Isaac was with Carver and the guards had been ordered to guard Norton alongside Scootaloo from orders from Applebloom. The yellow filly herself was alone, thinking about the most urgent things.

'Should ah go?' She thought glancing at Carver and Isaac. 'Or should ah stay and let Babs go?' She shook her head slowly. She took in a deep breath, tilting her head back against the barrel she was sitting in front of. 'She's handled herself good enough. Ah'm sure with Sweetiebelle, Isaac, and Nexus... She's gonna be fine.' She smiled picking herself up.

As she got up, a sudden whirring was heard. They all turned and saw Carver pat Isaac on the back while making the engineer lurch forward slightly. Sweetiebelle and Nexus both got up and went to the climbing gear.

"Alright," Isaac said. "Who wants to go up with me? Now, hold your hands, and hooves, and claws, for those of you thinking of going. We'll most likely will be attacked. So, who wants to go climbing?"

Scootaloo raised her hoof alongside Babs, Nexus and Sweetiebelle. Babs looked at her cousin and saw her hooves down.

"Hey, cous' why aren't you going?" She asked.

"Ah think ah need to stay here for a bit." She said nodding towards Ellie. "Sides' ah can't let those two guard a trained soldier. Ah've seen ya fightin' and ah'm impressed. Ya got a real apple's blood, a real fightin' side to ya. Yall will be fine."

"Well, if you say so." Babs said uncertainly. "I just hope you're right." She said under her breath.

As Isaac was hooking himself to the climbing gear, he turned simultaneously with Carver when he heard another click. He turned and saw Norton hooking himself on, the two guards with their guns pressed against his back but doing nothing else.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Isaac asked putting a hand on the Negotiator icon. "Norton, is there any good reason you're hooking yourself up, too?"

Norton stopped, sighing he looked down before nodding. Looking over at Isaac, he put the last clip on.

"I want to go with you." He said shrugging.

"To what? Help? Push me off a cliff? Try and finish your already failed plan at killing us?" He said taking his gun out. "No way, no deal."

"Well, I don't think Ellie, or anyone down here would want me with them with the two guards who cannot guard a single man." He said. "Besides, what am I going to do? You have the... You have those four coming too." He said nodding towards the ponies. "Besides, I might just get killed myself. So, can I go, or am I stuck here?" He asked.

"You're coming with us." Isaac said immediately. "And I'm guessing you'd like a gun too?"

"I have a spare." He said taking out his own Pulse rifle. "I'll stay in the front once we get to the top. I doubt you'd want me following behind you with a automatic and grenade launcher."

"You're damn right." He said before slinging himself up.

Watching Isaac go up, Norton followed suite. As they went up, the ice below Isaac began to give out, he jumped to the side as ice began to fall in chunks.

"Watch out down there," Isaac said over the comm. "This ice face is a little unstable, there may be falling debris. You all go and look for an alternate route while we all go see if we can find a lift. Norton," he grumbled. "Try not to get hit."

"Like I'd... Um. Isaac, what the hell am I seeing?"

"What are you-oh you cheeky little bastards."

Scootaloo, as an ethereal black mist, hovered by the two, her eyes were a solid white along with the smile she was sporting. She patted Isaac on the head before continuing to glide upward effortlessly.

Next came Sweetiebelle and Nexus as they simply plunged their blades into the rock and climbed. Sweetiebelle blew a raspberry at Isaac before she began leaping up. Watching the two, Isaac looked over at Norton and was surprised to hear him give a small laugh.

"You know," Norton said. "There not so bad. Creepy as hell, but not bad."

"Stop trying to get buddy, buddy with me." Isaac said. "Hey... Uh, Notron? Do you feel something pulling on your line?"

"No. But there's some freaky red glow covering me." He said.

Isaac looked over and saw Norton glowing with a faint crimson glow, he was pulled up with a yell. Isaac felt another tug on his cord and suddenly found himself being pulled up very quickly. Holding onto the cord, his boots slid across the ice, he swung to the sides twice to avoid falling boulders but was always pulled back over.

Being nearly flung over the edge of the cliff, Isaac got up slowly. Uncliping his cord, he put a hand to the area on his back it was pressed against. He looked up and saw Sweetiebelle and Nexus spitting out his cord. They grinned and waved.

"Isaac, Isaac what happened?" Ellie asked. "I just heard someone screaming."

"I am a man, men do not scream." Norton said. "That was me though when the winged one dragged me up..." Isaac and him looked at each other before looking at Scootaloo.

She was grinning brightly, leaning against two of her legs, she idly inspected a hoof as they stared at her wings and horn. Isaac shook his head before looking again; Norton merely looked on in confusion.

"Scootaloo..." Isaac said slowly. "When did you get a horn and wings?"

"Oh! You noticed?" She said. "It's nothing... I've just been practicing with my dad, and he said it was time I learned the family business. Which, involved learning the spell that allows his side of the family to acquire both wings and a horn."

"So," Norton said. "Is the yellow one down there going to turn into anything?"

"No more than usual." Scootaloo said. "Is there a moon cycle here?"

He stopped and looked at Isaac, shrugging he shook his head. Scootaloo sighed in relief; as they were about to leave, Isaac turned to Sweetiebelle.

"Why don't either of you have any wings?" He asked jokingly.

She gasped and glared at him. Lighting her horn, his clip reattached itself to him and Nexus rammed into him. With a yell, he fell of the edge before a painful smack echoed out through the cave from below. Norton and Scootaloo both turned to see Sweetiebelle and Nexus grinning.

"Are they always like this?" Norton asked.

"Yeah," scootaloo nodded. "Pretty much."

As they were turning to leave, Isaac came back on the comm. He was panting slightly, rock could be heard scrapping against his boots as he hoisted himself up.

"Uh, guys?" He said. "We forgot Babs Seed, Don't worry, I've-"

Sweetiebelle lit her horn and Babs appeared in a flash. She looked around, frozen in place before she caught sight of the others.

"Nevermind..." Isaac sighed. "She just disappeared from my arms. I'll be up in no time, just go ahead and I'll catch up."

Cutting off the link, the five began into the caves.

Just the entrance was intimidating; sharp, ice covered stalactites were bunched around the roof, high snowdrifts were in every corner, a shrill wind whistled throughout the cave, and the darkness coming from it was almost as if the night were there already.

"Who wants to go first?" Norton asked.

He as immediately pushed by a black tentacle and numerous Lurker tendrils. Sighing he nodded taking the first steps inside.

Author's Notes:

I'll tell you part of Norton's punishment; is it better to die? Or than to live, remembering what had happened? Oh, and it will also have to do with Sweetiebelle and the weird fish people.