Chapter 9: Stampede!
The next day, Chrysalis has taken Twilight to a large canyon for something she calls a "Big Surprise". The clouds' shadow looms over the landscape under the burning sun. Deep inside the canyon, Chrysalis and Twilight walked. Things were going perfectly for Chrysalis, so far, she managed to drag Twilight out here, all alone. Soon, everything else would fall into place.
"Now you wait, here, Twilight. Your parents have a marvelous surprise for you," Chrysalis said to her "niece" as they neared a rock and tree.
"Oooooh, really? What is it?" Twilight asked, already getting excited.
"Now, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" Chrysalis said as Twilight sat up the rock.
"But if you tell me, I will still act surprised," Twilight promised with a grin.
Chrysalis chuckled, seeing right through her trick, "Hoo-hoo! You are such a naughty girl," she teased shaking her head and grinning at Twilight.
"Come on, Auntie Chrysalis," Twilight pleaded, placing her hooves on Chrysalis's neck but the mare just shakes her head.
"No-no-no-no-no. This is just between you and your parents. You know, a sort of parent-child…Thing. Well! I better go get them," Chrysalis said as she starts to leave.
"Oh, I'll go with you," Twilight said as she starts following Chrysalis.
"NO!" Chrysalis snapped, causing Twilight to stop but then she regained her composure with a nervous laugh and said as she urges Twilight back on the rock, "Uh, no. just stay on this rock, dear. You wouldn't want to end up in another mess like you did with the Diamond Dogs,".
Twilight was shocked when Chrysalis mentioned the incident with the Diamond Dogs. How did she know?
"You know about that?" Twilight asked, feeling shocked.
"Twilight, everypony knows about that," Chrysalis replied, pointedly.
"Really?" Twilight asked, feeling meeked and embarrassed.
"Oh, yes. Lucky, Mommy and Daddy were there to save you, eh?" Chrysalis asked as Twilight silently agreed it was a bit of a close call before her aunt got an idea, "Oh, and just between us, you might want to work on that little magic of yours, hmmm?" Chrysalis said, bringing herself closer to Twilight.
"Oh, okay," Twilight said sullenly as Chrysalis then walks away again. But Twilight perked up as another question came to her.
"Hey, Auntie Chrysalis. Will I like this surprise?" Twilight asked. Chrysalis stopped for a moment then she turns back with a smile.
"Twilight my dear, it's simply to DIE for," Chrysalis emphasized finally walking away, leaving Twilight all alone.
Chrysalis's smile turned wicked, as she was telling the truth that Twilight surprise was to die for. But not in a good way.
Meanwhile, above the canyon, a huge herd of Caribou is grazing on some grass. Bull Caribous were on the watch while the calves were playing around and chasing each other. But as the herd grazed, they are unaware that Rover, Fido, and Spot were hiding underneath a rock archway, waiting for the signal from Chrysalis. The three Diamond Dogs are trying to be quiet, but Fido's stomach was growling so loud that the Caribous can hear it.
"Be Quiet, Fido!" Rover whispered.
"Sorry, Boss. I just can't help it, I'm so hungry…I Gotta Have A Caribou!" Fido whispered, jumping up.
"Stay put," Rover ordered him with a glare.
"Well, can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?" Fido asked, pinching his finger.
"No! We wait for the signal from Chrysalis," Rover snapped back as Fido slouched in disappointment.
The three Diamond Dogs looked up and see Chrysalis mounting on a rock, looking down at them with an evil smirk and giving them a slight nod. "There she is," Rover said.
Knowing it's time for them to act, Rover looked at his two friends and said with an evil and yet amusing expression, "…Let's have some fun,".
And the three dogs left their hiding place, preparing to set their evil plan into motion.
Back in the canyon, where Twilight was left alone, Twilight is now laying on the rock thinking about what Chrysalis said about her magic. Twilight felt somewhat annoyed that her magic was only a few sparks. She knows she could produce a strong beam of magic. If she was in danger, Twilight knew she could scare the danger away.
