Hopefully it was enjoyable to read that last chapter. It was sure fun making it (after so long of not).
In any case: Enjoy the next one!
Chapter II
It sure took us a while to find the spot where Cadence was dropped off.
Us as in her. Although, I don't blame her, this place is a maze all in itself and the crystal reflections don't help one bit. Add to the fact that this place all looks the same and you've got the ugly potential to getting lost very easily. Finding out way out wasn't going to be the hard part; doing it quickly would be.
I suppose that last part really only has to do with me. I've been down here about 39 hours now since I got here. Most of that time was spent looking and communicating only when necessary(with the occasional argument of logic, for deciding where to go). I told her only to speak when absolutely sure verbal communcation can be most effective to conserve water and stay as hydrated as possible.
Although it did make a for a great excuse not to tell her who I was inside and where I come from and all that jazz. We mostly communicated with non-verbal motions when necessary.
Fortunately, we found the starting point of where she was dumped off (yeah that's harsh, I know). We began our discussion of "muh where to go muh this way".
Unfortunately, Cadenza's magic would only go as far as her; she couldn't help me in any way and I've lost both water and blood from this journey and as far as Cadenza's magic goes, well, I was quite literally screwed unless we found a way back to the castle.
"Alright. We know the approximate direction of the exit, or entrance to this cavern." God this place is a hell.
"Hmm. How obvious are tracks made by hooves?" I asked, looking her way as she sat down, obviously tired and lacking in nutrients as well.
"Um, uh… Pretty obvious to see but there's many tracks, even some made my me." She motioned to the ground and shrugged. It seemed impossible but I had a thought.
"Changlings are small beings, about the size of a normal pony, yes?" I asked another question to which I was hoping was right.
"Yes. What's your point?" She cocked her head slightly and raised a brow. "What does size have to do with us getting out? You think that we'll have to squeeze through some crystal to get out?" She replied.
"No, or at least, I hope not. My point was that it may have taken more than one or two of them to carry you. I'm hoping it took maybe 3 or 4." I nodded and began to caress my chin in thought.
"Why?" Simply asked, I simply answered;
"Because if it took as many as I assume, then we can track their movement back. Its kind of a far out idea but well, anything is better than what we're doing now." I shrugged and looked to the ground for answers.
"That sounds… actually that's pretty smart. Good call, James." She smiled and I could see her hope returning. Its not a good call until it is, but thanks.
I returned the smile with a nod and began making circles, looking at both the spot she awoke to the many tracks that were down here.
My eyes locked onto a set of 3 or 4 tracks. Definitely 4. They were here.
"Miss Cadenza, this way… I think." I pointed to one of the 8 different paths to choose. She nodded and began to follow me through the caverns, unknowing to myself she was studying me.
I suppose I shouldn't blame her, if she came to my world I'd be the same. Still, it was innocent and I couldn't think about that now. Right now, my focus needs to be on the tracks.
Yes, the hoofprints.
"Are you sure this will work?" She asked while moving to walk beside me.
My gaze remained to the floor while speaking, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure. Even if it doesn't it is a good proof-of-concept. In theory, we should be led directly to the entrance of the crystal caverns."
"You seem sure of yourself." She noted out loud.
"I have to be. If I hesitate, I lose time. You have time but I do not." I motioned to my wound. It wasn't hindering any kind of movement on my part, but it hurt like hell.
"Yeah, I agree. I hate to admit it, but you're right. I can give my body nutrients but I cannot give any to you."
"Can't you just wish up a hot meal for the both of us?" I chuckled. "Wait, don't answer that. I'm pretty sure if you could, you would've done so already."
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can, but the crystal caverns have this ability to suck the magic out of us ponies." She sighed at the end and shook her head in resentment.
"It was so well planned." Murmering, she stared at the ground.
"What, the wedding or the attack?" I asked plainly.
"Both." We said in unison, giving us a little chuckle at that. At this point morale was as important as getting out of here.
