Binary Bonds

Prologue

A lonely trail wound through the Everfree Forest. It was partially overgrown from lack of use and at times seemed to disappear into the surrounding foliage. A lone figure trudged its way through the underbrush, struggling to keep track of the faded trail. The grey unicorn stopped and shook the leaves out of her red mane.

With a worried frown on her face the unicorn surveyed her surroundings. With a sigh she closed her eyes and a yellow aura enveloped her horn. A wave of magic emanated out from her, radiating out in a ring through the forest.

Her frown deepened. “I don’t think that this is working,” she said with dismay. “And I am pretty sure this is just going to attract unwanted attention.”

The unicorn continued a few more feet down the path before stopping again.

“One more try,” she mumbled to herself. Once again her horn shined with yellow light. She let out another burst of magic. “Nope. I still can’t pinpoint it, only sense its general presence.”

A pair of red eyes were watching the frustrated unicorn from the dense foliage just off of the trail. A red glow briefly shined through the bushes. Then a burst of red energy rushed out of the foliage. The unicorn flinched as the energy hit her.

“It’s this way,” a voice called out.

The grey unicorn looked up to see a yellow head sticking out of the underbrush, a red glow surrounding the horn on its head.

“Snap, it’s nerve-racking enough out here without you disappearing on me constantly,” the grey unicorn called out.

“Sorry about that, Pearl” said the yellow unicorn as she jumped onto the path. “I thought that you were well versed in locator spells, what with the telescope on your flank.”

“I have never used this variation before,” Pearl admitted. “Where did you find this spell anyway?”

Snap brushed a strand of her blue mane off of her face. “It’s a slightly tweaked version of a gem finding spell that a unicorn in Ponyville taught me.”

Snap quickly may her way down the trail, rushing past Pearl. The grey unicorn followed after her with an annoyed look on her face.

“Slow down Snap. I don’t want to have to carry you back to town if you injure yourself.”

“I ‘m being careful,” Snap retorted over her shoulder. “Quick and careful.”

Snap continued confidently on through the forest. She was heading toward a nearby mountain that stood about two miles inside the Everfree Forest. Jagged rock spires covered the mountain and some could be found in the area around it. Snap slowed her pace as she approached one of the rock spires. Her horn projected a beam of red light at the spire.

“I think this is it,” Snap said as she slipped her saddlebags off. She levitated a pickaxe out of the bag a walk over to the spire.

It took Pearl a minute to catch up with the faster unicorn. She paused and watched Snap approach the spire as she caught her breath.

“You brought a pickaxe with you?” asked Pearl.

“I brought a sledgehammer, rope, a shovel, and a saw as well,” replied Snap as she looked over the spire. “I’m just being prepared.”

“Right,” said Pearl skeptically as she came up to the spire. “It’s inside the spire then?”

“Probably, can you confirm it?”

“No problem.” Pearl’s horn lit up, as did the spire. The grey unicorn paced around the rock structure, looking it over from all sides. After completing her examination she turned back to her yellow companion. “Good news, it seems to be blocking any attempt that I make to scan it magically. That coupled with these deposits of gold and silver in the rock mean that one could safely assume the spire does indeed contain trace amounts of electrum.”

“Perfect.” Snap smiled and lifted the pickaxe up. She began chipping away at the surface of the spire. After a few seconds a glowing yellow liquid began oozing out of the spire. Snap put down the pickaxe and stepped back.

Pearl stepped forward with a vial in her mouth. She walked up to the leak and began collecting the liquid, being careful not to get any on herself. Once the vial was nearly full Pearl pulled her head away.

“Watch your hoof, Pearl,” Snap cautioned. A few drops of the glowing substance hit Pearl’s fore hoof. Snap pulled a rag out of her saddlebag and quickly cleaned off Pearl’s hoof. Pearl levitated a stopper up to the vial and capped it.

“That tingles,” commented Pearl. Her horn began to glow as she focused on the Snap’s rag. The rag would not move. “Interesting, even a few drops of Electrum can block my magic.”

Snap grabbed the rag and stored it back in her saddlebag. She then looked up at the nearby mountain. “Hey, Pearl. Could you scope out that mountain for me?”

“I suppose,” answered Pearl. Her horn and eyes began to glow. “What exactly am I looking for?”

“Try to find a cavern or some other way inside. I have a theory that there is a natural spring of electrum and now I think it might be under the mountain.” Snap pulled out a map and pencil.

After a few minutes of studying the mountain Pearl turned back to Snap. “I think I found a suitable entrance.” She walked over to the map and marked the entrance on it. “You are not thinking of going out there now are you?”

“Not today,” said Snap. “I might get Red to help with that. Besides I know how nervous you get out here in the forest with all of the monsters in it.”

“The forest does not worry me in the least,” Pearl stated with an unusual amount of confidence. “I have dealt with worse things than organic monsters, so have you.”

Snap looked confused. She scratched her head and looked at Pearl with concern. “When exactly have either of us had to deal with anything as bad or worse than a manticore? Or a timber wolf?”

“I . . . don’t know,” conceded Pearl. “Odd, I thought we did for a second. Why don’t we roll out back to Canterville. This place is starting to freak me out.”

Snap stood and watched as Pearl walked back the way they had come with a look of concern on her face. “Strange,” she muttered as she put away the map and put on her saddle bags. Snap followed Pearl down the path. A loose strand of her blue mane fell into her face and Snap stopped. Frowning she readjusted her hair, making sure everything was in place before continuing.