49.
Twilight looked around everything was gigantic, but she saw Discord, Dox, Silver and Zero all near the fountain. She trotted over to them. “Okay now what?”
“It’s about time you got here.” Discord said impatiently. “I guess we all fly up to that cave up there and travel along it to the source.”
“Cave?” Twilight looked up. “Oh you mean the fountain?”
Paradox started to laugh. “Spelunking. One of my favorite past times.”
Silver looked at Paradox and kept her mouth closed.
Twilight looked at every pony. “Fine, I’ll go first.” She flew up to the opening, landed and trotted in; then looked down at them. “It seems safe.”
Paradox and Discord appeared right next to her Silver and Zero flew up and landed near her. “I suggest we stay together.” Discord stated as he walked ahead. Everyone followed behind him as it started to get darker the deeper they went inside the cave. Twilight’s horn lit up as it got darker.
“I don’t understand why we need so many ponies to do this.” Silver said. “Paradox and I probably could have done this easily on our own.”
Discord turned around and looked at Silver. “Being that you and Dox have been together for a couple months… You two would have been too distracted to even get beyond the shrinking. As for Zero and Lilly… They’d have a problem focusing too. All you youngsters think about is sex.”
Twilight looked at Discord. “Hmmm…”
Discord raised an eyebrow at her. “What?”
“Nothing…” Twilight muttered.
“Twilight. If you are trying to imply something about Fluttershy and I. Yes, I know all the clichés. I’ll have you know, Fluttershy and I have a very healthy sex life.” Discord said proudly.
“Dad! I didn’t want to know that!” Paradox said and made a face.
Zero looked around warily as they all were talking, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them. He turned around quickly thinking something was behind him, but there was nothing there. He felt the hairs prickle along his back and shoulders.
It really did look like a cave the further they explored the ceiling had stalactites hanging from it. The floor of the cave was rocky and had stalagmites under some of the stalactites. Some had formed pillars of calcified crystals. Possibly from the water that flowed through the area for thousands of years until it was dried up. The walls seemed to shine a deep azure; glowing almost on its own. Twilight reduced her lighting magic in her horn and found out that the walls were illuminating their way.
“It’s beautiful in here.” Silver said in awe. “Look at the crystals.”
“Diamonds.” Discord muttered as he looked at the walls. “That is odd.”
“What is odd?” Twilight asked as she looked at her reflection on one of the walls.
Discord placed his paw on the wall. “I wouldn’t think that diamonds would have formed in here.” He paused.
Paradox was making faces in one of the walls. “Hey Dad… aren’t diamonds the hardest substances in the world?”
Twilight’s ears perked up. “Oh? If this is true then there must have had a lot of pressure to make the diamonds form around this area. Diamonds are the hardest substance, but you hit the crystallization in a certain spot they will shatter.”
“No, this is not what is blocking the flow of water,” Discord suddenly stated, “But we have to break through the diamonds to get any further. The diamonds in this area; actually purified the water.”
“Interesting.” Twilight commented.
“Ahem…” Zero suddenly spoke up as he started to walk backwards into the room. “I think we have company.”
They all turned to see a rather large scorpion crawling towards them. It stopped for a moment its claws clicking as it moved into the area slowly.
“Okay, who invited the arachnid?” Discord asked.
“What do we do?” Twilight asked in a panic. “That thing can be poisonous.”
“Can be?” Paradox asked in shock. “It is! Look at the tip of its tail.”
The scorpion’s tail was poised up to strike if provoked venom was dripping from its curved spike at the tip; as it moved a little bit more into the area as it saw potential prey in its multiple eyes.
“Well, you only live once right?” Discord said as he walked towards the scorpion.
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Discord! What are you doing?”
Paradox put his paw over Silver’s eyes. Zero stepped forward slightly.
The scorpion posed its tail in the air as Discord approached it. With a quick swipe it struck Discord in the chest.
“Dad!” Paradox yelled.
“What?” Discord chuckled as he turned and looked at them. He wasn’t harmed and on the tip of the scorpion’s tail was a cork.
“It all comes down to having faster reflexes than your opponent.” Discord said as he grabbed the scorpion by the tail and dragged it to the other side of the cave close to the diamond wall.
“What are you going to do?” Twilight asked as she watched him drag the scorpion over to the wall.
“Something my wife would disapprove of.” He grinned as he swung the scorpion into the wall shattering the wall in a cascade of diamond fragments; knocking the scorpion unconscious in the process.
