Keith Kogan could hardly contain his nerves. For years his birth father never told him exactly where he came from, or if there were other elves like them. Today, Keith marched through the homeland of the Jewel-Horns themselves.
Not only that, but Keith was walking with his jewel fully open for the first time in his life. All the dirty, terrified looks he used to have nightmares about never came to pass. Nobody bat an eye, not even his own friends. True Hitch and Hunk did stare, but not of horror or mistrust. Instead, whenever they looked at his jewel, they seemed to be… admiring it.
“You know Keith, that Jewel of yours is actually pretty,” Hunk observed. “Sorry, was that rude? Am I allowed to say that?”
Katie shook her head with a smirk, as Keith patted his friend along the shoulder.
“It’s fine, Hunk. Really… thanks.”
It was then Keith noticed Allura staring as well, even smiling sweetly.
“It actually brings out your eyes,” She replied, making Keith blush.
“Ugh! You two are disgusting!” Lance groaned, sticking out his tongue.
“Oh, grow up!” Allura chastised.
The forest itself seemed to glow like a precious jewel, courtesy of the crystals littering every corner. It’s as though they sprouted out and about the ground like flowers.
“TA-DAAAA!”
Izzy started popping around every crystal she could find, happily showcasing the rocks, even making funny faces through their transparent surface.
“Crystals! Crystals! Crystals! Crystals! Crystals! Crystals!”
“She does know we’re just looking for the ‘one’, right?” Zipp whispered to Katie.
Katie simply shrugged rather than answering directly.
“Come on. The town’s just up ahead.”
The group followed Katie and Izzy, careful not to touch their makeshift horns or sticky jewels so as not to let them fall off. They knew the glue and strings would not hold forever, so they had to be cautious. Most importantly, they needed to find that crystal fast.
Once they strolled into town, the group expected a breathtaking view of a mystical Jewel-Horn village… instead, what they got was a gloomy neighborhood populated by dreary, depressed, and emotionless unicorns with graying to brownish coloring. And the mages, even with their jewels visible, wore droopy bangs and stringy hair. One mage was watering his plants without much interest… if any at all. An elderly unicorn kept getting bonked on the head with apples and she didn’t even care.
“Ow… ow… ow…”
“Well, this is… cheerful,” Hitch said.
As for Keith… he felt somewhat insulted. James and Sprout often teased him about being ‘so emo’ for years, but not even Keith would be caught dead with folks like these. He shuddered at the thought of never having someone as adventurous as Sunny being there to pull him out of his usual funks.
“Was this what life’s like without magic?” Keith thought. “My own birth father was ever this depressed twenty-four seven. Was he… trying to spare me of all this?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Allura spoke. “It’s actually quite… calming.”
Leave it to the princess to attempt to find some positive things to say. That being said, the scenery wasn’t doing her any favors.
“Sure, if you lived in a morgue,” Lance remarked. “OW!!!”
Lance pouted as he rubbed his elbow, following a slap from his sister.
“Is everyone okay?” Pipp asked, concerned.
“Yeah, these other Jewel-Horns seem so different from you guys,” Sunny observed.
Though she wouldn’t exactly call Katie the most energetic magic, she at least wasn’t a sad-sack like these guys.
“Yeah, we get that a lot,” Izzy said cheerfully. “Our sparkle is a bit too sparkly for Bridlewood.”
“Where are all the buildings?” Hunk asked. “Or the stores and malls? Do you guys have a food court by any chance?”
“We have a tea shop,” Izzy said.
“And a few bakeries here and there,” Katie added nonchalantly. “Other than that, it’s mostly trees and bark. Livin’ the dream.”
Clearly, Katie was made more for the city than the forest. It was no wonder she was so entranced with the technological sophistication of Zephyr Heights.
“Oh…” Hunk nodded. “Does that mean you guys only eat fruits and veggies? Not that I mind, but I have a hankering for some meatloaf right now.”
“Later, Hunk,” Keith spoke sternly. “We’ve got a crystal to find, remember?”
