EPISODE 3: THE ARDENT ADVENTURER

Mighty waves brushed and beat the rocky walls of the eastern cliff, their echoes resounding a powerful chorus. Relentless swarms of swishes beat against barricades of jagged rocks, as well as the base of the crag hiding behind them. Breakers crashed like the roar of rapids as waters bubbled and foam fizzled. Just the sound of it all could stir the heart of anypony that listened for long enough.

There was one pair of ears that pricked up in reply, one heart that was moved by these recurring resonances. With excitement stirring inside, Colgate leaned out through the large window to her suite’s common room and took in a deep breath of the chilly winter air. Her light blue coat glowed like the hues of the shallow tide, the dark blue of her hair shimmering like the depths of the sea. The white of her mane glistened like the first snowfall that had spread across the landscape overnight.

Colgate let out a glum groan. Her breath turned to steam and glided away as it blended into the backdrop above of the mackerel sky. Despite the clouds, the sun fought to cast what light it could onto the isle and Equestrian Sea. But to the mare, the struggle was in vain. None of the precious daylight hours were being spent immersed in the beauty of the island outside of the academy.

All that Colgate longed for was a chance to touch the water, to venture the rocky coasts she couldn't see, even to simply behold the magnificent view of a new vista along the ocean. Awe-inspiring images popped into her mind as she scanned the length of Crescent Island time and time again; but none of these perceptions were of actual places. They were mere dream destinations.

A secret field in the forest, a hidden mine in the mountains, even a concealed beach would have fed the mare's starving soul. Unable to spot such a scene that remotely fit those of her daydreams, Colgate slid her hoofs off the windowsill and backed into the room. As she closed the window the warmth of the common room swarmed her like bees across a field of flowers. Colgate did not care much for the tickling embrace.

“Why are we stuck indoors all the time?” Colgate whined with a stomp of her hoof. “We have this whole island around us, and yet we're stuck at the academy every day. I can’t even check out the forest a little ways off since that’s apparently off-limits too. Don’t get me wrong, magic has its uses; but books and classrooms are portable, and landscapes aren't. Am I right, or am I right?”

Colgate’s roommate, Lasso Tussle, who had been sitting in the lounge occupied with pretending to read history, looked up with a heedless gaze from the stiff couch in the corner. Her brown eyes slid back to reading the thick book she held as she muttered, “Sure. Now go get yer rump outside and out of mah sight.”

“Lasso, I don't think you understand; going outside only makes it all worse,” Colgate retorted. “All you can do from that little lawn between here and the main hall is stare at all the beautiful landscape you could be exploring.”

“How’d yer explorin’ turn out for ya last time?” the roommate said smartly, twisting a straw in her mouth that she drew from her hat.

Colgate sat and stared out the window again as her mouth crumpled into a crooked but pensive frown. Her last so-called 'adventure' had been the night when the Ponyville pack had snuck around. Their penalty was simply that they couldn't leave the island during their first winter break. To Colgate, this was the opposite of punishment, unless she were to get into trouble again. One more strike and the mare would not only be stranded on the island, but also limited to the academy grounds.

Being locked up would not do for Colgate; however, her current edginess wouldn't simply subside, either. She knew when her hoofs were twitching for a gallop, and they were at that very moment. Over a week had passed since her last taste of adventure. To her, blazing new trails was as important as eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.

With her dreams set on becoming the next Marco Pony, Colgate just knew that her ticket to fame hid within the confines of Crescent Island. The idea sparked a fiery interest the second the Winter Magic Academy had been brought up. Ever since this first instance, though, not a hint of anything more specific had been found.

But the spark reignited as a new idea came to mind.

“Wait a second!” Colgate gasped. “Lasso, you know Tall Tale, right? The one who knew about the exam results last week? Do you know if he has any new leads on secret stuff?”

Lasso Tussle gritted her teeth, biting off the head of the straw she had in her mouth. “Ah reckon he does. It's a darn shame Ah'm feelin' too lazy to ask, though.”

Colgate was at her roommate's hoofs in a second. “Please go ask him for some kind of lead! Anything! Please? Please please please-!”

“Git yer lousy lips off mah boots!” Lasso exclaimed as she nudged Colgate away with a sneer. “Yer 'bout as hooked on to these 'leads' as pa was to happy hour. Just what's in this fer me?”

Colgate glanced about the room in a desperate search for easy answers. Their lounge room, however, was empty; that is, bare of any of their possessions. The cushions and furniture pieces were clear of any of the ponies' items, leaving the dark blues and violets of the main room to consume the chamber in even in the early hours of afternoon.

