped out the front door and the gleaming sun shined down upon them all, Spike glanced over at his girlfriend who in turn glanced up at him as well. Spike quickly realized that there would probably be no better time than now for what he had in store.

“Gabby!” Spike gasped for breath. “Before anything else happens…”

Soon Spike got down on one knee and revealed a single box. Slowly, he opened the lid and before Gabby’s eye was the very ring the dragon had carried the entire adventure.

“Gabby… will you marry me?”

Needless to say, Gabby was beyond happy. Tears flooded from her eyes and the griffon suddenly tackled Spike with a bone crunching hug, which he didn’t mind at all.

“Oh, Spike!” Gabby smiled happily. “Of course, I’ll marry you!”

All of Equestria gathered around applauded happily now that Spike and Gabby’s engagement had become official.

“Alright, Spike!” Rianbow Dash smiled proudly.

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered quietly.

“Way to go, Spike!” Phantom-Dragon raised a hoof.

“WA-HOO!!!” Button Mash leapt.

“EEYUP!” Big Mac smiled.

“GET READY EVERY PONY!!!” Pinkie Pie announced merrily. “SPIKE AND GABBY’S WEDDING PARTY IS UNDERWAY!!!”

“Well done, Spike!” Twilight Sparkle smiled warmly.

Every creature in Ponyville rejoiced happily over Spike and Gabby’s engagement. They were too busy celebrating they hadn’t noticed a group of figures observing everything from the corner of one building. Having just returned from their own adventure, the two stallions, the changeling princess, and the former Nights Watch warrior witnessed the scene in complete secrecy. Having done so since one of the stallions eventually joined the others.

“You know, I’m actually really happy for those two,” Quill smiled. “A long time coming, I say.”

“Although plenty of other shippers around the world will disagree with this,” Curtain pointed out.

“This is the direction they are going in,” Quill replied. “They’ll just have to get used to it.”

“I swear there will never come a day I’ll ever understand you two,” Atalanta rolled her eyes.

“Nor will I,” Jon agreed.

“By the way Curtain, what were you doing back there anyway?” Quill asked quizzically.

“Let’s just say there was some unfinished business,” Curtain replied. “There is still a story left to tell.”

Rather than pressing on the matter, another thought came to Quill’s mind.

“We should get Cotton and head back to headquarters as soon as possible,” Quill informed his companions. “No doubt the Doctor’s waiting for us; he’s likely not happy.”

With that in mind, the two stallions, along with the princess, Snow, and Ghost made their way through town toward Amethyst’s house. It wasn’t long until they finally arrived, and Quill gave a small knock at the door. The door quickly flung open and a small bundle barreled straight into Quill, knocking the wind right out of him as Amethyst emerged.

“You’re back!” Cotton said excitedly. “I missed you so much. I saw everything in the theater.”

“Did you now?” Quill chuckled, ruffling his daughter’s mane.

“I was so worried when you fought that monster,” Cotton continued. “But you beat him good, and it was cool! Mommy and daddy are the coolest ponies ever!”

“And what about your Uncle Curtain?” Curtain asked, slightly offended.

“You’re the coolest uncle ever!” Cotton giggled.

“Well… I have my moments,” Curtain said smugly.

Quill and Atalanta chuckled as they hugged their little girl. Eventually, Ata used her magic to place the little filly upon her back.

“I’m glad you had a good time with Phantom,” Atalanta smiled.

“Only the bestest time ever!” Cotton replied. “Can I go on the next trip with you guys? I’m old enough to help!”

“We’ll have to see little one,” Quill responded.

The whole time, Amethyst stood by the door to her own home. But upon looking toward her, they could clearly see the concern on her face.

“What’s wrong, Am?” Curtain Call asked.

“Well, uh—you see—” Amethyst stammered.

The two stallions looked between each other, knowing exactly what was coming.

“He’s here, isn’t he?” Curtain asked.

Amethyst gave no response, apart from a small nod of the head. Releasing a collective groan, Quill and Curtain slowly trudged into the house with Atalanta, Cotton, Jon, and Ghost close behind. Soon as everyone was in the house, they looked toward a corner where most of the lighting had gone out. However, they could plainly see a figure standing in the dark.

“Well…” The figure spoke, displeased. “Look who finally decided to show up.”

A sigh escaped Quill Cast’s lips, knowing what was coming.

