[Canterlot] Crystal Cavern Calamity! [Closed: Zeig, Cap'n McDerp]

[Elderflower]

 

It was taking a lot of effort on Sugar Star’s part not to start doing loop-de-loops in midair. A lot. Normally it wouldn’t be such a big deal to see a pegasus having fun out in the summer sunshine, but considering the fact that Sugar was decked out in REA gear and currently at the end of her patrols, well...that meant she had to at least maintain some level of decorum. Still…the temptation was there and it was very very very strong. So what was all the fuss about?

Well, first off: she was meeting her father for a little picnic in the park once she finished her patrols. Tucked away in a saddlebag were cucumber sandwiches and apple slices cut into the shape of bunnies that she had prepared from scratch that morning for herself and her dad. She couldn’t wait for him to try them! And on top of that, earlier in the day a package came in the mail, one she had been waiting on for months! Her very exclusive (and enchanted) special-edition, musical, light-up, Sailor Mare pen! Only 20 ponies in all of Equestria had received one! Because she was one of the first ponies to preorder an upcoming Sailor Mare short, she received this special gift! And it was definitely the prettiest pen she ever owned, so pretty that she was almost afraid of using it! Still, just having it tucked away under her armour with some of her bows and glitter (she would never underestimate how useful these things could be since the attack on the Crystal Empire) helped her feel a lot less coltish in her armour. Pretty things just made her happy!

When her shift was finally up, she met briefly with her relief before heading towards the park. She wasn’t in any rush, though - her father told her that he would be late meeting her today, so instead of just soaring straight to their meet-up spot she decided to take her time and enjoy the open skies! After all, with the sun shining and the breeze balmy, it would be criminal not to enjoy her flight. She offered a friendly, professional nod to any pegasi who flew by her, taking in the sight of Canterlot shining in the afternoon sun, when suddenly-

“Oh!” she said to herself, noticing a familiar figure strolling through the streets below. Inkbrand, the tattooed stallion whom she had cast as Prince Diamond Hooves (from Sailor Mare, of course) in her head, was still in Canterlot! Or was he back?  Most likely he was still there, since it wasn’t too long ago that they had met up in Khamsin’s dojo. Well in any case, it was time for Sugar Star’s turn at making a grand entrance!

The mare, making her best sneaky expression, tipped over into a gentle dive, quietly approaching Diamond from above and behind. “Hi there!” she called out as she drew close, not wanting to just...jump on him from behind juuuuust in case he spooked easy. Careful not to saddle him with the weight of a mare wearing armour and saddlebags full of sandwiches and apple slices, she touched the tips of her hooves down on his back, flapping her wings so they held up the entirety of her weight.

Sticking her head down so they were practically nose-to-nose, she let out a cheerful little “Boo!” She clearly hadn’t thought this through, though. Because her head was upside down, nothing was stopping her helmet from sliding off of her head and clattering to the ground. And that’s exactly what it did.

So much for her “cool” entrance...at least the street was practically empty, meaning there were only a hoof-ful of ponies aside from Diamond to witness an REA mare making a clumsy fool of herself.

“Oops,” she said sheepishly, her cheeks turning bright red.

[Zeig]

 

 

"Can I tell 'ya what you make me want to do, m'kay, can I tell 'ya how you make me want to groove, all day!"

A few ponies stopped in their lives to pin withering glares on his flank, but Inkbrand couldn't find it much in him to care as he continued singing at the top of his lungs, tail moving back and forth in time to the music.

"I wanna la la ooh aaah, with your body next to mine, wanna la la ooh aaah, all night long and all the tie-ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-aaah!"

The verse to this particular sound were quickly falling to the wayside of memory, so Inkbrand contented himself with a more languid hum as he continued strolling the streets of Canterlot, looking for all the world like a local resident out for a walk - sans tattoos and general awesome. And thank buck for that. The tattoo-clad stallion had never tested the theory, but he was pretty sure he'd rather dip himself in a vat of acid than try to fit in with Canterlot's "elite".

As such, Inkbrand normally wouldn't have wasted any time hanging around a snobbish city like Canterlot for too long. Too many upturned noses for him to eve attempt making passes at pretty mares, ones that likely couldn't see past their own snouts. But after leaving Khamsin's studio when JavaSun's bucking face had shown up - and probably just in time to avoid his marefriend from Taurtarus following with another condescending lecture at the ready - the grey Earth Pony had felt too disgruntled to actually leave back to Manehatten. No sense wasting a train ticket to visit his friend, and not stick around for a little while afterwards. Besides, Khamsin owed him a drink.

For, something or other. Probably. Maybe.

But before Inkbrand could try to think of something plausible Khamsin could owe him a drink for without the brown Pegasus actually remembering, a shout out in his general vicinity made the grey Earth Pony's head come upwards in bemusement, attempting to locate the somewhat familiar voice that was coming from overhead. It wasn't until a light touch on his back, however, made Inkbrand realize exactly where said voice was coming from.

The sudden image of ridiculously large pink eyes straight up in his face made the tattoo-clad stallion start, almost rearing up on his hind legs in surprise. As it was, he couldn't help letting out a startled and breathless bark of laughter as Sugar Star literally alighted onto his back, her golden head bent to nearly touch snouts with his own upturned face. Inkbrand had the vague feeling that, of course, he should have recognized her voice right away. They'd only seen each other rather recently, after all, and Sugar Star's energetic tone had already become almost unique in its own way to his ears.

…Along with her other eccentricities. How the buck was she even doing that? She had to be using her wings to take off the majority of her weight from his back. Sugar Star was slim and fit, without question - he'd gotten his delicious eyeful at Khamsin's dojo - but he'd buck over dead if any mare came off that light.