There seemed to be no sign of luck, until suddenly Colgate's sights crossed her roommate's door. The door to the room hung wide open, revealing the terrible mess of clothes and 'essentials' within it. An idea went straight from thought to talk.

“Say, Lasso, haven't you been wanting to change rooms with me since day one?” Colgate inquired with a sly tone.

Lasso, wearing a straw rancher's hat with wide brims and a high crown, tipped her cap to see the whole of her scheming acquaintance's face. Colgate's muzzle showed a most curious smile of contorted delight and taciturnity.

“Ah'm listenin',” Lasso said with one eye narrowed.

“Well,” Colgate continued, “we both know that I have the biggest of the three rooms in this suite, and one of the only two with a breath-taking view. I happen to recall you mentioning that you wish you had it... right?”

Lasso narrowed her gaze further. “Maybe.”

Colgate began pacing in front of the couch on which Lasso sat slouched. “Then I propose that, should you go talk to your good pal Tall Tale, we'll switch rooms. You'll get the nicer place for the rest of the semester, and I'll have a new adventure to look into. Deal?”

Lasso tapped her snout thoughtfully. “Only on one condition.”

Colgate's dark blue eyes grew substantially like a filly getting her first ever birthday present.

With a smug smile Lasso Tussle peered over at her open bedroom door, and then back to the anxious pony standing anxiously before her. “You gotta move all mah things into mah new room by tomorrow afternoon.”

Colgate leaped into the air higher than a volleyball player. “DEAL!”

With a snicker Lasso Tussle rose to her hoofs. She placed her book on the couch and adjusted her tall hat after a shake of her wavy, gold mane.

“Ah'll be back soon enough,” she said as she pulled another straw from her hat and put it in her mouth, replacing the other she had chewed to bits. “Don't get too excited, though, you hear?”

Colgate waited, still shaking, until her roommate was out the door. The moment the door closed completely behind her, Colgate started bouncing off the walls uncontrollably.

Finally, something to do!

“COLGATE,” scolded a mare nearby. “What are you doing?”

Colgate ceased her dancing immediately and stood with her back to where she knew the voice came from. Colgate didn't need to turn to see who it was that spoke to her; she also preferred to hide her face until the flushing faded and its regular blue tones returned.

“Oh... uh, nothing,” Colgate said with a faked laugh.

“Nothing indeed,” came the reply. “You were just cavorting as one does upon winning the lottery not five seconds ago. Just what nonsense are you up to?”

“What's it to ya, Melodia?” Colgate asked with a smirk.

She turned to face her other roommate, whose long white hair absorbed what little sunlight still came into the room, making her mane and tail the only bright things inside the lounge. The five piano keys on her flank glowed brightly along as well. The dazzling appearance seemed only suitable as Colgate knew her to be a rather showy individual. Melodia swung her head around in a rather dramatic fashion, then turning her back to her roommate.

“If it's so personal, I suppose you need not tell,” said Melodia. “I was simply looking out for you.”

“Looking out for me?” Colgate laughed. “That's the last thing I need. I can take care of myself, you know. All great adventurers do.”

“All 'great adventurers' are also careful where they get their information from,” Melodia noted with a raised nose. “Don't you remember the last time you asked one of Lasso Tussle's friends for secrets?”

“Pssh, yeah! Do you have any idea how fun it was to wander the halls that late?”

Her roommate stuck out her tongue as if she had just bitten off a piece of rotten apple. “I would dare not tempt fate as you did. One of these days if you keep on 'adventuring' you're going to find yourself trapped and alone.”

Colgate clicked her tongue. “It's not like there's anything on this island that's going to kill me, Mel. Quit your worrying.”

The pale purple unicorn swurved full circle and came muzzle-to-muzzle with her roommate, who was so taken aback by the confrontation that she couldn't move. Colgate found her sights suddenly locked with two frighteningly small lilac irises.

“As I've been in show business as a musician since I was a filly, I shall personally warn you: always look before you leap,” said Melodia. She then turned and trotted off as if nothing had happened. Not a moment later her door was closed, leaving Colgate standing in shock.

A minute passed before the mare could crack the cold burst that had frozen her veins. She had never seen her roommate so startling before. The musical mare had indeed come off as a rather sophisticated and serious one, but never threatening. Colgate moved her hoofs to assure her senses were still working, until finally shake the strange sensation that had reverberated down to her bones.

Laughing off such matters as Colgate usually did seemed improbable. Instead the mare tried to distract herself as she walked back over to the window and watched the sun slowly make its way westward. She opened the glass and listened to the waves again, their sounds more docile than before. The air seemed strangely still. It was unable to distract the mare from the words that began repeating in her mind.

Always look before you leap..?

