Chapter VII

Though she hadn’t taken a single day off—a day or two after being beat up excluded—during her time at the box factory, it was difficult to get the amount of free time that she wanted. In the end, she had been able to negotiate six weeks, two weeks shorter than the minimum she had hoped for. It would have to do. When she had told Vinyl she was going on a vacation she had been ecstatic. “It’s about time you’re gonna relax and live a little. Be sure to have fun out there!,” had been the DJ’s words. Cheerilee hadn’t exactly lied, but she had definitely left out some details concerning the danger that was involved in her trip. She didn’t want to cause her friend worry while she was gone.

She didn’t really have to pack anything. Case Study had told her that he would provide her with what she needed during the trial. Surviving with only the bare necessities was part of the test, after all. On the train to her destination Cheerilee began to feel uneasy. She felt very nervous and very excited at the same time, causing her stomach to tie itself into a knot.

Upon arriving at her destination, she was greeted by an unexpected sight. Cheerilee’s mouth fell open at the large, green hot air balloon that was secured to a pole. Case Study stood next to it with a pair of saddlebags that were hardly half full. When he saw Cheerilee approach, the stallion moved towards her.

“Alright. Everything is set. Are you still sure about this?”

The mare nodded. “I am. What’s the balloon for?”

“To get you to your starting point,” came the reply.

Cheerilee swallowed. She picked up the saddlebags and hoisted them into the balloon before stepping inside, closely followed by Case Study. He turned to her with a piece of cloth in his mouth, which he proceeded to wrap around her head so it obscured her vision.

“Ehm, Case, what-,” she began, but was interrupted.

“So you don’t see where we’re going. I told you, this is going to be difficult and very dangerous. The moment we arrive you are completely on your own, and there’s no turning back. You’ll have to defend yourself against the worst that nature has to offer, so I’m going to ask you one last time. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then take a seat and get some rest.”

She didn’t know how long the voyage took, but she suspected it was several hours. She felt strangely calm in the gently swaying basket. She tried to engage in conversation with Case a few times, but it usually fell flat after a few sentences. Finally, she felt a sensation in her stomach as the balloon began to descend. With a thud they touched down on the ground.

“You can take off the blindfold now, we’re here,” came Case Study’s voice.

The first thing Cheerilee noticed when she pulled off the blindfold was that there was surprisingly little light for her eyes to adjust to. She could see the daylight shining through the canopy, but it wasn’t enough to truly illuminate the forest floor outside of the clearing in which they landed the balloon. Cheerilee stretched her limbs, took her saddlebags and stepped out.

“This forest is looking awfully familiar,” Cheerilee spoke uncertainly.

“It should,” Case Study said without further explanation. “Get out of the forest safe and sound, and you’ll have passed the trial. Cheerilee, for the love of Celestia, be careful out there. Don’t take any unnecessary risks, and I’m confident you’ll be able to make it through this. Good luck, alright?”

Cheerilee nodded in return. “Thanks, Case. I’ll see you soon.”

“I hope so!,” the stallion hollered as the balloon began to ascend once more. She watched as it passed from her sight, before taking a good look at her surroundings. It was somewhere around early midday, but despite that fact the forest outside of the clearing was looking dark and ominous. She began to notice the cacophony of the woodlands, from the songs of different kinds of birds to the various squawks and squeaks of woodland critters. Somewhere in the distance she could hear an ominous roar, echoing through the forest, and Cheerilee was beginning to wonder whether she had made a mistake by coming here.

No. None of that. You have to do this, Cheerilee. She looked towards her saddlebags, taking out the contents and putting them in front of her on the ground. The first step would be to see what kind of materials she had available. It was quite the basic survival kit, with a knife that concealed a small magnesium stick, compass, canteen and a tightly wrapped blanket. There was also a book on common plants that were edible and nutritious. Leafing through it she already recognized many of the plants growing around her in ample supply, meaning food would not likely be a problem.

Thank Celestia for small favours, she thought. Her eyes finally fell on a strange device. It was a pair of metal bands, big enough to fit over a hoof. There was a construction like a claw on the side of each band. Thankfully, they came with instructions. She picked up the leaflet and began to read.

