//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Going as Planned (Mines part 2) // Story: Strength of a Brother's Bond // by Trexorb //------------------------------// Chapter 16 Oh god. Things could not have gone more horrible wrong.... “Run faster, damn it! Oh god, HE’S CATCHING UP!!!” Screamed the orange diamond dog. We were both running as fast as we could, away from the beast behind us. “God damn it! When the hell could he do that kind of shit?!?” “Well it was your brilliant fucking plan! You should have thought of this!” He snapped. “Don’t blame this all on me! Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t use the fucking magic necklace?!?” I argued back. “Cause I didn’t know this stupid thing was magic!!” “ITS A FUCKING GLOWING GEM AROUND YOUR NECK! YOU SHOULD’VE FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE THE DAMN THING!!!!” “How about instead of screaming, you keep running away from the FREAKING CRYSTALS!!!” Ava screamed at me as he rushed past us. He had a point. We really didn’t have time to be arguing over what fucked up. Though it was all Sigma’s fault. All that we know is that we gotta run away from the FUCKING DARK MAGIC CRYSTALS! “Where the hell did this go wrong?!” I screamed, as I continued down the dark tunnel, avoiding the emerging black spikes that were trailing us. Twenty Minutes Ago The Colt was simply walking around, searching the tunnels anxiously for his precious new toys. He knew they were somewhere in this cavern and he REALLY wanted to play with them. Especially to see how long they would last with him. He began thinking of all kinds of games he would play with them. Maybe coloring? He had a lot of red from the others. Could try wrestling. The Colt was always good at that. OH! Or his favorite game of all: playing doctor. The Colt giggled with anticipation as he continued his search. The Colt exited the tunnels, now entering into an empty new cavern. Sure, he’s been around the tunnels a lot, but he still didn’t remember every nook and cranny of the place. Not like he can remember much anyways. He started to hum to himself as he examined the new area, his ‘friend’ telling him to just ignore those thoughts about memory and just find his new toys. The area was pretty small compared to the other openings, with a few mining carts and tools scattered around. Nothing really fun for the Colt to play with. A sudden noise disturbed his hum, now attracting his attention to a different noise nearby. He could hear low hushed voices, whispering to each other. The yellow pony carefully stepped closer towards the voices, trying to make out what they were saying. “We’re going to go hard and go fast without him knowing. Alright?” A rather low voice said. “Alright, but what do I have to do with any of it? You’re the bloody dragon!” Another voice responded, this one more higher pitched and sounding like a young stallion. Wait a dragon? “Hehehe... I never played with a dragon before. This toy will definitely be fun!” The colt whispered to himself, grinning with the thought of playing with a dragon. “Yah, I may be a dragon, but you have magic too! Plus you're more nimble to dodge his attacks. So go use your magic now.” “Um..... magic... sure...” Magic eh? Well, nothing that the Colt couldn’t handle be- What the? His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden fluffy grab on his muzzle. Out of nowhere, an orange diamond dog grabbed the side of the Colt’s face, bringing his snout down and slamming it against the rocky floor. Dazed, the Colt could only blink while the paw grabbed his horn and threw him across the cavern, slamming him against the wall and bouncing down, confused and distorted. The Colt shook his head trying to figure what happened as he looked at the dog sticking both his hands out in a “Kamehameha” Position. “ABRACADABRA!!!” The diamond dog shouted, as if expecting something to happen. …..... ….... When Sigma realized that nothing magical was actually happening, he tried to do a different hand signature. “HOCUS POCUS!” Nothing. “ALAKAZAM!!” Nada “SUPERCALIFRAGILICIOUS EXPIALADOCIOUS!!!” I think there was a breeze of air that time. The colt just laid there, looking at the stupid diamond dog as he tried different gestures with different phrases. He couldn’t believe what was going on at first, till he started to get the idea. “Are we playing with magic?!” The Colt shouted, scaring the dog for a minute from his spider-man web shooting maneuver. Sigma just realized something: he doesn’t really have magic.... and he ran in without thinking about a back up plan....Oh boy. The excited child started charging his horn, a yellow