Feeling her muscles tighten, Colgate chuckled to herself. “Whatever. An adventure's an adventure. It's all about the thrill.”

---

Breakfast the next morning was nothing short of spectacular. Like all other meals, dish after dish was set before the students as they sat in their violet cushion seats in anticipation. The strong aromas of syrups and oatmeal filled the atmosphere like those of autumn leaves during the harvesting season. Had anypony plugged his or her nose, the smell would still manage to seep in through their hanging open mouths. Of course, none had any reason to try and block out such sweet scents.

The Ponyville gang was content as ever could be as they munched away on the delights set before them. Plate after plate came and went as servers picked up silver platters nearly as soon as they set them down. The food silenced the group of eight at the table for a good while; that is, until the ninth pony entered the scene.

“Guys, you'll never believe this!” Colgate announced as she careened down the aisle of tables. She stopped in a snap behind an unsuspecting Windchaser and a very startled Lyra. The blue mare reached over her two companions' shoulders and gave an embrace in her excitement. “I have the best lead on a super cool secret nearby.”

Lyra, with her face squeezed between a hoof and cheek, said with pressed lips, “Colgate, you're all sweaty! What's going on!?”

Colgate let go and zipped over to sit at the last open spot at the table. She looked everypony in the eye before taking in a great breath.

“The sweat? Oh, I was just moving some stuff in our suite. Anyway, I heard a rumor about this really cool cave that's sort of close to here 'cause it's over the mountain pass to the west a bit and it's supposed to have some really cool old stuff like ruins that we can find in it and I think we should check it out as soon as possible, as in today!”

A grand smile covered her entire muzzle. But as she glanced at each of the eight faces before her, the grin gradually faded to a questioning glare. No pony quite mirrored her sheer enthusiasm.

Quirky Q at least held a feeble smile on her face. “Sounds... exciting?”

“I know, right?” Colgate said with fading motivation in her voice. “So, when do you guys wanna go check it out?”

The others looked at one another and whispered amongst themselves. Colgate couldn't make out the hushed voices concealed behind raised hoofs.

“I dunno, Colgate,” Twilight finally said, “last time you heard something about a 'lead' it got us all in pretty big trouble.”

“I-I'll get permission!” Colgate rejoined. “You guys okay now? No breaking rules or anything, just pure innocent fun.”

“That sounds like quite a trip, going to the cave to the west,” Gallant mentioned as he wiped his mouth with a table napkin. “How long would it take to get there, and when would we depart?”

Colgate rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, you guys don't have that much stuff to do, right? We can wait until this weekend and go then if you really want.”

“You're suggesting it could take an entire day?” Gallant raised as doubt began to cloud his eyes; Colgate could see it like a house cat spotting a mouse. “That seems pretty tiring to me. Don't get me wrong, I'd be very much riveted by the news, but judging by the others' expressions it seems like not many others here are very interested-”

“So you'd still go if I could find others?” asked Colgate.

The silver stallion rubbed his chin as his clenched teeth began to show. He looked at the others, at his plate, then back at Colgate. “... Maybe?”

“All right! That's one. Who else is in?” Colgate asked. “Come on guys, it'll be tons of fun! It's not like we're gonna get lost or anything. It's just over the mountain path west of here.”

The group started to murmur amongst themselves again, this time with a hint of worry glimmering in their colorful eyes. Colgate's mouth dropped as the eight eventually fell as silent as they had been before her arrival moments ago.

Colgate shrugged, “Next week?”

A light flashed in Starlight's eye as he gasped, which jump-started Colgate's dying pulse.

“I know! Why don't we go during the first semester break?” he proposed.

Colgate's joy turned to misery as quickly as her smile turned upside down. Starlight and the others began exchanging more pleasant expressions as their murmurs turned to delighted chatter. Colgate slammed a hood on the table and stood.

“No!” she shouted, which stopped all of the Ponyville table talk. In fact, it stopped all of the table talk throughout the banquet hall. Colgate shrunk as she leaned into the table to hide her face as heads all around turned. Nonetheless, she continued, this time in a whisper. “I need to get out and do some exploring now! I can't wait a few weeks!”

“I-It's only a couple of weeks away,” mentioned Starlight, puzzled. “Can you really not wait just a little-?”

“Ugh, look,” Colgate interjected, “if you guys don't wanna go check out the cool secrets on this island, fine. I'll go get some other ponies to go with. Happy?”

Without another word exchanged Colgate flipped her tail and stormed away, the echoes of her heavy steps the only sound in the hall. The mare didn't care about the attention that followed her; it was about as bothersome as a single pebble in a thick block wall. The wall, of course, was the stubbornness of her friends, the one obstacle that then stood at the forefront of her troubled mind.

