The blue Unicorn hurried down the hall and descended the marble stairs with all deliberate speed. Her shadow raced across the red carpeted steps in a zigzagged pattern that flowed with the steps. Trixie’s limp was more noticeable now as she nearly jumped down the last steps onto the main ballroom floor. She recomposed herself once she touched the ground level. After all, there was no way to tell how many of these folks were members of the Horizon Walkers and from what she saw thus far of the order, they possessed unnatural abilities that were above Trixie’s scope of magic.
Trixie found Ellie first; the Pegasus was looking over a painting of an airship with interest. The blue Unicorn came up from behind and hooked Ellie by the foreleg with a tug. “Time to go, hayseed.”
“Already?” Ellie asked. “Trixie, is something the matter?”
“Oh, absolutely,” replied the vague, blue Unicorn. Trixie dragged Ellie along as she searched for Cheryl. It didn’t take her long to have the Earth pony located once Trixie headed over to the buffet table. Cheryl was standing by the mixed drink bar in a debate with two stallions over upcoming events.
Trixie hurried over to interrupt the conversation.
“And that is why I believe that this year the Crystal Empire will win hosting for the next Equestria Games,” finished a pale while stallion.
“I disagree,” Cheryl said, “Those crystal ponies are so far behind the times I doubt they even know what a hammer toss is. Their princess is pretty charismatic though, I’ll give you that much.”
“Yes, a venerable pink Celestia,” Trixie interrupted as she took hold of Cheryl by the shoulder. “My apologies gentle-colts, but I need to speak urgently with this mare.” Trixie yanked Cheryl away from the conversation and pushed both her friends toward the front door.
“What in tarnation are you on about?” Cheryl angrily asked of Trixie.
“We have to leave now,” the blue Unicorn replied.
Ellie stopped resisting Trixie’s shove and went along toward the exit. “I got that much,” the Pegasus said, “But could you give us a bit more information?”
“Later,” Trixie muttered softly.
Trixie lead the girls outside of Debon’s home and walked them in the direction to Ellie’s house. Cheryl stumbled along as Trixie pushed her to walk faster out of the courtyard. The blue Unicorn waited until they were all out of earshot from the ball guests before she explained the situation.
“Alright,” Trixie began, “The good news is that I found out what the spiral picture was about on the strange rocks. It’s an old and dangerous artifact buried under this town.”
“That sounds more like bad news to me,” Ellie remarked.
“Well then here’s the worse news,” Trixie continued on. “Debon is part of a secret order called the Horizon Walkers. They collect these dangerous relics and use them to destroy outsiders that oppose Equestria. When I say dangerous, I mean this order is employing dark magic so taboo that Celestia would bring the guillotine back into style for punishment.”
“Yikes!” Ellie exclaimed. “How did you find this out?”
“Debon told me,” Trixie answered. “He even tried to recruit me into his ranks.”
“I take it you declined the offer?” Cheryl commented in a query.
The blue Unicorn scowled at the Earth pony. “Of course I declined!” Trixie shouted. “Do you know what he offered? He was willing to help bind the Alicorn Amulet to my will so that I could control it. The Alicorn Amulet! A relic so corrupt that just being in the same room will let it pick at your brain! His group is two bed sheets short of a cult and I want no part of it.”
Cheryl gave Trixie a confused look. “Alright, I get your point, but I would reckon cults prefer to take over Equestria instead of defending it.”
“True enough,” Ellie began, “But the point is that you don’t see the royal guard using dangerous weapons they can’t predict. I understand Trixie’s issue with them. The more forbidden magic Debon uses, the greater the chances are that there could be a devastating accident. What if a whole town gets cursed? How do you justify that as protecting Equestria?”
“Exactly,” Trixie said in a calm, agreeable tone. “Debon treats these relics like they can be easily controlled by his group. I reckon they’re just a sitting on a bomb ready to go off.” Trixie stopped in her tracks. An annoyed frown appeared on her face as her two friends stopped to glance back at the Unicorn with concern.
“Did I just say ‘reckon’?” Trixie muttered, “I’ve been around you gals too long.”
Trixie jumped back into pace with her friends. The dirt-laden ground behind her swiftly kicked up in a cloud of sand with a low, but clear-sounding crack. The three looked behind and saw the glint of a steel ball loaded in a slingshot. The slingshot was in the paws of a brown hare wearing a gauze cap on his head.
“Run!” Trixie shouted.
The Unicorn stomped the ground hard and a magical cloud of purple smoke burst forth from her hooves. The temporary concealment did not dissuade the hare as he fired a steel ball into the thick cloud. The three mares darted away as the spherical bullet flew over their heads and hit hard against a carriage door. The door’s glass window shattered upon the impact.
Cheryl glanced back and saw the hare leap through Trixie’s thinning smoke cloud. “Did you do something to tick Debon off or is this an unrelated friend?”
“I only declined joining Debon’s secret order!” Trixie hectically answered, “I was even polite about it!”
A bullet flew in between Cheryl and Trixie and cracked a large stone on the street in two. The Earth pony scrunched her nose. “I’d hate to see what he does to people that insult his mom.”
The Pegasus flapped her wings to get her friends’ attention. “Take the alley!” Ellie shouted.
The Pegasus made a hard right turn and galloped down a cluttered alleyway. Cheryl followed right behind, but Trixie had continued running straight and got separated.
The hare focused on Trixie. He slowed down to let loose a steel sphere at the Unicorn. The bullet whizzed right by Trixie’s head and smashed against a wooden barrel. Large cracks appeared and the barrel’s content of water spilled quickly onto the street.
The frightened Unicorn dove behind several crates of produce. Trixie levitated several rocks on the ground and blindly threw them over the stack of crates at her assailant. She had no time to even ponder if she had hit anything.
The hare responded with two shots into the crates. The wood splintered and one box spilled its contents of apples onto the still moist ground from the earlier rain.
Trixie looked around frantically for a better hiding spot. She saw that the Cactus Gulp saloon was just across the street. She just needed a way to reach the bar before the hare shot her.
