Raisin Quest 4
Day 12

>Decide to visit Sweet Apple Acres in search of Applejack’s oil burning Lamp
>—Address Applejack upon visiting the house—
>**Let Applejack know that school was cancelled for the day**
>Investigate Toolshed in search of Lamp; find out that it’s locked
>Remember that there was a perfectly good Lamp sitting inside of the Clubhouse
>**Return Applejack’s Love Letter to her room**
>Obtained Lamp from Clubhouse
>Run to the schoolhouse to continue your investigation
>Discover construction worker making analysis of the sunken schoolhouse
>Decide to investigate Suspicious Hole in the side of the Schoolhouse first
>—Convince construction worker that you and your friends are part of the Royal Junior Architects Program for Gifted Fillies™—
>—Construction worker checks the hole you punched into the ground, runs off to warn construction crew—
>Yell to friends that the schoolhouse isn’t stable; discover that Scootaloo has already jumped inside and cannot get out
>Throw Applebloom your Spool of Rope to fish Scootaloo out of the Schoolhouse
>—Try to approach schoolhouse, fall through unstable ground despite your best efforts to maintain weight distribution—
>Tell Applebloom to lower the lit Lamp into the hole so that you can see
>xXx Ask Sweetie Belle to go ahead and fetch Twilight to ‘rescue’ you xXx
>Explore a bit further into the tunnel beyond the schoolhouse; hear a low, loud noise in the far distance
>Twilight teleports you out of the Cave System
>—Convince Twilight that the Schoolhouse could warrant a breakthrough in the scientific pony community concerning Boulder Snakes—
>Open up the schoolhouse; discover that it is currently dark and empty

Three small fillies, a golem, and a very curious purple mare explore the vicinity around the peculiar site of a sunken schoolhouse. Underground in a shallow tunnel system, the 5 of them tread a little water as Twilight Sparkle conducts research on the damage to the stone foundation of the schoolhouse. As she chisels away at a large variety of samples, her protective side prevents Raisin or her friends from going any further into the tunnel system while she’s busy. A low, howling sound booms from deeper within the Earth, calling up the tunnel like a great roar. Who knows what dangers lay hidden just beyond the schoolhouse…

>3:30PM As Twilight pores over the scarred up base of the schoolhouse, she reaches further and further under the most likely unstable building to collect more 'interesting' samples. You see Applebloom and Scootaloo starting up a small splash war near the schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle looks a little nervous.

"Hey, Twilight… we left our Lamp and Rope up top by the hole. Could you warp… uh… Sweetie Belle up there quick so she can bring it down?"

Twilight deftly knocks off a bit of the stone foundation with her magic chisel. As she seals the test tube, she looks your way. "Oh, don't worry, Raisin. I'm only going to be collecting a few more samples here. As soon as I get the last of my testtubes filled, we'll be on our way out of here."

You get a little closer to her, minding the schoolhouse. "Well, I only ask because Sweetie looks a bit scared. It's REALLY dark down here… besides, if we had it, you wouldn't have to exert as much energy powering your magic light."

Twilight searches the underside of the schoolhouse quick. "…oh, alright… hold on." The purple mare stretches up out of the water, rolling her head back. Collecting all of these samples must be a real pain in the neck.

She looks up at the entrance of the hole, spotting the lamp barely peeking up over the side. "Oh, hold on…" In a few moments, the Lamp attached to the Spool of Rope drifts down into the hole, offering a significant amount of light. You can see the tunnel walls again.

Upon closer inspection, you see that the walls are covered in jagged gemstones. The water that passed through here must have washed them out of the soil. It's quite a marvelous display.

Sweetie Belle volunteers to hold the lamp, letting Twilight carefully tie it around her stomach so it sits firmly upon her back.

"That's much better." Applebloom comments, looking over the walls. "It's actually real pretty down here…"

While Twilight pokes and prods at the underside of the Schoolhouse for her last few samples, you wander up to Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle. They're all walking along the tunnel, admiring the shimmering display along the walls.