“Climbing gear?,” she wondered aloud. Indeed, the bands were meant to fit on her forehooves, and would allow her to grip relatively soft materials such as wood. Cheerilee felt a sudden surge of giddiness as she slipped the devices on. Ponies didn’t often resort to the use of climbing claws, simply because more often than not there was no need for them. Pegasi could fly, and unicorns could levitate, making pretty much every corner of Equestria reachable for everypony. Earth ponies were often dependent on the other pony types for that kind of travel however, and though there were balloons, wearing the climbing claws gave Cheerilee a sense of freedom and independence. She made her way over to the nearest tree.

Climbing proved to be a tiring and difficult task, despite her fit and muscular figure. Though the climbing claws gave her forelegs a solid grip, her hind legs often slipped. After a while she was able to keep her hind legs steady as she made good progress up the tree, and as she reached the top she let out a loud, resounding cheer. She took a good look around, hoping that the tree would provide a vantage point.

It didn’t. The roof of the forest stretched out as far as she was able to see. She also noticed that the sun was getting rather low. She must have spent several hours climbing the tree, instead of making progress in her journey or finding shelter. She found that the descent was far easier than the journey upwards, and quickly made her way down to her saddlebags. She picked up the compass, using it to find true north. Cheerilee once read a book that said it was imperative for survival in the wilds to determine your direction and stick to it. Even though it might have been a trick on her eyes, Cheerilee believed the forest wasn’t as thick in the north as it was in the other directions. She strapped on her saddlebags, picked some of the edible plants that she had seen earlier and started to make her way.

The forest became increasingly darker as she continued. It wasn’t just the receding light of the setting sun, it was the forest itself. The trees became gnarled things with tangled roots that stuck out and hindered her progress. The leaves began high on the trunks, and were a depressing dark green in color. The chirping of birds had been replaced with far more ominous sounds. Scraping and scratching, growling and the occasional howl somewhere in the distance. The climbing claws also proved to be a necessity, rather than a luxury, as she was often faced with ridges that would otherwise force her into an immense detour.

Cheerilee praised her luck when she came across a shallow cave just as the last rays of sun were starting to fade. It was less than six feet in depth, but it provided plenty of cover. She found a branch not far from her new campsite, and was able to light a fire using the knife in her saddlebag and some dry twigs and leaves from the forest ground. After a little struggle, Cheerilee found herself sitting at a small fire. She had the blanket from her bag wrapped around her, and was absently chewing on the plants she had picked earlier. They had a bland taste that reminded her of the porridge they sometimes served in prison.

Cheerilee’s night was restless, sleeping close to the fire while wrapped tight in her blanket. The forest was anything but quiet and she often found herself startled awake by a particularly loud or menacing noise that seemed a little too close for comfort. Sleep did not come easy amidst all the hardships, and though she didn’t feel rested in the slightest, she couldn’t be happier to see the sun rise and continue on her way the next day.

*****

As the days passed, Cheerilee lost track of time. Each day she rose with the sun, traversed the forest, and found herself shelter at dusk. Every so often she checked her compass, to see if she was still going north, and despite a few minor deviations she had held her course fairly well. Ironically, it was this success that concerned Cheerilee. She had been travelling for a long time, but the forest didn’t seem to end or even thin. She felt filthy. Her coat and mane were matted and stained, the occasional twig and leaf sticking from her hair. Though she had found tiny streams of clean water that she could drink from and wash her mouth with, the ponds and pools that she passed that would have been big enough to bathe in were murky and reeked of swamp and decay.

Over time, she found herself able to sleep at night, getting used to the din of the creatures and the discomfort of sleeping on hard surfaces. Climbing had become second nature to her as she made her way across shortcuts, impassable terrain and into fruit bearing trees. The claws, although dirty, didn’t show the slightest sign of wear. Whatever material it was made from, Cheerilee was infinitely grateful for it.

“I think I hear something,” Cheerilee spoke to nopony but herself. Though she was still sound of mind, the amount of time spent in solitude was starting to take its toll. More than once Cheerilee caught herself speaking her thoughts out loud. However, as she quieted down she did hear an unusual sound through the din of the forest, low and rumbling.