“Look boss, I know you’re upset,” Quill spoke defensively. “But as you’ve seen, we ‘had’ to go. We’ve been hunting this Wendigo for years now and…”

“We captured the spirit!” Curtain added, holding the trap. “And a good thing too. If this spirit were to find another host…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” The figure snapped. “You two already caused enough damage to the Multiverse. The balance has been falling apart since you let that television into the Dark Order’s hands.”

“That wasn’t our fault!” Curtain Call snapped back.

“I leave you two in charge of that device, reminding you of how crucial it was to maintain the universe,” The figure argued. “You let the Benefactor and the Dark One get hold of it and thanks to your carelessness, they’ve tampered with time and space. Now our only hope lies in these six heroes to clean up your mess and restore the balance.”

Quill released a groan before seating himself on one of the chairs, his eyes staring toward the shadowy figure.

“There’s only so much we can do when there’s only the two of us, sir,” Quill voiced his argument. “If we can get the entirety of the Legion back, we’d be better equipped to handle this. We’ve found Jon and Ghost, but we need everyone more than ever!”

The figure within the shadows released a sigh before emerging from the dark, into the light. He was revealed to be a rather fit man with dark hair and a few streaks of white around the sides. He wore a strange assembly of dark blue robes, brass cuffs, a brown leather belt, and a red cape around his shoulders.

“It’s clear what you must do,” The Doctor declared, his hands along the table. “I task you both to travel back through the Multiverse and gather our remaining Legion members. With their help, we have a chance to drive back the Dark Order and their forces. Above all else, reality must be restored with no exceptions. Understood?”

“Yes, Doctor Strange,” Curtain and Quill said in unison.

Doctor Strange nodded slightly before turning away, casting a glance out the window.

“You’d best work fast,” Doctor Strange spoke. “I fear a great evil will soon be upon us.”

Deep within the dark confines of the Everfree Forest, the air was deathly still. Not a sound could be heard for miles. Within an instant, the silence vanished the moment a large bipedal creature leapt from tree-to-tree with ease. As it turned out, while its brother was hunting prey in the Ice Age, another Wendigo ravaged these grounds with unending hunger. For some time, it hunted anything it could find within this desolate forest and now almost nothing remained for it to scavenge.

Leaping through the trees outside the small clearing, something else slammed into it with the force of a freight train and knocked it out of the tree. The beast rolled across the clearing before catching itself with its claws, righting itself back up quick. It screeched toward the trees from whence it had been knocked out of as another figure leapt before it. If the stallions had thought dealing with one Wendigo was tough…

Now… there were two…

The two Wendigos circled one another, snapping their fangs and swiping their claws at one another. All of a sudden, a third Wendigo leapt from the trees. Then came another, and another, and soon the whole clearing was filled with these blood thirsty monsters. The beasts shrieked at one another, as though they wanted to tear each other limb-from-limb.

All of a sudden, the clopping of horseshoes on the ground pierced the super-hearing of the monsters. Their milky eyes turned to see what foolish prey dared approach them and become their dinner. But all at once, they quickly froze in their tracks and receded back like frightened hounds.

A great white horse slowly stepped through the clearing; it whinnied loudly like a death rattle. But this creature was nothing compared to its dark rider. Sliding off the white horse’s back was a very large man with bulging muscles, tattoos along his arms, long black hair, and a matching goatee. He wore dark leather clothes, and his eyes blazed like a red demon. The figure slowly stepped forward toward the center, casting his eyes amongst the Wendigo horde cowering in his presence.

“You failed me,” The demonic being spoke. “I raise your spirits from the ashes, promising you endless victims to feast upon, and you couldn’t dispose of a few wretched ponies.”

The figure reached behind its back and grabbed hold of a large scythe strapped behind him. Pulling it from its back, the figure glanced over the wickedly sharp curved blade at the top. It also grabbed what resembled a stake made of brimstone from the belt around its waist.

“But… you beasts may still be of use to me,” The figure smirked wickedly. “You may not have been able to overcome these simple minded fools, but you can still lead them to me. Once in my mere presence, all it takes is one stab of this stake… and soon, their souls will be mine.”

The figure pointed its mighty scythe toward the creatures, who howled and shrieked at its presence.

“Now… off with you all!” The demon ordered loudly.

The Wendigos shrieked once more before they collectively sprinted off at the speed of light through the trees. Soon, the demonic figure was left alone amongst the clearing, glaring toward the night with an evil stare upon its dark face.