It takes significant effort to plow your way through the muck, but you catch up. "Guys! Guys!"

Scootaloo stops. "Hey Raisin, isn't his amazing?"

"Yes… I've never seen anything like this… but now's not the time to get lost in the tunnels. Since we've got the Lamp now, I think we should try and explore the schoolhouse a little bit. There might be something useful in there."

"Wait, Raisin… yer not just wantin' to go up in there to fetch yer Daring Do book ya left at school the other day, are ya?"

You suddenly remember that you had tucked one of your favorite editions of Daring Do inside of your desk at school. You're so far ahead in your studies that you've been sneaking in some time to reread it during class.

"Well, no… not entirely. I just wanted to see what might be in there."

"It's just the schoolhouse… what could possibly be in there?" Scootaloo looks back at the red house over her shoulder. From back here, illuminated by Twilight's horn, it looks almost ghostly.

"…what if there's some sort of… monster… hiding inside?" Sweetie Belle swallows. The CMC stare at the house in silence as Twilight seems to finally finish collecting her final sample.

As you and the CMC stare back at the schoolhouse, you can't help but feel that Twilight's light makes it look like the house is floating in midair. It's eerie to see it hanging from the ceiling just a few feet off of the top of the water… with the door just out of the reach of your friends.

As Twilight seals up her last test tube sample, a brilliant idea runs through your head. You lead the CMC slightly closer to the schoolhouse, though they seem hesitant to follow.

"Are you girls ready to go back up top? Or did you want to research the gemstone deposits a bit longer?" Twilight latches her saddlebag shut.

"Actually Twilight… um… you know, since we're down here… I kind of left my favorite book inside of the schoolhouse…"

Scootaloo laughs. "Ha! Knew that's what you were after!"

"C'mon, it's the best one in the series… the water down here isn't going to be good for it at all…"

Twilight is surprisingly quick to agree. "Now that you mention it, the damp air down here isn't good for any of the books trapped inside the schoolhouse…"

"So you'll help me get it out of there?"

The unicorn rounds the corner of the building, then opens the front door with her magic. Her horn illuminates the hallway completely, revealing the building to be completely abandoned. "I'll do more than that. Stand back…"

As her horn's magic flares up, you see a mass of books heading out of the front door and up towards the hole in the ceiling of the tunnel. They fly out in a single file line, exiting the dark, muggy cave to the calm sunlight above. As the last book comes out of the front door, Twilight is sure to let you see the cover. She was able to find your Daring Do #16 tucked away inside the classroom.

"Whew… thank you so much, Twilight…"

She lifts it out of the hole, placing it just out of view. "Thanks for reminding me about the books… they could get moldy after just a few days of being down here."

"They're just books." Scootaloo shrugs. Twilight looks slightly annoyed at Scoots, but you can tell she's very thankful for you having brought them to her attention.

"Are you girls ready to leave?" She asks.

From what you can tell from water level, the schoolhouse appears to be completely empty. It's eerily silent inside.

Wanting to be as thorough as possible, you lean in close to Twilight, pretending to want to keep your concern as quiet as possible.

"Uh.. Um, when you cast the spell, I think I saw something moving inside. Should we check it out?"

Twilight looks a bit surprised. "Really? You saw something?"

"Yeah… it was moving around when you almost had all the books out. I swear!"

Twilight opens the schoolhouse door up again with her hoof. Standing up on her rearlegs, she calls inside. "Hello? Anypony in there?"

Applebloom shakes her head. "Twilight! What if there's a monster in there?!"

A few moments of the thunderous rushing noise down the tunnel past the schoolhouse rumbles on.

"…I don't see anything, Raisin…"

"Help Scootaloo up into there. I think we should make sure…"

Scootaloo looks a little scared. "What? Why me? No way I'm going in there…"

Twilight sighs. "Hold on, I'll look… keep an eye out on the schoolhouse. Tell me if it starts… moving… or something."

The mare climbs up inside to get a better look around. She promptly turns off into one of the rooms, looking around for the 'monster' you saw.

You're currently standing outside of the front of the schoolhouse.