Unsure that her earlier cape trick would have worked twice, Trixie concentrated her levitation magic on the largest crate in the stack. The crate groaned in protest as it began to rise from the ground. The hare fired another shot into the crate. The wooden panel shattered from the bullet’s impact.
Trixie ran for the saloon as she kept the rapidly breaking crate between herself and the hare. Two more shots smashed around the blue Unicorn as she dived into the Cactus Gulp. The crate disintegrated behind her and Trixie let go of the now useless wood.
The saloon was filled with a meager half dozen patrons, all quietly involved with their drinks. Barley was behind the counter, rag in hand. He had just finished with the dishes when Trixie crashed through his front doors like a stampeding cow.
The entire room laid eyes upon the erratic blue Unicorn.
“What’s all the commotion about, Miss?” the bartender asked the exhausted Unicorn.
“Hide me quick!” Trixie responded as she galloped towards the door that lead into the kitchen. Her breaths were short and labored. “There’s a killer rabbit after me!”
The patrons all broke out into laughter, but Barley only frowned. He had heard this story before from Trixie. “Now hold on a sec!” Barley protested. “I don’t want to get involved in your shenanigans!”
A steel bullet shot into the room and shattered a bottle of whiskey behind Barley. The stallion flinched and part-way ducked down behind the counter. The patrons and bartender saw a brown hare enter his saloon, armed with a deadly weapon. The critter fired a second shot at Trixie, but it missed the Unicorn by inches. The speedy sphere shattered a wide mirror beside the bar.
“What the blazes is going on here?” the bartender shouted in puzzlement.
The patrons all ducked behind their tables as their laughter quickly sobered into serious fear. The hare ignored them as he hopped toward its blue target in haste.
Trixie threw herself at the door beside the bar. The swaying door flew open and cracked against a steel table on the other side. The Unicorn had found herself in the saloon’s disorganized and greasy kitchen. A waft of cooking oil and fried potatoes hit her nostrils unpleasantly.
Trixie improvised as she put the chaotic layout to her advantage. She magically levitated all the pots and pans she could see as she made her way through the room. The blue Unicorn then hurled the swarm of kitchenware behind her at the approaching hare. The heavy iron cookware rattled and crashed all around with a thundering ruckus. The hare dodged and blocked the tumbling obstacles, but their vast numbers prevented him from another attack. The hare pressed on in his chase of the Unicorn.
Only moments ahead, Trixie slammed into the back door with her full weight. The door’s bolt splintered off and the door swung wide open.
“Get down!” Ellie shouted.
Trixie dived outside into the dirty alley. A shovel-wielding Cheryl side-stepped from behind the door and took the hare by surprise. The Earth pony gave a mighty swing at the charging hare. The iron tool struck true and clanged against the rodent’s face. The critter took a mid-air back flip as his feet jutted forward and then the entire body plummeted into the dirt besides Trixie. The hare’s slingshot fell out of its paws and skidded away where Ellie quickly snatched it up.
Cheryl tied the unconscious hare to a post with some rope lying on the back porch. “That’s for making Trixie soil one of my best dresses!” the Earth pony said with a spat.
Barley barreled into the kitchen angrily and kicked aside all the pots in his way. “Will one of you mares tell me what the hay is going on here?”
“Go wake the deputy!” Trixie commanded the chubby bartender as she got up.
“Listen here missy,” Barley countered, “I am not budging until I get some answers as to why that darned hare was wrecking my saloon chasing you.”
Ellie bravely stepped up in front of the stallion. “Barley!” the Pegasus shouted. “Go and wake Valiant right now! Trixie knows what the mining company was digging for and if she gets held up because of your fat flank then the bad guys are going get ahold of an evil relic that is more trouble than ten Diamond Dogs!”
Cheryl stood beside Ellie and gave the bartender the stink-eye.
The bartender pouted. “Well what about my messed up kitchen?”
“BARLEY!” the three mares all screamed in unison.
“Alright, alright!” Barley barked in a huff. “Excuse me if an armed hare shooting up my establishment concerns me! You girls better not be pulling my leg.” The bartender ran back into his saloon to dismiss his patrons. The patrons departed in puzzlement as Barley galloped off to the deputy’s house.
“Wow Ellie,” Trixie commended, “Way to take charge.”
The Pegasus smiled. “Yeah well, it’s probably because I’ve been around you too long.”
The Unicorn gave Ellie a friendly shove. “Well then, before Cheryl’s drinking habit starts rubbing off on us, we’d better get our act together with a plan.”
“Something mighty quick too if Debon has more assassins at his disposal,” Cheryl added seriously.
“Indeed,” Trixie said. “Debon might even try to grab the artifact tonight before we can implicate him on this conspiracy. We have to go find that magical object first and destroy it!”
“Well, if we’re going to go digging,” Ellie said, “Then we’ll need a drill.”
Trixie nodded in agreement. “Do you know how to operating the one at the mines?” she asked Ellie.
“I have something better in mind,” the Pegasus replied. She turned toward her house and beckoned the others to quickly follow her there.
Trixie and Cheryl exchanged a look of interest before they followed the galloping Pegasus.
~ ~ ~
The three mares had made a quick stop at Cheryl’s room and changed out of their fancy ball dresses. Cheryl and Trixie donned their hats and saddle-belts while Ellie retrieved her grappling hook gadget. Once they had their rugged adventuring attire on, the three ponies hurried over to the back yard of Ellie’s house.
The girls kept quiet so as not to awaken Ellie’s mother. Trixie’s magical horn lit the way to the back of the house where the mysterious old shed stood. Trixie had wondered what was inside and now she was going to find out, though the Unicorn still hoped for a lack of bodies buried inside.
Ellie reached out and touched the withered wreath on the door. The Pegasus appeared less agitated about the shed now then she did before when Trixie asked about it.
