The Lord of the Ponies: The Search for Harmony

Spike and Apple Bloom trekked through the Rambling Rock Ridge towards the Smokey Mountain, the only place where the One Ring could be destroyed. Arriving at a cliff, they were afforded a satisfying view of the One Ring's cradle; raging fire spewed from the smoking mountain, the surface of which was as charred and black as the soul of its master.

They were getting closer.

However, there was a problem: the cliff face was steep, a vertical drop into fog. The bottom was indeterminable, a dangerous descent. But failing to do so meant wasting time in search for another way around, an unacceptable outcome. Time was in the enemy's bed.

It was time for some real Alicornian rope.

Spike shuffled through his pack. He littered the rock around him with books before he retrieved the rainbow cable.

"Whar'd ya git that there rope?" asked Apple Bloom, wide eyes reflecting the flowing bands of blue, green, purple, and pink.

"Princess Celestia gave it to me before we left Neighagra Falls." Spike's gaze shifted back and forth between the rope to a protruding stone on the cliff's edge. He fiddled with the rope for a minute then groaned and threw it down. "Gah! It's no use. I don't know how to tie anything other than a bow."

He turned to Apple Bloom and nudged the rope with his foot. Apple Bloom's hoof settled on her chest. "Don't look at me. Ah don't know how t'tie a climbin' knot."

Spike's arms exploded from his body. "How do you not know how to tie a knot? You. Live. On. A. Farm," Spike exclaimed. His arms waved in unison with each word. "You have to know something."

Apple Bloom's rubbed the back of her head, and her eyes slid from Spike. "Well, Ah know how t'tie a lasso, but Ah can't see how thass useful fer climbin'."

Spike sat down, books circling him like an ocean. With one claw, he scratched his temple. If only I had a book on tying knots. A light bulb went off in Spike's head. He began to rummage through the scattered books, tossing them aside one by one. Eventually, he jumped in the air, one arm shooting to the sky.

There was a book in his claw.

Spike tossed the book to Apple Bloom. "Here, catch." Apple Bloom caught it. "Now, find the page about knots while I clean this mess." Spike went to return the littered texts to his pack.

Apple Bloom flipped the book to its front cover: The Equestrian Survival Guide, it read. She opened the front flap and found the index. Scrolling through numerous pages, she eventually found the page on knots. "Ah found it," she announced.

Spike was poised beside the pointed rock, the Alicornian rope unraveled in his claws. "Okay, start reading."

"First, tie a single eight in th' rope two feet from its end. Pass th' free end through th' empty tie-in point. Secondly, retrace th' origeenal eight wif th' free end leavin' a loop at th' bottom of th' rope. Thirdly, place th' loop aroun' climbin' suppo't. An' lastly, pull all four stran's of rope t'cinch down th' knot until it's tight on over th' climbin' suppo't," read Apple Bloom.

Spike followed every step to the best of his ability. Apple Bloom's accent is ridiculous. He stepped back from the pointed rock. There sat the best-looking knot he had ever seen. Spike turned back to his companion. "You ready to climb?"

"Most definitely," responded Apple Bloom.

The pair shrugged their packs. Apple Bloom was the first to descend to the mist-covered ground, using the rock face as support.

Halfway down the rope's length, Spike asked, "Can you see the bottom?" He didn't look down.

Apple Bloom peered towards the floor. The swirling mist shrouded the ground, making it impossible to tell if there were a few feet away or a few miles. Clinging tighter to the rope, Apple Bloom cried, "No! Fry mah hide! Don't look down, Spike. Jest keep goin'."

Spike nodded, unwilling to look down. He took a step onto a protruding slab of cracked rock. The stone broke off the cliff, and Spike slipped. He tightened his grip on the rope, causing him to lurch to a stop. His pack shifted, and an ornately craved wooden box slipped from the bag.

Spike looked down. "Catch it! Grab it, Apple--" The impenetrable mist was still far below. Spike clutched the rope tighter, his eyes slamming shut. He was paralyzed at his present height.

Below, Apple Bloom turned towards Spike's call. She saw the box tumble towards her along the cliff face. Bouncing off a protruding rock, the box sailed beyond her reach. Unthinking, Apple Bloom jumped... she caught the box. However, to catch the case, she sacrificed her grip on the rope. Her hooves lost their place on the cliff, and she tumbled into the mist below, screaming.