Scootaloo's face suddenly bursts with wonderment. "Raisin, you clever cucumber!" She whispers excitedly.

"Uh… huh?"

"We can totally lose her and explore the tunnels now! It's perfect!" She's already standing atop your back with her muddy hooves, ready to go.

Applebloom nods. "Hey! We totally could!"

"Uh… well, no, that's not the plan… she'll probably chase us through the tunnels if we just sneak off. Let's get her to go home and climb back down here when she's gone."

Scootaloo suddenly drops down into the water. "Ugh… fine…"

After a few minutes, Twilight trots out of the front door, hopping down into the murky water. "Well, I scoured the entire building." She tilts her head to the side, revealing a small mouse clinging desperately to her mane. "I found this little guy, but nothing else."

"Well… it was worth a look, right?" As you say this, Scootaloo groans to herself.

In the blink of an eye, you find yourself bathed in blinding sunlight. Your friends complain as the light hurts their dark adjusted eyes.

"I've got a lot of experiments to run on these new samples. I'll let you know what I find out…" Twilight looks giddy. "I'm the very first mare to get a chance to study real live Boulder Snake bites! This is incredible!"

She stares at you and the CMC. The four of you are reluctant to leave. She looks about awkwardly for a moment.

"After you!"

She shakes her head. "Raisin, please. Come on, girls, we've got science to do."

The mouse in Twilight's mane jumps down to safety, then scurries off into a nearby bush.

Not wanting to abandon the newly discovered tunnels just yet, you think up an excuse quick. Twilight lifts up the pile of books she rescued from the schoolhouse, preparing to escort them and your friends back to town. She lays down your copy of Daring Do #16 by your hooves. You leave it on the safety of the road; your saddlebags are still soaked and you don't want to risk damaging the cover.

"Well, Twilight, as much as we love doing science, we were kind of planning on going to Whitetail Woods to try and get our tree climbing Cutie Marks. We just made a little detour to the schoolhouse to see if anything changed."

Applebloom chimes in. "Oh yeah! That's why we brought the rope with us! We were gonna try climbing up the tallest trees we could find!"

Sweetie Belle agrees. "What she said!"

Twilight looks a little worried. "Whitetail Woods?" She pauses for a moment, looking further down the trail leading from the schoolhouse. "Well, I guess that makes sense… you sure you don't want to help me test some of these samples out, Raisin? We could be making history with this research…" The books hover in the air behind her.

"Well, maybe after we're done climbing trees…"

Twilight stops. "Uh… you know, as much as I hate to bring it up… aren't you a little too heavy to cli…"

You immediately dish out the sad filly eyes. Though she remains suspicious, she cannot resist the vitreous shine of your stony spheres.

"…alright… you girls play safely, okay? Don't go down into that tunnel; there's no telling what the schoolhouse plans on doing… it could fall at any moment." Twilight warns. "I will be checking back here later, got it?"

You and the CMC all give confirmation simultaneously.

Twilight looks back over her shoulder hesitantly as the books follow her back down the trail into town. You and the CMC are very slowly trotting down toward the Whitetail Bridge. After Twilight disappears out of sight, the group stops and forms into a huddle.

Scootaloo smiles. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Let's get back to the hole. I'll lower you guys down with the Spool of Rope, then just jump on in."

Applebloom nods. "Alrighty… sounds good to me."

Your little group keeps an eye out for Twilight down the lonely little road. There doesn't seem to be any sign of the purple mare in the immediate vicinity.

You blow into the oil Lamp on Sweetie's back, realizing that you do not breathe air. A little annoyed, you ask Applebloom to extinguish the flame for you.

"Wait a minute… but aren't we goin' right back down into the tunnels?" She tilts her head.

"Yeah, we're gonna need all the light we can get! Remember how dark it was down there?!" Scootaloo points out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just extinguish it quick so it doesn't catch any attention while we're going back down. We can light it up once we're all inside the tunnels."

"Alright… ah guess…" Applebloom gives the oil Lamp a little puff. The fire fizzles out, letting a small smoke trail rise up out of the Lamp as the wick cools.

