The life of a musician isn't a glamourous one. "Until you make it big," said one piano pony, "it's the best and the worst job; because your doing what you love, but making peanuts doing it."
Octavia would have to agree. Princess Celestia was generous in giving them an opening almost every night in Canterlot, though the ponies were sometimes stingy with their donations. Why wouldn't they be? They were rich.
The thought of being rich, and the general lifestyle choices made once someone achieved that financial security, made little sense to Octavia, or anyone in her quartet. But, for the most part, they were beggers, so they couldn't be choosers.
Octavia pondered this over a daisy sandwich, moodily looking across the table to her three band mates. Deep Bass looked over at her than smiled. Octavia allowed herself to grin.
Enough worrying about the future. For right now, they were fine. It was a good crowd tonight. Good pay too; mostly by the owner of the establishment they played in, but good none the less.
Octavia suddenly got preoccupied at watching the water ripple in Deep Bass' water glass. Then the glass shook. Then the table! The quartet stood up, as well as everyone in the inn.
It was an earthquake!
Everyone quickly filed outside, taking shelter where they could. Then, to Octavia's suprise, the ground seemed to open up like a torn piece of paper, claiming everything that was within it's grasp. Ponies paniced and fled, everyone trying to get as far away from the scene as possible.
Then, just as quickly as it came, it left. Everyone looked around curiously, noting the occasion structural damage or loss of, and the newly formed large hole in the ground.
Cheerilee gaped at the large hole in the earth that had claimed the schoolhouse. It was a normal school day for the children until the building started to shake. Cheerilee calmly brought everypony outside, then the ground started to split! Immediately she reforcused herself and ran to her students, herding them away from the scene. It wasn't so much that she needed to keep her students FROM the newly formed hole, but more that she kept them from scattering in their blind dash to safety.
"Everypony!" She called out, "stay with me. Stay with me." Soon the group hit the tree line, and, once the ground stopped shaking, relaxed. The obvious questions were asked, but the answer was much more illusive.
Twilight paced the library back and forth, desperate to communicate to Princess Celestia what had transpired all around Ponyville.
There were about six quakes, all affecting different places, but before Spike could send his letter, he belched out one.
"Wha?" Spike asked, picking the letter up.
"Who's it from?" Twilight asked.
"It's from Princess Celestia!" He opened it and read:
"Dear Twilight Sparkle. I figured you'd be the first to try and inform me of these mysterious quakes, but I would like to save you the trouble of doing so since these quakes have been affecting ALL of Equestria, including Canterlot. I'll be doing all I can to figure out the purpose behind this odd circumstance but I may need you and your friends help. Please see me tomorrow in Canterlot, unless conditions worsen. In that case, meet me sooner."
"Ok," Twilight said, relieved to a point, "so we just wait till tomorrow."
Twilight and her friends gathered at town hall minutes later.
"Has anypony's home been damaged by the quakes?" Twilight asked, addressing her five friends. Everyone shook their heads.
"Ok, so, we just have to figure out why these quakes are here. Princess Celestia told me she'd do what she could, but I think we should do what we can also."
"I'll see what it looks like up high." Rainbow Dash volunteered, soaring up above town hall.
"Did you have a plan, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"Yes I did," Twilight said, "and it involves--"
"Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash called out, interrupting, "I think you should take a look at this!"
Minutes later, the group climbed the sky together, seated (accept for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy) in a hot air balloon.
Below them, the homes got smaller and smaller as distance separted the six from Ponyville.
"Right about.." Rainbow Dash said, closing one eye to focus, "NOW."
The group gasped. All the quakes broken fault lines split the earth in jagged, torn strips. From here, it looked like it could almost form an outline of something. And it did. It looked like the outline of a dragon.
Twilight Sparkle and her friends met with Princess Celestia early the next morning.
"I wasn't sure what the quake was all about," Princess Celestia said, "but once you six explained to me what you saw, the answer is clear."
Using her magic, Celestia levitated a book over to the six ponies and opened it to the appropriate page. Everyone gasped, accept Pinkie Pie, who hopped up and down behind them complaining "I can't see! Let me see!"
When Pinkie Pie got to see it, she put a hoof on the page and said, "that's EXACTLY what it looks like!"