Oddly enough the tracks seem to take a seriously broken pattern. Like they weren't sure where to go. Which gave me a thought: What if they had a map but they weren't sure where to go?
I quickly discarded this idea because it sounded stupid and we're not getting out hands on that map so it doesn't matter anyway.
"Hey uhh… do you think when we get out of here, I'll be able to go home?" I asked her.
"Certainly. Where do you live?" I smiled at her reply.
"I live… oh wait a second… I live on Earth, which may be in another dimension. Do you think they can send me back home?"
"Well… after hearing that, I'm not so sure. Magic doesn't seem to work on you. I don't want to have to say this but I honestly doubt it." She shrugged. My hope was crushed. Not permanantly, but I doubted my low chances of not getting back home.
I wanted to make it, even if I couldn't remember why. Actually, wait a second…
I can't remember my friends… or my family. What the hell? I'm starting to forget?
"Does this place have a way with making you forgetting things?"
"Not to my knowledge, no." She shook her head. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah… I can't remember my family. Or my friends. In fact I can't remember a lot of things. Maybe it was just knocked out of me from the fall." I responded, earning another raised brow.
"Its how I got this." I pointed to my wound.
"Ahh, I see."
After that, we simply remained silent; there wasn't much else in terms of subjects to talk about. Well, yes there was plenty but we agreed on not talking small talk until we made it out.
"How's your magic supply?" Reluctant, I asked. I was quite honestly afraid of what I'd hear.
"Empty." She quipped quietly.
Ahh crap. That means we have even less time now. We've got to get out of here!
"How big IS this place?!" I yelled and stomped loudly.
"It is quite large. I suspect we've made it about halfway? Maybe?"
This made me angry. I was tired of aimlessly wandering down a path to find more paths. Pathfinding was not a fun thing to do when your life depended on it.
"This is stupid… remind me to give a good smack to Chysalis when I see her." I gritted my teeth.
"Who's that?" She asked, dumbfounded.
"Oh uhh… The queen of the Chrysalids. She masterminded this whole thing. The sabotage, the attack, you getting here, everything." I explained to her Chysalis's involvement. It wasn't long before we hit a large opening where the path's stopped. As if they ceased to exist.
Shit.
"Have you been here before?" I asked her, not receiving an answer as she was studying the place. I'll assume no.
"No."
I figured.
"Well, actually… yes, I have. Once or twice when I was little, just a filly." This could be it! We might actually get out of here!
I clenched my fist in excitement at this prospect.
"It will be hard to remember, I can barely remember it since I was so young." She put a hoof to her head and closed her eyes.
"I think the way we need to go is this way." She motioned to a large etrance which resumed a path-like way.
What a mess. Who the hell would do something like this to someone?
I guess something like that could only be answered by Chrysalis. Boy, when I get my hands on her… I began to let my anger flow through my mind as I found the nearest crystal and punched it hard, cracking it but not shattering it.
Then came this pain to which could best be described as "why the fuck did you do that mate".
"Ahhhahah! God DAMNIT that HURTS!" I jumped up and down while waving my hand up and down in a futile attempt to aleviate the pain. No blood, no problem, the pain stuck with me for a while.
My actions provided Cadenza with something to laugh about, much to my silent resentment as I wouldn't be laughing if she did the same.
Actually, yeah I would. Shit like that is funny.
At any rate, laughing aside, our intrepid little pink pony seemed to find her way back.
"James! James! Come look! I think I found the exit!" She jumped up and down, much to my own excitement. I looked upon a large open cavern with the end in sight; the light at the end.
I always loved that phrase:
"The light at the end." I muttered aloud as Cadenza nodded quickly, hugging me as quickly as she could before stopping to observe.
"I take it your silence means you see the same problem as I do. How the hell do we make it over there?" I motioned to the exit which was on a ledge about 15 feet below us and 10 feet away. That was a lot of ground to cover.
"I can fly there! Just you watch!" She managed to gallop to the edge and gracefully flew to the end, making me cheer for joy as she smiled.