“Man…” Hunk pouted, disappointed.
Hitch approached a few crystals near a trio of children, lazily laying along the ground while one swung on a swing in such a bored state.
“How can we tell which crystals are magic?” He asked.
The mage kid on the swing pointed at Hitch with his eyes wide.
“Ooh! You said a bad word!”
“Huh?”
“Hurry! Before we get jinxed!”
The children started to snort and jump around while chanting:
“Bing-bong-bing! Bing, bong! Bing, bong! Bing, bong! Bing, bong!”
Everybody stared in confusion. Zipp was the first to ask what in Equestria was going on.
“Oooookay… I’m gonna need some context.”
“Jewel-Horns are very superstitious,” Izzy explained. “If someone ever says a forbidden word, we have to do a ritual to ward off… the jinxies.”
“Jinxies?” Pipp asked.
“Bad luck,” Katie translated.
“F-F-F-Forbidden words?” Hunk trembled. “L-L-Like what?”
“Magic… wing… feather… oh, and mayonnaise,” Katie counted, with her fingers.
Being a chef, Hunk took that as a personal offense.
“Wait a minute! What’s wrong with may—?”
Before he could continue, Katie and Izzy quickly covered his mouth. Just in time too because a nearby unicorn walked by and almost heard them. She sighed and walked away, dejected.
“So… where do start looking for the crystal-thingy?” Lance asked.
“Right this way,” Izzy pointed. “Come on!”
Izzy galloped ahead, and the others followed.
“What do you think of Bridlewood so far?” Sunny asked Keith.
And he stared at her, unamused, knowing she was asking it to tease him.
“Don’t… go there…”
Sunny merely smiled as she trotted ahead, while Keith’s expression never changed. Like one more remark and someone’s getting a bonk on the head.
“If I have to hear one more ‘emo’ comment, so help me…” Keith thought, irritated.
***
“The Crystal Team Room?” Sunny asked.
Once they arrived at the place Izzy spoke about, before their very eyes was a quaint looking café made entirely of wood with a teacup sign with the place’s name written in red and blue paint.
“There’s a pony inside who collects crystals,” Izzy said. “Maybe he could help us.”
“That’s great, Izzy!” Sunny said. “Oh, and Hunk?”
“I know, I know,” Hunk muttered. “No forbidden words. Do they at least make hamburgers here?”
“Is food all you think about?” Pipp asked.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
The inside of the café was just as melancholy as the outside, unicorns and mages sitting bored out of their minds. Sipping teas at their tables, just… sad and lazy.
“Stay close,” Keith instructed, whispering. “Don’t talk to anyone; try to blend in.”
“So… you do want us to talk to people?” Lance teased.
To which didn’t sit well with Keith, who was trying ‘so’ hard not to punch this guy in the face.
“Just… don’t draw any unwanted attention. Please!”
“Gee, that’ll be tough,” Zipp said. “Lance is a master at attracting unwanted attention.”
“That’s right!” Lance said proudly.
Only then he realized what she actually meant.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
Izzy pointed toward a red colored unicorn with a curly mane and wearing a red beret, just sitting alone at a table.
“That’s the pony I was talking about,” Izzy whispered loudly.
Sunny was the first to approach him, taking a seat in front of him.
“So, word in the forest is you collect crystals.”
The unicorn stared at Sunny as though he were being interrogated. When he saw the other ponies and elves circling around him, he stood up erect.
“Yes, I do. Well, I mean, I did. I lost ‘em all in a limbo contest with… Cronan!”
Izzy and Katir looked toward each other, seeing the horror in their eyes.
“Oh no…”
“Who’s Cronan?” Keith asked.
Katie and Izzy pointed toward the main counter, where a large gray unicorn wiped the counter and another unicorn tried solving a cube puzzle. The unicorn was large, rather intimidating to look at, but he looked rather old (Most likely in his forties or fifties). And one of his hooves was wrapped in a sling, meaning he’d recently been in an unfortunate accident.
“He doesn’t look so bad,” Sunny said.
