Team Superstars: Winds of Change

by Lulamoon-Crystal

Mystery Dungeon

Everyone groaned as they woke up on a mossy floor. Dahlia slowly opened her eyes. It seemed to be darker in this part of the woods. Certainly did not match the part they were in just before. The trees were thick and very close together, giving in a little light. Oddly it seemed more well lit than it should have been judging by the amount of light the trees were letting in.

It was quiet. They only heard the dripping of water in a nearby water hole. Around them were stones covered in moss and a few walls of packed dirt. Of course tyere were trees and ferns. Everyone looked around, puzzled. This didn't look like part of the forest they were just in. Did the arch teleport them or something? It must have, there was no way they walked here. The flash of light when they went through. It all made sense.

It must have been portal.

Behind her, Dahlia noticed something off. Like something was missing, like something should be there that was not there. Slowly looking behind her, getting off from laying across Hitch’s back. Her heart dropped as she stared in horror. Stepping forwards and looking around her. Double checking her surroundings. She was just about to exclaim, but Jazz beat her to it.

“Where is the way out!?”

Hitch was also really concerned, his ears were back as he nervously looked to the side, expecting to see some sort of portal. Like when he went to the dragon lands and there was a portal leading them there and one waiting for them to use when they were ready to return. It was way too strange. Why was there not a portal here? Should there be one? How would they get home?

He told himself mentally not to panic. But his voice shivered. “S-surely the portal or something is around here, somewhere!” He exclaimed. “I-it can’t be that far!”

Hitch ran around the small clearing area they seemed to have been in. One where they could freely move without having to climb a wall or a tree. He hit the walls and looked for any sign of the tree arch they went through. Or some sort of thing that screamed “portal!” Just a sign would be great!

“I can’t see it!” He screamed. “Where is the portal!?”

“Hey!” Dahlia exclaimed. “Where’s Stardust?” She looked around and saw an exit deeper into the dark woods. Hoping nothing took her. Like a scary monster. With huge claws, big teeth and craves ponies for breakfast. In horror movies, the adults had more meat and were chosen first by monsters. But foals were juicier and more tender.

“M-maybe she’s gone there?” Suggested Jazz. Shaking like crazy. Her breathing was rapid as she looked into the dark abyss. Not wanting to go any father. Dahlia nodded in agreement, her ears were flat, and her eyes were wide like discs.

“We must go after her!” Hitch exclaimed. He was terrified. But this was a foal in danger, just because she wasn't his child did not mean he should not be concerned.

“Are you nuts!?” Jazz shrieked.

“Maybe we can find a way home if we explore a bit further!” Hitch assured, thinking on the bright side. Surely there was a way home deeper in this scary place., “And find Stardust… I swear, that filly is one of the oddest I’ve met!”

“F-fine…” Jazz said, forcing her shaking legs to walk.

They only took a few steps before Stardust came running back. Making a loud noise that almost made Jazz and Dahlia jump out of their skins. Stardust exclaimed not because of fear. But… Excitement? What is there to be excited about?Because anyone could ask. She jumped up.

“It’s like a mystery dungeon!”

“Mystery dungeon?” Asked Dahlia. She was very puzzled, she had no idea how this place looked the slightest bit like a dungeon. There were no cells. No chambers. No torture devices. It was a forest. Some weird maze forest thing with trees and rocks acting like walls. Almost like a sick joke some earth pony and a few friends made. She would have thought that too if there wasn't evidence proving otherwise. Like the portal and the creepy feeling she had.

Like she was being watched.

“Yes! Mystery dungeon!” She confirmed.“From a video game series where you turn into a magical creature and have to explore dungeons and do quests and save the world!” Stardust exclaimed happily. “Just like it!”

“Eh… What?” Hitch cocked his head in confusion. He never really played video games much. He did play occasionally and casually, but not like a gamer would. Ever since he became a sheriff and even after the return of magic he certainly had gone months without playing a video game. But he didn’t quite recall one Stardust was talking about. There were no games about “mystery dungeons.” Well, sure, she was from another world. So perhaps it is one in hers. But he did wish she'd see the dire situation.

“This isn’t a video game!” Shouted Dahlia, getting cross with this filly. She only played video games when hanging out with friends of hers. Or to pass the time. She remembered playing stuff like “Neii Sports” pronounced ‘Neigh’ or “Oreo Kart” She was horrible at them. But that was not why she was unpleased.