The six turned their gaze back to the Princess. "This design in the earth is a symbol of the earth dragon, Mountoth. He used to live above the ground, tearing entire mountains apart to try and satiate his greed, until I was able to lock him below the earth. It appears that his captivity is less confining than it used to be."
"So what can we do?" Twilight asked, speaking for her friends.
"I'm afraid there's only one choice," Celestia said, "You'll have to defeat him."
The six's mouths dropped open.
Celestia spoke again. "It grieves me to have to put you six in such danger; I just see no other way."
Twilight looked at her friends. Their expressions matched. So Twilight spoke.
"Princess Celestia; your our Princess. ANYthing we could do to help you is our pleasure."
The other five nodded.
Princess Celestia smiled. "I see you have a true foundation on what friendship really is, Twilight Sparkle, and all of you. Thank you for helping in this time of need."
"So, HOW are we going to face this dragon?" Applejack asked.
"I had some ideas, but since he's just an abnormally greedy dragon, I don't think the elements of harmony would help."
"Why's that?" Pinkie asked.
Twilight turned and explained. "It's not like he's DISloyal to what he's doing. He's very bold about his greedy actions, and probably likes doing it. That rules out Laughter, Loyalty, and Honesty."
"So what your saying," Rarity asked, "is that he MOSTLY lacks generosity."
"Yes," Twilight said, "and that's where YOU come in." Twilight continued, pointing to Rarity with a hoof.
"What?! ME? What would I do?" Rarity asked, surprised.
Twilight took on a more sincere tone as she explained. "It's just an idea. Your the personification of generosity, Rarity. This calls for a change of heart for Mountoth. Zecora told me dragon's hearts are PRONE to greed, not defined by greed. I think we can help Mountoth see that." Then Twilight gestured to her purple and green dragon friend, who stood nearby, "and that's where Spike can help too."
"WHAT?!" Spike said, jumping with fright. "ME? That dragon will eat me in one bite! Half a bite, even!"
Twilight shook her head. "No he won't, Spike. This dragon is just trying to get more and more things. You've experienced that before, Spike. And you STOPPED yourself too. You can do the same again here."
Spike and Rarity were both silent, sharing a look as they pondered it. Rarity took a deep breathe finally then said, "Alright. If it means the safety of Equestria, I'll do it."
"And what if that don't work?" Applejack asked, looking skeptical.
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said, swooping down, "we've ALL tried to pursuade a dragon one time already, and THAT didn't go well."
"I think it's different this time, Rainbow." Twilight said, "this dragon isn't just trying to find a place to sleep, he's trying to destroy Equestria. He's MEANING to cause harm. That calls for a change of heart, not just persuasion."
Rarity was fidgeting with her hair as all this happened. Having such a dominant role would have appealed to her in smaller things - such as the director for a clothing company - but in such a crucial mission as this one startled her to say the least. Spike looked anxious too. He'd had his own encounter with a dragon before, and it didn't fare to well either. But he to took a deep breathe and calmed himself, then spoke for the two of them.
"Alright, let's do it, then."
Spike and Rarity walked quietly to the first of the six holes. Neither spoke.
Twilight added some attributes to her plan, saying that everyone would accompany the pony and dragon down to Mountoth. They would do what they could, but it was apparent to everyone that they had to rely soley on Rarity and Spike this time.
"So, uh," Spike started to say as they looked down the hole. "How do you think we should go down there?"
Rarity's horn started to glow, and, in a moment, a light formed and traveled down the hole. There was a narrow path that led down into the depths of the earth, it appeared. Random chance was sure to have had a hand in it, but it may be all they needed.
The trek down was as quiet as their trek going up the mountains on their earlier dragon-related quest. Spike, now in accompaniment, couldn't help but feel nervous. So, he attempted to make small talk with Rarity.
"So, uh, Rarity," he said, scratching his head nervously, "what do you think we'll do when we actually GET to Mountoth."
Rarity looked at Spike, her focused expression unchanging. "I don't know Spike. I wouldn't know where to begin. Last time didn't fare so well."
Spike looked back forwards, not too pleased with the answer.
After a few hours of trekking, Rarity's ball of light began to loose it's shine, because the walls around them were getting brighter.
And the air was getting hotter.