I stopped smiling and turned cold for a moment. That kind of a jump is pretty much impossible. And with crystal spikes like that, failing would mean certain death… I leveled with my optimistic side quickly and decisively.
I wanted so badly to get out of here but more importantly, with her. She was as important to me right now as… as, well as anything!
"James? Are you alright?" She asked, putting a hoof on my shoulder and watching my face contort slowly as I tried to think of a way out of this.
"W-Wow I didn't even see you fly back here, sheesh you're spooky." I jumped a bit, receiving a smile.
"I'm as fine as I can be in my current state… unfortunately I don't see any way I can get over there… to escape." I shrugged, sitting down. If only I had wings.
Then again, that's the wish of a lot of humans: wings to fly.
"Miss Cadenza, I am… well I'm a bit depressed now, as you probably noticed." I shrugged again. I have this habit of describing my emotions to someone randomly… just a thing I do.
"You can make that jump! You look like those long legs are built for running!" Encouraging me, she tried to get me going again.
"They are. But unlike your hooves which can take beatings, mine cannot. A jump, even if I suceeded, would most certainly break them. And making a jump like that in the first place is almost impossible for me. I know my limits." I explained. Hope shone in her eyes brightly as I could almost feel it just from looking up at her.
"And as it is, a running start would be hard. I'm weak from the lack of food and water…" I looked down at my legs and then my wound.
"I am never one to give up easy, but… logic demands that you'll have to leave me here until you get some help." I croaked, thinking about my logic. It was sound, right?
Help probably wouldn't arrive for a while. How can you guarantee that you'll live long enough to be saved?
But making that jump would seal my fate for my legs for a long time. In fact, they may never work right again after a break like that.
What to do?
"I have an idea but its risky. Very risky." She furrowed her eyebrows at the entrance.
"Oh?"
"I could be your… pendelum for a few moments." She said as I stood up and looked down and then where a projected path would send me.
"Yes… Yes! YES! That would work! But I'm too heavy, right?"
"I can carry an earth pony's weight for about 10 seconds. How much do you weigh?"
"175 pounds.. ish."
"Oh my… That is much heavier than us ponies. We're only about 120 pounds, save for the larger ones like Alicorns."
"Its going to have to work, I only have one chance. I really do hope this works, Miss Cadenza." I sighed out of nervousness to her.
"Cadence! Stop calling me that formal, fancy-shmancy name! You're about to trust me with your life, at least you can call me Cadence. Please?" She asked me, practically begging me.
"Uhh… w-well its just because we don't know each other. I wanted to keep it formal and respectful." I explained as she eyed me.
"… Cadence." I finished as she smiled and nodded.
"Much better. We've been stuck down here and you saved me, basically. We're friends now." She smiled and hugged me softly but caringly.
"O-oh… well thanks. My friends never thought of me like that. I mean, they were nice, but… Thanks Cadence. That was really sweet of you."
"Let me know when you're ready." Smiling, she nodded and let me know after we broke the hug. I'm ready right now now now lets go lets go lets go lets go already! I couldn't help but rush the thought.
"I'm ready now. Any more waiting and I'll explode." I quivered with a bit of nervousness.
Cadenza, or in the case of being friendly, Cadence flew up to an appropriate spot and hovered there, smiling at me.
"I'm supposed to jump off this ledge, grab onto you and you're going to swing me? Am I getting this right?" Its at least what I gathered. Seems right, but sketchyyy…
… like etch-a-sketch kinda sketchy.
What if she isn't strong enough?
Well, I guess only one way to find out.
Being of such young age, 18 I think, I didn't think much of the consequences at all. It was at a time in my life where every young adult thinks they're invincible, an illogical approach to which only life and experience can remedy.
"Alright, get ready. On 3." She nodded to me as I began to count:
"1."
"2."
I inhaled sharply and took a back stance and looked at her onec more and nodded.