“Cheryl, you don’t know this,” Ellie began, “But my ma told Trixie about an accident my pa and I had almost two years ago. It was caused by an invention we had built for the mining company, but of course they never bought the darned thing due to the mishap.”
Trixie interrupted Ellie’s mental flashback. “So you kept the device locked in this shed, secretly finishing it yourself just to prove you could do it, right?”
“Well yeah, but how did you know that?” a surprised Ellie asked the Unicorn.
“I was in show business,” Trixie responded. “That’s one of the most popular story clichés there is.”
“Oh, I reckon you would know something about that,” Ellie muttered.
Cheryl snorted at the bantering mares. “Alright, less talk and more progress.” the Earth pony reared up and kicked the shed door in, splintering off the handle and the upper door hinge. The broken door hung uselessly to the side and out of the way.
“Cheryl!” Ellie whined. “You can’t solve all your problems by kicking them in the face!”
“I know, right?” Trixie added mockingly.
Cheryl’s deadpan expression only shrugged off the criticism. Trixie stepped forward and lit the inside of the opened shed. Within the shanty was a table that held scattered tools all over it. From the ceiling hung both a harness to pull the cart and an oil lamp to light the shed. Adjacent on the ground was an unmarked cardboard box and a large, four-wheel cart that carried a small iron cannon.
The cannon appeared heavily modified with a huge steam-driven pump attached to its breech section and a tapered choke connected to the muzzle at the opposite end.
Ellie walked in and lit the lamp using matched found on the table.
“Is this some kind of weapon?” Trixie asked as she looked over the peculiar device.
“No, of course not!” Ellie rebutted, “This invention uses sound vibrations to pulverize rock. Imagine the efficiency of a drill that has no breakable bit and fewer moving parts to maintain! Why, I could even see this invention used to tear down condemned buildings without dangerous explosives, or if put on a really low setting it could stun criminals with the shockwave.”
Trixie and Cheryl both had an incredulous look upon their faces.
“Okay fine, this is totally a weapon,” Ellie said crossly with a huff.
“I got just one question,” stated Cheryl as she grabbed the harness above. “If this thing was the cause of your accident, did you fix it so that it doesn’t go and blow us all up too?”
Ellie shook her head and explained. “The device works just fine. What happened was that the tunnel collapsed on my pa and I during our demonstration for the mining company. We had used too high a power setting at the time, but I know now to release the pressure slowly and avoid the same accident.”
“I’m surprised no one took interest in this invention since,” Trixie commented.
“I guess pony-folk considered us mad scientists or something,” Ellie said. “I mean really? Sure we had our share of frustrations, but we were pretty cheery about our failures. Pa was one of the happiest Pegasi I’d ever known in my life. He certainly was no mad scientist.”
Trixie scratched her head. “I don’t think that’s what they meant.”
Cheryl plucked the harness from the ceiling hook and tried it on herself. “Alright then, I’ll pull the cannon over if you two blast that magic thing into smithereens.”
The other two mares nodded. “We should expect Debon to be there when we arrive,” Trixie warned. “I also have no doubt he will have some armed guards with him.” Trixie attached Cheryl’s harness to the cart, but she bumped into the unmarked box that sat nearby.
“What’s this?” the Unicorn asked.
Ellie flipped one of the box’s flaps open. “I think that’s just the leftover fireworks we made yesterday,” she responded. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do with them.”
“Bring them,” Trixie said. Her levitation magic picked up the small box and carefully set it in the cart.
Ellie jumped into the cart and lit the stack of coal in the steam engine. “This will take a while to get going, but I’ll have it up and running when we get to the mines.”
With a firm tug, Cheryl had the cart moving at a swift pace toward the mining camp. Trixie followed alongside and provided light for the Earth pony to see with. The three were on their way to the mines, but they had their doubts on how successful they would be against the machinations of Debon and his order.
~ ~ ~
The dusty trail rattled both the machine and the Pegasus in the cart. A thin column of smoke puffed out of the invention’s steam engine as pistons hissed and pumped pressure into the cannon. Cheryl continued to pull strongly on the cart, her way lit brightly by Trixie’s magical horn, and the cart wheels squeaked loudly in protest of the speed they were pressed to keep up.
As the trio quickly approached the mines, Trixie questioned Ellie for clarification. “You said this thing could stun a pony?”
“I think so,” Ellie answered. “Mind you I never tested that theory.”
“Well when we get to the mines, we might have to use it,” Trixie stated. “My intuition says that there are going to be a lot of torqued off miners who will be about as cooperative as a brick wall with us.”
“Give me a moment to make the adjustments,” the Pegasus said as she fiddled with the controls.
“How long do you reckon you’ll need?” Cheryl asked earnestly.
The Pegasus shrugged back to the Earth pony. “I don’t know, maybe five minutes. Why?”
“Cause we’re already here.”
The trio reached the camp and they were greeted with the commotion of panicked miners. The ruckus was caused by the two monstrous beasts the girls had seen the night before. The uncontrolled fires around the camp illuminated their large feral forms clearly; the hard spines on their backs, the sharp rows of teeth in their mouths, and their dark matted pelts covered in dirt.
The creatures had torn apart the camp tents in their frenzy and their roars scared all the workers into a tizzy. Most of the miners fled their posts as only a few brave ponies remained in a vain attempt to put out the fires and keep the monsters at bay.
The loud, squeaky cart wheels drew the monsters’ attention as the two beasts were about to tear into several workers. The creatures snapped their teeth angrily at the cart, but they remained where they stood.
Trixie wanted to use Ellie’s invention against these creatures, but the Pegasus needed more time and the workers had none to spare. Trixie leaped upon the cart and levitated her slingshot out of its holster. Cheryl noticed her path was no longer lit magically and that the cart had become a Unicorn’s worth heavier.
“What in tarnation are you doing?” Cheryl asked Trixie.
“I’m going to distract those monsters away from the miners!” the Unicorn replied. “Just get us inside the mine as fast as you can. I need to bottleneck those creatures in the tunnels.”