“Soon, they shall pay for what they’ve done to me. Soon, this land will know the name of… the Soul Chaser.”

All of a sudden, just as everything was growing dark, the screen seemed to pry apart as a familiar party pony entered the scene and stared toward the audience…

“Uh… what’s with the sudden dark turn of what’s meant to be a comedy?” The party pony asked rhetorically. “Don’t you want to know what happened to one of our other little friends?”

Epilogue

20,000 years later…

An age had come to an end, and most of the creatures who had lived during that time had completely vanished throughout the land. All… except for one. Little Scrat, having all this time been frozen in a block of ice and its last act was his pursuit of his acorn. For years, that block of ice drifted across the water until finally it made its landing on a sandy island, a place that seemed uninhabited.

The block sat on the shore for some time, waiting for the sun to fully thaw the ancient squirrel and its food. Eventually, the ice melted just enough to set the acorn loose on the sand. And to what would’ve been a shock upon many was the exposed snout of Scrat started to twitch, then his eyes moved, and his claws stretched out. By some miracle, Scrat survived all the way to the present timeline… but the only thing on his mind was getting his acorn back.

As the ice slowly thawed, Scrat desperately reached for his acorn. He was so close to his food, yet it was still out of reach and what remained of the ice kept him within reach. After a while, Scrat gave up as he scratched along the ice trying to figure out what to do to pass the time. But after nudging around, he realized the ice melted enough to wiggle his hips… and he resumed his desperate attempt to get his acorn back. He nearly got his food back as the tips of his claws scratched along the surface.

Then it happened… the tide had come in and started to carry the acorn away. Scrat could only look on helplessly as his one source of food was carried out to sea and at first, he didn’t know what to do. Then, his body started to shudder, his arms started to push against what was left of the ice… and he broke out of the ice, screaming his head off.

All those years and Scrat had finally snapped. All his attempts to bury his food for the winter were gone, and now he had nothing left. He ran frantically as he kept screaming his frustrations to the heavens. Then he ran toward one of the trees and began to bash his head against the heavy wood, either as a means to handle his migraine… or put an end to everything right now.

*THUMP!!!*

A heavy object crashed on the sand near Scrat and he nearly cowered from the close call. But then he gasped in delight. It was a coconut, roughly about his side, the biggest bit of food he had ever seen. So much in fact, in his little mind Scrat figured it would be enough food to last him forever. Now his purpose fully renewed, Scrat immediately went back to work.

Though the coconut was the heaviest nut he ever carried, Scrat strained and groaned as he lifted the coconut to a potential spot to bury his food. At last, he found himself a spot and proceeded to lodge the coconut deep in the Earth. He proceeded to stomp on the coconut for good measure until…

*CRACK!!!*

The ground beneath the coconut began to crack and Scrat was suddenly reminded of an incident thousands of years ago. Desperately, Scrat tried to seal off the crack from breaking further but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop it. He could only watch as the crack passed the trees, climbed up the mountain, and split off a piece at the very top…

*BOOM!!!*

But as it turned out, Scrat had inadvertently made a volcano erupt and now it exploded with lava that was hurtling toward the beach. Scrat winched, his eye twitched, realizing the mess he was in. He turned toward the screen and smiled nervously, as he thought to himself…

“Here we go again…”

The End

Direwolves and Surprises

A warm golden glow began to blanket the snowy landscape of the Ice Age, as the sun slowly cast its light over the horizon. The snow softly crunched under the foot/hoof steps of Quill Cast, Curtain Call, Atalanta, and Jon Snow. The four slowly traversed across the landscape, walking for what felt like hours. From the moment this journey began, they’ve been tracking the monstrous Wendigo they arrived to find. Thus far, their efforts have proved fruitless as they’ve yet to find the true source of its passage. No footprints, no blood trails, nothing to give them direction. Tracking this monster proved to be a very difficult task.

“How is it we’re not finding a trace of this thing?” Atalanta asked. “My changeling sense of smell could pick up a trail of any animal or creature from fifty miles away in any kind of weather.”

“The problem is that the thing we’re tracking is no animal,” Quill informed his fiancée. “It’s a supernatural creature with many unnatural abilities. Super quick, ungodly strong, and while you can smell it from fifty miles away, they can smell blood from hundreds of miles away. It’s a supreme killing machine and knows how to stay undetected.”