“That sounds like a river! Water!,” she exclaimed before quickly making her way to the source of the noise. Cheering, she clambered her way through the forest, finding her way to a broad, wild stream. Immediately she shed her saddlebags and climbing claws, and ran into the cool river. It felt amazing, and though the cold water wasn’t enough to really clean her, most of the grime and filth washed right off. Grinning like an idiot, she rested on the riverbank to dry off, looking up. Where the river ran, there were no trees to obscure the sky, so she was actually able to dry in the sun.

Cheerilee figured she had been lying there for a few hours. Her coat was dry again, and she felt rested enough to continue her voyage. She checked her compass and saw that the river was flowing in the general direction of north. She smiled, slipping on her climbers and saddlebags, before she perked her ears at the rustling of bushes nearby.

“Hello?,” Cheerilee tried as she peered in the direction of the sound. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she turned to move on, but halted as her nose burned with an awful stench, causing her to gag. She turned as her ears once again picked up the sound of movement in a nearby shrubbery. Just as before, Cheerilee saw nothing out of the ordinary, until her eyes picked up on two glowing green dots, shaped like leaves. A figure stepped forward, its body made of twigs, logs and leaves that had molded together to form the shape of a large wolf.

Cheerilee stood stone still as the timber wolf moved towards her, a smell of decay becoming stronger with each step. Out of impulse, Cheerilee roared at the top of her lungs, making the timber wolf stop in its tracks, staring into the purple mare’s eyes. Cheerilee swallowed difficultly, surprised at having halted the beast. However, when she tried to take a step back the beast pounced on her, jaw wide open, ready to sink the wooden stakes that served as its teeth into her flesh. As Cheerilee instinctively raised her foreleg, the timber wolfs jaw locked around the climber claw.

She screamed. She expected excruciating pain as her limb would be torn off by the vicious beast. To her surprise, she felt nothing. The metal that encased her limb held fast under the pressure as the Timber Wolf tried to tug at her leg. With a loud yell, Cheerilee brought her other foreleg for a swipe across the Timber Wolf’s muzzle, the climber claw latching onto the wood. The beast whined and released its grip on Cheerilee as the blow loosened twigs and other bits of wood from its jaw.

As Cheerilee’s senses came back to her, so did her training with Case Study. She jumped and rolled to flank the Timber Wolf. With a powerful kick from her hind legs, she knocked the beast on its side. As the blow landed she heard the sound of snapping twigs and cracking wood. Dodging and blocking the wolf’s swiping claws, she managed to dig her climbing claw into the beast’s muzzle, and with a mighty pull she tore off the head, temporarily dispelling the magic that kept the creature together, causing it to fall apart into a pile of sticks and leaves.

Cheerilee panted and spat on the ground. She felt a surge of euphoria at her victory, giving her new energy. The feeling was short-lived as the scent of rot once again filled her nostrils. Three more timber wolves howled as they sped towards her, and the twigs and leaves that formed the wolf she had just vanquished were already beginning to stir.

Cheerilee ran as fast as her legs would carry her, panting heavily as she pumped her limbs to their limit. She was following the riverbed, trying to outrun her pursuers, and though she was fast the mare knew she couldn’t keep this speed up for a long time. In an instant, she darted to the left and made her way into the forest. It was a risk, but she had no chance to outrun the timber wolves on a flat track.

With her heart beating in her throat, she sped across the forest floor, dodging low branches, jumping over fallen trees and balancing on protruding roots. Despite her training with Case Study, she was surprised at the ease with which she sped along. She was nearly overtaken by one of the smaller wolves as it jumped from a ledge just beside her. It managed to sink its claw into her back, just above her cutiemark, prompting a scream from the purple mare. The offending timber wolf received a buck to the muzzle in return, quickly followed by the climber claw being buried in its head, causing the beast to fall apart.

Hastily, Cheerilee looked around. She wouldn’t be able to outrun the timber wolves, so she would need to find a place to hide instead. She spotted a narrow cave entrance in a nearby ridge. Without thinking she sprinted towards it, hearing the heavy steps of the running timber wolves just behind her. Inside, she sped through the narrow corridor until she found something she did not expect. She could have encountered a dead end and be fodder for the beasts that were chasing her, or she could have entered the lair of an even more terrifying creature. Instead, she found herself without ground under her hooves. With a yelp of surprise, she fell.