It doesn't take long to find the hole once again. The schoolhouse seems to have gained an ominous atmosphere while you were away…

As you draw closer to the schoolhouse once again, you hear an odd noise emanating from around the side of the building. It sounds like something breathing heavily with a raspy throat. Oddly enough, it sounds like it's eating through a pile of twigs.

"Wh-what the… what is that? You girls hear that?" You whisper quietly, keeping an eye out toward the side of the building. The only thing you see is the tip of a lion tail poking out, flinching as the crunching noises continue. You and the CMC don't seem to have startled it yet…

"Oh no… is that… what is that, Raisin?" Sweetie Belle whispers.

"…I might have an idea…"

"Mind sharing?" Scootaloo crouches atop your back, peeking over the top of the bush.

You stare at the little tail twitching by the corner of the schoolhouse. Whatever it is, it's sitting down eating something.

QUICK ACTION

"Scootaloo, what kind of Firework did you bring along with you?"

"Thinking about using it as a distraction?" She smirks. "It's a Raging Rooster… you know, like the one I touched off during recess that one time?"

You remember how extremely loud the thing was. It shoots up a brilliant shower of red and green sparks, ending with an explosive retort.

"Alright… I'll consider it then…"

You formulate a cunning plan to scare the griffin away. "Alright, so here's what we're going to do…"

"Alright… now what?" Applebloom helps you get the last of your supplies exchanged, tucking the Box of Quarter Sticks neatly into one of your pockets.

"I'm going to ignite this Raging Rooster right next to the creep. That'll send him running."

Scootaloo nods. "There's no way he'll stick around to listen to it! That thing's deafening!" She whispers excitedly.

"Lastly… you guys just stay in hiding here. Don't jump out and don't make a sound. If something looks like it's going wrong, don't worry; I've got a plan here. Just sit tight and don't alert that… thing's attention, got it?"

"Right." The CMC quietly bump hooves with you as they nestle into the bush a bit better. They keep down low. "Cutie Mark Crusader Creature Startlers yay!"

Very cautiously, you step up and out of the bushes, taking a hard left to the opposite side of the schoolhouse. The creature seems to be crunching something in it's mouth still… the shaking of leaves follows with each bite. As you get closer, you can hear it whining, like it's not enjoying its meal.

As you approach the opposite side of the school, you feel your hoof break through the ground.

"…"

You wait and listen. The creature seems to preoccupied to notice the sound. The CMC remain dead silent, watching your every move.

Keeping your cool, you realize that the seemingly safe ground ahead cannot be traversed. You're not even sure if the ground you're standing on is exactly safe, either… Your incredible weight will surely pull you through the ground and into the tunnels if you go any further.

"Hmm… looks like this is as far as I can go…"

You cannot see the creature at all, but you see a large pile of fresh tree branches resting by the back corner of the school, close to the hole in the schoolhouse. A strange fruit grows on the branches. As you observe, you see a branch go behind the side of the building to the griffin. The terrifying crunching sound continues.

"…is he eating… a tree?"

You shake your head. Quietly, you reach into your saddlebags and withdraw the Firework. You set it on the ground, close to the schoolhouse.

You stare at the fuse, hoping that Celestia will direct enough solar rays to it that it will spontaneously ignite. You currently do not have anything in your inventory that will light the fuse.

"…you've got to be kidding me…"

The griffin continues to munch on the tree branches. You swear that you hear Scootaloo slapping her hoof into her forehead.

Looking down at the unlit Firework then back to the bushes, you sharply strike your hoof in the air twice, then motion towards yourself. With a slight glower, you see Scootaloo pop out of the bushes. She tiptoes over the grass, fluttering her wings lightly in an attempt to lessen her impact on the ground. Her eyes are glued on the fidgeting tail of the nearby griffin.

You hear it stop eating for a moment, followed by two hissing noises. It continues eating the branch.

In a few moments, Scootaloo is face to face with you. "I thought you said you had a plan?" She whispers very quietly. You nod, then reach into her saddlebags. Carefully, you withdraw her trusty Stompstarter, then set it on the ground next to the Firework.