"3!" I began to run a tad and jumped, my body freely floating through the air to her as I reached out, firmly grabbing her by her forehooves.
She fluttered for a second and swung me, beginning to fall quickly from the sudden weight and shift of downward force. I was essentially "thrown" to the platform and hit the ground on my legs, tumbling and slamming into the wall next to the opening on the cliffside.
I quickly regaing my composure after a mere half-second of nausea to see Cadence falling quite quickly, only slowed partially by her futile flapping from her wings. I ran to the edge and threw my hand out, being met with a single hoof and being drug down to the cliffside, as she slamming into it, bringing me face to face with the edge on my belly, my arms draping over the edge as I struggled to fight a win out of this.
"Cadence! Are you alright!"
"Y-Yeah, I had a cramp. I-I think I'm okay-" She began before some rocks she was shuffling on gave way and I was stuck with the weight of her body on my arms alone. "I-I'm not okay, help me! I-I'm slipping!"
My grip on her tightened; I was not about to let this mare die. Not if I could help it.
Unfortunately I was not able to pull her up on my own strength.
"Cadence! Is there anything you can spring off of?"
"No!" She whined.
"Please, James! Don't let me go!" She begged as I began to growl.
"Wenn es etwas gibt, vor dem du dich fürchten solltest, ist es ein wütender Deutscher!" I growled out to seemingly the world as my arms quivered, my last bit of adrenaline going straight to my arms…
… and what felt like a wave of strenght from my heart.
With a swift movement I drug her up and almost threw her onto the cliffside and stood up quickly, completing the movement.
"Ich wollte dich nicht verlieren." I looked at her and smirked.
"W-What?" She blinked twice at my phrase.
"I was not about to lose you… come to think of it..." I began to think, my gaze moving to the floor, "… how the hell did I do that?"
"I was going to ask the same thing… are you okay?"
"I guess it was one of those German things. I dunno. And yeah, I-I'm fine." For the most part… why is my hair wet?
I felt the right side of my head to find blood, quite a bit of it.
"Aiiyy!"I screeched at the sight of so much blood from me.
"W-What's wro- Oh my goodness!" She held her hoofs over her mouth in shock.
I shook my head and looked at her confidently.
"I-I think I'm okay… for right now. At this point I've got so much adrenaline in my body that I won't feel it for a while… but, good news." I motioned to the large doors which had only now been in view.
"We made it, Cadence! We did it!" I hugged her, us both jumping for joy as the door lay not 10 feet from us.
"We did! We did! Hooray!" She smiled and pulled away from me for a moment, eyeing my lips for a briefest moment before planting a swift kiss on my lips and hugging me with strenght renewed.
She stopped and then recoiled a bit in my eyes, looking into my eyes, shocked at her own actions.
I closed the gap and returned the kiss with my own, earning a slight moan from us both as we shut our eyes and the world out with it.
After a few moments she and I both recoiled and pushed each other away and stared at the ground, jaws hanging open. It took us a few moments to look eye to eye again after such an act.
Aw, grosssssss! I just kissed her? Yuck…
… It did feel kind of good.
But think about the wedding! You can't interfere with that… not with what's at stake. Remember my dude, you know the future… kind of.
"What did we just do?" I asked her, dumbfounded.
"I-I don't know… I-I guess it was just the heat of the moment, getting out-"
"Y-yeah, we didn't really mean it, I mean, after all you do have the wedding to attend to."
She looked down and muttered a "yes" quietly, as if she wasn't excited. As if something happened to make her lose the will to go on with that.
"Y-Yeah, I do." She reluctantly looked into my eyes, something lost within hers from our brief exchange. Its as if a light was suddenly hidden or extinguished.
I don't know what I saw, honestly. I'm probably just as confused as her.
… or am I?
End of Chapter II
Well there we have it, me lads. It was fun writing this chapter, especially the last parts where James made his jump. I really enjoyed writing that. Thanks for reading the second chapter!
Seeya soon!
-Joss10