“Oh no, that’s Alphabittle,” Katie said.
She grabbed Sunny’s head and turned it towards the opposite side by the large gray colored unicorn.
“That… is Cronan.”
Cronan was a tall, very fit looking elf. With perfect skin and green shoulder length hair, no wonder several older female elves swooned at the sight of him. He wore green vine-like tattoos wrapped around his arms. His eyes were dark brown, a scar just below his right eye. While his hair was green, his jewel was a royal purple color. He too looked old as Queen Rosalyn herself, and he studied the place as though itching for someone to challenge him.
Alphabittle rang a bell above the counter with his good hoof.
“Time’s up! Pass it over, Jasper.”
The unicorn, Jasper, sighed sadly, and handed the cube puzzle to the unicorn. Even with one hoof, Alphabittle solved the cube rather easily, and in half the time too. He slammed it onto the table, startling Jasper and he looked as though he were about to faint.
“Ooh, tough break, buddy,” Cronan said.
He tried to emulate some kind of suave, confident tone, as if to sound younger than he looked. But anyone could smell the falseness a mile away.
“Okay, you know the drill. Pay up.”
Cronan extended his waiting hand and Jasper begrudgingly handed him a transparent case with a crystalline tree inside of it. Cronan slid it across the table and Alphabittle caught it with his good hoof with ease. A few tiny armadillos crawled onto his shoulder, one on Cronan’s, squeaking in approval.
“You could always try winning it back,” Alphabittle suggested.
To which Jasper refused and walked away.
“All right, suit yourself. Cronan, buddy, would you mind? Doctor says I can’t stretch much until my leg heals.”
Cronan, more than happy to oblige, secured the winning trinket on a shelf… that was where Sunny spotted the Jewel-Horn crystal!”
“That’s the crystal!” Sunny exclaimed.
Thankfully, not loud enough for any other patrons to hear her.
“It’s just like the one in the stained glass window,” Keith observed. “But how’re we supposed to get it?”
“Simple. We beat Alphabittle at his own game.”
“Wait!” Izzy spoke up. “Alphabittle can smell fear.”
“And Cronan can smell a fake,” Katie added. “You’d have better luck breaking through a cement wall!”
“Why don’t we just go up and say please?” Hunk suggested.
“That’s not how it works in here,” Katie countered. “Rules of the house: Anything you want from those two, you have to ‘earn’ it.”
But despite the intense circumstance, Sunny held her head up high, flipped her mane, and adopted a neutral expression.
“Don’t worry. I’ve lived with Keith my whole life. I know how to be… cool.”
With her character in place, Sunny casually, and calmly, approached the counter. Izzy’s ears dropped in worry, and Katie was already biting her nails off.
“I don’t know whether to be flattered… or insulted,” Keith spoke.
Sunny took her seat on the other side of the counter, neither staring at Cronan nor Alphabittle. Cronan noticed the little pony and from afar Hunk sipped the drink the scared crystal-collecting pony left behind, making a slurping sound that killed the intensity of the moment. And Sunny just stared at nothing, not even smiling.
“Tea,” Sunny spoke.
Cronan turned toward Alphabittle, as though asking if this pony was trouble or just another poser looking to humiliate herself (Like the rest). Alphabittle nodded as he wiped the counter. Cronan snapped his fingers and one of the tiny armadillos brought Sunny a full cup. Just as he was about to pour the milk, Sunny blocked the cup with her hoof.
“Hold the milk.”
The others were surprised over how well she was holding up. Though they weren’t counting their gemstones just yet. Hitch, on the other hoof, found this more ‘mysterious’ side to Sunny rather… attractive.
“Quite the game player, I see,” Sunny observed.
She took a sip of her milk-less tea. Which… didn’t taste as good as she hoped, but she fought through the disgust and swallowed hard.
“It passes the time,” Alphabittle smiled, intrigued. “Why? Do you play?”
“I don’t play… I win.”
This confidence intrigued Cronan as well.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, it is. And I challenge you… for that!”
