Shulk, Reyn, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Sharla and Rainbow Dash traveled along an ascending trail twisted through time hung just above a deep chasm. Applejack shifted her head quickly back and forth, her eyes focused on the unusually thin width of the path and her body involuntarily shaking.
“Applejack, are you really that fidgety around heights?” Sharla asked.
“Not really, but it looks like this entire road can give under at any time. Twi’ and Rainbow can fly, but we can’t.” Applejack said in a voice rising with tension.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you felt that way, Applejack. After all, this path used to be much bigger a few years ago. Who knows what will be the next path that falls down into the ocean below…” Sharla responded with a small, yet sinister smile.
“D-don’t say that! I don’t want this path to fall on us!” Applejack screamed out.
“It’s not. I’m just only joking around. Lighten up!” Giggling, Sharla replied. “Anyways, we’re here.”
The group stopped at the hexagon-shaped hole within the wall. A small bridge lead into the depths of darkness and water flowed freely from the bottom.
“So this is the entrance to the Ether Mine?” Shulk asked.
“It looks like it. We have to get in as soon as possible so we can save Applebloom and Juju.” Twilight Sparkle responded.
“Hey, waaaaaiiiiit!”
In the moment where the group was about to take their first steps into the area, a changeling with two impossibly large bags attached to a saddle flew in from the sky, dropping in on them.
“You seriously aren’t going to go in there without the proper equipment, right? I know that you are all together, but it still is dangerous to go in with those drabs.” He said, pointing at the clothing that Shulk, Reyn and Sharla are wearing.
“…Do we know you?” Reyn asked, scratching the back of his head.
“You shouldn’t. I know about you four, though, and maybe the rainbow one here. That chick with the huge gun, I have no idea who she is.” The changeling responded in a blunt, but honest way. “Queen Chrysalis recently gave us an order to explore this entire world you people call Bionis, as well as set up shop for dealing weapons, armors and other useful stuff.”
“Well, that’s nice to know. These bronze hooves haven’t been doing much damage for my liking, especially not against those Mechon jerks.” Rainbow Dash said, sighing a breath of relief and looking down onto her hooves.
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all walked up to the changeling, examining his wares. In one of his bags were various equipment; there were double-bladed hammers that flashed in a bronze color, spiked hooves with a blue glow, yellow robes and leather armor fashioned for quadrupeds. In another bag were a large amount of tomes that spilled out of it.
“Why do these look like they only work for us?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
The changeling moved his head up, rolling his eyes.
“We didn’t have enough time to study the species on Bionis to develop armor and weapons for them. So, we decided to sell you weapons and armor in the changeling reserves. As for the books… well, err… we just found them. From what we know, they are skill books used for learning more advanced applications of your moves. Though, these read as intermediate. We don’t really know where any of the advanced copies are.” He responded.
Rainbow Dash took out a set of spiked hooves and showed it to the changeling merchant with an eager smile.
“So how much do these cost?”
The group walked into the cave. Their steps plopped upon the waters that flooded up towards their ankles. Twilight Sparkle was geared in a set of yellow robes with a bug pattern on it, Rainbow Dash was geared in a yellow t-shirt and shorts which also had a bug pattern upon it, and Applejack wore a set of leather armor.
“Hey, Applejack, how come you are wearing leather armor? I thought that we couldn’t wear medium armor.” Rainbow Dash asked, huffing with slight anger in her voice.
“I linked Reyn’s Medium Equipment skill to me using those Affinity Coins we’ve been collecting. You should try linking Sharla’s Medium Equipment skill to your Affinity Skill if you want to wear this.” Applejack explained.
“No thanks. That armor might weigh me down in combat. At least these clothes provide some decent defense and retain my agility.”
Within the water were quadruped amphibian creatures in blue skin, had slit eyes and an angler off the top of their heads that emitted light. The creatures look towards the group, letting out a shrill cry.
“Upas!” Sharla shouted.
“Hold on, Sharla. Would you mind if Applejack, Rainbow Dash and I fight these Upas ourselves? It’ll be the first time the three of us would be on a three versus variable amount of enemies since coming here.” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Knock yourselves out.”
Twilight Sparkle’s Monado unscrewed itself, the top portion flying towards the very tip of her horn. A beam of pure energy ran between the two portions. Rainbow Dash stood her position and crouched, ready to pounce. Applejack stood on her hind legs, taking out a double-bladed hammer from her back.