"Little Magic. Puh!," Twilight said to herself.
Then the princess saw a lizard walking past her very slowly at a time and thought of something. What if Twilight could scare the lizard with her magic? Twilight tries shooting at the lizard but only a few sparks came out and the lizard didn't react to this first attempt. Matter of fact, the lizard just walked like Twilight wasn't even there.
Twilight got off the rock and tries again. Her magic was getting stronger than before but the lizard still doesn't react to this of her magic. For the third attempt, Twilight moves closer again, and concentrating and inhaling, she lets out a loud, strong, beam of magic onto the ground near the lizard, causing the small reptile to scurry away in fright. The beam sent a huge boom echoing across the canyon.
Twilight listened in on the echo, now knowing that she could produce a powerful beam of magic. But suddenly, the echo is soon eclipsed by a low rumble. Twilight heard it coming from somewhere as she feels the ground shaking at her hooves and looks down to see small pebbles jumping from the rumble. That's when Twilight heard the rumble getting louder by the second as birds were heard squawking.
Looking up at the rim of the canyon, Twilight sees a large cloud of dust coming from the top of the canyon, and running down into the canyon is the Caribou herd and they are heading for the Alicorn filly. Twilight had a terrified look on her face.
Soon, without thinking anything else, Twilight takes off running in front of the stampede as more Caribous keep coming and piling in the canyon.
Back at the top of the canyon, the Three Diamond Dogs chased after the herd, snapping and nipping at their heels, to get the herd running.
When every last Caribou ran into the canyon, the Diamond Dogs stopped chasing and watched in amusement.
The plan was in motion.
Twilight kept on running for her life with the stampede running right behind her.
At the same time it happened, Cobalt, Aurora, and Blaze-Horn were patrolling the area when the latter noticed something in the distance. They were only a short distance away from the canyon and he saw a large dust cloud coming out of the canyon. Then he remembered a herd of Caribou were there earlier.
"Oh, look dudes. The herd is on the move," Blaze-Horn said to Cobalt and Aurora, gesturing to the canyon.
"That's Odd," Cobalt said as he and Aurora noticed it as well.
"Indeed, I was told their migration wouldn't start until the afternoon," Aurora added, wondering why the Caribou were leaving so soon.
"Aurora! Cobalt! Quick!" The two looked down to see Chrysalis climbing up to them, seemingly panicking and out of breath, "Stampede. In the canyon. Twilight's Down There!" she yelled, as fear grew on the alicorns faces.
"Twilight?" Cobalt and Aurora said in unison with worried expressions.
Back in the canyon, Twilight was still running away from the stampede but the herd was starting to catch up to her. Twilight looked around frantically for anything to get out of the way. That's when she noticed a dead tree in front of her and soon she started climbing onto its branch as it bends forward. And since Alicorns don't have claws, Twilight wrapped her forehooves around the tree branch and held on to it for her dear life.
Cobalt, Aurora, and Chrysalis ran as quickly as their hooves could carry them to the canyon with Blaze-Horn flying ahead of them.
Blaze-Horn made it to the canyon and dives down as he flew above the stampede and starts looking for Twilight. Then he spotted the princess hanging onto the tree and flew to her.
"Blaze-Horn, Help Me!" Twilight yelled.
"Don't worry! Your parents are on their way! Hold on!" Blaze Horn yelled, flying back.
"Hurry!" Twilight yelled, slowly losing her grip.
Cobalt, Aurora, and Chrysalis slid down to the lower edge of the canyon and looked around for Twilight, Chrysalis less than Aurora and Cobalt. Blaze-Horn quickly flies over them, "She's down there holding on to that tree!" He said while pointing them to where Twilight is.
Cobalt and Aurora looked down to see their daughter trying to hold on to the tree.
"Hold on, Twilight!" Cobalt yelled to his daughter with a worried expression.
Suddenly a Caribou rams the tree Twilight was on, nearly breaking it with the sound of a "SNAP!". Causing the princess to scream in fright while trying to hang on.