She pointed toward the Jewel-Horn crystal.
“Oh, now that hardly seems fair,” Alphabittle said. “I’m not exactly in the best shape right now. You wouldn’t be so heartless as to challenge a pony while he’s injured, would you?”
“Oh, I wasn’t challenging you. I was challenging him.”
Sunny turned her attention towards the green haired mage, who slammed his fists so hard on the table the condiments shook. It started everyone in the café; silence flooded the room.
“You think you can beat me?”
“Only one way to find out.”
“Big talk for a little pony.”
“I think you’ll find I’m average height…”
The two stared down for another second.
“Tick-tock. What do you say, Cronan?”
“Whatever you’re better, better be worth our while.”
Sunny pulled out the Skyling crystal and threw it on the table, smiling cockily.
“Worth it enough for ya?”
Everybody else gasped and Hunk did a spit take. Cronan was entranced by the jewel, as was Alphabittle. They had never seen such craftsmanship before… least nothing like this.
“Where did you get that?” Cronan whispered.
Though he didn’t get the answer, as Keith hurried towards Sunny and tried to smile towards the two bar-owners.
“Um, could you excuse for a minute sir?”
He pulled Sunny aside, and turned her till she could see the sternness in his eyes.
“What… do you think… you’re doing?!” Keith whispered harshly.
“Relax, I can solve that cube puzzle in my sleep.”
“You realize that if he wins, we lose both crystals!” Pipp intervened.
“We won’t. Trust me.”
“Sunny, listen to me!” Keith shook his head. “I seriously think we should reconsider our options here.”
“It’s too late!” Izzy said. “Once you challenge Cronan, you either win… or forfeit. That makes it an automatic loss.”
“Well that doesn’t sound fair,” Lance said.
“We didn’t make the rules,” Katie argued. “They did.”
“Izzy Moonbow… Katie Holt,” Cronan spoke.
His voice made everyone jump with fright. There was no question this guy was intimidating.
“If your friend is finished stalling, do we have a deal? Or am I just going to take that lovely crystal from her empty hooves?”
Cronan reached for the crystal, but was blocked by Keith, who grabbed his wrist, tightening his grip. The two had a stare down with Keith ultimately releasing Cronan.
“She’s all in,” Keith declared.
Seeing they’ve come this far, if Sunny believed she could do it, he could not intervene. Besides, he’d seen her play to win before… Cronan was in for a treat.
“That’s right!” Sunny said. “Now give me that cube.”
“Oh, you mean this?” Cronan asked
He swiped the cube from the table, laughing almost maniacally.
“Oh no, no, no, no, no. A special prize calls for a special competition.”
Alphabittle rather liked the sound of that plan.
“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve done this.”
He deepened his voice before proclaiming:
“Bring forth the ultimate challenge!”
“The ultimate what now?” Sunny asked nervously.
A trumpet horn played (Where it was coming from, nobody knew) and a spotlight shone upon a large machine with a glowing sign which read ‘Just Prance!’ with a cardboard of Alpahabittle smiling and prancing. The multicolored horseshoes blinked, and electronic music beeped. Keith was at a loss for words.
“The ultimate challenge… is a dancing game?” Keith arched a brow.
“Seriously?” Keith and Sunny said in unison.
A goth mage with short black hair, wearing a beanie, spoke into a microphone.
“Both contestants agree. Best out of three.”
“You take this one, Cronan,” Alphabittle offered, rubbing his injured leg.
Cronan cracked his neck… and his knuckles for good measure.
“So lemme guess…” Keith thought. “Best out two-out-of-three?”
“Actually… let’s make this a little more interesting,” Cronan said, facing Sunny. “You only need to win one out of three.”
“Hold on. Don’t you think you’re at a disadvantage here?” Sunny asked. “I’ve got four legs, and you’ve only got two.”
“Believe me, sunshine. I’ve taken down more hooves than you can count.”
“Hmph. We’ll see about that.”