They all ran through the opening avoiding the scorpion that was sprawled out on the floor. “I’m going to tell Fluttershy what you did.” Twilight stated as she walked by him.
Discord stuck his tongue out at her. “Snitch.”
Paradox grabbed a huge chunk of diamond as he went through the opening without any pony noticing that he did so; he then made it disappear.
Lilly blinked when a small bluish gem appeared next to her. She sighed and placed it in her side bag she knew that Dox sent it to her. It was also a signal that they were still okay; she kept waiting for them.
The cave suddenly started to curve downward and the floor of it was coated in minerals that made their hooves slip on its surface. “I guess it’s a good thing that we can fly.” Zero muttered as he flapped his wings after he slipped a second time.
Twilight frowned as she tried to look at any clues along the walls. They descended down further suddenly noticing that it was no longer a pipe line and a natural cave where the water used to flow freely. It leveled off again and they all landed on the floor of the cave. It was damp and water dripped slowly from the stalactites.
Silver shivered as they all walked along, their breath coming out in puffs. “It’s cold down here.” she whispered.
Discord studied the stalactites and lifted a small vial to the water dripping from one. He held it up and looked at it; put a stopper in it and made it disappear.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asked him again.
He looked at her innocently. “Absolutely nothing. My goodness Twilight with how much you watch me, one might get the impression you are in love with me.” He then grinned at her frown. “Sorry to disappoint you my dear. I’m already taken.”
Twilight frowned more. “Ugh!” She huffed and trotted to the other side of the cave.
Paradox and Silver walked together, he kept looking at the ceiling nervously. “I wonder how far down we are?”
Silver shook her head. “I don’t know, but this place is making me feel weird.” She looked up at Paradox.
Zero walked forward and between them. “Silver, you feel weird because you are a Pegasus and do not like enclosed places for long.”
Paradox looked at Zero. “This doesn’t affect you because you were an earth pony before Lilly gave you wings. You know, I can remedy that for you O’ brother-in-law of mine.”
Zero shook his head. “No, thank you Paradox. I am quite attached to this gift Lilly gave me.”
“Hmm.” Discord leaned over and gave him a devious grin. “You think that your wings are gifts?”
Zero swallowed hard as he looked at his father-in-law. “Y… Yeah…”
“Oh! Okay.” Discord walked ahead and ignored the fact that he made Zero almost have a heart attack.
Paradox nudged Zero. “Ha! Dad scares you!”
Zero stumbled and righted himself as he blushed. “He doesn’t scare me… he down right terrifies me.” He said honestly.
Twilight kept grumbling as she looked around the cave and stopped as she saw that the cave forked into two different directions. “Which way do we go?”
Discord walked up to her. “I think we’d have to split up.”
“That is not a very good idea.” Twilight said, “Some pony might get hurt or lost.”
Discord rubbed his goatee. “Okay Twilight, I’ll go with Silver and Zero down the left tunnel, you and Paradox go down the right tunnel.”
“Wait!” Paradox protested. “Why are you going down the tunnel with Silver and Zero?”
Discord looked at his son. “Okay, you and Zero go down the right tunnel, Twilight, Silver and I will go down the left tunnel.
“Dad, why can’t Silver and I go down a tunnel while you, Zero and Twilight go down the other?”
“Paradox… you really think I am that naive?” Discord stared at his son.
Silver started to blush. “Dox, your father is implying something. Its ok, I’ll go with Twilight and your Dad.”
Paradox put his head down. “Come on Zero.” He said as he walked down the right tunnel. Zero looked back at Discord and then followed Paradox.
“I hope what you decided is wise.” Twilight stated to Discord as they started walking down the left tunnel.
“No pony ever said I was right in my decisions. Maybe you should have spoken up.” Discord shrugged as he walked ahead of her and Silver.
Twilight felt her ears starting to burn. “Oh no! You cannot put the blame on me if something happens.”
“Aunt Twilight?” Silver said, “He’s just trying to make you upset.”
“Well, it sure is working.” Twilight grumbled.
Discord was chuckling. “Silver, your aunt is just frustrated, because she knows I’m right.”
“I should have gone with the boys.” Twilight muttered.
They fell into silence as they walked. Discord strolled own the tunnel as if he did this sort of thing every day of his life, he whistled a tune that vaguely sounded like ‘Giggle at the Ghosties.’