“Magic Spark!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, a bolt of energy flying towards the Upa and sent it flying, landing on its back.
“Cross Wing!” Rainbow Dash shouted, running towards the downed Upa. Her wings flashed in the moment before slashing the downed Upa.
“My turn!” Applejack said in succession, launching her hammer in a single powerful swing. The Upa flew against the wall, uttering a loud cry before it fell onto the ground, dead.
“We have to keep it going!” Twilight Sparkle screamed, rushing towards an Upa and stabbing it with her horn.
“Way ahead of you.” Smirking, Rainbow Dash commented.
She flew up into the air. Between her front hooves, a black cloud with an electrical aura spawned. She kicked it over towards the Upa, who leaked out blue bodily fluids from Twilight’s Horn Spike and dashed above it with the dominance of an eagle. She descended onto the cloud with dizzying speeds, kicking it and sending a bolt of lightning onto the Upa below. The Upa became served in the style of fried Upa with how charred the bolt left it.
Applejack ran up towards the final Upa, who looked around with mouth agape and eyes wide opened. Using her hammer, she slammed down upon the ground with the might of a meteor. The Upa shook for a moment before its body was met with a couple of spiked hooves onto its face, courtesy of a charging Rainbow Dash.
“Now to finish it!” W Chinese letters changing to a purple symbol behind her, Twilight Sparkle shouted.
She aimed her horn towards the Upa, firing a searing beam towards its direction. The Upa vanished without a trace, leaving the scent of evaporating water in the path’s wake. Rainbow Dash gazed at the scorch marks on the wall with a wide-eyed expression. She edged her faces towards Twilight Sparkle’s direction.
“Don’t you think that was a bit of overkill?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Maybe that was a bit destructive for my tastes, but I just needed to end it as quickly as possible. We are on a time limit after all.” Twilight Sparkle responded.
“Good point.”
The group walked the ramp from the damp exo-tunnel into a small room. Sharla sat down by the side of a metal bed, sighing.
“It’s hard to believe that I am back here again. It brings back some bad memories.” Her eyesight glaring towards the blinding light on the ceiling, she said.
Rainbow Dash flew towards her side and rested her right front hoof onto Sharla’s left shoulder.
“It must have been very hard for you to leave your home like that, Sharla. I know that if my home was destroyed,-“She paused in her words. “I know you wanted to stay here to protect Gadolt. I would have done the same thing in that situation.”
Sharla and Rainbow Dash looked at each other with smiles of ignited fires. Rainbow Dash patted her hoof against her shoulder.
“Let’s go deeper in this cave. The longer we wait, the more danger those two will be in.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
Shulk was equipped in a red and white long-sleeved top, leggings and boots in a spiraling red and pink pattern, and dark red and pink gauntlets. Reyn was equipped in a helmet spiked with light blue crystals, a dense torso in silver and purple colors, silver leggings and boots that caused every step to be a stomp, and blue and silver gauntlets that can punch a hole through any of the tunnel walls.
“Nice to see that you two get more armor on your backs. I didn’t think your clothing before would’ve held up for that long.” Applejack commented.
“Quark does hold up better than the material used in my previous clothing, but I’m glad that the color scheme is similar.” Shulk responded.
“And a tank like me has to keep protecting everyone here. What kind of tank would I be if enemies can tear through my defences like butter? Not a very good one, I tell you.” Reyn commented.
“I still think you make a great tank even if your defences were poor, Reyn. You are definitely the most stubborn person I know.” Shulk stated.
“You really mean that, Shulk?” Reyn asked with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice.
“I believe it, Reyn.” Applejack said with her eyes shut with a confident smile. “One of these days, I’ll gladly challenge you to an Iron Pony competition to see which one of us can throw around our weight the best, though.”
“Hah! Don’t make me laugh, Applejack. Everyone knows I can throw around my weight the best.” Reyn hollered with a roar of confidence.
“Is that so, Reyn? How about we prove it right now?” Applejack asked, pointing towards a group of Mechon deeper in the tunnel. “Whoever can take out the most Mechon there can say that they throw around their weight the best.” With a confident smile, she finished up.
“Is that all? Man, this is going to be easy.” Rotating his right shoulder, Reyn stated. “To be on the fair side, you’re going to go inflict break on all those Mechon and I’ll topple them.”
“Sounds like a plan, Reyn.” Applejack said. The Homs and the Pony then ran towards the Mechon, their guarder and hammer ready for action.