The two took their positions, with Sunny staring down at the machine. She and Keith used to compete in these dance games at the Maretime Bay arcade. She had this in the saddle bag. From behind, two of the little armadillos ran around a wheel, which was what activated the machine. The hooves and feet on the wooden board spun around, stopping at a selection of colors.
Red… orange… blue… and purple. One side was of human feet, the other was of horseshoes.
The rules were basic: step on the respect colors at the precise time. If not, then the contestant loses a point. On opposite sides were two rainbow bars with wooden arrows. Whoever had the highest score, the arrow would rise higher and higher. The one with the lowest arrow… well…
Sunny heard the floorboards beneath Cronan chime as he stepped on the corresponding colors. His feet moved so fast Sunny could barely make out which was the left or right foot. The rest of the group began to sweat, especially Hunk who already started biting his nails.
“This guy’s good…” Hunk observed. “Like really, really good…”
“Just give her time…” Keith assured.
Sunny shook herself back to her senses and tapped on the corresponding colors. The hooves beneath her chimed and she kept on following the beat to the music. Unfortunately, Cronan was already far ahead of her on account of how fast his feet were, especially for a guy seemingly in his forties.
His arrow rose to the top and a sign with a crown painted #1 flipped open. The music stopped and Cronan wiped his knuckles against his shirt.
“Yeah! That’s how you do it!” Alphabittle cheered.
“Yaay…” The other Jewel-Horns cheered, deadpanned.
“What?!” Sunny gasped.
The Earth pony couldn’t believe it. She was a queen of this game, able to beat any two-legger back home. But Cronan… this guy’s feet had to be possessed.
“I-It’s okay,” Izzy spoke encouragingly. “You’re just warming up.”
“Warming up to get roasted!” Hunk trembled. “OW!”
Lance slapped him behind the head.
“Do you every say anything supportive?”
“Sorry! I get pessimistic when I’m nervous!”
The goth mage leaned over toward the microphone again, announcing the next round.
“What can you do? Round two.”
Cronan snickered, lifting his chin up.
“Let’s make this quick,” Cronan gloated.
“Focus…” Sunny told herself, taking a deep breath.
“You got this, Sunny!” Keith cheered.
He knew Sunny was no quitter, she just had to get back into the rhythm and this game would be over in seconds.
“Kick this guy’s flank!” Hitch declared.
The music played where it left off, and Sunny had found her groove again. She grinned as she saw her arrow now neck-in-neck with Cronan’s.
“Yes!” Hitch cheered. “She’s doing it; she’s doing it!”
Unfortunately, the victory was short lived. For Cronan, wearing a relaxed expression, watched as his arrow got higher and higher the quicker his feet became. Not even Sunny, with her four hooves, could keep up. She gasped once his arrow reached the top, and he won again.
Cronan stretched his arms, folding his hands behind his head while his friend, Alphabittle, stomped his good hoof in victory.
“Yeah! Critters, get my crystal polish ready, would ya? And break out the apple cider for Cronan!”
“Round three,” The goth mage declared. “Who will it be?”
This was it… if sunny won just this ‘one’ round, they could leave with both crystals. But how could she beat Cronan? The guy had magic legs. Was that even a power? Would that be considered cheating? Who was she kidding? Mages didn’t have magic, which meant those moving feet were all him.
Which meant Sunny needed a lot of luck to win this game.
“Oh… here goes nothing.”
“Sunny, it’s gonna be okay,” Pipp called out.
“How? The guy’s unstoppable.”
Lance, seeing that Sunny was feeling unsure of herself, felt sympathy for this pony for the first time.
“No he’s not Sunny!” Lance called out. “I know guys like him back home, they dance only to compete. But that’s all it is… dancing. You can’t think about winning; just have fun!”
“Lance is right, honey! Don’t think about Cronan. Just focus on the music. Listen and let the rhythm take you over.”
Pipp and Lance proved it with one of their signature dancing. Pipp prancing in place, and Lance swaying beside her as the music began to play.
“You feelin’ it?” Pipp called out.