Inkbrand opened his mouth to inform her of just that, but was rather rudely, and rather slowly, interrupted, as Sugar Star's helmet slid off her head almost in slow motion, causing a cascade of gold to completely obscure his vision. Almost as if the rest of the world suddenly blinked out of existence, leaving him and Sugar Star giggling like foals behind a golden curtain or something.

Why did that image make his teeth ache briefly?

"Smooth, Sweets," Inkbrand drawled, after a few painful seconds of silence finally slid on by. "Though A plus for effort. May want to invest in a hair tie for future endeavors," he added, and couldn't help playfully blowing some air upwards, causing strands of Sugar Star's hair to puff around. Not that Inkbrand minded, really - he rather liked long hair on mares, long enough to bury his snout in. Chic, cropped mane styles were hot as all buck, but a long mane style that allowed a mare to get up to all sorts of shenanigans with it…well.

More fun in the long run, he supposed.

"What're you doing 'round here, anyways?" the grey Earth Pony questioned, not bothering to remove Sugar Star from her perch, and never mind how utterly ridiculous they probably looked to the passing pony, "heading back to work?" He belatedly wondered if anypony he knew would wander by and perhaps question his sanity, what with allowing an admittedly attractive Pegasus free reign of his backside as her personal stepping stool.

And then wondered if not caring made him a Bad Pony. Probably.

Maybe.
 

 

 

 

 

[CaptainMcDerp]

 

 

Loosing the majority of one's vision was a tough thing to get used to. Even if August did have one good eye left. But at least he had an awesome scar now. If he kept it up, he'd end up looking like the next big villain of Equestria. Come to think of it, it was kind of odd how new threats seemed to just wait in line for a chance at world domination.

 

August trotted down the streets of Canterlot as he scanned the citizens that passed by. When you need to "borrow" a few bits, Canterlot was the best place to go. A large amount of it's inhabitants were quite air headed and also very rich. A perfect target if he said so himself. His white saddlebag raddled with easy money as he headed towards his next victim. He kept his pace slow as to not cause any suspicion. Plus, he wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he's had a little trouble as a thief ever since loosing most of his sight in one eye. At this rate, he might have to create another means of making money until he gets better at stealing through one lens instead of two.

 

Just as he was about to "bump into" his target, quite a scene caught his eye. Was that Inkbrand? He wasn't expecting to see him here of all places. A stuck up city like Canterlot wasn't one of his favorite places to hang around at. Even more unusual was the armored pony standing on his back. August's intimidate assumption was that he was being arrested by a guard in the weirdest way possible. But seeing the two giggle like a couple school fillies shot that down. And oddly enough, that felt unfortunate. Seeing Inkbrand have such a good time with somepony else ignited something in August. He couldn't help but frown as he changed directions and headed towards them.

 

August wasn't jealous, he just didn't like seeing his only friend having such a good time with somepony other than him. It was totally different.

Sure Inkbrand always flirted with mares, but they usually just scoffed at him and trotted away. This mare seemed to enjoy his company! At this rate, Inkbrand won't find time for him anymore and he'll just be left with mere memories of what they once had. The peryton buried his frown in a smirk before approaching them. All he wanted to do was run her off but he couldn't help but feel like it would backfire, as much as Inkbrand seemed to like the little parasite.

 

"Hey there Inky. Looks like you've got a little something on your... back there." He turned his attention to the mare in question. "You dropped your helmet. Might wanna, you know, pick it back up... Probably getting dirty just laying on the ground like that." He cast his glance upwards in an effort to seem as casual as possible. "You'll probably have to get back on the ground first..."

[Elderflower]

Sugar couldn’t keep her blush from reddening when Diamond blew at her mane, causing soft strands to fly up around her face. She laughed a little nervously and then withdrew her face from his, running a hoof over her mane to smooth it out.

“I’ve just finished my patrol, actually!” she replied cheerfully, her face screwed up in concentration while she fought with a particularly stubborn cowlick, “I was on my way to meet my dad for a picnic when I spotted you, but since I have a bit of time before I meet him I figured I’d glide on down and say hi!”

 

There! She got it! All smooth. A triumphant smile lit up the specialist’s face and she was about to tell the tattooed stallion all about the delicious cucumber sandwiches she had made when all of a sudden, somepony new came towards them. Sugar peered at him curiously when he greeted Diamond, and then just like that her cheeks reddened once more. A peryton! And he looked so...villain-y! And that tone of voice! And he was red! He was the perfect Ruby Reins! It was almost uncanny...Sugar had to wonder if Di had any more friends who perfectly fit the roles of Sailor Mare villains. And then she had to wonder if the creator Bunny Moon had met the stallion and his friends and had actually based all of the characters on them!

She beamed and waved a friendly hello, her excitement making her completely oblivious to the fact that the peryton wasn’t half as happy to see her as she was to see him. When he commented on her helmet, she cast her gaze down sheepishly and fluttered off of Inkbrand’s back, retrieving the golden piece and looking at it with a downcast expression. Well, he was right...it was dirty. She would have to clean it before meeting her dad or she’d certainly get an earful. She hitched the helmet to her saddlebags momentarily and then turned back to the peryton. Time for an introduction!

“You’re a friend of Diamo- ahh, Inkbrand’s?” she asked, beaming and tilting her head to the side a little, “Nice to meet you! The name’s Sugar Star, and I’m sorry, but I’m here to take your friend and throw ‘em behind bars!”

Sugar had an awful poker face. She was building up for a good joke, and she made it very obvious that she had impressed herself with what she was about to say and do. Playfully, she wrapped a foreleg around Diamond’s neck and pretended like she was keeping him in a chokehold.

“Two years in the dungeon for playing with a maiden’s pure heart, Inkbrand,” she stated with a mock-authoritative tone, “Since you never did take me to that kissing booth.”