"Alright… now that it's set…"

"…okay, now… the ground is unstable here. I need you to light this when I'm clear…"

"What?! Are you serious?!" Scootaloo whisper shouts.

The creature on the other side of the schoolhouse stops eating. You cover Scootaloo's mouth and wait a few moments. Some odd noises emanate from the other side of the school; terrifying, nasty avian clicks and squeals. You tremble a little bit, but relax as the crunching of the branches continues. Scootaloo shivers after you let go, chilled by your cold exterior.

"…fine." She mouths the word.

As you back away from the firework, the griffin seems content with eating the gnarled branches it found. You duck behind the bushes with the other Crusaders. Scootaloo nods towards you, then gives the Stompstarter a kick. Her dry Stompstarter shoots up a stream of orange sparks, easily igniting the fuse. The griffin immediately takes notice to the sound.

Scootaloo runs back to the bushes with her Stompstarter in mouth. The Firework fizzles and burns next to the schoolhouse… the griffin rounds the back corner of the building, screeching at the Firework.

Suddenly, it begins erupting a brilliant stream of red and green sparks. The sound is absolutely deafening; all of Ponyville can probably hear it. The griffin doesn't seem to be enjoying it too much. He screams and clutches his ears. A few moments later, his claws start swiping at the little explosive.

The firework tips, sending the sparks into the side of the wooden schoolhouse. In a matter of moments, it explodes, causing the side of the schoolhouse to catch fire. The griffin has also caught fire; he yelps and rolls before taking off into the air. He flies toward Whitetail Woods, his tail leaving a smoldering smoke trail.

"Uh oh…"

The fire begins to climb up the side of the building. It's still small at the moment.

While the little fire starts climbing up the side of the schoolhouse, you search the ground for the entrance into the Underground Tunnels. It doesn't take you long to spot the pony shaped hole a distance away from the schoolhouse.

"Quick… we need to get back into the tunnels!"

Sweetie Belle watches the orange flames lick up the side of the school. "B-but what about the fire?"

"The pegasi will definitely see it. That's why we need to get going right now." You make your way toward the hole, taking your boots off along the way. You pop them into your inventory quick.

As you get nearer to the hole, your hoof jams through the soft, thin ground, nearly sending your face first down through the Earth. Your friends draw close from behind as they keep on eye on the slowly growing fire above the school. Some black smoke is tumbling up into the sky as the flames start hitting the roof.

Sweetie Belle is already untying the rope from around her waist as Scootaloo and Applebloom catch up. They both grab onto your rearlegs and try to pull you back up, though your other legs are all on solid ground.

"Thanks, guys…" You turn quick. "Sweetie Belle, just undo enough rope so that I can lower you down. We'll have to move quick, but I think I can safely lower you guys down there before the Pegasi arrive."

"Alright, Raisin… sounds like a plan." Applebloom helps Sweetie Belle untie herself. Scootaloo looks down into the hole. "I'll just hover down. Get Applebloom and Sweetie Belle down here safely!"

Quickly, the little pegasus jumps into the hole. Her wings beat like mad as they try to slow her descent. She lands with a little splash, but calls up, "I'm good! Send her down!"

Quickly, you begin lowering Sweetie Belle down into the hole. In a matter of seconds, the rope becomes loose. Scootaloo calls up, "She's free! Send Applebloom down… quick!"

Looking up, you can see a couple of gray storm clouds heading this way. They'll be here in a matter of seconds.

Not losing your cool, you direct the rope hanging into the hole to Applebloom. "Just slide down!" She looks up to the storm clouds, then back to the hole. Risking it, she wraps her hooves around the rope and slides down into the dark cavern.

The pegasi up above haven't come out from around their clouds yet, but you know they're about to kick the rainwaters out.

"Look out below!"

You hear your friends splash out of the way, then quickly dive into the hole. You're not sure if your voice caught the attention of the pegasi, but as the darkness overwhelms your senses once again, you feel somewhat safe. The storm clouds block out the last traces of natural sunlight as you smash into the muddy tunnel floor, letting the water rush over your body.