*****

Cheerilee groaned. She was hurt. Aside from the general throb in her head and limbs, there was a sharp stinging sensation just above her flank. She felt that she was lying in a puddle of something, uncomfortably resting on her saddlebags.

Water, I hope, she thought. Due to the dripping noises she heard it was a reasonable assumption. She suspected she was in a cave of some sorts. She opened her eyes, but met only darkness. A trickle of light came from a hole in the roof of the cave a good twelve feet above her. I must have fallen through there.

She tried to move her limbs to get up, but a sharp sting of pain interrupted her. She gasped as she lay down again, shivering. With a grunt of effort she rolled to her back, enabling her to take a look at her surroundings, though it sent a stab of pain from what she assumed was a wound just above her cutie mark. The faint light from the hole above her illuminated a portion of the cave. She was in some kind of round chamber that split into several tunnels that ran in different directions. Though the tunnels were too dark to look into, she could see a faint dot of blue light in one of them. Her eyes widened, and she willed herself to scramble to her feet. She stared at the dot, a lump forming in her throat.

Did it just move? Cheerilee swallowed.

“Hello?,” she called, her voice shaking. There was no reply or movement from the dot of light.

“Hello?,” she managed again, a little louder this time. Again, the dot of light in the distance was motionless. Cheerilee sat on her haunches, closing her eyes to do a breathing exercise she learned in training. Steeling herself, she began to make her way towards the speck of light. Her limbs felt sore as she moved them, but she was relieved that she found she could stand with relative ease, indicating that her legs weren’t broken. Approaching the dot of light, she began to notice that it wasn’t small, but rather that it was far away. The tunnel went on for a long time, before she found herself in front of a brightly glowing, blue gemstone the size of a tangerine.

She looked at the mineral for a moment, awestruck. Hesitantly, she reached out a hoof to touch it. It felt warm, pulsating with some kind of energy. She looked around, noticing that the cave was beginning to curve and twist. She was going to need a light source to navigate the tunnels, and she wasn’t about to turn down one that was presented to her on a silver platter. She got to her hind legs, grasping the glowing stone between her forehooves and began to count to herself.

“One, two, three!” She pulled on the stone as hard as she could, causing her to stumble backwards and fall on her back, the gemstone clutched in her forelegs. Cheerilee arched an eyebrow.

“Well. That was easy.”

Cheerilee carefully looked the stone in her hooves over. The blue glow illuminated several feet in every direction, enough to navigate the caves without having to resort to touch. Something swirled inside the stone, making it look like a container for some kind of liquid. Taking the stone between her teeth, she set off to try and find a way out of the caves.

Cheerilee spent an hour navigating the dark tunnels, each crossroad filling her head with doubt, and each corridor looking like the last. Though she wasn’t able to see much, she had the feeling that she was going deeper into the ground, as where there had been traces of mud and roots of trees before, there was only rock now. Fear was beginning to take a hold of her as she didn’t seem to make any progress towards finding an exit. The noises around her didn’t help in shaking off the growing terror in her gut. She heard dripping water everywhere, and she was sure that something was skittering in the darkness behind her, following her. She increased her speed as her mind began to succumb to panic, when she saw another light up ahead. It was similar to the light of the gemstone that she still held between her teeth, only this one was green.

She made her way towards the source, which revealed that there was indeed another gem wedged in the wall, which came loose just as easy as the one she already had. Despite the colour and shape, it was exactly the same as the blue one she used to illuminate her way. She decided it couldn’t hurt to bring it along, slipping it carefully into her saddlebag. As she turned to continue her way, she saw something that made her heart thump. Three more gems were illuminating the tunnel a little ahead, almost forming a trail. She made her way towards them, taking each of the gems from its socket and placing it into her saddlebag. She began to notice that the gems were beginning to increase in number as she followed their trail. She could clearly see where she was going now, different dots of light illuminating the path. Cheerilee let out a little cheer, dropping the gem she was using to navigate from her mouth. She worked her jaw to get out the cramps, before slipping the blue gem into her saddlebags as well.