"We're coming Twilight! Just hang on!" Aurora shouted as she and Cobalt jumped from the edge and ran into the stampede trying to save their daughter.
"Oh, Chrysalis-Dudette! This is awful! What do we do?! What do we do?! Wait! I'll go back for help! That's it, I'll go back for…," Blaze-Horn panicked, watching the King and Queen running with the stampede.
But suddenly, Chrysalis blasted him with her magic, therefore hitting him to a rock wall, knocking him into unconsciousness.
Cobalt and Aurora continued running with the stampede until they slightly passed the tree. The two adult Alicorns quickly whipped around in front of some Caribou and run into the herd towards the tree. But as Aurora and Cobalt ran close to the tree, Cobalt was rammed head-first by a passing Caribou, throwing him to the ground in pain. Aurora heard her husband and stopped to see the King injured.
"Cobalt!" Aurora yelled, running back and helping Cobalt get back up.
Then they looked up and saw a Caribou struck Twilight's tree, finally breaking the tree and throwing the young princess into the air "AHHH!" Twilight screamed as she soared towards the ground but before she could hit the ground, Aurora quickly jumps into the air and caught her daughter in her hooves.
Twilight held on as Aurora and Cobalt ran to get themselves and their daughter out of the stampede. Chrysalis was walking along the ledge lurking in the shadows above the royal family.
As the royal family ran, Cobalt saw a Caribou running towards them at a fast speed.
"Aurora! Look out!" Cobalt yelled as he pushed his wife and daughter out of the way, only for himself to have collided with the Caribou.
The push caused Aurora to lose her grip on Twilight and sent the princess onto the ground. Twilight managed to dodge a few oncoming Caribou until Aurora runs by and quickly picked her daughter up as she ran, nearly missing a hit from another Caribou that crashed.
"Wh-Where's daddy?" Twilight asked fearfully, as she noticed her father was nowhere to be seen. Aurora remained silent as she feared, Cobalt was already lost to them.
Aurora runs to a nearby rock ledge and rears up on her hind legs to place Twilight on the ledge. But when Aurora tries to climb onto the ledge with her daughter, she was struck by a Caribou and was carried away into the stampede.
"MOMMY!" Twilight screamed, watching her mother being carried off and disappearing into the stampede.
Twilight watches in horror as she cannot find her father or mother in the swirling mass of Caribou below her. Twilight's eyes looked around frantically for her parents. Until at the last second, Aurora jumps out of the stampede and lands on the side of the canyon as she starts climbing with great difficulties up to the top of the slope since she doesn't have claws and her wing was broken after being struck by the Caribou.
Twilight smiles happily when she saw her mother is alright. Then the young princess turns and starts climbing to the top of the canyon.
Meanwhile, out of Twilight's sight, Aurora has reached the point right below the ledge, where she couldn't climb anymore due to the steepness and the fact that she doesn't have any claws on the back of her feet so she doesn't have any traction. The Queen looked up and sees Chrysalis standing above her and looking down at her disdainfully.
"Chrysalis! Sister! Help Me!" Aurora pleaded, starting to slip and scraping on the rocks, struggling to hang on.
Chrysalis continues looking down at Aurora until suddenly she latched her hooves onto Aurora's hooves, causing the Alicorn Queen to whinny in pain, primarily from the sudden pain of Chrysalis's hooves stomping on hers.
Chrysalis lowers her head to look at Aurora eye-to-eye as Aurora looks back at her.
"Long Live The Queen," Chrysalis said slowly with an evil smile.
Aurora's eyes widen for she has a sudden realization and her expression changes to horror as she recognizes her sisters' true intent.
And Chrysalis threw her older sister off the slopes and Aurora free-falls, right into the stampede back-first.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Aurora screamed as she falls to her death.
"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" Twilight screamed, watching her mother hit the ground.
The stampede concluded as the last of the caribou ran out of the canyon before Twilight ran down to the ground to try and find her parents…only to be met with the moment that would scar her for the rest of her life.