"Let's get beyond the schoolhouse, quick…" You speak with a softer tone so that your voice doesn't travel too far. You can hear some hooves pattering against the ground above.

You and your party slog through the murky water, yourself trailing the others as you squeeze between the tunnel wall and the schoolhouse. The thunderous noise deeper down in the tunnels is accompanied by the heavy downpour of rain towards the tunnel entrance.

"Hello? Is anypony down here?!" An unfamiliar voice calls down.

"Move move move…" Applebloom motions you towards her as you drag your unstoppable golem body through a few feet of mud and water. Your group clears the schoolhouse, though is now in perfect pitch black darkness. Their eyes hang in the blackness, somehow illuminated in comparison to the surroundings. They seem to acknowledge this fact by being able to make eye contact with one another.

"That was close…" Scootaloo comments.

Ahead, you hear the thunderous roar of the tunnels. Behind you, a voice calls down into the tunnels over the sound of a rainstorm.

Moving deeper into the tunnels, you tap Applebloom's flank. "This way. There's dry land over here."

She jumps and gasps as your cold hoof gives her a tap. "Raisin! Whew… you scared me." You briefly remember that you had the same effect on Twilight. This must have something to do with you eyes not showing up in the dark like everyone elses.

The group follows you until you reach a small ridge leading out of the water. You're thankful that you're not trudging up a few feet of thick, nasty mud anymore. You drip along with your three friends, trying to crowd onto the narrow strips of land.

"I can't see anything!" Scootaloo tries to talk over the sound of the roar deeper into the tunnel.

"Sweetie Belle, you still have the Lamp on you, right?"

"Yes… I made sure to put it in my saddlebags after I untied the rope." She reaches into her bags. "I can't see…"

Sweetie Belle pulls the lamp out, setting it down on the dry land. "Alright… here it is!" She takes a few moments to reach around the little oil lamp, opening up the case to allow ignition. "I think it's open…"

Scootaloo reaches into her saddlebags. "Alright, stand back, I'll give it a light…"

As Scootaloo kicks for the Stompstarter, you hear a metallic clink. She falls down. "YEeeeoWch! Ow ow ow! Ohhhh owwww ow ow ow ow…"

"Did ya miss it?" Applebloom comments. "Hold on, lemme get this…" Applebloom reaches around in the dark to position it close to her and the lamp.

You hear a couple of clinks against your stony skin. "I'm just going to chill up here for a second…" Scootaloo sounds like she clipped herself on the little bugger.

"Yeah, that's fine…"

"…but seriously, Scoots, you dingus. How'd you miss that?"

"What?! How was I suppose to know I'd accidentally kick the side of it? I can't see anything down here!" Scootaloo sounds offended.

"It's got that huge platform for a reason, you know…"

She taps her good hoof against your mane. "I'd like to see you hit it in complete pitch black dark, Ms. Bird Bath."

You stop taunting Scootaloo. "Hey, alright… I'm sorry… just relax up there. I'll carry you around for a bit."

Sweetie Belle's eyes give you a look, wondering why you changed your tone so fast.

Applebloom winds up for a kick…

In a few seconds, you hear the Stompstarter jump off the ground along with a similar clink. "AHHH! Yeoowwch!!" Applebloom winces and shakes her hoof in the air. "Gosh darn it, that smarts…"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Ah'm fine… shoot! Darn it!" She kicks the ground, wincing again when she does so with her injured hoof.

"Told you it was hard…" Scootaloo says.

"Ah didn't think Ah'd miss it so bad… this thing is just unlucky, that's what's goin' on." She rubs her hoof in the darkness, trying to ease the pain.

Sweetie Belle picks the Stompstarter up off the ground. "Uh, hold on. I'll give it a kick…"

With a solid clink, you hear the Stompstarter sputter up a small storm of sparks. The grinding wheel chisels away at the flint as a cascading shower of sparks lights up the cave for a brief moment. In a matter of seconds, the Lamp flutters and comes to life. A flame keeps the area well lit. You see that Applebloom is holding her front right hoof between her legs, trying to keep pressure on it.