Sharla looked at the two, then faced Shulk and Twilight Sparkle with her lips curled in a dumbfounded fashion.
“Should we…?”
Shulk let out a pained sigh.
“Reyn’s not the kind of guy who backs down from competition. He’s always hasty with his actions and doesn’t like it when others interrupt.”
“Strangely coincidental to Applejack’s aptitude for competition. I really hope this doesn’t end up escalating to the levels that Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared during the Running of the Leaves.” Twilight Sparkle uttered out, her eye twitching in small but erratic patterns.
“Well, I trust that they will be fine. It’s only a few Mechon, after all. In the meantime, I think this would be a good time to show you how gems works, especially since you know have more gear with open slots.” Shulk stated.
“Open slots?” Twilight Sparkle asked, looking back towards her robes. Her eyes picked up on small indents among the bug patterns. “So you said that there are gems that augment my effectiveness in various areas, correct?”
Shulk took out a knapsack from a pocket on the left breast of his armor and unwound the rope closing it. Putting his hand inside the bag, he took out a deep blue hexagon-shaped gem from it. Twilight Sparkle eyed the gem with fascination shining in her eyes.
“This is one of the gems that Reyn and I made before we left Colony 9. This specific gem is known as HP Up, a Water Gem that increases your overall vitality while equipped. It won’t provide much of a boost, however, since we couldn’t refine the characteristic any more than we can. It still should help you survive in battle, though.” Shulk explained.
Twilight Sparkle grabbed the gem and eyed it with a curious hum. Placing it into the slot, she felt a surge of cooling energy wrap around her body and the sensation of more blood flow through her veins.
“It feels kind of weird, but a good kind of weird. I will be sure to treasure my first gem.” With a large smile on her face, she stated.
“You know, Twilight, we are in the Ether Mine right now. Outside of fighting monsters to gain their crystals, there are many deposits in the mine that have various kinds of ether. We should stock up as much ether crystals as possible.” Sharla suggested.
Rainbow Dash looked down the tunnel where Reyn and Applejack left to fight the Mechon. The two of them were nowhere to be seen. Her body broke out in a cold sweat and her muscles tightened around her lungs.
“Where’s Applejack and Reyn? Weren’t they here a moment ago?” She asked.
Shulk, Twilight Sparkle and Sharla looked down the tunnel and widened their eyes at the sight of their missing friends.
“This is not good! We have to find them, quickly!” Shulk shouted. “It looks like we are going to have to hold off our plans of gathering ether crystals and find where our friends went.”
With those words, the four of them ran down towards the tunnel.
Looking down upon the remains of the scout-type Mechon on the ground, Reyn and Applejack had large smiles on their faces. Reyn wiped beads of sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand and Applejack exhaled an exhausted sigh.
“We may not have had the Monado on our side this time, but those Mechon went down easy. So… how many did you destroy, Applejack?” Reyn asked.
“I’ve destroyed about four Mechon. How about you, Reyn?”
“…four. It looks like we both are even when it comes to throwing our weight around.”
Applejack looked towards Reyn with her head cocked and disbelieving eyes. Then, she smiled.
“Looks like I know who’s worthy of being my first Homs rival.”
Reyn and Applejack clasped their right hand and front hoof together, shaking it. Shulk, Twilight Sparkle, Sharla and Rainbow Dash ran down the flooded trail towards the two of them with their eyebrows scrunched.
“Reyn! Applejack! I thought you would be around us when doing that competition. Why did the two of you travel off without us like that?” His breathing erratic, Shulk shouted.
Reyn and Applejack scratched the backs of their heads and cocked their eyes away from everyone else.
“Sorry, Shulk. Didn’t mean for our contest to move like that. But, the good thing is that we are still okay, right?” Reyn replied.
“Applejack, you know how dangerous the Mechon are. Remember what happened back at Colony 9? We should always stay close to each other.” Twilight Sparkle scolded.
Applejack sighed and closed her eyes, looking down in defeat.
“Don’t remind me. I was nearly made into Mechon food back there.”
Twilight Sparkle smiled and embraced Applejack by her neck with her front legs.
“You scared me there for a second, Applejack. I’m just glad you and Reyn are okay.”
Throughout the cave, the sound of a gun firing spread throughout the cavern. Sharla’s ears perked up and she gasped.
“An ether rifle! Gadolt!” She shouted, running down the tunnel.