"I hope the dragon doesn't JUMP OUT at us or something." Fluttershy said, looking fearful one way than the other.
"Wooh!" Pinkie Pie said as she started to feel the added warmth of the earth.
"This feels GOOD!" She said with a hop. "It feels like a REALLY nice warm bath, but, without the water! It's like one of those STEAM baths you can get at the-"
Pinkie stopped when she realized she was on a stone bridge, overlooking a perilous drop. Skidding to a halt and gasping, Pinkie looked down the bridge's length to see her friends all in a line in front of her.
"Come on Pinkie!" Twilight called, one step behind Spike and Rarity.
After a little ways more of traveling through twisting tunnels that ebbed and flowed through the earth, they were spit out overlooking a very large cavern.
Everyone squinted against the steam rising from the earth as they tried to make out the great distance below. Then a roar seemed to pierce through the haze like a sword, and Twilight gasped, seeing it first.
"Look everypony!" She said in a harsh whisper, pointing a hoof to the center of the cavern.
Spike first thought what he saw was the monsterious dragon's torso, but it turned out to only be a right hind talon. The dragon was ENORMOUS! It was any wonder it didn't look scrunched in the space of the cavern; which only made the cavern seem even bigger.
"Well, now what do we do?" Spike asked, rubbing his hands together nervously as he spoke for everyone present.
"Let's get DOWN there first." Rainbow Dash said, dipping down into the deep cavern. Everyone walked down to the bottom of the cavern, still formulating their own plans. Pinkie's was the least constructive.
"OOh! This ground is so SPONGEY!" Then she gasped before she continued with a revelation. "I could give myself a SPONGE BATH with this dirt as I get a STEAM cleaning!"
Spike had never seen a dragon so large in his life. Mountoth was dark brown, darker than the earth and rock about them, but had what looked like a streak of red running over his scales.
Rarity turned and looked back at her five pony companions, then strode closer to Mountoth with a determined look on her face.
"Excuse me, Mountoth." Rarity said with boldness in her voice.
At the mention of his name, a large amber-colored eye opened, and Spike fearfully looked into it. The iris itself was easily as tall as anypony standing on their hind legs and stretching themselves up.
"Hello," Rarity said, unable to excuse a polite greeting, "My name is Rarity, and Princess Celestia sent me and my companions to-"
Mountoth's eyes grew wide and angry, and he roared in Rarity's face. Rarity stood her ground, but couldn't help but cringe at how much her hair had been blown about by the blast.
"Princess Celestia!" Mountoth roared in a deep, gutteral voice, "That pony took away EVERYTHING that was mine!"
Rarity cocked an eyebrow, unphased by the emotion.
"Maybe that's because you've been GREEDILY destroying Equestria!" Spike suddenly voiced, as more of a statement than a speculation.
Mountoth's eyes narrowed. "And who are YOU, pipsqueak?" He said, talking to Spike.
"My name is SPIKE." Spike answered, "I may be small, but I know what it's like to hoard and be greedy. I even got to be as BIG as YOU, until I nearly destroyed Ponyville."
Spike, now having said his piece, took a more admonishing tone than a criticizing one.
"Look, it's hard to not want lots of stuff, I know. Birthdays are usually killer for me. But it's not worth it! You can have everything in Equestria and STILL it's won't be enough!"
There was a silence as Mountoth eyed the two unlikely pair, then to the other ponies behind them.
"We're here to see that you change, Mountoth." Rarity said imploringly. "You may THINK your completely trapped down here, but you could have caused a lot of damage to Ponyville alone. Somepony could have gotten hurt. And, I," Rarity looked over at Spike too as she said this, "I know from experience that you don't mean to hurt anypony, you just think hoarding things is the way to be. It's NOT, Mountoth. I hope you understand that, then we can settle things peaceably instead of things getting any worse."
Mountoth looked intently at Rarity. Everyone was waiting for Mountoth to say something.
Mountoth exhaled. Spike wondered as to how Mountoth apparently had no smoke erupting from his nose, but figured that if he was an earth dragon, living underground usually and being able to breathe smoke couldn't be a good combination.
Mountoth opened his mouth and uttered one single word of definance. "No."
Everypony and Spike gasped. "Why ever NOT?"