Ellie’s ears perked up upon hearing the terrible idea. “Trixie, are you crazy?” she shouted.
“That’s beside the point,” Trixie replied. The Unicorn waved at the two monsters to ensure she had their attention. The two creatures watched as Trixie taunted them loudly over the cart’s squeaking.
“Hey, morons! Kiss it!” The blue Unicorn did a quick about-face and slapped her butt twice with her tail lifted high in the air to drive the insult home.
The two monsters forwent the miners and charged speedily at the cart on all fours. Obstacles in their path were knocked aside in their determined chase. Their teeth gnashed together in a fury as they quickly closed the gap to the little blue Unicorn on the cart.
“Help me turn the cannon around!” Trixie commanded the Pegasus.
Trixie and Ellie pressed their shoulders against the heavy machine, slowly rotating it to face the back end of the cart. The two monstrous dogs got dangerously near the ponies, but Trixie quickly drew several iron bullets from her pocket. In quick succession the Unicorn fired each bullet from her slingshot at the two pursuing monsters. The creature proved quick to dodge the incoming spheres, but the attack had slowed them down long enough for Ellie to fully rotate her cannon around.
Cheryl reached the mine entrance and entered with the cart still in tow. Her hooves blazed a trail in the dusty dim tunnel. The lighting was so poor inside that the Earth pony could not see well enough to avoid the uneven rocky surfaces. The cart jostled hard as it traversed the mine with both creatures nearly within reach.
“Fire the cannon Ellie!” Trixie yelled out to the Pegasus.
“I haven’t finished calibrating the thing!” Ellie shouted back. “The pressure is still too high!”
“Those creatures are almost on top of us!” Trixie argued. She fired another iron bullet to distance the creatures from the cart.
The Pegasus waved a hoof frantically. “The cannon might kill those creatures if I fire it now!”
“Dear sweet Celestia, how are we all arguing this?” Cheryl angrily questioned.
Trixie shoved Ellie aside and grabbed the lever controls. She pulled what she assumed was the one to fire the sound cannon, but instead a hot jet of steam shot out of the machine. The spray scalded Trixie’s right shoulder. The Unicorn screamed in a painful panic as she pulled another lever in desperation to fire the device.
A low, deep boom of sound exploded out of the misaimed cannon as it released all of its built up pressure at once. The cannon lost its balance and lurched heavily to one side. For half a moment Trixie saw the air ripple from the sound’s vibration, followed by the second half of that moment when the bubble of noise struck the ceiling and walls of the tunnel.
The rocky surfaces exploded under the vibrating pressure that hit it. A rain of jagged rock shrapnel poured down with a thundering roar as the destruction of the tunnel quickly expanded.
Ellie screamed as the tipped over cannon pulled the cart over onto its side. In turn Cheryl stumbled as the cart’s harness yanked her up off her hooves and into a roll.
Then the ceiling caved in around the three mares like a crashing waterfall of stones.
The rumbling cascade of stones subsided like a withdrawing wave upon the beach. In its place rang a high-pitched whistle in Trixie’s ear, sharpened by the pain in her right shoulder from the hot steam and the heavy unknown weight that pressed down on her chest. It was completely dark as well as uncomfortably cold.
Trixie winced as she tried to sit up. The weight on her chest dug into her skin like a dull knife.
The Unicorn closed her eyes and casted a light spell from her horn. Trixie blinked several times as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light’s soft glow. The weight upon the Unicorn slowly came into focus and became familiar once Trixie’s mind finally caught up to her from the crash.
Ellie had landed on Trixie and the prosthetic metal wing was cutting into Trixie’s chest. To the Unicorn’s right was the mining tunnel, sealed under a collapsed pile of stone. On the other hoof, Trixie couldn’t see either of the two creatures that had chased them here.
“Ellie? Cheryl?” Trixie called out, followed by a heavy coughing fit from the dust that lingered in the air.
“I’m here, you stupid blue bunko,” scolded Cheryl in between coughs. The Earth pony was about two dozen feet further in the tunnel, pinned down by half of a cart and the twisted harness she wore. “I figured at some point you’d get an idea that would fail. I’m just glad it was the one where you tried to get us all killed.”
The Earth pony sounded like she wasn’t badly injured which was a bit of relief for Trixie.
The blue Unicorn carefully moved Ellie off herself as she sat up. The Pegasus moaned in pain and her eyes looked glazed and unfocused at first. Trixie gently slapped the green-maned pony on the cheek.
“Ellie, hey wake up,” Trixie said.
“Ugh, let me nap,” the Pegasus replied.
Trixie slapped her harder. “No! Don’t go to sleep. That would be bad if you have a concussion.” The Unicorn forced Ellie to stand up and twisted the Pegasus’ ear a little to snap her to attention. “Focus on my light Ellie. Can you see it?”
The Pegasus pushed herself away from Trixie in a coughing fit. Ellie wobbled a bit on all fours, but managed to remain standing. She blinked at the softly lit horn and then aimed a hoof slightly lower than the light in an angry swing. She connected with Trixie’s head, although her strength wasn’t enough to do more than stun the Unicorn.
“Did you forget how my pa died?” Ellie angrily drilled the Unicorn.
“Give her one for me too,” Cheryl said nonchalantly. The Earth pony undid the twisted harness she wore and crawled out from under the destroyed cart. She then stood up to stretch out her back.
Trixie lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry girls,” she stated honestly to her two friends. “I - I wasn’t thinking my plan through and I keep putting myself first.” Trixie looked up and saw Ellie shake her head.
“Whatever,” the Pegasus said in a soft, grumpy tone. Ellie cleared her throat with another round of coughs before she continued. “I guess that stupid invention was just cursed from the get go.”
“We should have named it Trixie Junior,” Cheryl added. She let off a little smile that helped put her friends at ease. Trixie snorted happily at the joke and even Ellie had to smirk at the remark.