“That’s just in its mortal form,” Curtain Call pointed out.

“Then how are we supposed to find it?” Atalanta questioned further. “Are there any ways to even track it?”

“Only a few defining elements that could help us locate its possible location.”

“Like what?”

“When we first encountered the beast beyond the Wall, we were immediately overcome by a horrid smell,” Jon spoke up. “It was though we were surrounded by Death itself. Even though it was already freezing, you could feel the cold air dropping even further. Then there’s it’s deathly howl, you’ll never hear anything else like it in your life.”

Atalanta absorbed this knowledge and she had to admit, the more she heard about this beast the more nervous she grew. They had many dangerous beasts in Equestria, and thus far most of them paled in comparison to this monster.

“I’m surprised you survived facing it the first time,” Ata spoke amazed.

“So were we,” Quill chuckled. “But right now, we have a chance to finish it off once and for all.”

“Technically… there’s no real way to finish a Wendigo,” Curtain Call corrected. “A Wendigo’s skin is hard like armor. It can’t be cut, stabbed, or pierced by bullets. The only way to hold them at bay is fire, it makes their skin weak. We can’t finish off a Wendigo, only as a last resort, as death releases the Wendigo spirit. We merely need to capture its spirit before it is able to possess another living soul.”

“You sound like some pony who believes in Wendigo,” Atalanta nodded.

“Actually, no… well, not at first,” Curtain Call admitted. “Compared to my buddy, I’m a big skeptic when it comes to the supernatural. But that job in the Blackwood Mountains changes one’s perspective. If you think a regular Wendigo is bad, let’s hope the one we’re after is not the Makkapitew.”

“The Makkapitew?” Atalanta asked worriedly.

“The strongest of all the Wendigos, pretty much the Alpha of the whole race. The word alone means ‘One who has big teeth’ and is ‘the fiercest of them all’ according to the Native Americans. I’ve seen for myself what this monster could do… if this is the very Wendigo we’re hunting, it’ll take everything we got to get back alive.”

“Hopefully we’ll never have to worry about us or any pony else ending up as its dinner,” Quill spoke up.

Eventually, the group made their way to the top of a nearby hill that overlooked the valley beneath. There was a calm, gentle river flowing across the rocky gorge before transitioning into a massive waterfall that fell off the nearby cliffs. What they noticed most, however, was a tiny village composed of little huts and tents.

“Where are we, Jon?” Curtain asked curiously.

“Somewhere we can hold out for the night,” Jon replied. “I doubt very much we’ll find this monster tonight; it’s best we rest and begin our search in the morning.”

The rest of the group couldn’t help but admit Jon had a very good point. They’ve already searched in vain for the Wendigo all day with little success. But for Quill and Curtain, there were other reasons not to track a Wendigo when nightfall descended.

“Are you sure we’re welcome here?” Atalanta asked.

“Of course,” Jon nodded. “I’ve known the tribes people since I was banished to this world. They don’t say much, but they’ve been kind to me. We trade often and they’ve let me stay if I’m in need. Come, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Jon made his way down the hill towards the village and the others proceeded to follow after him. Soon enough, they were walking straight through the village and all the tribes people, the Neanderthals, looked at them as they walked by. Many of them thought it strange seeing two ponies and a changeling walking through their midst, especially since ‘one’ creature was one they never saw before. However, upon seeing Jon Snow leading them through, that alone put them at ease. Eventually, the group stopped at the largest tent as a man exited first followed by a woman holding a baby. Jon stared at the man right in the eyes, gave a small bow of his head, and proceeded t speak to him through a combination of dialogue and sign language.

“Runar,” He greeted.

The man gave a small nod of his head, before Jon turned back to his group.

“This is Runar, chief of this tribe,” Jon introduced. “That’s his wife Nadia and their son, Roshan.”

Quill, Curtain, and Atalanta looked toward the people and, since they lacked the appendages for fingerspelling and sign gestures, they bowed their heads in respect.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Quill greeted kindly. “I am Quill Cast, this is my best friend Curtain Call, and my fiancé Atalanta.”

“Hello!” Atalanta waved.

“Sup?” Curtain Call greeted casually.

Just as Jon said, these tribes people didn’t speak in response but merely grunted with a nod of their heads. At least to acknowledge their introductions before turning back toward the young man.

