//------------------------------// // Cave of Wonder and Terror // Story: Tread Lightly's Trigger Happy Journey // by Fiaura //------------------------------// The cave was completely dark to the three ponies except for their dim lights which seemed extremely dim for what you would expect from a pair of torches and a unicorn's horn. It was as if the dark was some crushing, looming presence that kept the light from intruding. The three ponies edged their way forward as the sound of a gentle rainfall outside echoed into the cave. They could see the line of deep black shimmer against the wall. The Iridium was here, this was the vein they were looking for. Tread Lightly pressed on in. 'We can't just randomly hit the vein, I need to find a place where we can get a decent size piece of ore.' She thought to herself as they ventured in deeper. Just as she finished that thought Messer chimed up, “How are we going to get solid ore out of the walls?” Tread didn't answer, she just pulled a pick head out of her pack and stopped to hammer it down onto the long stick she had brought. Once it was on, she added a cap to keep it there with a grin, “With this of course.” She said tossing him the pickaxe which he caught it with his muzzle. Tread giggled and smirked; 'Well at least he'll be quiet now while I look for the deposit instead of just a random point in the vein.' The three edged deeper into the cave. The sound of raindrops gradually got quieter. The echo of their hooves was all they could manage to hear. The vein was getting thicker the deeper they went. At hard turn, the cave opened up into a massive chamber. They felt a yawning void stretching out around them. The paltry light of their torches and magic no longer able to illuminate the rocks above them or to either side. All three ponies stopped and gave an inhale as they stared in awe when they took the next step. The torches seemed to hit some sort of crystal, and the unicorn horn's magic reflected and amplified it all. The room lit up like a royal ball room. Reflections and refractions dancing across them in a rainbow of colors. The magic in the air could be tasted even by those whom could not use it; they could physical taste the metallic tang of something truly special nearby being activated. At the center of the room was a crystallized black hunk of a stalagmite. “Iridium.” Tread Lightly said and rushed forward towards the rock, dropping her torch. She quickly cycled her lenses once again and smiled as she used them to find the fault lines in it while the other two caught up, Marigold picking up her touch with a giggle. “Slow down silly, that hunk of rock isn't going anywhere.” Marigold teased Tread playfully, before she started truly marveling at the cavern. “I have never seen anything like this! So many crystals, all of different magical qualities right here. It must have taken centuries for this cave to form like this or some major outside force doing it through magic.” Either way Marigold was staring in awe; knowing full well she would have to come back here and get some of these for her shop on a regular basis. Messer rushed to catch up to Tread Lightly, and took the pick into his jaws tightly. Tread put up a hoof to stop him; as she leaned in and took out a piece of chalk. Her lenses had found the spot. She marked it and stepped back. “Whenever you are ready Messer,” She said as she waited for the prize they had quested for. The stallion brought down the heavy pick and the heavy blow rang through the room. A chunk of rock the size of a pony head fell off and rolled over the ground. Tread trotted over and picked it up, the piece was extremely heavy for its size as she examined it. “That is one piece, we need a second one just in case I mess it up.” She said and Messer nodded before giving a second massive heavy strike. The sound of the pick echoed off the crystals as well as the wall in front of them. A shriek echoed through the chamber that made their blood run like ice water. The shriek of the flying lightning creature that had terrorized them at the mansion. Tread Lightly turned to where they came in and saw nothing. The second shriek hit their ears and made all three wince in pain as they realized it came from above. They looked up in the well illuminated chamber; above them leaning over the wall which the three realized now was a cliff, was the thunder bird creature. Electrical impulses coursed over it's body and it stared at the three. The solid harsh golden eyes full of hatred and anger staring a hole through Tread Lightly. Marigold trembled and let out a silent scream as Messer dropped the pick next to the fresh chunk of iridium he had knocked off. There was no way to escape this creature from within here. The room lit up brighter now; like you were standing in a desert sun as the coursing of energy rolled out into the crystals around them. One of the lightning bolts slammed into the ground near them and the solid rock turned into crystal instantly. The raw power doing what should take centuries in the blink of an eye. The bird did not attack them yet