The caved in section of the tunnel began to shift. Smaller rocks near the stop of the pile bounced down to the hooves of the three mares. Something was digging its way out and the girls only needed one guess as to what it was. The trio of friends backed away from the falling rock pile in fear.
“Seriously?” Trixie called out with disbelief.
“We best rattle our hocks out of here!” Cheryl exclaimed.
Trixie led the way with her light and the three hurried down the dusty tunnel. Along the way Ellie scooped up as many of the fireworks she could see without slowing down.
The crash left the girls in pain as they limped in their retreat further into the mine. Trixie’s shoulder was particularly causing the Unicorn difficulty in her run. The tunnel continued on and began to slope downward. The sound of shifting rocks behind them grew fainter with distance and then stopped entirely. The mares continued to trot along quickly until they felt sure they had a lead on the creatures.
After a couple hundred feet of running the ponies found a widened area of the tunnel before them. Scattered around this area were the miners’ tools and empty carts used for their work. Just beyond several boxes of supplies was a series of haphazard branching tunnels to either side of the main mine passage.
Ellie stopped and rummaged through the boxes curiously. The others halted in their run to check on their Pegasus friend. They caught their breaths in the moment.
“What are you doing, chicken wings?” Cheryl asked.
Ellie gave up on her search through the boxes. “I was just looking for anything useful,” the Pegasus answered. “You know, seeing as everything here wants to kill us.”
Cheryl and Trixie exchanged glances. “Yeah, she kind of has a point,” Cheryl said.
Trixie could only shrug at their predicament. “I agree, but we don’t have time on our side. Our best options against the dangers right now are down to your kicks, Ellie’s creativity, and my ability to fast-talk things into not eating us.” Trixie looked down the tunnel at the different branches, but she was unable to remember the layout of the mine from the map she stole earlier today.
“Anyway, we best hurry along,” the Unicorn said. “Any pony know which way leads to the dangerous forbidden artifact?”
Cheryl pointed down the first branch that went left. “I recall the map had this path leading under the town.” The Earth pony led the way with the other two mares right behind her.
The tunnel slowly twisted its way back around and toward the town as it descended deeper into the earth. Trixie glanced over her shoulder several times expecting the dog-like creatures to be there, but to her relief nothing had been following them yet.
Ellie was curious to know more about the object they were seeking. “So Trixie, what is this forbidden relic that we’re looking to break?”
Trixie blinked her eyes at the question. She had just realized she wasn’t forthcoming to her friends with much information. “Oh, well it’s something called Grogar’s bell,” Trixie explained. “There were a few of them in the legend and they gave the wearer the ability to control the classical elements.”
“How do they work?” Ellie asked.
“Good question,” Trixie answered.
Ellie paused for more information from the Unicorn, but none came. “And?”
“What? I said it was a good question,” Trixie said in defense. “I didn’t say I knew how these things function. Maybe we could ask Debon.”
Cheryl snorted with sarcasm. “Yeah, and he’s going to tell us how to break the darned thing too.”
“You’d be surprised how much that stallion talks,” Trixie warned. The Unicorn looked over her shoulder again to ensure no one was following them. The tunnel was still empty, but Trixie wasn’t sure for how long.
~ ~ ~
The three mares continued to limp slightly as they marched onward down the dark tunnel. It was quite cold in this area of the tunnel, enough that the trio began to shiver. Trixie’s magical light casted eerie shadows behind them that gave the impression those monsters were not far behind. In front, they heard the echoing sounds of pickaxes and shovels farther down the tunnel. They slowed their pace to muffle their hoof-steps, but could not remain steady in their pacing.
Up ahead the girls noticed that the air felt more warm and humid, and the rocks within the tunnel took on a darker color similar to the rocks Trixie had taken from the warehouse. Several small broken bowls made of electrum were stacked in a pile farther ahead.
“It would seem we’re getting close to the source,” Trixie whispered.
“Yeah,” Cheryl commented quietly, “But what’ll we do if Debon’s got lackeys waiting for us?”
Trixie grimaced as he burned shoulder shot off another bout of pain. “Don’t count on ‘If’. I’m certain we’re going to find a fight waiting for us.”
Trixie, Cheryl, and Ellie saw a yellow-white light emanate from up ahead. It grew brighter as they approached and upon a slight left turn the three reached a brick wall that had been smashed through. The mares met the gaze of two company miners on the other side of the wall. The two stallions were widening a hole in the stone floor to set up a large mechanical expanding ladder.
Past the wall breech was a well-lit chamber where Debon, his butler Cervantes, and the red-maned pony from the ball all awaited the three ponies after they heard them approach the temple site.
“Just as the sun is destined to rise in the east,” Debon said with a musical whimsy, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived at the heart of the conspiracy.”
Debon gestured to the large interior space. It was a circular temple room with high vaulted ceilings held up by two old crisscrossing arches. The entire room was lit up by a large sphere of yellow-white magic that floated halfway up the room, perfectly centered as it had been set eons ago by its creators.
Trixie could feel the warmth that radiated off the magical globe.
Debon beckoned the three girls to step into the temple, but the mares hesitated. “Come to me,” Debon welcomed. “You have the word of Golden Jubilee and I that no harm will come to you.”
“Cut the bull patties, Debon!” snapped Trixie insultingly, “We both know that your little cult is only interested in acquiring Grogar’s bell. Every pony else is expendable and the hare assassin you sent after me had made that point abundantly clear.”
Ellie nodded in agreement. “Uh, yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Trixie on that point,” the Pegasus said. “I mean really, a killer rabbit with a slingshot? What pet store do you shop at?”
A guttural voice growled at the girls from behind. One of the two monsters from before limped into the temple’s light. Its left eye was swollen and cuts marred its furry body. Although it was slow to move, it was no less intimidating with its sharp teeth and spines. The three mares instinctively moved away from the creature, entering the temple through the hole in the wall. The monster slowly followed, but it stopped just short of crossing the breech after them.
“That there is one determined and ugly critter,” Cheryl stated.
Golden Jubilee snorted. “I find the Chupacabra to be quite a loyal and regal creature.”