The armoured mare laughed and released her grip on the stallion. Not that she felt torn up over not getting to the kissing booth - she just couldn’t resist the chance to have a little fun when she was in her armour, and that was the only reason for a fake arrest she could think of on the spot! Unfortunately for her though, her smooth moves were quickly overshadowed with yet another embarrassing moment. Completely out of the blue, a loud, low grrooooooooooan sounded between the ponies and peryton.

Oh dear...she hadn’t eaten much earlier that day, and it was getting close to lunch.  Why did her stupid stomach have to growl like this now? Great first impression, Sugar Star, she thought to herself before casting her gaze down a little awkwardly once more, cheeks flushed.

[Zeig]

 

 

Buck.

How the buck did he keep forgetting that Sugar Star was REA?

Even unconsciously knowing that she might have been heading back to work had failed to trigger Inkbrand's apparently faulty memory when it came to the golden Pegasus, but mention of patrol succeeded where his brain had failed. It had to be how bubbly and cutesy the mare was all the time, smiling her ridiculously large smile and acting like the entire world was her very best friend. Made it difficult to think of the Pegasus as a hardened soldier who could face down a hydra without flinching, or defend Canterlot from her worst enemies - whether or not the armor was on or off.

"Well call me flattered, toots," the tattoo-clad stallion stated, more than a little surprised that Sugar Star had gone out of her way to say hi to him. Admittedly in the most ridiculous fashion possible, but he wasn't exactly complaining. Far better a mischievous young mare landing on his back than a stuck-up poof who couldn't be bothered laughing too loudly because it wasn't proper or rot.

And far better her father wasn't in the immediate area, either. For some completely unfair and biased reason, fathers tended to see red whenever a stallion of his…qualities, sniffed around their daughters. At times, Inkbrand found pleasure seeing how far he could rile up a protective mother or father. At others -

Well. He still couldn't look at a black and blue middle-aged stallion without flinching.

Thoughts of fathers completely and irrationally overreacting to a few harmless touches were momentarily stymied, however, as a flash of red suddenly entered into Inkbrand's line of vision, from behind wafting strands of gold. An easy grin lit the stallion's face at the sound of August's familiar drawl, one that grew as Sugar Star moved her head back up and allowed him to actually see the Peryton in question. He couldn't help the low snort at August's dig, watching slyly as Sugar Star fluttered off him to retrieve her helmet, before he turned back towards his friend, ready to bemoan the snobby elite with the other.

And that's when he noticed it.

It was enough to cut Inkbrand off before he'd even said a word, only a small grunt of exclamation leaving his mouth. Vaguely, he heard Sugar Star introduce herself to August with her usual cheer, but the grey stallion honestly couldn't pay much attention to that as he studied August's face - specifically, the scar he was now sporting straight over an eye.

Yowch - that'd probably been painful. And had his eye always been paler than the other? Inkbrand almost blurted out his surprise, demanding to know which job had resulted in that unfortunate - but admittedly cool looking - scar, but stopped himself just in time, belatedly remembering the bucking REA Specialist standing right next to him. Inkbrand covered his mishap with a quick cough, just in time for the Pegasus in question to suddenly throw a foreleg around his neck.

Huh, funny. Usually he was the one doing that to mares.

"Well, we can always remedy that, S-Squared, I don't need a booth to kiss 'ya," he said smoothly, slipping back into the moment even as he ran a hoof through his messy mane, golden eyes darting back towards August's icy blue ones. Rot, how long had it been since he'd last seen the Peryton? Sometime during autumn? At least the other didn't seem to be in any agonizing pain, and unless he was mistaken, the Peryton hadn't been bouncing off of street lamps and benches on his way over here. Still, a slash across the eye…

What the buck sort of job had August gotten himself into, to get that?

And that's when a strange, muffled, groan suddenly hit his ears, causing Inkbrand to straighten up slightly. He frowned down at the ground, then towards Sugar Star, who was - blushing, yet again. The tattoo-clad stallion cast a glance towards August, before mentally shrugging, deciding to ignore the strange noise in favor of more important things. "So where 'ya been hiding yourself, Red?" he demanded, stepping forward to give the Peryton a nudge with one elbow. "Haven't gotten your hooves into anything too messy, eh?" He would eventually want the details, of course - but for now, Inkbrand honestly just wanted to catch up with his best friend sans illegal parts.

However he'd gotten that scar, Inkbrand doubted the Peryton would want to share the full and uncensored story with an REA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CaptainMcDerp]

 

 

“You’re a friend of Diamo- ahh, Inkbrand’s? Nice to meet you! The name’s Sugar Star, and I’m sorry, but I’m here to take your friend and throw ‘em behind bars!”

 

So she was arresting him? August had to hold back a grin of joy with all his might. "Oh my. Whatever could he have done to deserve such a fate?" Okay, that sounded way more sarcastic than he originally intended it to but at least the whole thing was just a misunderstand-

Sugar Star obnoxiously wrapped her foreleg around Inkbrand and blurted out something that wrecked all his prior hopes.

 

“Two years in the dungeon for playing with a maiden’s pure heart, Inkbrand, since you never did take me to that kissing booth.”

 

A rather prominent grimace swept over his face and he raised a hoof in detest. Kissing booth?! He never expected Inkbrand to tolerate such a cutesy wutsy little pile of sickening sweetness. She's what happens when you put armor on a marshmallow for Celestia's sake! Inkbrand then mentioned he could "remedy" to the whole kissing booth situation by downright kissing the little leech right then and there. August would have sent a snarky remark their way if he wasn't busy fantasizing about having laser vision. He never discovered his "special" peryton ability so laser vision was still on the table at the moment.