Sunny tapped her hooves, focusing only on the music. Suddenly, she felt as though she had chucked down five gallons of caffeine. The same feeling she got when playing the game with Keith… back when it was for fun. Lance was right, Cronan danced only to win. All Sunny had to do was just dance for fun. That was the secret.
“Oh, I’m feelin’ it,” She chuckled. “I’m feelin’ it!”
“Yeah, you are, Sunny!” Pipp cheered.
“You got this, Sunny-Bunny! WHOO!!!” Lance shouted.
Soon all the others cheered along for her.
“Come on, Sunny!” Allura threw her fists in the air.
“Woo-hoo! Prance girl! Prance!” Kate roused.
And Sunny was in the groove now, as she and Cronan were now evenly matched. Their arrows were side by side, Cronan now beginning to work up a sweat. Sunny was cheering, howling with glee. She had forgotten how much fun this game was.
Unfortunately, that joy didn’t last long. She was stunned when she saw Cronan’s arrow go higher and higher than hers. She picked up the pace, moving faster than she ever did. Everybody else watched with anticipation, Hunk reached for Keith’s hand, only for him to shake it off in annoyance.
Sunny was so close, her arrow halfway to the top. Cronan did two more taps with his feet, his arrow touched the top of his bar, and the #1 sign popped up… for the third time.
Sunny’s legs felt like jelly, the bottom of her hooves ached from the pressure. She was out of breath, both from the dancing and the heartache.
“We… lost…”
“Aw, too bad,” Cronan replied, clearing the sweat of his brow. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your crystal. By the way… thanks!”
“Hold on!”
Everyone gasped when Keith, of all people, stepped forward. He stared toward Cronan for the second time that day.
“One more game… but this time, let’s make it fair. Two legs against two. You and me. Same terms. I win one game, and you hand over both crystals. You win, you get to keep them. Deal?”
“Ha!” Cronan threw his head back. “You? Oh, you must be joking!”
“I’m with tall, dark, and creepy on this one,” Lance spoke. “OW!!! Pipp!!!”
Pipp kicked Lance along the shin, and he pouted with annoyance.
“You sure about this, Keith?” Allura asked.
Keith stepped towards Cronan, his eyes briefly shifting towards his exhausted sister, then back toward the green-haired mage.
“Game on.”
“Alright,” Cronan scoffed. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Hitch helped the exhausted Sunny down the platform. She grimaced a bit because one of her hooves was a little sore due to the pressure. But she knew it would pass quickly.
Alphabittle had his little critter friends adjust the setting so the boards would showcase feet instead of hooves. Once the music started again, the two mages started to dance.
Keith kept a focused expression, his eyes glued to the constantly changing colors. Watching Sunny allowed him to memorize where each of the colors were, so he matched the steps without needed to look down at the platform.
Cronan was stunned by how quickly the young mage boy was able to catch up to him. He didn’t flinch, not once. He kept his eyes on the colors and his feet seemed to touch the right colors long before the colors lit up. For a moment, Cronan was completely thrown off but quickly recollected his focus on the game. He started to panic when he noticed Keith’s arrow was moving ahead of his… and much faster too.
“No… way…” Lance gasped.
The disguised fairy recorded the whole thing with his phone. His eyes couldn’t believe that ‘Mr. Stoic-and-Serious’ was a master dancer. Allura was especially impressed, she couldn’t help but notice the way his skin glistened from the sweat. He was moving so quickly, panting even, but showed zero signs of stopping.
Izzy and Katie hugged each other, cheering like wild women as Keith’s arrow rose higher and higher.
“You get ‘em, bro!” Sunny cheered.
The rest of the ponies stomped their hooves, which motivated even the other Jewel-Horns to break out of their melancholy and cheer with joy. Alphabittle did not like this one bit. As much as he hated losing himself, he also hated if his friend got humiliated by the little runt.
“Come on, Cronan! Show this kid who’s boss!”