“So these things have a name?” Trixie asked. “I thought they were Diamond Dogs to be honest.”
“They were,” Golden responded with an amused expression. “A little transformative magic I picked up from the shamans of an ancient Buffalo tribe that wanders these deserts. The ritual greatly expands upon the Diamond Dogs’ strength and stamina, but it does cost them much of their mind. They also get quite hungry afterwards, particularly for the succulent taste of fresh meat; cows, goats, and the occasional nosy pony that gets too close to them.”
Cheryl sneered at Golden. “I reckon the mystery of Lonestar’s demise and the missing livestock in Saddlestone just got solved,” she said angrily.
Golden pondered Cheryl’s words a moment before she understood them. “Ah, you mean the former sheriff of Saddlestone? Yes, his passing was a tragic accident, but he had been warned many times before not to interfere with the Chupacabra.”
Ellie let off a horrified look upon her face. “These things killed Lonestar? That’s awful! Who would even want to find such a spell much less use it on an intelligent being to turn them into feral monsters like that?” The Pegasus glanced back at the Chupacabra. She now saw the resemblance it bore to a Diamond Dog through its weary eyes. A shiver ran down Ellie’s spine at the realization.
Golden continued to explain. “The Buffalos’ history is quite rich in old folklore that has more truth then even they will ever realize. I might have even used the ritual on Roxy, but it would seem that Trixie had taken her out of the equation prematurely.”
“Some favor that was,” Cheryl muttered sarcastically.
Trixie felt the moist ground under her hooves. The source came from a stream of water that had leaked into the chamber centuries ago and created a pool for thick patches of moss to grow before draining out through another seam in the far side of the temple.
“So how does this end, Debon?” Trixie inquired to the stallion. “You kill us and take the bell? Set it up so that the mining company continues to take the fall while you go on your way?”
“You just cannot fathom the greater cause here!” Debon rebuked loudly. “The Horizon Walkers are not playing a child’s game. We are patriots of Equestria, here to utilize the tools that Princess Celestia is too meek to use in defense of our country. Do you not see that we should be on the same side?”
Trixie glanced around and took note of the various carvings on the walls around her, carvings of magical bells set within spirals. The symbol of Grogar’s cult was easy to recognize, but Trixie now imagined that the real meaning was a downward spiral to one’s own demise should they use the bell’s power.
“All I see,” Trixie answered, “Is a group of ponies who are slowly being consumed by dangerous artifacts not meant to touch mortal hooves. I made that mistake once with the Alicorn Amulet. I will not make that mistake again, nor will I allow anyone else to.”
Golden shook her head with disappointment. “Stubborn to a fault,” she said to Debon.
“You have no idea,” Cheryl added.
Debon let out a notable sigh. “Trixie, while I admire your resolve to keep these dangerous artifacts hidden, destroyed, or whatever notion it is you have for them, do you think our enemies would do the same? They would not, and if you or any pony else here thinks that Celestia’s platform of friendship and tolerance is going to be a perfect defense of Equestria, then allow me to be the first to say poppycock.”
Trixie shrugged at the stallion. “You might as well say it now, Debon.”
“Poppycock!” the male Unicorn obliged.
“I truly thought at one point that you were a decent pony,” Trixie said candidly, “But you sure let my expectations down with your notions of controlling forbidden magic as if it were simple toys.”
“And you let me down!” Debon angrily interjected. “Here you are, Trixie Lulamoon, the most magical pony in all of Equestria! Oh and how you would go on and on in your boasts with how sweet it was to hold and parade the cookie jar full of wondrous power, but when you learned that I had dared to put a hoof into the jar to try a cookie you scolded me for doing so!”
Trixie frowned. “If by cookies you mean dangerous artifacts of power, then yes, I did scold you for putting your hoof into the jar.”
“Debon,” Golden interrupted, “It's obvious that this mare will not be swayed to our cause.”
“Indeed,” Debon said with a grim expression. “It is a great pity to silence such potential.”
Cheryl stepped in front of Trixie and reared up on her haunches. “Finally, let’s cut the chatter and settle this with a good old fashion rumble!” The Earth pony held up her fore-hooves ready to fight.
Cervantes stood up and the joints in his legs snapped and popped with noises that Trixie found eerily familiar. Cheryl stood with mouth agape as she saw razor sharp claws break forth from Cervantes’ fore-hooves. The butler took up a fighting stance on twisted legs and gave the chocolate-brown Earth pony a wicked grin.
“Now that’s just wrong,” Cheryl muttered.
“Scatter!” Trixie shouted loudly to her two friends. Cheryl and Ellie galloped to either side as Trixie’s magical light exploded forth into a bright array of fireworks. Cervantes covered his eyes and backed away from the blinding lights and colors, his vision blurred from the magical pyrotechnic display.
The two miners dropped their tools and made a run for the tunnels past the Chupacabra. The monstrous dog howled before it crawled into the breach and gave chase to Trixie. The blue Unicorn sprinted away from the limping Chupacabra as she looked around the room for where the Grogar’s bell was hidden.
Debon glanced up at the large orb of light. He concentrated on his own body and soon he began to transform into shadow, a form that was darkness without substance. After the transformation completed, Debon began to ascend slowly toward the bright sphere with only his eyes that remained of his former form.
Trixie saw Debon change into darkness before he flew upwards. That was when a realization came to her. “Grogar’s bell is in the light!” She acted fast, with a hard gallop against the protest of her painful shoulder. Trixie quickly caught up with Ellie to explain the situation.
“Ellie, Grogar’s bell is in the orb of light!” the blue Unicorn explained.
Golden overheard that Trixie knew of the bell’s location. She pointed a hoof at the blue Unicorn and the red-maned Earth pony shot a bolt of black lightning outward. Trixie threw herself to the floor as she rolled out of the way of the destructive spell. Golden whistled to Cervantes for his attention and pointed out Trixie as the primary target.