"Apple Bloom!" cried Spike. He still wouldn't look down.

Apple Bloom fell a couple of feet before landing softly on the ground. The mist extended above her. "Ah reckon Ah foun' th' bottom," she called.

Spike heaved a great sigh of relief. He opened his eyes, and began his descent anew. Eventually, he reached the bottom, still facing the rock wall. "I don't remember there being fog the last time we passed through here." He turned, and found Apple Bloom studying the box.

"What in tarnation's in this?" she asked. Apple Bloom opened the box. Inside was the fire ruby Rarity so proudly displayed the day after Spike's birthday.

Even though Apple Bloom couldn't see him, Spike looked at her with the greatest honesty. "Rarity gave that back to me, before we left Ponyville. I told her not to, but she insisted. She knew it was special to me."

"It is special."  Apple Bloom turned to Spike. She gazed at him nostalgically. "It's a li'l bit of home." She gave him the box and examined the suspended rope.

Spike paused, cradling the case like it was a foal. For when we meet again, my love. Spike kissed the fire ruby, and placed it back into his pack. He turned to Apple Bloom, who was staring up the rope's length.

"We ain’t leavin’ this here fo' somepony t'foller us down," Apple Bloom decided. She gazed at the strand worryingly.

Gollum.

Spike chuckled, "Who's going to follow us down here?" He moved beside Apple Bloom. He grabbed the rope, gazing up at it longingly. "It's a shame, really. Princess Celestia gave me this." He tugged on the rope. "But, I guess there's nothing for it. That was no slip knot I tied. It isn't coming free any time soon." Spike tugged again on the rope, harder this time, to prove his point.

Above the dense mist, around the protruding stone, the Alicornian rope glowed. The rainbow bands danced in a waltz. The rope began to untie itself. Eventually, the rope tumbled down between Spike's feet. Spike stared at the rope, speechless. He then turned to Apple Bloom, who shrugged.

"Real Alicornian rope." She departed the awestruck dragon. Spike's gaze shifted from the braid between his feet, to the summit above. He smiled, and wrapped the rope around his claws before following Apple Bloom.

***

Apple Bloom and Spike found their way up another cliff. The sun was covered in dark clouds which moved independently, and the fog was below them. Here, the pair were afforded a greater view of the Smokey Mountain, as it belched out the gray haze spreading across Equestria.

"The Smokey Mountain, the one place in Equestria that nopony wants to see any closer. And it's the one place we have to get to." He snorted, and a slight smile crept across his face. "I believe that's what Twilight would call irony."

Apple Bloom didn't hear him; she was consumed by the Smokey Mountain. Where Spike saw fire and smoke, she saw the Eye of Sauron. Where Spike observed the smoking mountain from far away, the Eye of Sauron was immediately before her. The blazing form scrutinized the shuddering filly. The heat radiating from the malicious being blistered Apple Bloom's form. She turned to look away, but the Ring anchored her. Apple Bloom continued to struggle against the Ring's influence. Tearing herself free, she tripped and fell back onto the rock, hyperventilating.

"Apple Bloom?!" Spike turned towards her. She continued to pant, unable to respond. "It's the Ring isn't it?"

Apple Bloom's hoof clutched the Ring. "It's getting heavier." She let go, and the Ring swung in Spike's view.

Take the Ring, Spike. It's shiny. Spike shook his head quickly, focusing on something else. "How about we have something to eat?"

Apple Bloom shuffled through her pack; she carried the food. From its depths, she gave Spike an apple, and took one for herself too.

"Again? Apples?" Other than the sapphire Rainbow Dash gave him weeks before, he hadn't had anything other than apples.

"Well, it's all I've got. Ya did leave me in charge of packin' th' grub," retorted Apple Bloom. She bit into her apple with as much enthusiasm as if were the tastiest thing in the world.

However, Spike was a different story. He stared at the apple in disdain and disgust. But there was a silver lining: the apple was a Granny Smith. He'd never had a Granny Smith before. He bit into the apple; the sour juices breathed new life into his taste buds. Not bad. "Well, I have to admit, Granny Smiths aren't that bad."

Apple Bloom smiled, turning to Spike. "Almost nothin' kin dampen yer spirits, eh, Spike."

Spike smiled back and glanced at his apple. He considered another bite before a sharp crack tore his attention from the green fruit. In the distance, he saw storm clouds rolling in on their peak. He frowned. "Those rain clouds might."