"Aw, finally. Good work, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo compliments from atop your back.

"Behold, we have light!" Sweetie Belle squeaks. "…how are you guys doing? You didn't get super hurt on this thing, did you?"

Looking down at the Stompstarter, you can see a shaving of hoof along with a tiny dabble of blood on the other side. You pick it up, handing it up to Scootaloo.

"Thanks…" The pegasus carefully tucks it into her bags.

"Hey, Applebloom… we can still explore. I'll give you a lift."

"B-but… nah, Ah can…" She shakes her hoof a little more. It has a tiny bit of red on it.

"You can just climb on top of Scootaloo. I can carry both of you no problem."

Scootaloo jumps down quick, taking care not to step down with her own injured hoof. She picks Applebloom up and rolls her onto her back. She climbs back up your side carefully, resting her chin on your head. "Lead the way, Sweetie."

"Will do!" Sweetie Belle picks up the Lamp by the upper ring in her mouth, carrying it ahead of you.

"Hey you two…" You call up to Applebloom and Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle trots ahead, but stays close.

"Yeah? What's up?" Scootaloo asks.

"Why don't you guys wrap your capes around your injured hooves? You know, like makeshift bandages."

The two are quick to pick up on this, taking their CMC capes off and wrapping it around their respectively injured hooves.

As you go a little further into the cave, you notice that the water in the center deepens dramatically, going down some sort of funnel shaped hole. A whirlpool in the middle of the path pulls water down into some pitch black hole. It looks utterly terrifying. Your group hugs the wall as they walk passed it.

"Well… I'm glad we didn't blindly stay in the water…"

The walls down this way don't seem as mineral rich. You notice that a slope in the path is pulling the water down further into the tunnels. Up ahead, the path temporarily dips down into the water. Sweetie Belle stops as she nears it.

Setting the Lamp down, she turns back to meet your eyes. "Uh… how do I get across without making the lamp go out?" She looks down at the lamp, then the small expanse of water.

Ahead, the ceiling dips right where the water covers the path. It's hard to see completely what may lie ahead of this point.

Analyzing the situation carefully, you lay down against the ground. "Alright, I'm going to try and wade across with one of you up on my back. I don't think it's that deep."

Applebloom jumps off, landing on the ground as carefully as possible. She keeps her wrapped up hoof elevated. "Ah vote Scootaloo."

The pegasus doesn't seem to protest it. "Eh, I trust you, Raisin." She lifts her head up above yours a little, peering down into the water. "It really doesn't look that bad, anyways."

You reach into your saddlebags, withdrawing your Box of Quarter Sticks. Applebloom whines. "Oh no… I forgot you had all that stuff in your bags…"

"Don't worry; the box is partially water proof. The explosives are probably fine." You set it on the ground. Scootaloo takes her saddlebags off completely. "I'd prefer to keep them dry if I can…"

Taking a look around the lower ceiling spanning the tunnel, you peer into the water, seeing the dry path ahead just within walking distance. "Alright… hang on tight, Scoots…"

Scootaloo pulls in close. "Ready."

Slowly, you descend into the cool, murky cave water along the path. As the water reaches your saddlebags, you hear Scootaloo take in a deep breath. In a few more steps, you are completely submerged. Looking up, you see the surface of the water isn't too far away; it's enough to cover up Scootaloo, however.

Underwater, you can almost 'hear' the direction of the water's flow… the source of the noise seems so clear. Looking across the watery divide, you see that the water doesn't seem to get any deeper than it is right now. Just for kicks, you take in a deep breath while walking up the slope on the other side. Like a dream from long ago, you don't choke or seize up whatsover… it feels surreal.

You exit the water, allowing Scootaloo to draw in a fresh breath of cave air. "Bleaugh… that stuff is nasty…" She shakes her mane.

Looking ahead, you see a clear fork in the path. "Welp… I guess we should get everyone else across before we tackle this…"