Cervantes began to stomp toward the blue Unicorn, but Cheryl galloped in from just beyond his peripheral vision. The pink-maned pony leaped at Cervantes with hooves out and delivered a well-placed kick into the butler’s ribs. Cervantes stumbled over, but he quickly recovered before he fell. The butler turned his attention to the pink-maned pony.
“Come on and fight me fair, you freak!” Cheryl taunted.
Cervantes reached Cheryl in two steps and then took a swipe at her. Cheryl parried the swing, but his razor-like claws still scratched the mare’s foreleg. Cheryl returned the assault with a kick to Cervantes’ chest. The deadly butler took a step back, feinted left, and then reached with his right claws. Cheryl ducked, but Cervantes cut right through her mane and part of her ear.
Pink locks of hair and red drops of liquid fell to the moss-covered ground.
“Oww!!” Cheryl yelled. “Those aren’t just your typical kitchen knives, huh?” She backed up and touched her stinging left ear. It was bleeding, but Cheryl forced herself to shrug off the pain.
“These claws are as sharp at the wind itself,” Cervantes said.
“I don’t get it,” Cheryl replied with confusion. “How is air sharp?”
Cervantes ignored the question and took another swipe at Cheryl, but the chocolate-brown pony continued to retreat and dodge from the butler’s attacks.
Meanwhile, Debon had reached the glowing orb of light. He felt the great heat of fire radiating out from the magical sphere. The shadowy stallion tried to get closer, but the orb seared even his incorporeal form. Debon recoiled, for the bell was warded even from his shadowy touch.
Down below, Trixie had caught up with Ellie again and held out her hoof to the Pegasus. “Give me your grappling hook!” Trixie commanded the Pegasus. The Unicorn looked up and saw that the Debon shadow had reached the glowing orb of light.
Ellie reached to her left foreleg where she had strapped the hook, but a second bolt of black lightning came at them. Trixie shoved Ellie aside and then dodged herself in the opposite direction. Trixie’s shoulder bit with pain at the sudden movement.
The Unicorn faltered and the lethal spell raked across her left side. Searing agony shot through Trixie’s muscles in an uncontrollable spasm. Trixie stumbled and fell, helpless on the floor as her whole body now convulsed with continuous pain.
The Chupacabra finally caught up with the mares and reached down to grab the twitching Trixie from the floor. Ellie screamed at the monster to back off, but it had little effect on the hulking beast. It took a swing at the Pegasus, but Ellie jumped back out of the creature’s reach.
"I breaksss the pony!" the Chupacabra hissed.
Ellie looked up at the light. With Trixie down, Ellie gulped down the lump in her throat and decided to try something crazy. “Hang in there Trixie!” The Pegasus watched Golden aim a magic bolt at her, but Ellie darted back and forth to deny the sorceress pony a clear shot. The Pegasus slowed down deliberately as she galloped close to Trixie.
Golden took her shot, waving a hoof forward and releasing a deadly bolt of lightning at the green-maned pony.
Ellie dove out of the way. The electrical arc zipped behind her, crackled through the air with a high-pitched buzz, and then struck the Chupacabra square in the chest. Ellie splashed into the shallow pool of water and rolled to her back. She spat out the sandy water from her mouth.
The Chupacabra whined in pain as it faltered and fell over onto its face with a loud thud. The odor of burned fur wafted in the air as the monstrous dog flailed its arms about for something to latch onto.
It grabbed a hind leg of the paralyzed Trixie. The Unicorn kicked with her other hind leg, but Trixie's thrust would not break the Chupacabra's hold.
The Pegasus aimed her grappling hook at the miniature sun above her. With absolute resolve, Ellie pulled the first pin on her device. The spring tension snapped back and shot out the hook with incredible force.
The grappling hook flew past the ball of light and struck the temple ceiling. With a sharp crack the hook grabbed tight against the chipped stone
Golden threw a bolt of lightning at the pool Ellie sat in. The Pegasus jumped out of the pool as the electrical attack surged the ground behind her. Ellie felt the sharp needle-like stabs of magical current dance on her hind legs. She winced, but held on to the grappling rope for support.
The green-maned Pegasus pulled the second pin to her device which caused a second spring to snap back in place and wind up the thin coil of rope. Ellie was whisked up into the air by the tension and toward the ceiling of the temple.
The shadowy form of Debon saw the little Pegasus zooming her way up to the ball of magical light. The shade swiped a tentacle of his dark body at the passing Pegasus, but the mare flapped her wings and swung out of his shadowy reach. Debon let out an unintelligible growl as he began to levitate up and around the orb to pursue the meddlesome pony.
The Pegasus’ speedy ascension distracted Golden as well, who was unable to track a shot with her lightning. Cheryl fully retreated from Cervantes and raced past Golden in an opportunity to save Trixie. The pink-maned Earth pony approached the Chupacabra as it weakly pulled the blue Unicorn closer to itself.
“Drop her, you chalupa!” Cheryl yelled out.
The Earth pony leaped at the monster and kicked it hard in the arm that held Trixie. The Chupacabra released the blue Unicorn onto the cold, wet ground. The monster recoiled back in pain as Cheryl kicked at it again in the left knee. The Chupacabra rolled over onto its side, roaring in frustration. It lashed out with an arm at Cheryl. The Earth pony swerved to avoid the creature, but her tail got snagged in the Chupacabra’s claws.
With whip-like motion the creature picked up and flung Cheryl away several feet. The chocolate-colored mare skidded across the wet stone floor with an audible grunt of pain.
Cheryl rolled to her back as she tried to sit up, but Cervantes reached her first. The unnatural pony butler placed his sharp claws on Cheryl’s chest to keep her pinned down.
“Checkmate, Miss Rose,” Cervantes whispered.
As Ellie sped toward the ball of light, the Pegasus felt the heat of the bright orb increase to the scorching temperature of a raging fire. The water evaporated rapidly off the mare in wispy streaks. Ellie squinted her eyes against the heavy glare of the approaching sphere.