“Sharla!” Shulk and Rainbow Dash shouted, sprinting and following her.
“Man, another chase?” Reyn asked, running alongside Twilight Sparkle and Applejack.
Sharla, Shulk and Rainbow Dash ran into a cavity with a concrete platform and a few ramps. In front of their eyes was a group of Mechon swarming around a dark-skinned man with a bald head and a white beard. He was dressed in an orange vest, camo leggings and brown boots. He hid behind a container, firing off explosive lasers at the Mechon.
“Gadolt!” Sharla shouted, aiming her rifle at a spider-type Mechon and shooting it.
“I know that voice.” The old man said to himself. “Medic, is that you?!” He shouted, right as a Mechon fired an explosive round at the container covering him.
“Otharon!” Sharla shouted, running to him and shooting the Mechon around.
“That’s our cue, Rainbow Dash!” Shulk stated, running down to the platform.
“Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying down the ramp.
The laser blade of the Monado unsheathed, and Shulk, Sharla and Rainbow Dash poised themselves between the Mechon and Otharon. Shulk swung the Monado, enchanting Sharla and Rainbow Dash with its energy.
Sharla pulled the trigger of her rifle, shooting a Mechon with several rounds. She filled the ammo of her rifle with purple rounds.
“Thunder Bullet!” She shouted, shooting off two electrical shots at a scout-type Mechon.
“Counter Clone!” Enshrouded in an orange aura, Rainbow Dash screamed. She launched her spiked hoof against a spider-type Mechon, punching its central body hard. Behind it, Shulk jumped behind and swung his blade down its back.
“Back Slash!”
The Mechon stood their fazed for a moment, then turned around and smacked Shulk away with one of its legs. It looked towards Rainbow Dash and fired a laser straight into her chest, knocking her back.
“Rainbow Dash! Shulk!” Sharla shouted. She ran several steps back and filled her rifle with blue rounds. “Heal round!”
A blue energy mist engulfed Shulk and Rainbow Dash, sewing their injuries and filling them with energy.
“Thanks, Sharla.” Rainbow Dash stated. She looked towards the spider Mechon with a fire burning in her eyes. “You are going down!” She flew towards the Mechon that struck her, stepped onto the ground in front of it, and spun around rapidly. Slicing winds formed around her body and thickened, which enveloped the Mechon. “Localized Tornado!”
The Mechon flew up the tempestuous winds, and Rainbow Dash flew up the eye and uppercut punched the Mechon, knocking it out of the tornado. The Mechon exploded upon hitting the ground.
“Shadow Eye!” Shulk called out, being submerged in a shadow energy. He sprinted towards the scout-type Mechon previously damaged by the Thunder Bullet and aimed his Monado towards its side. “Slit Edge!” He shouted, stabbing its side.
The Mechon hovered uneasily from the force of the strike. Then, a shockwave struck it, denting its armor more than standard.
“Let me finish this Mechon off, Shulk.” Rainbow Dash offered, flying above it and striking its back with a dive kick. The Mechon exploded from the strike.
The rest of the scout-type Mechon aimed their guns towards the trio. Everyone stood their guard, growling intensely at those in their way. Then, a spiked hammer rotated around the platform and struck the Mechon. With a ferocious cry, Reyn jumped from the upper level and stabbed one of the Mechon through its head with his guarder. A green bolt of magic struck another Mechon, knocking it onto the ground and blowing it up. Twilight Sparkle teleported onto the platform.
“Reyn! Twilight! Applejack!” Shulk shouted with large amounts of enthusiasm and a large smile on his face.
“We aren’t leaving you three alone to deal with all these Mechon.” Giving a thumbs up towards Shulk, Reyn stated.
Seeing itself outnumbered, the last Mechon fled.
Otharon, seeing the people around him, frowned.
“You weren’t supposed to come back, Medic. I thought I told you that.”
“We have the Monado on our side, now. Two of them, actually.” Sharla rationalized.
Otharon looked towards Shulk’s sword and Twilight Sparkle’s ring. He hummed lowly.
“Looks like you all may be of big help after all. But, what are you six doing here in the ether mine?” He asked.
“Juju and Applebloom were taken by the bronze faced Mechon. We are here to save them and Gadolt.” Sharla responded.
Otharon closed his eyes and exhaled slightly.
“Very well, but you six are going to need to rest up before heading deeper into the mine. It’s dangerous up ahead.”