Cronan started feeling his ankles cramp up but kept himself going. Keith breathed in-and-out as he danced. Once the arrow reached the top, Keith finally collapsed. His feet burned; the elf sweat like he just climbed the tallest mountain in Equestria. He looked up and the wind was knocked out of him seeing his arrow had reached the top. Even Cronan could not believe it.
“That’s impossible…” Cronan gasped heavily.
Sunny rushed to his side, tackling Keith with a hug.
“You won Keith! You won!”
“No… ‘we’ won, Sunny! You and me!”
Keith hugged his sister back and the rest of their friends gathered round the two siblings, hugging and cheering. Hunk and Lance helped Keith to his feet, one of which was a bit sore but nothing serious. He put much effort into his dancing, just to keep up with Cronan, who rubbed his ankle and groaned with defeat. Alphabittle hurried to check on his friend.
Sunny was so happy she threw her head back… only for her fake horn to pop right off and roll at Alphabittle’s hooves. The sight of which made everybody else gasp, as Alphabittle looked up.
“An Earth pony!” Alphabittle declared.
Keith stepped away from Lance and Hunk, rushing to shield Sunny from the angry unicorn.
“Make that two!”
Hitch stepped forward, shielding Sunny as he removed his horn.
“And Skylings!” Zipp declared.
She and Pipp removed their fake horns and capes, while Allura and Lance revealed their wings and removed the jewel stickers from their foreheads.
“And Jewel-Horns!” Izzy cheered.
“Izzy, they already know who we are,” Katie pointed out.
“Right! Which… you knew already!”
“Um… I’m just a normal mage, like all of you,” Hunk fiddled his fingers.
“HUNK!!!” Everybody shouted.
“Okay, fine!”
Hunk removed the jewel from his forehead, wincing like he just removed a piece of tape.
“I’m Hunk… the Earth elf. Nice to meet ya. I just want to say, great smoothies! Could use a pinch of cinnamon though, just think about it… no? Okay. Cool…”
Sunny stepped out from behind Keith and Hitch, trying to explain everything.
“I know it doesn’t look like it, but we’re here to help.”
“Help?” Alphabittle said. “We don’t need help. Especially from ponies and elves like you. Give me the crystal.”
“We had a deal, Mr. Alphabittle!” Keith pointed out. “We best your friend just ‘once’, we win both crystals. You didn’t specify we had to be a ‘unicorn’ or a ‘mage’ to compete.”
“You tricked us boy!” Crown said, towering over them. “The crystal… now!”
Every Jewel-Horn in the establishment marched their way towards them. Pipp held the crystal safely in her hooves, while Lance and Zipp served as her shield. Every elf and pony protected one another, but this fact when unnoticed by the angry Jewel-Horn mob. All they cared about were two things: Getting these intruders out of their home… and getting their crystal back.
It was then Hunk got an idea.
“Uh… Magic! Wing! Feather! MAYONNAISE!!!”
Every Jewel-Horn was silent, frozen stiff. At least until Alphabittle broke it with an audible, ‘Bing!’.
“Bong!” Cronan added. “Oh… no…”
In seconds, every Jewel-Horn was chanting ‘Bing-bong! Bing-bong!’. All of them performing the supposed ritual to ward the jinxies away, only it made them look silly.
“Go, go, go!” Sunny shouted.
With all the Jewel-Horns distracted, the group high-tailed for the door. Unfortunately, not one member of the mob could risk stopping the ritual for even a second.
“You’ll pay for this!” Alphabittle warned.
“You’ll never escape me, traitor!” Cronan added angrily.
Keith pushed the doors open, ushering everyone to hurry outside.
“Sorry about that, Mr. Cronan!” Izzy called back. “Uh, thanks for the tea!”
“Hunk, now!” Keith shouted.
“Ooh… I really don’t want to do this,” Hunk muttered.
With a deep breath, Hunk charged forward and rammed his shoulder against the wall. With the right amount of force, the sign fell blocking the entrance. And all Hunk could do was clutch his shoulder, groaning and wincing in pain, as he hobbled after his friends running as far from Bridlewood as possible.