“Think like Trixie! Think like Trixie! Think like Trixie!” Ellie chanted to herself.
The Pegasus reached the light and she flapped her wings hard to propel herself toward and through the fiery orb of light. In quick succession Ellie was engulfed in magical flames, vanished, and then burst spectacularly out of the top end of the orb.
Ellie screamed as the fire burned the little Pegasus’ mane and wing feathers. Ellie struggled to put out the smoldering patches on her body as she reached the hook at the roof of the temple. Once she snuffed out the flames Ellie looked below and saw all eyes were upon her. She extended her free right fore-hoof for both of her friends to see.
Ellie had snatched Grogar’s bell.
The curiously cool brass bell felt much heavier than it appeared to be and Ellie’s own reflection off the still polished surface seemed more vibrant in color than it should have looked.
However, Debon had nearly reached the Pegasus, Cervantes had Cheryl pinned, and the Chupacabra was crawling toward a helpless Trixie. Ellie decided to invoke the bell’s magic in order to turn the tide of this fight. She grasped the bell between her hind legs and she rang the bell as loud as she could.
The bell’s clapper slammed back and forth against the bell’s body, but no sound rang out. Ellie tried again and waved it at Debon, but still no noise sounded forth. Was this artifact broken? Had Ellie and her friends risked their lives for nothing?
Down below, Trixie was hit with an epiphany. She rolled onto her back, gathered her vocal strength, and yelled up at her Pegasus friend. “Ellie! Wear the bell! Strap it to your belt and then ring it like your life depends on it!”
“T- That’s not how it works!” Golden corrected Trixie with hesitation. “That’s not how it works, right Debon?” The sorceress began to grow concerned over the situation.
The shadowy form roared as he reached the Pegasus. Debon resumed his stallion form as his shadow became solid flesh once more. He grappled Ellie for the bell. The Pegasus cried out in fear as she tried to loop the bell into one of the straps of her metal wing’s belt. The weight of both ponies was too much for the grappling hook and the device snapped off the ceiling.
As they fell, Ellie tightened the strap around the bell’s loop and rang it with all her might.
The bell bellowed loudly at Ellie’s command and unleashed a spiraling jet of white fire against the far-side temple wall. The demonic flames scorched the stone walls to the point the exposed area shattered from the sudden increase in temperature.
As she plummeted, Ellie waved the bell upward and deliberately focused the hot jets of fire against the crisscrossing arches that supported the ceiling. The old arch keystone heated up to almost a dim glow before it exploded from the energy. A cascade of structural failure spread like a forest fire as the ceiling began to crack and collapse.
Debon was terrified at the destruction Ellie had unleashed. “Are you trying to kill us all?” he shouted in bewilderment.
The Pegasus lashed out at the distracted stallion with her mechanical wing and struck Debon’s head. The stallion released his tentative grip around her. Ellie spread her wings wide to slow her fall to a spiraled descent.
Golden used her magic to slow Debon’s impact into the ground. The dapper Unicorn hit the stone floor with a distressing thud, but otherwise survived his fall. Golden and Cervantes ran toward Debon as small stones from the disintegrating ceiling fell around them.
“Trixie, what’s going on?” Cheryl yelled out as she got up.
“This is the power of Grogar’s bell!” Trixie explained loudly. "Its dark magic is capable of controlling the classical elements! Well, about as controlled as one would expect in the hands of a skittish Pegasus.”
Cheryl galloped over to Trixie’s aid. The Chupacabra growled at the approaching Earth pony and blocked her from reaching Trixie. “Oh come on!” Cheryl yelled. “Shouldn’t you be crawling away for your life?”
The small stones began to increase in size as the cracks in the temple ceiling reached the upper walls. The walls and floor now began to shake with the imminent demise of the temple approaching. Trixie tried to sit herself up, but her body was still weak from Golden’s spell.
The Chupacabra appeared to have no understanding of the danger it was in. The creature looked around frantically as it tried to fathom the situation.
“Golden,” Debon said in pain as he stood up from the floor. “If you would be so kind, please provide us with an egress.” The male unicorn glanced at Trixie one last time, the look of disdain was clear on his face.
The sorceress clapped her fore-hooves together and the three Horizon Walkers vanished from the temple in a brilliant flash of red light.
Ellie landed under the increased pelting of larger stones. She galloped over to Cheryl and waved the bell at the Chupacabra. “Back off!”
The bell appeared to have read Ellie’s intension and a powerful gong rang out from the bell. A gout of flames sprouted from the artifact. The white hot fire landed between the still dangerous Chupacabra and the helpless Trixie. Trixie yelped from the heat as she tried to wiggle away from the fire.
The monster retreated from the ponies, its face shielded from the flames with its right arm as it tried to crawl away. The Chupacabra stumbled under the increased rain of stone. A large chunk of the ceiling fell upon the creature’s head and cracked in two. The Chupacabra slumped unconscious to the floor.
“Stop ringing that darned thing!” Cheryl commanded.
“Sorry!” Ellie exclaimed. “Come on, we got to get Trixie out of here!”
Trixie could only limp to her feet, so Cheryl picked up the Unicorn and slung Trixie over her back. The three raced back out of the temple using the breach they had previously entered. The stones that fell grew to lethal proportions.
As the mares crawled back out through the breach, Ellie yanked the bell off her belt and threw it back into the collapsing temple.
The ponies continued to move farther back into the dark tunnels as the temple ceiling finally yawned and ripped itself apart. Titanic chunks of the ceiling above crashed down behind the mares and the raining stone snuffed out the floating orb of light. The ponies were plunged into utter darkness as the earth shook and rattled the tunnels.
The titanic chunks of debris slammed against the magical bell, shattering the artifact into a shower of sparks and brass shrapnel. With the bell’s demise sealed, the temple walls halted in their quake. Lose stones and dust from the tunnel ceiling rained down over the mares like a drizzle for a moment longer.
The roars and thunders of settled stone ebbed like a passing storm and then everything went quiet.