 

His thoughts were soon cut short though by a loud rumble. What the hay was that? August scanned the area and noticed Sugar Star blushing again for whatever reason. She was probably about to propose to Inkbrand at this bucking point. But what in Equestria was that noise anyway? It almost sounded like it was coming from under his hooves. He took a brief glance downwards and instinctively lifted a hoof to examine the ground underneath. Maybe it was the recent experience he had with the Crystal Empire invasion, but he couldn't help but focus of that groaning sound. Until he felt a rather jarring nudge from his friend.

 

"Haven't gotten your hooves into anything too messy, eh?"

 

August blinked with an uncharacteristic look of confusion on his face before returning to his usual smirk. "What makes you say that?" He pointed to his eye "It couldn't be this hot new scar, could it?" He sniffed in an attempt to seem casual. "I just saved some kiddies from warrior caribou during a Crystal Empire invasion is all. Probably wouldn't be alive if not for me..." He was originally intending on leaving that part out to avoid being teased, but now that Starry Sugarface was here, things were going to be a little different. Of course he did leave out the part where he was saved an equal amount of times by Silver Belle, but Inkbrand didn't have to know that. August leered at Sugar Star and raised an eyebrow. "I guess you don't need special training to be a noble hero, eh?"

[Elderflower]

Sugar had almost forgotten how dangerous it was to mention anything kissing-related to Diamond. The stallion would definitely take it seriously, as he seemed to be doing now. Luckily he was distracted by his Ruby Reins, giving Sugar the opportunity to pull away from him, spurred on by the look of disgust coming from the peryton. W-what was that about? It only looked more scathing with that big scar of his, and the mare couldn’t help but react a little timidly, casting her gaze down while they two talked amongst themselves. What had she done to make such a poor impression so quickly?

Then he mentioned the Crystal Empire. Sugar’s head snapped up and she inspected that scar of his a little more closely, her expression dark. So he had gotten his scar during the invasion? Her own scars were much less brutal, thanks to her armour - something she was very grateful for. She did have one right beneath her left wing, but that was a tough one to see unless her wings were fanned. The specialist was very well aware of how lucky she was to make it out of that battle in the condition she had, and she felt a wave of empathy for the peryton, who had clearly lost some of his vision with that wound.

The mare was pulled out of her thoughts when Ruby spoke directly to her, though, and his words...well, they struck home to say the least. If Sugar Star took anything away from that invasion, it was that the true heroes of the battle that day were three fillies who had built a giant set of bagpipes. They played music that lifted the spirits of those fighting for the Crystal Empire and filled them with new life - everything changed after they had made their move...and what had Sugar done? A wounded changeling had protected Swirly, a caribou princess and a gryphoness had taken out the Lindworm, three fillies had changed the tide of the entire battle across the Empire and...Sugar Star had taken down some hawks and some caribou, and she had tied up that wicked sorcerer. All in all, she hadn’t done anything that somepony else couldn’t have done. It stung. She had felt so useless, and it was a huge part of the reason she had put off even thinking about the attack.

The specialist turned her head away to hide the hurt there, taking a moment to breathe and collect her thoughts then push them down and away. In mere moments her usual cheer was back in place, and she shot Ruby a happy beam of a smile.

“Y-you’re right!” she responded cheerfully, giving him a playful salute, “You did really good work, no training needed! I’m sure those little ones will never forget what you did for them. That was such a dark day...and you gave them a little light, hey?”

She smiled, even though she didn’t really feel like it. She really did believe what she said, she just couldn’t help but feel jealous. How awful was that? Jealous. Here she was was, standing unscathed before somepony who had more or less lost an eye in the same battle she had been in, feeling jealous. It was an awful thing to feel, but she just couldn’t help herself. She felt so useless about that cursed invasion. Ruby had definitely hit a sore spot...he really was like Ruby Reins. Except he was more of a hero than she was.

Maybe this was a good time to take her leave - she had been on her way to meet her father, after all. She opened her mouth to say a goodbye, but then the groaning from earlier grew way louder. Well that definitely wasn’t her stomach. What was going on? Sugar’s gaze narrowed in focus, then the earth really began to groan and vibrate between her hooves. That couldn’t be good, especially since-

 

The tunnels. There were tunnels everywhere beneath this city, the old bones of a long-dead mining project. She should have thought of it sooner! Why was she such an idiot?

“We should move-” was all she got out before the ground beneath her just...collapsed. Fear gripped her as she watched Diamond and Ruby fall away, her wings flapping. It was no time for fear, though. She shrugged it off and darted after them, determined to get them to safety. She reached Diamond first, getting her hooves around him and immediately beginning to struggle with his weight. Why did he need all those muscles?! They made him so heavy.

Next up was Ruby. She dove towards him while he fell, neatly evading any falling rocks despite how much the grey stallion weighed her down. When she grabbed hold of the peryton, too, she strained against gravity for a few short moments before a huge clump of cobblestone street fell painfully against her wing. “No!”

There was nothing she could do though. She tried flapping hard, but her right wing was hanging pretty uselessly. Instead of escaping from the cave in, the three of them fell down, into the darkness. She really should have put that helmet of hers back on...

[Zeig]

 

Well.

If he'd been surprised at August's new and improved look, he was doubly so at its origin.

Not that Inkbrand didn't know the Peryton would have his back if they ever found themselves in the middle of the smack down, but…ah hay. Just the thought of August leaping to defend some hapless little foals who'd probably run out into the streets of Canterlot to play pirates with the Caribou in the first place - well. It was almost laughable, just as surely as the image of throwing himself into harm's way for some foals that didn't have the common sense to stay on the sidelines.

…Still, Inkbrand couldn't help the raise of his eyebrows, nor the brief flicker of pride and buck yeah, that's my Red that flashed across his face. The tattoo-clad stallion didn't know all the details about the invasion, as he'd been far south and safe in Manehatten, but rot, he'd heard the stories. August must've gotten some sweet tail after his heroic efforts. Chicks tended to dig the noble hero selflessly putting himself in harm's way to save the innocent and weak.