“We seek shelter for the night, Runar,” Jon informed the chief.

The chief silently studied the group up and down before putting on a small smile and gave a nod of his head. They took this as his approval to stay.

“Thank you,” Jon signed.

Jon proceeded to lead his group to a nearby tent that would serve as shelter for the night. Turning back, the group noticed Nadia putting little Roshan on the ground allowing the little one to try walking to his father. He managed a step or two before toppling over, thankfully into his father’s waiting grasp. Both Runar and Nadai smiled happily at their son’s valiant effort, but he still had much to practice with walking.

“Aww, isn’t that cute?” Quill asked, smiling at Atalanta. “Hopefully one day, we’ll have a moment like that with a young one of our own. Right now, Cotton Swirl is all we need.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” Atalanta smiled back. “One day we’ll have lots of children and we’ll get to watch them grow.”

“All right, lovebirds,” Curtain Call chuckled. “It’s a bit early to be talking about that kind of stuff, ain’t it?”

“Like you’ve never talked about the same thing with your girlfriends?” Quill joked.

“Quill, I never get held down by any pony. I’m a free spirit on an infinite quest for free rides through the multiverse, the calico cats, and Doritos… but mostly the cats.”

“… Lemme guess: Your last girlfriend broke up with you and kicked you out, didn’t she?”

“HEY! What happened last week wasn’t my fault! We just uh… um…”

Curtain Call briefly eyed the little baby neanderthal before turning back to Quill.

“I’d rather not talk about it in front of children,” Curtain Call whispered.

As the two went back and forth, Jon Snow turned his attention toward a nearby pack of domesticated wolves just outside one of the tents. At that moment, the wolves were laying outside, enjoying some relaxation. Suddenly, the ears of all the wolves perked up at once and they stood on all fours, staring toward the stream. All the other tribes people looked toward the wolves’ gaze, as did the rest of the group.

Standing at the edge of the stream was a wolf far larger than any wolf that ever lived. But this was no ordinary wolf at all, this was a Direwolf. It stood on all four legs the size of a large lion with fur as white as snow but eyes red as blood.

The giant wolf slowly walked forward, away from the stream and into the camp. The tribes people took a step back as they watched the wolf slowly walk through the camp. The other wolves in the tribe seemingly knelt down almost in submission to this monstrous wolf. The wolf walked right up toward Jon Snow and the young man knelt on one knee to look the creature right in its blood eyes. A small smile made its way to his face as he reached out and rubbed the wolf’s ears.

“Good to see you, Ghost,” Jon said. “I trust you’ve been keeping out of trouble.”

The direwolf gave a satisfied whine as Jon Snow scratched his ears. While this went on, the remainder of the tribes people quickly returned to their activities. None of them took notice of two large animals staring down at them from the cliffs above.

High upon a cliff overlooking the valley and the village, two saber-toothed tigers a.k.a. Smilodon looked down at the village below. The slightly larger one with the dark orange fur was Soto, the leader of the saber-toothed pack, scanning the grounds with his green eyes. The other was his second-in-command, Diego. The two looked down toward the village, eyeing the tribe and their daily business. But what they focused on most was Runar, Nadia, and especially Roshan.

“Aww look at the cute little baby, Diego,” Soto spoke sinisterly. “Isn’t it nice he’ll be joining us for breakfast?”

“It wouldn’t be breakfast without him,” Diego responded casually.

“Especially since his daddy wiped out half our pack,” Soto growled vengefully. “They wear our skin to keep warm. An eye for an eye, don’t you think?”

“Then let’s show that human what happens when he messes with sabers,” Diego growled in agreement.

“Alert the troops!” Soto commanded. “We attack at dawn.”

Diego nodded his head, starting to walk away and carry out the orders he received.

“And Diego…”

Diego slowly turned his head toward Soto, the latter’s back towards him and his gaze keeping track of the tribe below.

“Bring me that baby… alive,” Soto added. “If I’m going to enjoy my revenge, I want it to be fresh.”

With that, Diego continued his way toward the remainder of their pack so they could proceed to execute their leader’s orders.

Speaking of the pack itself, they were gathered along a clearing just a few miles away from the village. Carcasses and bones of their previous kills littered the ground as three members of the pack lay in wait for the others to return. Two of them had light brown fur, while one’s was grayish brown. All three had hazel eyes. There were two Smilodon in the pack, one small and seemingly overactive and the other slightly taller. The other was technically a Homotherium, and much more rotund compared to the others. They were all that remained of the pack: Zeke, Oscar, and Lenny respectfully.

