The Fillies Take Chalkzone
Chapter 1
Detention was not a place any filly would want to be, especially when it was being held on a Friday afternoon. All that time that Apple Bloom and her friends could have spent having fun and trying to earn their cutie marks, or Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon spending their days together how they saw fit, was instead replaced by having to sit in an empty classroom after school hours. The fight that happened between them earlier wasn’t too bad; no pony left with any serious injuries, and Miss Cheerilee was reasonable when it came to this.
She told them earlier that if they showed exceptional behavior (not arguing or yelling at each other, primarily), then they would be free to go an hour earlier. That seemed easy enough for them. There wasn’t much they could have done here in detention that would have gotten the five of them into more trouble than they were already in, and they made sure to stay as far from each other as possible so as to not cause any distractions. The entire room was silent for the past hour and a half. Just another hour before they would be able to leave and enjoy their weekend without restrictions. All they had to do was survive each other’s presence for a little longer.
Cheerilee had been keeping an eye on them the entire time, shifting from the fillies to the small stack of graded papers on the desk in front of her. She was already done with grading, yet there was still more time in the girls’ detention. It gave the teacher some relief and satisfaction knowing that they hadn’t done tried to do anything that would’ve caused even the smallest bit of hostilities.
“Alright, girls,” Cheerilee broke the silence. The fillies looked at her as she stood from her desk. “I’m heading down to the post office to deliver a letter. That means you’ll be alone for a while. Please try to be nice.”
The girls nodded, giving silent promises to their teachers as she made her way for the door. They could tell that she was still worried, most likely because she figured that they would go back to being at each other’s throats the second she left. They couldn’t blame her, though; their relationship was volatile at best, and their rivalries had repeatedly brought them to the brink of fighting numerous times.
“Ya know,” Diamond’s voice broke the seemingly never-ending silence that existed between the five of them, “we would not be in here if it wasn’t for you three.” She pointed an accusing hoof at the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Her accusation earned her a glare from Scootaloo, the pegasus filly’s wings flaring up as she rose from her seat. “Us? We wouldn’t be in here in you two had just minded your own business instead of bothering us like you usually do.”
“Girls!” Sweetie Belle intervened. She knew the situation they were in. It was better for them not to add fuel to the fire, unless they wanted the possibility of having to serve detention on Saturday. “Can’t we stop arguing for one day? We promised Miss Cheerilee we’d be on our best behavior.”
Applebloom nodded in agreement. “Sweetie Belle’s right.” The others girls silently agreed with her—on that, and that detention was no doubt the worst experience ever. In a quick huff, Applebloom hopped out from her desk and made her way over to the chalkboard, opening a small box of chalk Cheerilee kept on her desk. “Maybe we can pass some time by drawing. Everypony loves drawing, right?”
Her suggestion had gotten Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle’s attention. Silver Spoon, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. “Pfft. How lame.”
“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo glanced at her. “Afraid that Applebloom’s a much better artist than you?”
“As if…” The gray filly scoffed. She got out of her seat and made her way up to the chalkboard, standing in front of Applebloom. She was not going to be bested by anypony, especially by a blank-flank. “Let’s get this over with.”
“How ‘bout we play a game?” said Applebloom, grabbing one of the pieces of chalk out of the box. “We each draw a picture that everypony else has to guess. Doesn't have to be good or bad. With each wrong guess, you’ll lose one point. If you get five wrong answers, you’re eliminated from the round.”
“Seems simple enough,” said Diamond Tiara. She, Sweetie, and Scootaloo were all in agreement. They would play along with each other until Miss Cheerilee returned, and then they could leave.
“I’ll go first.” Applebloom eagerly started drawing her picture, carefully sliding the chalk across the blackboard as she tried to place down what she envisioned. It didn’t take too long--about five minutes, at best--before she set down the chalk, letting the others see what her creation was. “So, what do y’all thank?”
Diamond Tiara gazed at the crude picture and answered almost immediately. “Looks like an ugly hamster with a fish for a head.”