Cheerilee increased her speed, the gems illuminating her way. Just around a curve ahead of her, she saw that the light was exceptionally bright.

“Daylight!,” she exclaimed, galloping towards the source. Rounding the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks as the sight in front of her made her open her mouth in awe. She had not, in fact, found the exit. Instead, the light came from a massive cave that was illuminated by hundreds of glowing gemstones, the amount of different hues illuminating the cave in a bright, white light. Cheerilee spoke the one word that came to her mind.

“Whoa.”

She sat down for a moment, simply looking at the sight before her. She was standing in the middle of one of the marvels of the world, and judging by the pristine condition of the place she suspected that she was also the first. Right then, nothing mattered. She was lost in the beauty of the moment.

A sharp sting in her backside woke her from her reverie, reminding her of her purpose. She set out to gather as many of the gemstones as she could fit into her saddlebags. She had no idea how long she was going to be stuck in the caves, so an ample source of light wasn’t an unnecessary luxury.

Her ears perked up when the skittering sound that she had picked up in the tunnels reached her ears. She had been blaming the noise on her nerves, a result of the growing panic. This time, she was clearly able to make out the scratching sound coming from different ends of the cavern, indicating that there was more than one source. She spotted a tunnel ahead with an upward slope. Before she could make her way, however, the sound of something rapidly moving towards her made her turn her head just in time to see a creature charge in her direction. She was able to react quick enough to give it a solid buck to what she perceived as its head, causing the creature to whine in an unnatural two-toned shriek. As she had a moment to look the beast over, she saw it was reminiscent of a spider, but not quite like it. The body was broad and flat, covered in scales that formed a pattern of green and orange, that was the size of a large foal, and had seven legs on each side instead of four.

Without thinking, Cheerilee turned tail and ran towards the tunnel with the upward slope, only to be stopped by two similar creatures in different color patterns, noticing several more of the creatures on the ceiling. Despite the situation, she felt oddly calm, adrenaline giving her a clarity she had not yet experienced before. As the spider-like beasts moved, it seemed like slow-motion to the purple mare. When one of the creatures lashed out with sharp, barbed forelegs she was easily able to parry the blows with the metal climbers—that were thankfully still attached to her hooves—and retaliate by aiming a blow for what she thought were the creatures’ eyes. Though her bag was filled with gemstones from the cavern, she barely felt their weight as she jumped over the beast, bringing down her hind legs on its lower body for an extra burst of speed as she sailed to the air towards her destination. The insect, as that was what Cheerilee believed it to be, that blocked the exit was rewarded with a solid right hoof to the noggin. The purple mare buried the climbing claw into the softer part of the beasts underbelly, getting a grip to lob it in the direction of is fellows with a loud yell. With nothing to obscure her, she made her escape.

The next moments passed in a blur for Cheerilee as she sped through the tunnels. The walls were still lined with gemstones that illuminated her way. Her pursuers hadn’t given up their chase either. Every so often one of the spider-like beasts tried to flank her as it came from a side-passage. One even succeeded in jumping her from a ledge above, surprising her. Each of them was rewarded with a flurry of well-aimed kicks, leaving them a screeching pile on the cave floor. The creatures had managed to hit her several times, but hadn’t left much more than scratches. They stung horribly, though, as Cheerilee’s sweat seeped over them.

Despite the fact that the gems became fewer in number as she galloped, she could still see clearly. She also began to notice that the air was notably fresher than further down the cave, and after a few turns she was indeed met with the receding light of day. She sprinted towards the exit, only to stop herself just in time to see what lay a little ahead. There was no ground beyond the exit, but a cliff. Looking down, she could see a small pond at least sixty feet below her. Behind her, the creatures were rapidly closing in. Cheerilee had no choice. Bracing herself, she jumped. Time seemed to slow down as she fell, but she soon felt a sting of pain followed by cold as she breached the water. Thankfully, the pond was deep enough to support her fall, and she was able to make her way to the edge, where she simply collapsed. Without even shedding her saddlebags, she closed her eyes.

Author's Note

Stay tuned, I'm publishing the next chapter in a minute as well.