“Humans…” Oscar grumbled. “When is Soto gonna get over his obsession with humans?”

“We could be hitting that migration that just went south,” Lenny added.

“O-O-O-O-Oh don’t even talk about it,” Zeke shuddered. “It makes my teeth itch!”

“Listen up!”

The pack went silent the moment Diego made his approach before them.

“We attack the humans at dawn!” Diego announced.

“Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho, see?!” Zeke giggled maniacally. “Yeah! Right! There! Now! That’s just—that’s just—what we’re saying!”

“What about that walking buffet heading south?” Lenny whined.

“You’ll be walking buffet if you don’t do what Soto says!” Diego scolded.

“Then let’s get the orders from Soto,” Oscar replied casually. “Why do we have to hear it from you?”

“Because Diego’s the only one I trust!”

All heads quickly turned as Soto loomed over them, the pack leader having just returned after scanning the village grounds and wasn’t appreciating what the pack was saying.

“You mangy pack of worthless kittens,” Soto growled. “Those humans are heading back to Glacier Pass. This is our chance to send them a message they won’t forget. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes, yes, send your message, have your revenge,” Zeke answered quickly. “Please, whatever you want—”

BONK!

Soto threw one paw against Zeke’s head and the tiny Smilodon immediately zipped his lips.

“Get some rest!” Soto instructed the pack. “Diego will give you your marching orders at dawn.”

Soto proceeded to march away, leaving the remainder of the pack under Diego’s watch. It was plain to see they weren’t exactly ‘thrilled’ with this assignment, but they were wise not to go against Soto’s orders. Meanwhile, Diego stood with determination knowing that he carried a great weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Tomorrow, every part of the plan had to go accordingly or else everything they’ve planned for this moment will be all for nothing.

Later that day, the sun was finally starting to set over the horizon until only a faint glow remained. On the other side of the valley, the Mane Six, along with Spike, Gabby and Gilda were putting up their own shelters for the night. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity proceeded to use their magic to conjure up a few tents to provide a comfortable place for their friends to sleep.

“Ah, there we are!” Rarity sighed with satisfaction. ‘These should keep up warm and dry in these frigid conditions.”

“Brrrr!” Gabby shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. “I sure hope so, Rarity. “The winters back home have nothing on this place.”

“I’m not surprised,” Twilight responded. “From what I’ve read on the Ice Age, it was thought that at least 30% of the Earth was completely covered in ice. In addition, a zone of permafrost stretched southward from the edge of…”

Twilight Sparkle screamed and clutched her ringing ears as a loud horn made every pony jump and yell in shock. All eyes turned towards Gilda, who held what resembled an air horn in her claw right next to Twilight’s ear drums. She gave a mocking blow to the tip before putting the air horn behind her back.

“What was that for?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Couldn’t stand the airhead chatter,” Gilda grumbled. “Don’t lie and say you actually enjoy it.

“But an air horn in the ear?!”

“She should be grateful I didn’t hit her with a shovel.”

Pinkie Pie quickly ran over and helped Twilight off the ground. The poor pony princess still clutched her ears, as the ringing continued.

“I can still hear it!” Twilight grimaced with pain.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Pinkie asked worriedly.

For some reason, Pinkie’s speaking made Twilight twitch and cry out.

“Stop yelling!” She pleaded.

“I’m not yelling,” Pinkie voiced confusion.

But once again, Twilight twitched and cried out.

“Why would you say I’m yelling?” Pinkie asked.

Again, more twitching…

“THIS IS YELLING!!!”

This made Twilight Sparkle cry out once more as she toppled over once more, clutching her ears so hard one would think she’d cave in her whole head. Rainbow Dash watched the scene for a moment, before turning toward her griffin friend with her hooves crossed.

“That was a real jerk thing to do, Gil,” Rainbow frowned.

“Well yeah, that’s my whole thing Dash,” Gilda rolled her eyes. “You think you’d know a griffon by now.”

Eventually, Twilight Sparkle could sigh with relief once the ringing in her head finally stopped. No longer did everything sound as though her whole ears could explode. When she finally got back to her hooves, Spike came over to ensure she was alright.