Colgate knew she could skirt the obstacle. Though it wouldn't be convenient, putting her Ponyville friends behind her seemed the only way to press on. It was the last thing Colgate had expected, though, as she felt as though she had just run into a wall face-first. Instinctively she rubbed her muzzle as she made her way back to her suite.

Step after step Colgate felt her pace picking up. Her walk turned into a quickened stroll, then into a trot, and finally into a gallop as she scaled the entire dormitory stairwell in seconds. A breeze began to follow her until she reached her suite's door, where Colgate slammed it shut. In her isolation the mare let out a terrible grouse.

A voice inquired, “Somepony's got her boots on too tight.”

Colgate's eyes darted in the direction of the sound. It was Lasso Tussle once again, sitting on the lounge room couch as usual, her tan coat glowing as the sunlight reached the corner of the room.

“Or not on at all,” Colgate uttered.

“Aww, yer friends don't wanna tag along to check out that spooky cave?” Lasso inquired as she looked up from the rope she was tying.

Colgate let out a sad sigh. “No.”

“Tsk, tsk. What's their reasonin'? They too scared?” Lasso asked.

“No. Maybe? Sort of. Ugh, I don't know how to explain it, it's stupid.” Colgate looked to the closed window, its clear glass allowing what little hint of sunlight there was outside through. “They don't wanna go until the first semester break, I guess.”

“That's not fer another week and a half!” Lasso laughed. “Guess li'l ol' you can't wait that long, huh?”

“No way! I remember seeing that cave you told me about when I flew in from Ponyville. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but I could tell it was going to be fun to check out with some friends. Of course, now it seems like I'll just be going alone.”

“No way, no how!” cut in Lasso Tussle as she tossed the rope she played with aside. “Goin' alone ain't any fun, every good adventurer knows that.” Colgate nodded with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Ah'll let you in on a li'l secret of mine, somethin' I learned out on the ranch, you hear?”

Colgate left the sight of the hidden sun and sky to stare at the roguish face of her roommate. She gulped and nodded.

“Ah'll let you in on this fer free, seeing as you offered me the room and all,” Lasso said. “When Ah was a filly out on the ranch, Ah had three older brothers. They were bigger and stronger than Ah was, so you can guess which one was thought to be the weaklin'. Course, they expected me to be about as smart as I was strong, which worked to my advantage. Just imagine the looks on their faces when Ah told a fib about a wolf attacking our herd, or a fire starting in the house just to get them in trouble-”

“A fib?” Colgate asked.

“Don't you Ponyville folk know any vocabulary?” Lasso questioned, then shook her head. “Look, Ah lied 'bout so many things, but my brothers never knew any better. Ah had 'em runnin' around like chickens with their heads cut off, if ya know what Ah mean.”

Colgate rubbed her throat and swallowed as if to reassure herself that her own head and neck were still attached.

“Just what are you getting at?” asked Colgate slowly.

“You're about as blunt as a butter knife,” Lasso sighed. “What Ah'm sayin' is, if they won't go willin'ly, just add a little 'spice' to yer reasonin'. Or story. Whatever it is you told 'em.”

“By 'spice' you mean lie.”

“Not a complete lie. Twistin' the truth ain't exactly lyin'. After all, there's still some truth in it, right? Plus, you get what you want.”

“How am I supposed to lie?” Colgate asked. “No matter what I say, they'll never be interested in going on a little adventure with me.”

Lasso Tussle stood and stretched. A satisfied moan followed the sounds of limbs cracking in relief. Lasso straightened up her posture and gave a sly wink.

“That's fer you to figure out, Colgate.”

And with that, Lasso Tussle left the room again in her mysterious manner. Her blond tail flowed out of sight and the wooden door to her new room closed with a click. Colgate's eyes drifted toward the lounge window again. With little thought she approached it and opened the panels once more, parting the two glass doors to let the sun shine in. A chilly breeze greeted her as well as the beautiful sights of the scenery she wouldn't be waking up to anymore that winter.

Something strange lingered in the air. Colgate glanced about as every noise seemed directed toward her very ears, causing her head to turn about like a weathervane in the changing winds. The trees far off brustled and shook as the breeze whistled a curious tune. The waves beckoned without stop, their crashing a continued invitation to touch the water's edge.

In the midst of it all was something different, but Colgate could not make it out. She let her ears try and track it as one would let his or her nose guide the way to a delicious treat. The blue mare couldn't help but feel as though the mystifying melody were humming from the west. Only one thing she knew of beyond the castle grounds was in that general direction.

That, of course, was the cave.

Next Chapter: Chapter 11 (Episode 3): Cavernous Conundrum Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 43 Minutes