Though that's all he'd better be doing. If his best friend died saving some wet-nosed damsel in distress, there would be Taurtarus in a hand basket to pay.

The grey Earth Pony hardly took note as Sugar Star turned away for a moment, still staring at August with an incredulous expression to masked everything else he was feeling at the moment. "No rot," he exclaimed slowly, eyebrows near disappearing into his maneline. "Don't tell me you've got a bunch of little foals calling you "Uncle Red" now." Although, the thought of the Peryton being constantly followed by a pack of uncontrollable and starry-eyed foals was enough to rend a low chortle out of his throat. Buck, August would probably strangle the lot before they got a chance to all dress up like red Perytons.

Which was the last thought he had, before all coherent brain function was replaced by HOLY TAURTARUS IN BUCKING -

Inkbrand was vaguely aware that he let out a short and startled scream as the stone underneath him literally fell away from his hooves, leaving him with the sudden and horrible feeling of free falling without any sense of direction or destination. The splashes of color, absently identified as August and Sugar Star, were rapidly falling away from his line of vision, stark blackness taking over anything not covered by the wild whipping of his mane. The grey stallion glanced downward without even thinking about it, and the sight of nothing but continued blackness was just about to set Inkbrand into true panic before something suddenly hooked around his middle, bringing his rapid rush to a sudden, jerking halt.

"Red," the grey Earth Pony choked out, unable to get out much more in his shocked state, his eyes roving wildly for the familiar flash of red. Not that August wouldn't be fine in a fall - his wings may not fly, but gliding was no problem for his friend. But rational thought was becoming a very large problem for Inkbrand, here, while they were sinking further and further into an abyss and there was no way Sugar Star was going to be able to pull the both of them back up and -

And suddenly she was letting out a pained cry, one that was momentarily echoed by Inkbrand as a piece of stone fell painfully from one golden wing onto the side of his face, hard enough to blur his vision for a moment. The grey Earth Pony ignored it however, reaching out with one hoof to attempt and grab August from where Sugar Star was grasping him within her other foreleg.

He didn't have time to however - a flash of silver from below pulled Inkbrand's attention away. The tattoo-clad stallion had enough in him to let out a warning "Sweets?!", before everything was enveloped in icy cold.

Inkbrand wasn't certain how long he floated - probably only a few seconds, in reality - but it felt like much longer, paused in time. It was a moment longer before the grey stallion realized that he actually needed to breathe to survive, and he had enough forethought to grab the dark red and gold hazes floating alongside him, before kicking his legs upwards, breaking the crystal cold surface of the lake.

He had to take a moment to breathe deeply, coughing and spluttering, and readjusted his grip tighter on August as he attempted to shake out his now sopping wet mane as best as possible, eyes widen and slightly panicked. Where in Equestria had they land? A huge underground lake, that could be miles under the surface? "The - the buck just happened - ?!" Inkbrand coughed, as if either of the two next to him would have any better idea. Buck, was there any land nearby? It was still fairly difficult to think of anything other than the icy cold water seeping into his very core.
 

 

 

 

[CaptainMcDerp]

 

 

 

For mere moments, it seemed like August's words had gotten to the mare. She turned her head away but not quick enough to prevent August from catching a glimpse of her expression. He could tell he hit his mark. But instead of reaping the results he was hoping for, Sugar Star quickly returned to her cheerful disposition and said something that threw him off guard.

 

“Y-you’re right! You did really good work, no training needed! I’m sure those little ones will never forget what you did for them. That was such a dark day...and you gave them a little light, hey?”

 

He simply gazed at her with a blank expression. What was that!? He was trying to make her feel unwelcome and how does she react? By complimenting him. How was he supposed to respond to that? The stupid little tinge in his stomach didn't help. Was was that feeling? Regret? Did he regret saying those things to her? No no no, buck. If he keeps saving foals and feeling bad for hurting other pony's feelings, he's going to turn into bucking mush.

 

"Don't tell me you've got a bunch of little foals calling you "Uncle Red" now."

 

August cast a glare in inkbrand's direction and opened his mouth to protest. He nearly lashed out, announcing that he didn't even save them intentionally, which completely contradicted what he just said moments ago. Plus, it would be a lie. And a weird one at that. But It seemed like admitting his "heroic" acts to everyone sort of backfired. He wanted Inkbrand to admire him, not Sugar Star. She was supposed to get intimidated and leave while Inkbrand learned the error of his ways. Ugh, things weren't working out in his favor, were they?

 

August replaced his frown with a smirk. "No no. I got out of there as soon as I could. The little brats probably wouldn't remember me if I ever saw them again. Besides, there was no way in tartarus I would let a bunch of snotty kids follow me around."

 

In reality, the moment those kids saw him again, they'd surround him like a bunch of little piranhas and loudly proclaim his heroic acts to whoever was within earshot. Oh Celestia, he didn't even want to think about that potential scenario.

 

The peryton soon got his wish. The ground let out one final roar before it crumbled right out from under his hooves. Before he knew it, Canterlot's landscape floated away into utter blackness. His stomach twisted as he realized he was free falling. Among the sound of crumbling earth, he could hear faint screams and bits of dialogue from the others until he was grabbed by Sugar Star. His immediate thought was to demand her to let him go, but the words only came out as a breathless "Let-..."

He was soon jerked forward as a big piece of rock impacted her wing, causing them both to twist in mid air. How in tartarus was he supposed to glide with a pony hanging off of him!?

 

That's when he noticed Inkbrand reaching in his direction. August extended his wings in an attempt to lessen the fall and reach to grab Inkbrand. But it was too late. The view of his friend suddenly dropped into a murky blur as he was engulfed by icy water. The rumble of the falling earth was reduced to muffled groans as rocks and pebbles sunk past his sight, leaving trails of bubbles in their wake. He stay motionless as he watched the scene unfold, shocked by how bucking cold he became all of a sudden.