aura around his horn as he aimed it at the now frightened diamond dog. A grin appeared on his face as the cavern soon glowed yellow as his aura, shaking the earth as he continued his charge. Before he could discharge the spell though, another small disturbance dispelled the magical charge from his horn. And by small distraction, I mean a ten foot red dragon rushing the pony and smashing him against another wall with his giant shield.... *CRACK* That small disturbance. There was a deafening crack as the dragon held his shield against the wall, hoping to stop the Colt. With the sudden impact, the Colt was out cold. His body and head were stuck in the crater of the wall, with his little broken hooves sticking out. Eyes closed and small patches of blood falling from his snout and fur. I looked at the result of my sudden rush attack and just stared wide eyed at how easy that was. “Huh.... Well, that was.... disappointing.” I said as I looked over to the broken pony. Sigma shook his head to regain control and just glared at me. “I thought you said that I had magic!” “Oh, so it’s my fault you can’t use your magic amulet!” I retorted. “Why didn’t you do the crystal thingy ma jiggy?!” Sigma grabbed hold of his amulet and examined it wide eyed. “This thing has magic!?” he exclaimed. Oh, you gotta be kidding me.... “Whatever.” I said, not really wanting to argue with the dog about it. “We took out the Colt, all that’s left is get your stuff then get back to town.” Seriously... That was REALLY anti-climactic. “Well, he probably didn’t see you as a real threat and let his guard down....What a shame...” I heard my player speak as he examined the body. Guess he really wanted to see another battle. I kinda did too, to be honest. “I know, but still,” I spoke out loud. “Isn't he suppose to be like a main boss battle or something? Man this is like Halo 2 all over again!” “What’s that?” A curious Sigma asked as he approached my side. “It’s.... ah nevermind. Lets just find your bag and get out of this cave.” I replied as we turned as made our way towards a tunnel. Sigma nodded and followed close behind. Two steps forward and I felt a shift in the air from behind. It was a small breeze, but I ignored it for the most part. Near the entrance of a tunnel, however, the earth shook again. Almost as if.... something was awakening. This can- “KOMODO! BEHIND YOU!!!” Ava’s voice alerted me immediately, having me think of something quick to defend my back. I slammed my right shield arm down towards the earth as hard as I could, shattering and blocking whatever it was that was attacking me. Looking over my black shield, I see a trail of dark crystallized spikes forming a row towards Sigma and I. Looking towards the source to see..... ….. OH COME ON!! There standing on all four hooves, was the Colt. His forehead bleeding and horn glowing mad with rage. His eyes changed, now glaring at me with red pupils and a green iris colors, with dark aura coming out of the side of his eyelids. His left forehoof, which I presumed to be broken, was slowing being covered with the same dark crystal material as the ground. His back was forming small crystals, glowing violently as he horn’s charge changed from yellow to a black aura, with small purple lightening shooting out now and then. As he stood there, glaring at Sigma and I, I couldn’t help but to think I should’ve double checked to make sure he was knocked out for real, and not playing possum. Now I have to fight against another Lancelot? No thanks.... “Oh yah... you’re boned.” “Um.... Any more bright ideas?” Sigma asked as he slowly backed away towards the tunnel. Before I could respond with fighting back, I heard whispering coming from the Colt himself. I strained my ears to hear what he actually said, though... he repeated his words loud and clear the second time. “Toys......toys don’t break me.....I BREAK TOYS!!!!” He shouted to the heavens, shaking the earth and erupting more spiky crystals from the ground, walls, and ceiling. His yelling was almost as if it was possessed, with multiple voices speaking at once..... wait, what was that about breaking toys? ….. ….Oh fuck..... “RUN FOR IT!!!” I shouted towards Sigma as we both turned and made a mad dash out of there. I could hear the screams of frustration as we made our way out. We had to get out....now! Looking behind us, I see that the tunnel was slowing crystallizing, with the newly darkened pony chasing after us. “Run faster, damn it! Oh god, HE’S CATCHING UP!!!” Sigma shouted.... Present Time “Accelero! Accelero! Accelero!...” I repeated to myself as we made turn after turn to avoid the upcoming dark crystal