“I know! But you’ll see!” She jumped up and turned around. But as she took a few steps, Hitch stopped her in her tracks. Before she could go any further, much to her annoyance.

“I think an adult should take the lead, don’t want you getting hurt.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad!” Stardust exclaimed.

"This is not a park, Stardust. Ponies have gone missing. This must be why." Hitch looked around. “They must have stumbled into this maze thing and got lost… But with monsters?” He questioned. Recalling survivors mentioning monsters. He gulped as he thought of the monsters.

Giant pony eating sharks with razorblades riding angry porcupines? He hoped not.

---

As they went deeper. The group found themselves in another area after going down a slope. Dahlia gasped and tucked herself behind Hitch in fear, shaking she peeked out behind him. She had just heard noise. Hitch heard it too, it sounded like rustling and footsteps. Heavy footsteps, like they were coming from an angry pony about the size of Alphabittle. Angrily stomping along to whoever he was angry at.

Jazz whimpered as she leaned down, shaking, holding her face in her hooves. Hitch was also scared, waiting for the creature to show themselves. Hoping it was simply maybe one of the missing ponies? The sound soon stopped, Jazz made herself as small as possible as she walked. Her heart was beating out her chest like it was fighting to get out of there.

Stardust moved slowly. Tail tucked between hind legs. She stayed crouched down. Having the instinct to growl for some reason.

After a bit of cautiously moving along. Staying alert. Hitch stopped suddenly, his ears perked up as he stood alert. Dahlia bumped into his rump, with Jazz bumping face-first into hers, shakingly lifting her head. As they didn't know he stopped. Stardust simply chuckled as she moved back in between Jazz and Dahlia after stepping aside. So she wouldn't get bumped into.

“Wh-why’d you stop?” Dahlia’s voice shook as she looked in front of him. Hoping he stopped because of a dead-end or there were multiple paths to take. But nope. She was seeing a pony-like figure. It was clearly not a pony. It had a pony shape, sure. But it looked more like a bunch of rocks someone glued together to make a pony shape out of them. The mane and tail were made of small grey stones while the rest were just rocks.

Hitch decided to try and talk with this fella. After all, he was more confused than shocked. But he learnt to not judge a pony based on their appearance. This guy could easily be a local in this strange forest.

“Oh, hello there, lil fella!” Hitch smiled a but. “We are a little lost, do you know the way out of this place? Im Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer and these are my friends.” He let out a hoof for the creature to shake. The pony lifted a “hoof” too, Hitch smiled confidentially as he smiled back at the others. Not noticing the mud ball forming in the pony’s mouth.

“See? This creature is-“ Then he was hit in the side of face with a whole thing of mud. “Ugh… H-hey! Thats not very nice, you think?” He asked as the creature stepped back.

Stardust proceeded to throw a pebble at it. The trio shouted at her, noticing the creature make a grumbling noise.

“Now you made it mad!”

“But… We are meant to fight it!”

“Now, now Stardust. Fighting does not solves everything.” He scolded her like a mother or father would do to their own foals. “Unless the situation is dire… Or-“ He yelped as a small rock whipped past his head. Heating Dahlia on the face, she cried out in pain as she dropped to the ground.

“Dahlia!”

“Hey!” Shouted Hitch, angrily. Getting imterrupted by Dahlia as she got up. Jumping in front of him. In range, she smashed her hooves against the ground. Vines dashing towards the rock creature. Shattering it completely.

“Y-you killed it!” Hitch exclaimed in disbelief. He was angry it attacked them, but he did wish that they could have done something else. He wished Dahlia simply stalled it. Or stunned it at least.

Stardust shrugged and put a hoof on bis leg. “They arent alive. They are mindless beings who are powered by shadows…”

“Oookay?” Jazz said as she moved ahead slightly. ‘How do you know this, Stardust? Another Mystery Dungeon thing?”

“No. You could just see it. No emotions, only doing what it knows it can do. Basically a robot…”

Hitch sighed a bit, “I suppose that gives a bit of relief. Knowing we are just fighting the equivalent to robots and not actual critters…” He still looked a bit worried, however. Finding it rather creepy.

---

Jazz jumped as she heard a low growling noise. “What was that?” She asked, her voice more shaky than before.