 

Something wrapped around his waist and pulled him to the surface. He sucked in air and fell into a coughing fit, his voice coming out more high pitched than usual. "S-son of a mother bucker that is cold!" When he looked around, he noticed it was Inkbrand that was keeping him above water. Looked like Sugar Star was here too. He supposed there weren't any chances of getting rid of her now. Not unless he resorted to cold-blooded methods. But that would be a bit too extreme, even for him.

 

"The - the buck just happened - ?!"

 

"It appears w-we've been swallowed up by the d-depths of tartarus. I ...knew this would happen at some point but not q-quite this soon."

 

It was kind of hard to make wise-cracks when you're frozen to your very core. August scanned the area. At the edge of the underground lake was enough ground for them to walk along the rocky wall until they could find a larger surface.

 

"Over there." He said, pointing to the far left. "T-there's a ledge. We'll have to squish against the wall to s-stay above water but it sure as buck beats swimming around in a pony flavored s-slushie." He pushed himself forward with his wings, using them like extra arms as he swam towards his destination. He couldn't help but wonder if there was anything in the cavern that would find a pony flavored slushie appetizing.

[Elderflower]

The moments after her wing had been crunched into were a blur. For long moments, Sugar’s thoughts were consumed by blaring red pain and she lost track of exactly what was happening. That was until Diamond called out her name, or nickname rather, snapping her out of her little daze enough for her to catch sight of the silvery-blue surface of water rushing up towards them all. Or were they rushing down to it? She couldn’t even tell at this point, all she could do was brace herself for the inevitable contact.

When they hit the water, panic set in. It was shameful, really - she knew how to swim, and well. Her father was REN, after all, and swimming was part and parcel for the job. Of course he taught his everything he knew. But a whole lot of separate fears smashed together when she hit the water, and the added weight of her armour while she struggled was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. She was grounded, wounded, trapped, cold, wet, and her armour was pulling her down further and further until-

 

Oh! Something was pulling her up, which was an excellent turn of events considering she thought she was about to drown. When the trio broke the surface of the water, Sugar realized that the something which had pulled her out of the water was actually somepony. She tried to thank Diamond for his heroism, but a few sputtering coughs was all she could manage at first. Ruby did win a chuckle out of her for his Tartarus comment, though. Or rather, he won a chuckle that came out like a crack of nervous laughter.At least she was calming down some, making it much easier to stay afloat despite all the weight trying to drag her down.

 

Sugar followed the red peryton when he began swimming towards the edge of the underground lake, realizing that in the soft blue lighting of the place he actually looked kind of purple. It looked good on him! But she forgot that pretty quickly the moment her hooves connected with sweet, solid rock. Being able to stand at the very least gave her back some confidence. Once she found her footing, the specialist peer up where they had fallen in. Apparently the last little opening above that lake was a bit of a bottleneck. It seemed just big enough for the three of them to fall through, but it must have choked up with rock and rubble after their descent, since it was now completely blocked. Only a little trickle of dust was falling through…

 

The winged mare cringed. The three of them were very lucky that hadn’t been caught in that. There’d be nothing left of them! Pushing her wet mane away from her eyes with her hoof, she peered around at their surroundings. Crystals and lichen were glowing a pretty blue all around the cavern, thankfully cutting through the darkness so they wouldn’t be totally blind down here. It certainly was awkward being squat up against the slick stone wall, but it was better than wasting energy treading water. After a quick check to make sure everypony was okay and a curt, military nod to Ruby for spotting this bit of land to walk along, Sugar began inching her way towards...wherever this led. It was hard to see much, thanks to the curves in the wall, but soon enough she had found a fair-sized alcove along the cavern walls where they could take a moment to get their bearings and figure out a plan.

 

With a moment to catch her breath, Sugar finally heard the muffled voices coming from above. She looked up at the choked-up opening where they had fallen through and sighed. If only she could fly there, she could actually talk to somepony up above and let them know they were all okay and please bust up all the rubble in the way so they could get out! But there was no chance of that happening - her wing was still just...hanging there. It scared her more than a little, and hurt like a - well, there were a lot of curse words to describe just how much it hurt.

After another glance around at their surroundings, she spotted what looked like a tunnel leading elsewhere in the caverns not far from where they were. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to go deeper into this mess, though.

“Okay,” she piped up, smiling as cheerfully as she could for the others,  “Looks like we’re trapped for now! But sounds like more than a few ponies saw us fall, so chances are they’ll start digging us out s-”

She cut herself off and blinked, her gaze narrowing at the water. Why was it still moving so much? Was there something in there? That was a lot of splashing. She kept her eyes pinned on the surface while she continued, “Soon. Hopefully we can stay here until that happens but...okay, is that water freaking anypony else out as much as me?”

[Zeig]

 

Head over to Canterlot to unwind and explore a bit.

Fall straight into an underground lake with the only known passageway completely blocked by fallen debris.

Bucking of course.

It was completely illogical to think that this freak happenstance was anypony's fault, but as Inkbrand plastered himself against the cavern wall along the small alcove, sporadic shivers rocking his frame, he couldn't help the the glare that settled over his face at the sheer stupidity of this latest mess he'd gotten himself into. And as Sugar Star seemed to be intent on giving them an inspiration pep talk, the glare transferred onto her as the Pegasus spoke. If she hadn't stopped him exactly where she had, he and August wouldn't be stuck however many leagues underneath daylight with no foreseeable way to get out.

Maybe it was her landing that had caused the cave-in? The combined weight of himself and the Pegasus. The thought came abruptly and without warning, and its ridiculousness, along with the entirely, all-too real situation they were facing, culminated into a sudden, sharp, bark of laughter.