“Are you okay, Twi?” Spike asked her. “Everything sounding normal?”

“I think so,” Twilight shook her head. “Just need to let my hearing come back a little more but I’m alright.”

“That’s good,” Spike sighed in relief. “The last thing we need right now is a ‘Twilight Sparkle Going Deaf’ on us. Not sure how that would work.”

Glad to see his sister-figure was alright, Spike quickly glanced to the side and noticed that the remainder of the group had just finished setting up camp. He grabbed Twilight’s hoof and started leading her away.

“Spike, what are you doing?” Twilight asked him.

“I just need to speak with you alone for a second,” Spike replied.

“Alone?” Twilight repeated curiously. “Why? Is something wrong? Have you been having those headaches again?”

Eventually, Spike led them far enough where he could feel comfortable enough to stop.

“No, nothing like that,” Spike assured her. “I just needed to speak to you about something important. After all, ever since I hatched, you’ve been like a big sister to me for the longest time.”

“Aw, Spike,” Twilight smiled happily. “I feel the same about you. You are the little sibling I never had. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Thanks, Twi,” Spike smiled back. “But no… that’s not what I wanted to talk about. It’s about me… and Gabby.”

This made Twilight tilt her head to the side while raising a curious eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Well as you know, I was hoping for me and Gabby to end up in a nice tropical place instead of this frozen tundra,” Spike replied, voicing disappointment.

“I know Spike,” Twilight sighed. “I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s alright,” Spike shrugged. “I mean it’s not the ideal place, but that’s not important. All that matters to me is that I need the perfect time.”

“Perfect time for what?”

Spike looked around once more, making sure they were truly alone before reaching behind is back.

“I want to show you something,” Spike whispered excitedly.

Pulling something from behind his back, Spike opened his claw to reveal a scarlet velvet box. Reaching out with his other claw, he slowly opened it to reveal a bright shiny diamond ring sitting inside. The moment her eyes landed on the ring, Twilight’s hoof shot to her mouth and tears came to her eyes.

“Are—are you--?”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded. “I’m asking Gabby to marry me.”

No longer able to contain her excitement, Twilight Sparkle used her momentum in her wings to lunge forward and wrap her arms around Spike. The dragon chuckled at this and placed his arms around her as well.

“I’m so happy for you, Spike,” Twilight sighed happily. “I promise it’ll be our little secret.”

“Thanks Twi,” Spike answered. “I really appreciate that.”

“She’s going to love it. I just know it.”

Eventually, once Spike and Twilight finally separated, the dragon and the pony proceeded to regroup with their friends. By the time they got back, Manny and Sid had just returned with their supplies for their own shelter. Manny was carrying a ton of logs with those giant tusks of his. Sid, on the other hand, merely dragged… one simple stick. The way the sloth was acting that one stick seemed to weigh a ton.

“Hey, Manny!” Twilight called out. “Need any help with those logs?”

“No!” Manny answered, walking by.

“My, ain’t he a ray of sunshine,” Applejack shook her head.

“Oh… hu… phew!” Sid gasped, slowing down. “Boy, I’m wiped out.”

“Uh… that’s your shelter, Sid?” Spike raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, Manny’s a big guy,” Sid argued. “He got a lotta wood. I’m a little guy.”

“You got half a stick,” Applejack pointed out.

“Sorry dude, but there’s no way you can build a shelter with just one stick,” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“Yeah, but with my little stick and my highly evolved brain—OW!” Sid poked his eye. “I shall create fire.”

“Fascinating,” Manny replied.

“Now this I’d like to see,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Well, I’m not one to discourage any ideas,” Rarity voiced concern. “But I truly hope you put enough thought over this, darling.”

“We’ll see if brains triumph over brawn tonight,” Sid declared, snapping the stick in half. “Now, won’t we?”

BOOM!!!

It was dead at night and the rain was pouring down hard, all while lightning pierced the sky followed by the booming thunder. Poor Sid sat on the ground floor, soaking wet and chilled to the bone. But the sloth stubbornly stuck to the task of making fire, rubbing his sticks slowly. By now, all the others were watching from the comfort of their shelters.

“Hey, I think I saw a spark,” Manny spoke up.

“Really?! Where?!” Pinkie peeked out. “Aw… did I miss it?”