“Oh…” Dahlia responded as she looked at Hitch’s belly. Then rolled her eyes lightly. “It’s just Hitch’s belly…”

“Oh!” Hitch’s attention was diverted. “S-sorry girls. Didn't have lunch…” He responded with a sheepish chuckle. A little bit embarrassed. But at least it wasn't anything to worry about.

“Food!” Exclaimed Stardust. Pointing at a bush with large fruit of some sort on them. The group slowly went closer, Hitch making sure to warn his friends and Stardust before they touched them. “Now, these may be poisonous. So we should not eat them until we know if they are safe to eat!”

He took a close look at the berries trying to investigate them. They were a curved but plump shape. Almost like a crescent moon. The skin was red and faded to yellow and white at the end. Only the stem was a shade of green that almost looked black.

Dahlia cocked her head in confusion. “I don't recognise this berry at all. Do you, Hitch?” Dahlia asked him. She hadn't really spent much time in Bridlewood or Zephyr Heights. So all she knew, there could have been fruit that only grew in or around those areas. It sure did not look like a hybrid, as earth ponies could sense if plants were a hybrid or not.

“Neither do i!” Exclaimed Jazz as she looked at the red and orange fruit with black stems. “They kinda look like chilli, but they smell sweet and have black stems…”

Hitch as a colt had taken trips and lessons in Colt Scouts. One thing they taught was forest survival. On how to determine a berry or any on-fungi thing in the woods safe to eat. Well, first;y, this berry was not yellow or white. So that was one sign pf mot being poisonous. He snapped a part of the bush off. Nothing odd, nothing came running out. It looked no different to snapping a part from certain other bushes.

The next thing he did was sniff the berry. It was a sweet smell, like blue berry mixed with chilli in a smoothie. Which he never had, but he had smelt it before when he was helping Sunny with smoothie orders once. Once he smelt it, he broke the berry in half.

The inside reminded him of a strawberry, but purple and had seeds in it. He took one more sniff before taking a lick, no bitter smell or taste. No other signs that it would be poisonous. It just looked and smelt like an odd hybrid of a chilli and a strawberry.

“It’s safe!” Hitch exclaimed before gulping down on the berry. Chewing and swallowing it. “Tastes a bit-uh-huah!”

Dahlia and Jazz watched in panic as Hitch panted and looked a bit red in the face. Then they watched in horror as he screamed, fire spewing from his mouth like a flamethrower. Burning one of those strange critters made of sticks, that was a few hooves away from them, unnoticed. Reducing it to nothing but ash.

“Hitch!”

Hitch looked down and panted, he wiped some sweat from his forehead. “Whew. That was hot!” He exclaimed. Thankful to be alive. But also scolding himself for letting his hunger get the best of him. He should have been more careful.

“Hitch. Are you alright!” Dahlia panicked. Looking at him for any sign of injury. But it only looked as if he ran in a marathon and ate a chilli right after. Which was worrisome because he absolutely did not run a marathon and ate a chilli right after. But he did eat some strange chilli berry.

He nodded, seining to just simply be surprised and not in any pain. Despite straight-up firing real fire from his mouth. His mouth was not burnt the slightest. “Y-yeah. Just got a scare then. But that’s a pretty odd berry, never saw something like that!”

“Yeah… I think i’ll pass on having one of those.” Dahlia nodded in agreement. Neither had she. Earth pony magic also seemingly wouldn’t have allowed for some pony to make such a powerful berry. That makes one blow fire like a dragon when consumed. “Must be a natural plant of this place…”

Stardust jumped up, “Oooh! I got it! We can call it the… Wait for it…”Everyone watched her in curiosity.. “Chilerry.”

“Chilerry?” Jazz asked, cocking her head slightly.

“Please, Stardust…” Groaned Dahlia as she put a hoof on her forehead.

“Oh no… Who knows what else we will have to deal with!” Jazz exclaimed.“Ponies made of sticks and stones? Now berries that make you breath fire!? What next?” She raised her hooves. Clearly she had enough of this place. “Some crazy shadowy monster thing only the chosen ones can destroy like in some sort of RPG!?”

Dahlia laughed and gave Jazz a small nudge. Then gained a serious expression. “Don’t jinx it, Jazzeroo.”

“Jazzeroo? Haven’t been called that in a while…”

“Ooh! Mystery Dungeon is an R-“

“Not now, Stardust!” The three adults said in unison.