"Yeah okay," the tattoo-clad stallion said once he managed to get himself under control - which was to say, push the reality of their grim situation as far back into the recesses of his mind as possible. "First rule of survival - stay your flank put. Not gonna do us any favors, wandering around here," he muttered darkly, a flick of his sodden tail accompanying his words.

…Where exactly was here, anyways?

Relatively safe on dry land and no longer worried about drowning, Inkbrand could take the time to actually look around himself at the pale blue glow that seemed to encompass the entire cave. Well, that explained why they weren't stuck in complete pitch black, a small feat to be thankful for. Though where the glow actually originated from was a trickier question. It seemed to be coming from the lake itself - but upon closer inspection, the grey stallion could make out what looked like the beginning of slowly glowing rocks trailing deeper into the lake. Almost like crystals -

Holy buck. They were trapped in the Crystal Caverns, weren't they.

Inkbrand wasn't sure how he hadn't made the obvious conclusion beforehoof, but there it was. There could be no other explanation. After all, it wasn't like several different cave systems all resided under the streets of Canterlot, and wasn't it just their luck they'd managed to find the one cave with a lake at the bottom, rather than pointy crystals.

Nothing else for it, then. The grey Earth Pony barely moved his head at Sugar Star's words even though he was mentally agreeing with her, though he gave small pause from chaffing his legs to peering over at the water in question. Indeed, ripples were forming on the surface, and splashing, and other ominous signs if they hadn't brought a bunch of cobblestone street and debris down with them. "Just fish," he stated derisively and firmly, as if saying so would make it true, "or frogs or something. C'mon, let's see if we can find a wider spot," he continued, and carefully maneuvered himself around to look back towards August.

Which was probably the only reason he caught it, to be perfectly honest.

His body reacted before even his mind did, launching itself at August with enough force to send them both flying along the cavern wall, and subsequently back onto the narrow ledge, where they both proceeded to fall back into the water. Mouth opened in a soundless gasp as it was, Inkbrand promptly gagged on lake water, flailing in panic as the sound of crushed rock and crystals filtered into his senses, muffled by the water surrounding him on all sides. Said debris splashed into the lake beside him, and Inkbrand had enough brain power to tighten his hold on August as he caught sight of what his body had registered before even his brain had.

If he'd had any air left in his lungs, it would have all been expelled right then and there.

The grey stallion broke the water surface, coughing and spluttering yet again as he pulled August up with him, just in time to see the thick tentacle slide back into the water with an almost sinuous and ominous grace. The rocks and crystals that had surrounded August's standing spot had been reduced to rubble, and Inkbrand was rather proud that he didn't scream like a little filly as the water behind the two of them began splashing again.

"Holy mother of alicorn!" Inkbrand hollered, giving August as big a shove as he could in water towards the ledge again, not even thinking of trying to pull himself out first. "Move, Red!"
 

 

 

 

[CaptainMcDerp]

 

 

When August's hooves landed on more stable land, he sat down and readjusted his bruised wing. Hugging the rocky wall did a number on him since jagged surfaces weren't the best thing to be squished against. But it was a lot better than being in that freezing water again. Just thinking about it sent a chill through his body. While scanning his surroundings. He heard  Inkbrand and Sugar debating fish or something, but didn't pay much attention to it. Sugar would probably just turn the subject of fish into some kind of smooch talk again. And he didn't need that. Not right now anyways. This was a time to make a plan, not glare at friend-stealing mares. And as much as he loved dangerous and exciting situations, he also liked to generally survive them as well. How else is he supposed to brag about them later?

 

August couldn't help but find the caverns rather interesting. The glowing crystal gave it an atmosphere of mystery, which had him thinking... Maybe there was a hoof full of horrid secrets hidden down here that have been locked away for centuries, never meant to be discovered. This place was certainly worth exploring. Too bad he had to be stuck with Sugar Stain. That's what she was. A stain. A sugary, giddy, goody-two-hooves the-sun-is-always-shining stain that wasn't about to come off no matter how much scrubbing he did. Inkbrand was already caught in her candy flavored web. Soon enough he would be fully engulfed by the sweetness like a witless fly. He'll turn into a frolicking idiot too if he brcame Sugar's...coltfriend. The sheer thought sent another shiver down his spine. Oh Celestia, then they'll have foals named Marshmellow Brand and Inkstar. A white fluffy filly with tattoos and a grey stallion guard pony with bedazzled armor! All the while, August would be left out in the cold because Inkbrand decided he couldn't associate with lowly thieves anymore.

 

A sudden impact knocked him from his self-made nightmare. It sent him skidding across the ground with one very burning question in mind. What the buck!? Greys and blues flooded his vision, which could only mean...

 

"Inkbrand!? What in tartartus are you do-"

 

That's when he saw it. A huge tentacle crashing into the ledge he was sitting at with a deafening rumble. The air was knocked out of him as his back crashed into the wall. And just like that, he was submerged in frigid water again. He felt Inkbrand keep a tight hold on his waist as he kicked his legs in an effort to return to the surface. What was he trying to do, drown him!? Rock and crystal floated past his good eye just before he was pulled above water.

 

"Holy mother of alicorn! Move, Red!"

 

August felt himself get shoved towards the ledge. The peryton heaved himself out of the water and turned around to face Inkbrand. He reach for him and shouted

 

"Come on! Get the buck out of that water!"

 

A tentacle rocketed out of the lake, sending a cloud of mist right into his face. Before the area cleared, he saw the vague form heading straight at him from above.

