Prompt: Veteran adventurers know that potable water is plentiful on this level of the dungeon, trickling in various veins throughout the caverns – but you have stumbled upon a beautiful brook that glistens rainbow as it moves. It is alluring like no water you’ve ever seen on the surface. It even smells sweet. Do you drink, or do you find it too good to be true?

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Paladin trotted forward, brushing aside the plant life that swished as he passed. Shivers ran down his sides as the leaves brushed against his pelt. All he could imagine were the bugs, especially any spiders, that might be hiding around him, waiting to pounce and crawl all over him.

The idea of dungeon diving had always appealed to the young stallion but he forgot about the whole getting dirty part of it all. Now here he was halfway through his first ever dive, covered in dirt, most likely with leaves and twigs stuck in his majestic mane, bugs trying to crawl on him, and too far in to turn back.

“Don’t worry, it was just a leaf,” Majesty chuckled behind him.

“Oh woe is me and my once luscious coat!” Paladin wailed.

“You might want to keep your voice down, Paladin, lest ye attract the attention of a slime.”

Paladin shivered as just the thought of the creature’s sliminess clumped his beautiful hair. Majesty just shook her head and nudged the stallion before her who had frozen in place, blocking the path.

The mare was Paladin’s childhood best friend. Growing up together they were nearly inseparable so it only made sense the two would go on their first dungeon dive together. As foals they would pretend to fight monsters, find treasure, and discover mysterious artifacts. The excited colt would drag the filly through the woods and get himself stuck, injured, or chased with Majesty needing to rescue him. As they grew, it never changed. Majesty following him on odd jobs or adventures and while Paladin would guide them into unknown territory and bring adventure into their lives, Majesty would try and keep them safe, constantly battling against Paladin’s impulsive nature.

Into the Overgrown Caverns they went, together. Paladin was impulsive and emotional, not always thinking before doing and that worried the mare. Majesty was the voice of reason, remaining calm and thinking before acting. At this point she had already saved the stallion from jumping off a cliff, attacking a hoard of bats, and eating some of the most bright red berries the two had ever seen. Unfortunately the mare was unsuccessful in stopping him from his next impulsive decision.

“Look! Rainbow water!” Paladin chimed as he pushed through the massive leaves to reveal a brook.

Their hooves clopped against the stones as they approached the edge of the water and a sweet smell wafted towards them. The closer to the water they got the stronger the scent became. Clearly this was no ordinary brook.

“Paladin, I don’t think…”

Before Majesty could even finish her suggestion, the stallion was gulping down the water more quickly than she had ever seen him drink before.

“We should drink that.” she finished with a grumble.

“But it’s so refreshing! Very sweet, as sweet as it smells I would say.”

“Oh Paladin.”

“Looook, nothing happened!”

He spoke too soon. As soon as the words left Paladin’s mouth his gut did a twist. Towards the bushes he fled before his friend could see the horrible consequences of his decision. Majesty sat by the brook, inspecting the unusual waters while Paladin cried in agony from behind the bushes.

“Majestyyyyy! Please make it stop!” he cried.

“I tried to tell you not to drink this water.”

“But the water here is usually safe!”

“If it looks too good to be true, it most likely is,” was all Majesty shot back.

It was some time before Paladin crawled out of the bushes looking miserable. Color had been drained from his face and his whole body shook and rocked as he slowly walked over to the mare who was patiently waiting for him. Majesty passed him the canteen of water she had on her.

“Drink,” she ordered.

Paladin did not argue as he sipped at the canteen, occasionally looking at it with suspicion.

“I grabbed the water from our previous stop, it is not rainbow water. You’d smell if it was rainbow water.”

“Thanks…” Paladin mumbled, taking another sip.

“Once you’ve had some water we’ll head back up. I don’t think we should risk more mishaps like that occurring today,” Majesty chuckled.

The stallion just nodded, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes as he tried to hold them back but soon one slid down his cheek.

“I’m so sorry…” he sniffled.

“Don’t worry about it, big guy. Let’s just get you out of here.”

They stood and slowly walked back the way they came. The plants no longer spooked the stallion and bugs were the last thing on his mind. Only regret swam through the forefront of his mind as he went over all his life choices. Oh how he thought about never returning to the depths of the dungeons, but they both knew this incident would not stop the stallion, just as the many previous incidents had not stopped him from drinking the mysterious waters.