Applebloom was set back, glancing back at her work. It didn’t look that bad from her perspective. “It does not look like that!”
“Actually, it kinda does,” Sweetie Belle admitted, earning a chuckle from Tiara and Silver. Applebloom frowned, stepping back as Silver Spoon approached the board for her turn and erased the fish-hamster.
“Alright, my turn.” Taking the chalk, she went through thoroughly, making sure to get down as much detail as she possibly could. When she was finished, she stepped back, letting everypony see her work.
Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “A chicken?” It was way too easy. She was expecting Silver Spoon to draw something a bit more challenging.
“Wrong,” Silver responded. “It’s Scootaloo. See the resemblance?” Diamond Tiara broke out into a laugh.
“Oh, haha! Very funny!” Scootaloo hopped out of her seat and charged up towards the chalkboard, despite Sweetie Belle’s insisting that she should ignore it. She grabbed a piece of chalk and quickly started drawing her picture, not caring about any imperfections that may have been present. When she was finished, she was left with a pig wearing a tiara. “Look at that! I guess I just drew Diamond Tiara.”
The filly in question growled, leaving her seat to join the other four up front. “That’s very funny, Scootaloo. I suppose now it’s my turn.” Diamond Tiara grabbed herself a piece of chalk and started drawing her picture.
It was a worm with a giant bow on its head, representing Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle went up to try and defuse the situation, but with no luck. The game had devolved into a shouting match; pictures that were meant to insult each other were drawn onto the board with little care for detail or design.
Sweetie Belle stood back, not wanting to get caught in the middle of it all. She just hoped Miss Cheerilee didn’t return early to this. She shielded her eye with her hoof when a small light suddenly shined in her face. She noticed a small hole embedded in the chalkboard.
“Hey, everypony. Come see this,” she called to them. They kept up their bickering, however, ignoring the unicorn filly. It was almost like nothing could stand between them and their rivalry, no matter what the price was. This time, Sweetie Belle screamed at the top of her lungs, wanting to get their attention: “Girls!”
She managed to catch their attention this time and directed them to the hole. It was coming from a part of one of the drawings--supposedly a rat--that Diamond Tiara had drawn. For the most part they didn’t say anything, wondering where it had come from. They should not have been able to break the blackboard; they hadn’t the means to do so.
Silver Spoon stepped up and examined it. She looked through it, trying to get a good look of what was on the other side. “It doesn’t really look like the outside. Well, not like our outside, anyway.”
Scootaloo looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
“It doesn’t look real,” Silver replied. “Looks like a five-year old drew it.”
“Really?” Applebloom trotted up and took a look. Silver was right. It didn’t look all that ordinary. The sky and ground were unusually coloured, like they had been scribbled on a piece of paper. “It’s too small for us to get a better look at it. We have to make it bigger.”
“It’s Diamond’s drawing,” said Sweetie Belle. “She should still have the chalk.”
Diamond Tiara approached the blackboard. Using her chalk, she drew a larger circle, more than big enough for them to get a clear look on what was on the other side. It turned into a gateway, no longer a simple drawing. A shimmering portal, inviting them to enter another world.
The portal showed a brightly coloured field on the other side. Aside from a few trees and bushes that were scattered around here and there, it was largely empty, nothing of complete interest to note.
They stepped through onto the other side. It was similar to Equestria. The sun was up; the air around them was warm, like Spring. A few birds flew across the sky, though they didn’t seem as “ordinary” as the ones that usually inhabited the trees in Ponyville. There wasn’t grass, just chalk everywhere around them. Scootaloo was in a state of awe, looking at the new world around her. She rubbed her hoof against the ground. It was smooth, not at all grassy, and even getting a smudge of it onto her. “What is this place?”
“We’re definitely not in Ponyville anymore,” said Apple Bloom.
“Or Equestria, for that matter,” Silver Spoon added. Everything was too unfamiliar here to be considered a parallel universe. In her musing, a sudden rustle in a nearby bush startled her.