Sid looked down… but there was no fire. Sid turned toward the other tents where all the ponies, even their griffon and dragon friends were occupying. It was carefully arranged so Twilight shared one tent with Spike and Fluttershy; Pinkie, Rarity, and Gabby bunked in another; and finally, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Gilda shared the very last tent. Eventually, Sid gave up, tossed the wet stick pieces aside and approached Manny’s shelter.

“Uh, any chance I could squeeze in there with you, Manny, ol’ pal?” Sid asked feebly.

“Isn’t there someone else you can annoy?” Manny asked. “Friends, family… poisonous reptiles?”

“Ah, well my family abandoned me.”

“I still can’t imagine why they would do that,” Fluttershy voiced sympathy.

“Well, they’d rather migrate without me. You should’ve seen what they did last year.”

“I’m scared to ask, but… what happened last year?” Spike asked nervously.

“I mean they woke up early, and quietly tied up my hands and feet, and gagged me with a field mouse, and barricaded the cave door, covered their tracks, traveled through water so I’d lose their scent, and… and… who needs ‘em anyway?”

During that whole lengthy explanation, the Equestrians watched as Sid attempted to make himself comfortable using one of Manny’s tusks as a bed, even latching onto his trunk as a blanket of sorts. Sid was just starting to sleep, but Manny would have none of it. He lifted Sid off his trunk and hurled him back out in the rain.

“So, what about you guys, you got a family?” Sid asked.

But Manny just looked at Sid, and it was rather difficult for Sid to read the sour expression on his face. Silently, he turned around, adjusting himself till his rear was facing Sid before going to sleep. The Equestrians determined it wouldn’t be best to question the mammoth’s actions, especially given the dismal conditions.

“It’s very late, Sid,” Twilight Sparkle yawned. “We got a long trip ahead and we need all the rest we can get. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Yeah… social interaction,” Gilda replied sarcastically.

Soon all the other Equestrians prepared to rest, as they dug their way deep into their tents. That left Sid as the only one awake.

“Okay, you’re all tired, I see,” Sid replied, taking the hint. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

For Sid, being left out in the rain would’ve been somewhat tolerable… if not for all the hail suddenly raining down from the night sky.

“OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!” Sid yelped, pelted with hail. “Uh, Manfred, Manfred? Could you scooch over a drop? Oh, come on, nobody falls asleep that fast! MANNY!!!”

But it was plain to see that Manny was not waking up at any time… that or he was intentionally ignoring the sloth hoping he’d take a hint. Not wanting to wake the others, Sid decided to use Manny’s tail as a shelter at least until the rain and hail eventually stopped. But this didn’t go unnoticed…

“Ahem!”

The sound of someone clearing their throat drew Sid to look toward Twilight’s tent. Spike’s head peeked out from the tent, seeing Sid in such a pathetic state. Shaking his head, as if understanding Sid’s position, he gestured with a few head tilts and a small smile. Without saying a word, Sid waddled his way through the rain and hail proceeding to enter the tent, as Sid sealed the tent opening.

Unbeknownst to any of the sleeping group, along a nearby tree, Scrat was trying to push his acorn to the very top. It was true the rain was making it difficult for the little squirrel to climb, especially with the acorn atop his head. He even had to stop and pant a few times as he pushed himself along the tree. At one point, his acorn nearly slipped off his head and the squirrel quickly caught it with the tip of his nose before grasping it with his teeth. Even after all that, Scrat wasn’t giving up.

Balancing his acorn along the top of his face, the little devil pushed his way to the highest point of the tree. Finally, he reached the very top and stood stall as he tapped the hollowed out treetop with his foot. Thinking he’d found the perfect place to store his acorn for winter, he raised it up high ready to plunge it into the tree.

BOOM!!!

A bolt of lightning struck the poor squirrel where he stood. Now he was basically burnt crisp on the spot. He stood there, frozen in electrical shock, as the acorn popped up in the air and fell back down the tree. The little squirrel gave a small whimper, both from the electrocution… and the pain of losing his acorn… again.

The acorn fell to the bottom of the tree, almost instantly crushed under the weight of a large foot. The foot was ashen white, looking as though it were decaying and mutated. The foot reached upward to a set of long, lanky, white, decaying legs, a hollow torso, very long arms with huge claws on each end, and all the way to an ashen hollow face with razor sharp teeth in the mouth. A pair of milky eyes peered through the brush toward the sleeping creatures in the valley below.

It hungered… oh, how it hungered…