Applejack turned to depart when Sweetie Belle squeaked out, "Wait! Look!" She pointed where her motes clearly lit up the wall, showing a vast mural of what looked like a city with a great eyeball hovering over it. "What does it mean?"
The others peered at it quizzically a moment. Apple Bloom shrugged. "Bet it came from whoever built this place."
Sunflower moved up to the mural and joined in the peering before he pointed up at the eye. "I want to poke that."
Scootaloo was alright with granting that wish. She spread out her wings wide and launched herself up at the eye, prodding it with her hoof. The wall to the side of the mural began to move with the sound of stone grinding against stone, revealing a staircase that wound deeper into the earth. "Awesome!"
Applejack shook her head a little. "I swear, y'all got the special talent of finding trouble. Ah move we finish looking around up here before we consider looking down there."
Sweetie bobbed her head, but looked particularly pleased with herself. "We can come back to this."
Apple Bloom held up a hoof towards Sweetie. "Good job finding that." The hoof was quickly joined by Sweetie, then Scootaloo and Sunflower. They filed out into the first room in a cloud of giggles and excited chatter.
Applejack followed along with a more subdued energy. "Not sure we should be that happy..."
Apple Bloom and Sunflower rushed for the second door in the main room and looked it over. After being satisfied that it wasn't trapped, Sunflower reached for the knob and found it stuck. "Locked. I have this!" Sunflower got to work fixing the door's locked state without further prompting.
Scootaloo glanced to the side at Sweetie Belle. "Think we'll find something else cool in there?"
Sweetie Belle smiled nervously. "Maybe. Let's be careful, OK? We're down to whatever Apple Bloom has. Oh!"
Scootaloo tilted her head at Sweetie. "What?"
"I remembered where I heard about that thing we fought, with all the bandages! They're mummies!"
Apple Bloom blinked. "What? It's not mah mummy!"
Sweetie Belle snorted. "Not like a mom... Don't be silly."
The door's lock clicked satisfyingly as Sunflower defeated the mechanism at last. He stepped back with a grin, then opened it swiftly, letting lose a rapidly spreading carpet of beetles across the floor, walls, and even the ceiling in short order. The Crusaders shrieked in unison and ran away with more terror than they had before the forces of the undead.
Applejack made a face of displeasure, but saw no reason to get worked up over bugs, until Sunflower let out a pained mewl and joined in the retreat, swiping at several beetles that had bit through his clothing and fur to find tender flesh. "What tha?" She stepped towards the spreading carpet and brought down a hoof, crushing several of the bugs, but there were countless more. Not even registering the loss of their friends, they began to scuttle up Applejack's leg, biting and tearing as they went.
Applejack let loose a most unkind word as she backed away, shaking loose the ones attached to her. Apple Bloom pulled out a bomb. "Ah got this!" She threw the bomb into the center of the mass where it exploded in a bright flare of heat, taking out a wide hole of the bugs. The carpet began to home in on Bloom quickly. She bared her teeth nervously and dug out her last prepared bomb. "Here goes nuthin'." The swarm was scuttling across the room with an unsettling speed. All the others dared not stand beside Apple Bloom. The second bomb she threw blew up at the head of the swarm. Despite so many of their member being roasted and crisped, they still came. Apple Bloom shrank back in terror just before Scootaloo rushed overhead and grabbed her up, coming to a rough landing across the room. "Thanks Scoots!"
Scootaloo rushed for Applejack without delay. "Give me Twilight's book, now!"
Applejack offered up the book numbly. "Whatcha gonna do?"
Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom. "Distract them! Don't let them get on you!"
Apple Bloom saluted and pulled out a potion. After guzzling it down quickly, she zipped across the room with supernatural speed, taunting and leading the swarm around in wide circles.
Scootaloo almost threw the book down and flipped through it hurriedly. "It doesn't have the spell! I knew I saw it somewhere!"
Applejack blinked. "What spell?" She dug out her own book and tossed it aside Twilight's. "Is it in here?"
Scootaloo grinned. "Here it is! Apple Bloom, keep it up!" She started reading hurriedly, trying to cram the spell into her head as quickly as possible.
Apple Bloom did her best, scurrying around away from the swarm and trying to keep its attention away from Scootaloo. Her spell ran dry, but she was still just a little faster than the swarm in her fearful running. "Almost done? This is getting mighty tiring!"
"Hold on a second..."
Apple Bloom eventually collapsed, only to be ferried to safety by Sunflower and replaced by Sweetie Belle, who added the delight of her piercing shrieks as she ran about with the swarm dangerously close to her soft tail. Scootaloo finally slammed the book shut and rushed for the swarm. She reared up onto her hind legs and thrust her forehooves forward. "Burning hooves!" Flames washed out over the bugs, driving them to scatter into the dark corners, losing their cohesion.
Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack. "Why'd ya get that spell?"
Applejack shrugged. "Seemed a good idea fer dealing wit' timber wolves. Scootaloo, what did ya just do? Ah'm used to doing all mah reading at the start of the day."
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, ah make all mah potions when ah wake up."
Scootaloo pointed to Twilight's book. "Twillight said, er, wrote, that you don't have to do them all. I left some room for a new spell, just in case."
Sunflower slapped Scootaloo's back with a grin. "Good thing you did! We did it!"
Applejack collected both books, tucking them away. "Shame it takes so long, but good thinking, Scootaloo. Ya done good."
Sweetie moved to the door all the bugs had rushed out of and peered inside. "Looks like it used to be a bath."
The others moved to join her and agreed. It had the shape of a large bath tub in the floor, almost a pool in size. The tiles were faded, but were clearly made to handle water. Apple Bloom gravitated towards some vials perched beside the pool and popped them open to sniff and inspect them. "Soap... shampoo... What the..." She picked up the third one and held it up towards one of the motes before shaking it up and looking again. After thorough investigation she announced. "Ah think it's a hair grower."
Sweetie giggled. "We all have enough hair."
Apple Bloom tucked it away. "Maybe it's worth somethin' to somepony what don't have no hair."
Applejack pointed towards the hole in the ceiling of the first room. "Well ah reckon that's enough fer today. Don't know about y'all but I'm ready fer a tall drink and some relaxation."
Scootaloo bobbed her head. "We did real good! Tomorrow we can get the rest. Maybe we won't even need that other job."
It took more effort to get out than to get in, but the group eventually emerged into the afternoon sun of the city. As they made their way back to the manor, they ran into a new pony with dark sandy fur and a bright smile. She bowed at the group. "What a rare pleasure to run into so many other ponies in this city! Come, we must share tales and drinks!"
Applejack tilted her head. "That sounds right up mah alley right about now. Whattaya say girls?"
Apple Bloom nudged Applejack. "That mean ah get to have a drink?"
Applejack raised a hoof. "Sure does, something non-alky-holic."
Apple Bloom pouted, but they all followed Applejack and the new pony to a nearby tavern.
Sweetie moved amongst the others. "Don't talk too much about what we were doing."
Sunflower looked baffled. "Why not? I want to talk about how great we all were."
Scootaloo clopped her hooves together. "No, she's right! If they know where we're going, or think we're doing too good, they may follow us. We could get attacked."
Apple Bloom frowned at the thought and rushed over to Applejack. Using her esteemed sister privileges, she clambered up onto the larger mare and scooted forward until she was by an ear. She whispered softly in an ear, "Play it off like we're barely getting by. Don't want nopony trying ta steal our stuff."
Applejack nodded and smiled at the new mare. "So, never caught yer name?"
They all enjoyed well-deserved refreshment from their adventure, playing up the dangers while downplaying the rewards of their ventures. Sweetie suddenly jumped as a paw slapped her flank.
"Dance for us!" commanded a male purrsian. "You are a performer, are you not?"
Sweetie perked her ears, "What? Oh, uh, I guess..."
"Don't be shy." The purrsian laughed. "We tip well if you can amuse us."
Sweetie suddenly got a devious look and leaned towards the purrsian. "I'm very exclusive. I'm afraid I can't sing for you unless you pay up front."
Apparently the purrsian liked what he saw, and he marshalled his friends into raining down coins around Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom quickly gathered them up and counted before nodding at her. Sweetie smiled brightly and looked around. Spotting a small performing stage, she rushed for it and hopped up onto it. She stood before the small crowd, swallowing back some fear that threatened to well up in her. If she could face off against horrible mummies and nasty beetles... She took a slow breath before she closed her eyes and let the music within her free.
The tavern quieted as many eyes were drawn towards the sweetly-singing young mare. As she drew close to the end of the first song, she opened her eyes to find an adoring crowd smiling up at her. Her spirit soared with joy until a new figure climbed up onto the stage. It was the original purrsian. "You sing very good. But I want to see you dance. Come, dance with me little angel."
Sweetie shrank back from the purrsian. "Oh, uh, dancing's not really my specialty..."
Sunflower suddenly landed in front of Sweetie, between her and the pushy purrsian. "She said no! The rest of us want to hear singing. Buzz off!"
Sunflower's words were well chosen, inciting the rest of the crowd to start jeering and booing the offending purrsian.
"Let the pony sing!"
"Get off the stage!"
"You're ruining the show!"
Annoyed but seemingly unwilling to face the crowd, the purrsian stepped down and marched off with a grumble. Sweetie hugged Sunflower from behind. "Thanks!" She fell back to all fours and turned to the crowd. "Thank you everypony. One more song, just for being great." Sweetie sang all the more freely, her relief and pleasure coming through her words in notes that soothed the souls of all who listened to her.