Chapter 15:
Facing Your Phobia
Meanwhile, back at the glacier dam, the gap has gotten bigger as a flooded river now flows. Icy rumbles occurred as a section cracked, a column of water pours out and a piece of ice broke off and fell. Below, Scrabbit nearly avoids getting crushed by an ice block as another hits the ice causing it to break apart and fall. Then Scrabbit leaps to the ledge and climbs up nearly avoiding three blocks of ice as he rushed off.
Scrabbit then leaps grabbing a branch of a nest and swings up as he was tossed in the air and grabbed the branch again. Scrabbit then swings up and got into the nest. He looked around and then saw the carrot as he quickly rushed to it and hugged it. Suddenly a breaking sound was heard as Scrabbit stared at his carrot, almost thinking it was coming from it.
Another breaking sound was heard and Scrabbit glanced back to see an egg as it stirred, and then a Vulture Griffon chick broke its head free from the shell as it blinked a few times and turned to Scrabbit.
Scrabbit stared at the chick and then glanced back at his carrot and turns back to the chick and held the carrot protectively. The chick stared at him, and then Scrabbit moved the carrot to his right side as the Vulture Griffon chick's eyes watched it and turned. Scrabbit then moves the carrot back to his left as the chick's eyes watched it.
Scrabbit screamed and the chick shrieked.
Scrabbit ran with the chick chasing behind him as the chick clamped its beak hard onto Scrabbit's tail as he yelped in pain and the carrot was tossed into the air. The chick grabbed the carrot in its beak and landed on Scrabbit with its foot over him and rushed off.
Scrabbit soon recovered and shook his head and then he rushed forward and leaped into the air yelling. Then Scrabbit grapples the chick's right foot, tripping him as he hits the floor of the nest. The chick turns to the carrot and was about to grab it, but Scrabbit quickly rushed in and grabbed it. Then the chick grabs the carrot and they were soon in a tug-of-war match.
The chick got up as Scrabbit pulled on the carrot hard. Then the carrot came loose and they were thrown back as the carrot was tossed high into the air again as they turned to it.
Scrabbit rushed forward ready to grab it when the chick quickly brought its right foot out as Scrabbit ran into it.
The carrot fell into the chick's mouth and the chick swallows it. But then Scrabbit pried its mouth open and reaches down its' throat and grabs his carrot. Then the chick started snapping at Scrabbit as he flees, and the chick screeched as he nears Scrabbit and then lunges snatching at Scrabbits' head as he rushed off as Scrabbit stood still completely headless. Scrabbits body then moved as he feels for his head and then grabs his snout and pulls hard as his head popped back.
Scrabbit shook his head and looked around until a shadow appeared. His eyes widened and glanced up as the carrot slipped from his hands and his left eye twitched.
Standing over him was an adult Vulture Griffon as this is the chick's mother, and she did not look pleased with him intruding on her nest. The chick appears by its mother's side.
Scrabbit stared at the mother nervously and then tucked his arms into wings and made a "Peep?" sound.
But the mother Vulture Griffon lowers down glaring at him.
Below the nest, everything was calm, when the hole broke apart as Scrabbit fell through and screamed all the way down after the mother pushed him through and the chick waved bye to him with the carrot in his beak.
Miles away, Pinkie Pie grabs a couple of rocks and scrapes them together as she heard a rustle in the bushes from being stirred as she turned to them. Then Pinkie tossed a rock away and grabbed another and scrapes them together causing a spark. Then another rustle was heard from the bushes as Pinkie turns to them and Rainbow Dash appeared flying by her.
"Boy, Twilight sure took a big leap with Flash today, huh?" Pinkie Pie said, she was happy things were changing for Twilight.
"Yeah, she sure did," Rainbow Dash said as she lands on the ground and lays down.
"You know, back at the lake she stood up to that Siren monster and throws her back into the water. Splash, kinda brave, huh? The way how Twilight faced her phobia?" Pinkie Pie said as she made a dive on the ground near Rainbow Dash.
"I wouldn't know, Pinkie. I never felt phobia before," Rainbow Dash said as she sat up. She was still in denial of her fear.
"Oh, come on, Rainbow. Every creature has a phobia. It's what separates us from say, rocks, and rocks have no phobias. They just sink," Pinkie said as she tossed a rock into a puddle of water.
"Who told you about that, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash inquired.
"My mother is a bit of an expert on phobias," Pinkie said.
"No, really?" Rainbow Dash asked. It was a little hard to believe that her family knew about more than just rocks.
"Oh, yeah, yeah. As impossible as it may seem, my mom says that we Earth Ponies have natural enemies that would like to harm or otherwise "kill" us," Pinkie said.
"I wonder why?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically.
"Probably, jealously or something. But she said that point is, that phobias are natural," Pinkie said.
Rainbow Dash went up to her and said, "From what I heard, Phobias are for scaredy ponies,".
Then Rainbow Dash turns and started to walk away as Pinkie said, "Well then you, Rainbow Dash, my friend is letting your phobia of the water make you a scaredy pony. But I still think you're one of the bravest ponies I know. But I think I know something that can help you,".
Then Pinkie zipped off to a log over the bushes.
"Here's what you have to do. First, make sure the water is clear and jump in and trust your instinct with caution," Pinkie said as she then jumped into the bushes.
"Did you know that most animals can swim? That they can even swim as babies?" Pinkie said as she swam over the bushes and then dove into them.
Then Pinkie reappeared by a tree and said, "And for a Pegasus, it's like you're walking in the air making clouds disappear into thin air and resting on a cloud on your back,".
Pinkie Pie walked across the log and leaped off of it.
"But faster in the water okay?" Pinkie said as she appeared next to Rainbow Dash hanging by a vine.
Then Pinkie moved around her and said, "You do the hoof and kick, hoof and kick. It's like you're trying to catch a cloud. Hoof and Kick, now, of course, I look over my shoulders to make sure I'm not being followed by a predator and if I am, I swim faster and faster,".
"But if the predator is below me and I'm too busy, then I-," Pinkie said as Rainbow Dash cuts the vine with her teeth and Pinkie falls to the ground with a thump.
"I fall," Pinkie said, feeling dazed.
"Actually, Pinkie, you're sinking. When you get caught by a predator," Rainbow Dash corrected as she steps over Pinkie and walked off.
Author's Note: Looks like the glacier dam is almost halfway gone, with only a big gap in it, a few waterfalls, and a flooded river starting to flow. This means that time is going to run out soon for Equestria before the flood is finally released.
In the meantime, Scrabbit was still trying to get his carrot but had a run-in with a Vulture Griffon Chick and its' mother.
While all that was happening, Pinkie Pie was trying to help Rainbow Dash get over fear of water and even talked to her about Phobias. She even provided a swimming demonstration which didn't go well when Rainbow Dash cut the vine with her teeth and walked over Pinkie after she hits the ground with a thump.