instead it stopped and moved its beak, speaking with a voice that can only be described as a storm letting lose raw fury. “YOU! Of all the ponies in this entire world! YOU! I can finally have what I desire and end of the pain you left me in!” The creature declared as it spread the massive wings. A ball of energy began to form in front of it and the eyes of the thunderbird flashed as power built up to be fired. Marigold wasn't moving. She was paralyzed with fear. The living incarnation of something she was deeply and truly afraid of was standing above them, screaming in a voice that brought nothing but raw terror to her veins and made her blood run cold. Tread Lightly bolted for the nearest point of cover she could locate as the charge unleashed. Marigold let her instinct take over and she fired at a nearby crystal that shattered in an explosion of magic. The bolt of energy did not strike her friend but instead refracted around the shattered pieces in air, electrifying them and making a loud twang with every single strike off a different piece of crystal till it finally lost enough charge to be contained by the fragments. Marigold turned back around and growled; “I don't care what she has done or who you are! But I am not letting you harm my friends! You may scare me completely to the point I can't move but you can't threaten Tread!” she snorted and slammed her hoof into the ground as her horn glowed. She slid her hoof over the ground in challenge. Messer took flight as Thread got to cover and started to analyze the situation. She needed to figure out exactly how to combat this creature as Messer put on a brave face and flew to the ceiling. For now through the massive thunder creature ignored him and lanced another bolt at Tread Lightly who was still running for cover. Tread Lightly ran for her life, her purple skin reflecting against the dimly lit cavern as the trail of electrical energy shot up from behind her. The hairs of her mane stood on end as the bolt closed towards her flanks. She tumbled awkwardly into cover behind a solid chunk of stalagmite which was briefly electrified from the lance of energy. Messer Schmitt’s voice rang out from the skies like a thunderclap. “Up here you big ugly bird, come and pick on someone whom can fly.” The massive creature covered in stone like feathers and arcing with bolts of lightning surged from its roost towards him. Electricity coursed out of its body out to the feather tips and left scorch marks and fresh crystal along the walls of the cavern. The beast tilted its head up straight up to meet the gaze of the pegasus as it flew, completely focused upon him instead of Tread and Marigold at his feet. “You little gnat! I shall enjoy devouring you!” the bird declared in a screeching whine of fury. The massive eagle flew up at high speed launching another bolt of pure destruction out that seemed certain to hit the pegasus. Just before the energy impacted, a blast of deep green energy slammed into it from below. Marigold was working to cover Messer and now the Thunderbird was halfway between the two of them. The larger flier looked down to see a unicorn, head to toe deep grass green, lit by her horn aimed right at the bird. Her yellow and black striped mane fluttered around her from the energy the mare had to gathered to fire again. She had to overcome this fear here and now or she would have to watch her friends' lives possibly end and it would be her fault. She tried to steady herself and steel her determination. “Messer, keep flying, if we can distract it and keep it busy, we can hopefully find a way to deal with it.” Morning Marigold called out in a trembling voice. Tread Lightly peeked up over her rock and adjusted her lenses; changing them to get a different set. Tread's mind was racing to find a solution, the purple mare desperately trying to figure out exactly what this creature was and how to deal with it. Also why it was so angry with her. “Right Morning Marigold, working on it.” Tread Lightly called out to the unicorn whom fired another blast of magic directly at the electrified thunder bird. Tread had to figure something out quickly. “Enough of this foolishess! I shall have you now!” it declared and lanced down in a full dive. Messer found himself out of position to intercept it. Even though he was smaller and faster. The bird creature that was nearly six times the size of any pony and it was outrunning him towards the unicorn. Marigold desperately fired blast after blast in hopes that some of her magic would stop it. Electrical energies shot back and countered each blast as the attacking giant eagle dove harder and faster. Messer flapped his wing hoping to win race closing his eyes to pray to Celestia that he would make it. Just as he opened his eyes to see where he was in his dive; he watched Morning Marigold disappear into the maw of the massive bird and a sickening crunch echoed through the cavern. A bit of red blood oozed from the bird's beak between its teeth. His heart sank and Tread Lightly's eyes filled with tears as she screamed out, “NOOO!!” and charged.