"BECAUSE I want what I want, RIGHT NOW!!"
With a roar, Mountoth leapt for the ceiling of the cavern, clawing his way up towards the surface. The avalanche of dirt and rocks that followed sent everypony scattering.
Above the earth in Canterlot, Octavia and her crew were walking to another part of town, when the earth suddenly split open before them. Octavia took an invulentary step back and her band mates fled as Mountoth erupted out of the ground and roared with joy. He was free.
Below in the ground, everypony took stock of the situation, now that the avalanche was over. "Rarity? Guys?" Spike said, running around. He heard several coughings, and stumbled towards them first. It was dark, but his eyes were adjusting some. He could see Applejack and Twilight lying there.
"Oh my gosh! Are you two ok?"
Twilight smiled. "Yeah, we didn't get hit. I think," she took a shakey breathe, "I think Rainbow and Fluttershy might have, though."
Spike immediately whirled around and ran looking for them. "Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash!"
"She's over here!" Came the soft-spoken voice of Fluttershy.
"Over here Spike!" Came Rarity's voice, in the same place as Fluttershy. Spike found Rainbow Dash trapped beneath some dirt, which Fluttershy and Rarity were unsuccessfully able to move.
"My head, I can't focus," Rarity said as Spike tried to manually lift the dirt, "on any spells."
"Here, help me." Spike said, pulling off handfuls of dirt. Rarity disregarded getting herself dirty or messy as she too helped Spike dig, as did Fluttershy.
Soon all the dirt was off Rainbow Dash, who coughed weakly. "Is Mountoth gone?" She asked simply.
Fluttershy and Rarity didn't have the heart to reply. Twilight and Applejack just joined the group. No one said anything. The words seemed to hang in the air for hours, unable to be shaken from anyone's mind. They had failed.
Princess Celestia stumbled as her palace shook. Outside, she could hear the earth dragon yell. "CELESTIA!!"
Celestia's eyes narrowed, then she flew for the balcony. Once outside, she looked about her. Ponies far and wide ran crazily in a blind dash to get to safety. It seemed like no one was hurt, so Celestia turned her attention to the rampaging dragon.
"MOUNTOTH! What do you want?!"
Mountoth's large head suddenly appeared before Celestia, and the large dragon bellowed.
"You have gone TOO FAR, Mountoth." Celestia said simply.
"It is the dragon's way to be greedy, but YOU have done more than hurt yourself, you have hurt others! That kind of crime will NOT be forgiven lightly."
Mountoth looked around him, then laughed. "Mwa-ha-ha! I see no pony hurt! You are a FOOL, Celestia!"
Celestia hung her head, her face awash with emotions. By Mountoth getting away, that could only mean one thing about those she'd sent to confront him.
"You are WRONG, Mountoth," she said, her voice unsteady with the emotion, "some of my BRAVEST, DEAREST subjects have DIED because of YOUR foul play!"
Mountoth paused. Then he looked back towards Ponyville. Celestia was unaware of this, as she hung her head and started to cry. "Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie!" She said each name with emphasis in her lament for their obvious passing. "I am most DEARLY sorry I ever involved you in this..."
When Celestia looked back up to confront Mountoth, he was gone.
The tired group of six ponies and one dragon filed sadly out of the earth, back into the cool night of Ponyville. No one seemed hurt, no structures were damaged, and Twilight had received no news from Canterlot; the only problem was that they had failed.
"You know, everypony," Applejack said, "what you told me about friendship and acceptance and stuff, that's just as true now as it was when I tried leaving Ponyville. we may have failed, but so long as nopony is hurt, we can pick up where we left off."
Everpony nodded. They couldn't object to that.
"I'm just SO sorry everypony," Rarity said with sadness in her eyes, "that neither I nor Spike could help you. I guess some dragons are just beyond repair."
Spike looked tearfully at the destruction of Ponyville. Not so long ago he himself learned a lesson as well about dragons. And the conviction filled him long enough for Spike to stamp his foot.
"NO!" He roared. Everpony stopped. Even Rainbow Dash, who was mostly unconcious on Applejack's back, looked puzzled at Spike's outburst.