It caught the other girls’ attention as well. They couldn’t get a clear look through the leaves at what was hiding, but were nevertheless anxious at what could have been hiding within. It couldn't have been a cute animal, like a rabbit or a mouse? Or perhaps it could have been something dangerous, like a Cockatrice!
Sweetie Belle inched away from it, ever more terrified at the thought of meeting that could have been potentially dangerous. There was no telling what horrible monsters could have been lurking here.“I… I think we should head back to the classroom,” she squeaked. “You know, where we know it’s safe.”
They watched as the leaves were gently brushed away, revealing a tiny creature scurrying out from its hiding spot. Diamond Tiara eyed it with confusion, remembering exactly what it was. “Is that the fish-hamster?”
“It’s Applebloom’s drawing,” said Scootaloo. “It’s alive.”
Silver Spoon cringed at it. “It looks even uglier up close.”
“Don’t say that. You’ll hurt his feel’n’s.” Applebloom cantered up to her creation’s side, ignoring the pink filly behind her. It was cute, despite it being a crude rendition of what she had intended. She pondered what potential names she could give him. “I think I’ll call him, ‘Terry’.”
“Are you sure it’s even a boy?” asked Diamond. Right at that moment, she jumped into Scootaloo’s forelegs when a crudely-drawn rat scurried by.
“Guess that’s your ‘masterpiece’,” the pegasus stated before dropping her.
Diamond Tiara picked herself up off the ground, dusting some of the chalk from her shoulder. “Very funny.”
Nearby, Apple Bloom had been standing on a hill, with Terry sitting on her back. “Check this out, y’all!” she called over to the others. They came over and were instantly greeted to a panoramic view of a large valley. The chalk-sun was hovering just above the mountains, way off in the distance, and was even “reflecting” off the stream that ran through the area. It was a beautiful sight, even if it was made completely out of chalk.
“This is too amazing,” said Scootaloo, “and to think; we’re the first ponies to actually discover this place.”
“Then that settles it.” Sweetie Belle trotted up, giving a wide smile as she held her arms out wide. “I hereby dub this place ‘Chalklantis’!”
“That’s a stupid name,” said Diamond Tiara.
Scootaloo scoffed. “Think you can come up with a better one?”
“Girls, please…” Applebloom intervened. Now wasn’t the time to fight, especially after finding this wonderland. “We’ll come up with a name later. Right now, I say we get back to the school before Cheerilee gets back. Diamond Tiara, make sure you hang onto that piece of chalk. We’ll be need’n it to get back here.”
“You want us to trust her?” Sweetie Belle pointed an accusing hoof at Diamond, and received a glare in return.
Applebloom nodded. She trusted the filly enough to let her have it. “You really think she’d survive three seconds here by herself? You saw how she reacted when that mouse scurried by, didn’t ya?”
“I wasn’t that scared,” Diamond said, crossing her forelegs. “Fine then, we’ll come back tomorrow. But we’ll need another chalkboard since school will be closed.”
“I have one!” Sweetie Belle raised. “We can meet up at my house and use it.” They were all in agreement.
“It’s settled, then,” said Apple Bloom. “Tomorrow, we meet each other at Sweetie’s place, and then we can start explore’n Chalklantis!”
Sweetie Belle smiled. “Ha! I knew that name would catch on!”
They started their way back for the portal, completely unaware of the telescope that had been watching them from behind a bush nearby. Upon arriving, they could see that the classroom was still empty, thankfully. They hurried inside, one-by-one.
“Wait a minute, Apple Bloom.” Scootaloo stopped her friend just short of entering the room. “I'm not sure we can bring back Terry with us.”
“Why not?”
“What’s everypony else going to think when they see a hamster-fish made out of chalk?” The pegasus did have a point, since fish-hamster hybrids weren’t exactly a common sight in Equestria.