storm. Something was definitely wrong here. “WHY THE FUCK ISN’T THIS WORKING?!!?” I shouted as we made another turn, just barely missing a sudden spike that shot out from the wall behind us. My arm felt really weird and when I looked at my right shield, I found it covered with blackened crystals, as if they were now a part of my shield and arm. “WHAT THE HELL!?!?” I screamed as I shook my arm around to try and get the black stuff off. It was definitely stuck alright, but what does this have to do with... “It’s anti-magic,” I heard Ava said as he floated nearby me, still in the same speed as me. “Apparently... this colt knows dark magic.... but how?” “Yah, that’s great and all but.. HOW DO I GET RID OF IT!?!?” I really didn’t like how it felt on my arm. It also felt like it was draining energy from me, making me feel weaker. Shit, I need to find a spot to rest so- OH SHIT THAT SPIKE WAS CLOSE!! I need to focus on getting out now! “I see a light!” Sigma exclaimed, pushing himself towards the exit of the tunnel, gaining a lead ahead of me. I saw the light as well and followed suit, hoping that I would find a way to get rid of these dark crystals soon. The ground shook more suddenly, having it a hard time to get a real good bearing on where I was going. I saw Sigma made it out of the tunnel, the light blinding my view of him. So close! I can almost taste freedom! Taking a short look behind, I see the crystals were literally right on my tail, gaining more and more speed. With a final push, I jumped out of the tunnels, closing my eyes and hoping for the best as the dark spikes exploded out of the tunnel, no longer following us and now blocking the way we came. I skidded on the ground a bit more from my jump until I was stopped by something furry and fluffy. At first, I thought it was Sigma’s feet, but opening my eyes, I looked to see a dead ponies face staring it’s lifeless eyes towards me. I screamed and crawled away on my back as fast as I could. The snout was unmoving, it’s bottom lip was missing and it’s eye sockets empty, except for a small maggot crawling inside it. I crawled back until I felt another furry spot touch the back of my head. Screaming, I looked to see a frozen wide eyed Sigma just staring at the area. Panting, I looked around the area as well to find out that..... “WE’RE IN THE SAME FUCKING SPOT AS BEFORE!!” I screamed in frustration. Indeed, we were returned to the spot where I first met Sigma. The bloody mess of the giant cavern, with nothing really changed other than the light source, now having it be the moon’s luxurious light shine down from the openings. Looking back towards the now blocked spike entrance, I noticed the crystals stopped giving chase, not wanting to leave the tunnel as of now. Good, this gives us a little time for rest. I looked at my crystallized right arm to figure out what just happened. Obviously, it’s was blocking my magic capabilities, but there had to be a way to get rid of it. Experimenting, I tried to glow my hands with fire again, only for my left hand to burn bright with black flames, but not my right. I could feel the magic pressure trying to push it’s way towards my right hand, but it was simply blocked by these damn dark crystals. Pulling at it did nothing but inflict pain upon myself. “W-what... what did that pony just do?” Gaining my attention, I turned and looked towards Sigma to see him shaking his head and looking towards me. “What in the name that’s all good, did that pony just do?” He said, raising his voice. He was obviously scared of the colt now. Then again, I am too, what with him blocking my magic and almost turning us into shish kabobs. “I have no idea, but he did block my magic...” I emphasized as I showed him my corrupted right arm. “Still, we need to get out of here.” I lowered my claw and looked towards the center of the giant cavern, trying my best to look past the multitude of dead creatures everywhere. “Not until after I get my bag back.” Sigma said, suddenly getting motivated again. “Oh come on! Is that bag of yours really that important?! Just get a new one from the flea market or something.” This idiot really was going to risk his life for something as a bag full of minerals? Before I could hear Sigma’s reply, an explosion rang out of the cavern, shaking the earth and the dead bodies. I looked around frantically to see what was going on, before a sudden row of crystallized spikes attacked me and struck me. My left shield was in the way for most of the impact but the crystals continued to push me, having such force to slam me towards a stalagmite and constricting around me. I tried to move but I felt at