Spike turned and faced the group. "NO! I know what it's like to be a crazy, greedy ol' dragon," he said, pointing to himself, "but I DIDN'T hurt any pony, and I saw what I did was wrong! Rarity helped me see that." Rarity's eyes widened.
"I KNOW Mountoth can be helped! You guys helped that other dragon see what HE was doing! I know we can do it! He doesn't want to hurt anypony, I know that! But," he pointed to Rainbow Dash, "HE JUST DID!!"
There was a silence as Spike breathed shakily, and everpony took in his words. Rainbow Dash slowly slid off Applejack's back. "Guys," she said shakily, trying to rise, "we can do it." She didn't have her same strong convicting voice, but it shook everyone just as strongly.
Twilight and Pinkie Pie started to get teary eyed. The passion Spike and Rainbow Dash shared was so moving. Rainbow Dash's head rose, and she took on the visage like that of a coach.
"Can we beat Mountoth?" She asked slowly.
"Yes." said the group one at a time.
Rainbow Dash smirked. "I-can't-hear-you."
Everpony started to smile as they hollered, "YES!"
"Louder." Rainbow Dash prodded.
"YES!!"
"Louder!" RD yelled, keeping her coach face on.
"YESS!!"
"LOUDER!!!" Rainbow Dash yelled, giving everything she had for one final segment of her coaching pep-talk.
Her much healthier counterparts gave their own exhaulting shouts of 'YES' as Rainbow Dash slowly took flight.
"THEN LET'S BEAT MOUNTOTH!!" Rainbow Dash roared, and everpony cheered.
Deciding to rest her wings, Rainbow Dash ran alongside her companions, making their way for Canterlot.
Mountoth didn't know he had hurt anyone in his wake, especially those that he come to see him. That worried him. Before, he had never gone so far as to hurt another living life for his greedy purposes, only done what he had to otherwise to get to his plunder.
It was for this reason, that he decided he could bargain. If it turned out he hadn't hurt anyone in his escape, as he would soon find out upon re-entering the earth, he would negotiate with Celestia to be able to stay out, so long as he left Equestria and never returned. That seemed like a good trade-off to him.
Though his anger with Celestia ran deep, his rule of thumb, which was to never harm a living soul, no matter how great the plunder, was too much to compromise.
Thankfully, the six ponies and Spike reached him first. "Look!" Fluttershy exclaimed as the group ran for Canterlot. Everyone slowed as they saw Mountoth bounding down the road, trees leaves falling off as he passed by.
Spike, who rode on Rarity's back, narrowed his eyes and barred his teeth as they approached him. "Take me to him!" Spike said with a vengance as he pointed to the oncoming dragon. Rarity listened.
"MOUNTOTH!" Spike yelled as he leapt from his spot on Rarity's back and landed on Mountoth's nose, who had stopped just moments before upon finding his bargaining chips.
"You've done it now! You made a big ol' avalanche that nearly KILLED all of us! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!"
Mountoth was silent through Spike's repremand, then said, "but your fine now. I didn't know I would have hurt you." He paused, taking on a more softer tone, "But, I, I apologize."
Everypony was silent. Mountoth spoke again. "If you show Celestia none of you is hurt, I'll tell her I'll leave Equestria and never come back."
Everpony considered that. "Sounds good to me." Applejack said.
"Me too!" Pinkie added.
"And I as well." Rarity said.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nodded.
Spike's face softened, then he nodded. "Alright, but let's make it fast."
Celestia and Mountoth talked for a few more minutes, than he flew off, never to return. Celestia turned to her seven citizens.
"I'm so pleased none of you perished on your quest. Now Mountoth is gone, never to return here again."
The group shared a collective smile.
"It seems I may have learned something about friendship today." Celestia said with a sad smile. "The way you handled Mountoth can only be described as an act of true friends and companions."
Then Celestia turned to Spike, who looked a little nervous in the presence of the princess.
"It seems that you had a large part to play too, Spike. I know your own past has run akin to Mountoth's," Spike hung his head, but brought it back up upon hearing Celestia say, "but you are by far the most curagious dragon I have ever met."
Everyone shared a blissful moment, then Celestia decided to leave her subjects for a moment.
"Luna, my sister," she said softly out on the balcony, "I think I've learned how to be a better friend to you too, now that I understand, if only for a moment, what you must have felt before I banished you."