 

"Oh buc-"

 

The end of his sentence was silenced by the roar of smashed rock. August leaped back on the alcove just in time to see the tentacle had crashed into the wall, leaving a prominent imprint on the surface. August took a split second to glance in Inkbrand's direction. It seemed like the monster wasn't paying him any attention. August was relived but also confused. Be that as it may, he couldn't give it much thought since he was being pursued by a giant bucking monster at the moment! The tentacle pulled itself from the fissure and dove straight for him again. August dodged the attack, but not before the sheer impact knocked him off his hooves. His breath shot from lungs and he scrambled back to his hooves. He looked up just in time to see another tentacle emerged from the lake.

 

Nope.

 

The peryton bolted into the tunnels just before the world under his hooves shook again, making him stumble into the narrow wall. Okay. It almost seemed like this thing was chasing him and only him. He made a lot of enemies, that much was curtain. But he didn't expect one of them to be a giant tentacle squid thing. Well, if it was going to chase him around like a cat with a string he needed to take advantage of the situation.

 

"Get ready!" He shouted from the tunnel.  "I'm going to draw this thing out of the water! I bet it's weaker without it's precious lake!"

 

A tentacle reach into the tunnel and swiped just inches from his face. He backed further into the tunnel and watched the thing desperately flailed about. A smile crept unto his face. Perfect. August lowered his head, aimed, and charged. His antlers pierced the tentacle with enough force to hurt. A low roar was heard under the lake and the tentacles retreated into the water. Seconds later, another roar reach his ears, followed by an equally loud splash. A gigantic form crashed into the tunnel and an eye the size of a pony peaked into the opening. Another tentacle snaked in past the giant eye and August didn't waste any time. He ran down the tunnels with the accursed appendage chasing behind him. He could feel the air as it swiped just inches away from his hind legs. When the pursue ceased, August dared to stop and turn around. The monster reach it's limit again, flopping in every direction in a desperate attempt to catch him.

 

The peryton sat on his haunches and smirked as he practically gasp for breath, thankful to finally get a chance to breathe. When the flailing would cease, August would edge just close enough to poke the tentacle with his hoof, causing it to spaz out again. Well... it looked like he was stuck here heroically distracting the monster until Inkbrand took care of the problem. Yep... teamwork. Just like old times.
Once again he was saving lives while Sugar Star just rendered her wings useless. What did August have that she didn't? Guts that's what. Guts and skill. This situation might've worked out better than he thought. The longer they're stuck in this cave, the more Inkbrand will realize that "special someponies" are nothing but trouble. August will make sure of that.


 

[Elderflower]

Sugar Star quailed when Diamond’s glare landed on her. What was that about? Unless...did he blame her for all of this? Or did he just not care for her positivity? She cast her gaze aside, some of that positive spark faltering a moment as she realized just how poorly she would handle things if she ever came under the same kind of intense hatred from the tattooed stallion as Java did. But...it wouldn’t come to that, right?

 

...Right? But then he laughed, except it was the kind of laughter that sent shivers through the sugary specialist. She smiled weakly and nodded her agreement with his words, but that was about when the water really started coming alive. Except water wasn’t alive, which meant nothing good. Di was convinced it was just fish in there, and Ruby seemed too far into his own thoughts to really react. She had to wonder what he was thinking about, but before she could even hazard a guess something popped out of the water: something slimy and dangerous and ugly-looking.

 

The winged mare had just opened her mouth to yell at Ruby to move when Diamond tackled him out of the way of a large, slimy tentacle. She grimaced when it struck the rock wall of the cave, because it made the entire glowing space begin to groan again. That was not a promising sound. Between a large tentacle beast and the possibility of a second cave-in, she decided it was time to get the hay out of here. She shrugged away the discomfort and unease that had settled in her heart when the tattooed stallion shot her a particularly sharp glare, fixing her eyes on the lake. From what she could make out, the aquatic beast that lived in the cool underground waters wasn’t overly big - its body was roughly the size of the hawks she had fought during the Crystal Faire, and she had downed a few of those, hadn’t she? Even if it had mostly been luck that had brought about her success...

At least one thing was for sure - she could put her trust in Ruby and Diamond. After all, the peryton had played the part of a hero during the invasion of the Crystal Empire and Diamond had shown just how sharp an eye he had and how quick his reflexes were just this moment! When somepony was fighting alongside others there had to be trust, and she just knew she could count on these two! Even if they were upset with her, surely they knew they could only survive this madness by working together?

 

Another tentacle shot out after the red buck just as Sugar reached Di, a plan coming quickly to her mind - one that had apparently reached the one-eyed peryton as well. He dashed further into the tunnel she had spotted earlier while she hauled their friend away from the charging beast before drawing her sword. No time to check on Diamond - the monster was emerging from the lake and it needed to be taken care of. Immediately.

The squidthing’s huge body crashed into the opening of the tunnel, its dissonant roar rattling the golden mare down in her very core. She ignored her fear and adjusted her grip on her blade, good wing fanned widely while she let out a guttural cry and charged forward. There was no time to swim to the tunnel, so instead she leapt onto one of the flailing tentacles that hadn’t made it into the tunnel by steering herself with her wing. Then she launched off of it towards the base of the squidthing’s head. It was trying to stuff itself through the cavern while it chased after Ruby, thankfully leaving itself mostly vulnerable to Sugar’s blade. So she struck it as close to its beak as she could from her side of the tunnel then dug her hooves into the rocky ground and began walking towards the tip of the beast’s head where it flailed above the shallows of the lake. Aside from a painful slap against her armour from the one wild tentacle, she effectively sliced the monster open and rendered in immobile apart from a few final twitches.

 

The specialist almost, almost relaxed before the cavern’s groaning began again. No time to catch her breath then, it seemed. She dashed back to the base of the beast’s slimy head and wrapped her forelegs around it before yelling out, “Inkbrand! Get your rear in gear and follow Ruby down that tunnel once I get this monster out of the way! I don’t know how safe it is in here!”

She grunted and then strained with a determined frown on her face, pulling the twitching form forward slowly, but surely.