a sudden loss of energy as the dark crystals formed around my body and the stalagmite, restricting me and my magic. I could feel the crystals forming all around my body as the dark magic kept me restricted. “Komodo!” I heard Sigma shout. I looked up to see that the Colt was forming out of the crystals, his body now the same as before, all repaired and brand new. His eyes were the same, but he still looked like the tiny colt rather than a crystal formed monster. He held his pickaxe behind him as he glared at me with a smirk. “Ohhh... Looks like I caught myself a dragon! Now that I have you, lets see about your little friend here.” The Colt’s attention was now towards Sigma, who was starting to back away from the pony again. “Sigma! Run and go get help!” I shouted, only to have the dark yellow pony glare at me and use his magic to cover my snout. I glared back at the colt as he focused his attention back to the dog. Oh I swear, once I’m out of this, you are SO DEAD! “Now then.... let’s play tag!” The crazed colt said as he took a step closer to the cornered Sigma. With a shift of his hoof, blackened spikes chased after the diamond dog, who had nowhere else to run. Well... it was nice knowing you Sigma in the short hour we’ve been together. I felt like we really connected, screaming together. Running together. Cursing at each other together. Eeyup, I’ll definitely miss those times. I saw Sigma raise both of his paws up as he tried to block most of the damage, but it was useless. I turned away to at least avoid the pain of seeing someone die in front of me. I at least had my scales and shield to protect me from most of the damage, but all the dog has his fur and skin. He’s not gonna make it... The earth shook once more as the attack was about to be final. Oddly enough though, as I looked towards the colt, I noticed that he has a confused look on his face, as if the earth shaking wasn’t him. Then I realized it really wasn’t the pony doing the earth shaking.... But if it wasn't him... I looked back towards Sigma to see... Oh wow In front of the orange diamond dog were two towering green crystals, blocking the path of the dark spikes, protecting him from any harm. He opened his eye to see that he was still safe, and when he lowered his arms down, the green minerals retreated back to the earth. He looked back to his amulet to see it glowing furiously again, with the moon’s light shining brightly towards it. Catching on quick, Sigma raised up his paws on both sides, bringing forth green crystals from beneath him and levitating next to him. I stared wide eyed at Sigma, who seemed confused as I was. He was barely saved, and by the magic amulet no less. He practiced moving the green gems around, having them glow around his feet and float around him. He was obviously still surprised at the whole thing. The Colt, though, was not liking that his powers were being copied. With a quick swift of his hoof, the unicorn's dark magic started again, having more sharpened crystals aimed for the diamond dog. Sigma, in reflexes, crossed his arms to protect himself, causing the two floating green gems to block the way of the dark magic, smashing both crystals of black and green to tiny shards. The shards fell between the two fighters, both eyes wide. Sigma stepped up and raised his right paw again, bringing up another crystal near him. By the looks of it, he was staring into his reflection on the crystal, planning for what to do with this ability. After tinkering with his new powers for a bit, Sigma refocused his attention towards the Colt, who seemed to have a crooked forced smile on his face that twitched every now and then. His eyes glowed a slight green as the crystals around him glowed brightly. Green crystals formed around Sigma’s right paw, molding into a crystal claw that shined in the moonlight. The newly formed claws pointed at the dark unicorn, with Sigma grinning madly, showing off his sharpened teeth. Sigma, now having more courage than before, chuckled silently as both crystals were forming around the cavern. He tilted his head up and looked at the now scarred pony. More green crystals appeared around the diamond dog, contrasting the dark crystals that were formed by the unicorn. Now it was the colt who took a step back as Sigma approached forward. “This toy,” Sigma started, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "likes to play rough!" With that said, he rushed forward, his crystal right beside him as he started fighting back. A/N: Yes! Got that one done.... Next chapter, hopefully with help, will have some actual fight scenes! Edit: I fixed the music problem near the end.