Apple Bloom tried to reassured her, though. “Doesn’t mean I can’t hide him. C’mon, Applejack and Big Mac won’t even know he’s around.” She seemed confident in herself to keep Terry away from unwanted attention.
Scootaloo sighed at her. “If you say so.”
They hopped through the back through the portal, re-entering the classroom. There was no sign of Miss Cheerilee, to their relief, until the knob on the door started rattling. Erasing the portal, they hurried back to their desks right before the door open. Apple Bloom made sure to hide Terry in her saddle bag to keep him from being seen.
“Sorry to leave you alone,” Cheeriee said, trotting in. “I trust all of you behaved yourselves while I was gone.”
They nodded, though Cheerilee was still suspicious. “Okay, then. As promised, you’re all free to...” —she had no time to finish her sentence before the fillies stormed out of the schoolhouse— “…go.”
The fillies made their way back into town, looking around to make sure nopony was listening in on them. They wanted to keep Chalklantis. It was supposed to be their secret hideout. “Remember,” Applebloom stated, “we’re meet’n ar Sweetie Belle’s house.”
Diamond rolled her eyes. “We got that the first two times.”
“Just be there!” Apple Bloom responded. “And if you can, bring some paper so we can make a map of the place. That way, if we can get lost, we can find our way back to the portal.”
They all nodded in agreement, and headed home, already eagerly anticipating their upcoming adventure into Chalklantis.
The Fillies Take Chalkzone
Chapter 2
Apple Bloom cantered anxiously past the front gates of Sweet Apple Acres. Free from her morning chores, the filly was now able to spend her weekend how she desired. She told her siblings that she was meeting her friends at Sweetie Belle’s house for Crusading, and almost immediately began packing her saddle bags, which also held a certain fish-hamster she took from her last expedition into Chalklantis.
“Bye, Applejack!” She waved at her sister who was carrying a barrel of cider on her back.
“Seeya, kiddo!” Applejack yelled back. “Be careful out there!”
“I will!” The filly continued away from the farm, following the path into town. The streets were busy, packed with ponies as they set up their shops. They followed the normal routine. It was Big Mac’s turn to run the kiosk; he’d be here soon with their inventory: ripe and juicy apples that her family’s been well-known for.
Terry was tucked away in her saddle bag. It was better to keep him hidden, as per Scootaloo’s advice. That was easy to an extent, but her main concern was with Winona. She had nearly discovered Terry on multiple occasions. She had a keen nose, an ability that helped her locate many formerly missing items, though it forced Apple Bloom to come up with an excuse when Winona started sniffing at her bags.
“We’re gonna have lots of fun today, Terry,” she said to the fish-hamster, still very much excited about venturing back into Chalklantis. “Jus’ you wait.”
Her mind was full of possibilities of what she and her friends would find upon going back. Chalklantis was huge, so much for them to explore in what little time they had. If drawings really did come to life there, there was no telling what amazing creations they had the chance of stumbling across.
She eventually arrived at Sweetie Belle’s house. Her dad was watering the garden, waving at Apple Bloom as she passed. She trotted in through the door, immediately greeted with the sight of her fellow Crusaders waiting for her.
“Hi, Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle hopped off the couch as she and Scootaloo approached their friend.
“Glad you could make it,” the pegasus filly said.
“Are we set up, yet?” asked Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Not quite. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon haven’t arrived yet. We haven’t seen them anywhere.”
“I’m afraid they might have ditched us,” Scootaloo said.
Despite her desire to insist that they were wrong, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but see this as a possibility. They haven’t exactly gotten along with Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon ever since their first encounter, and their history has been full of almost nothing but lies and deceit.
Perhaps it was wrong to trust Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom thought. She shook her head, instead opting for a more optimistic approach. Diamond and Silver wouldn’t abandon them, especially since she and her friends were the only other ones who knew of the portal to Chalklantis--and the only ones willing to back them up in case they ran into any trouble. “It’s a little too early to be draw’n up conclusions, girls. Maybe they’re jus’ leav’n’ home and already on their way here.”
“I hope you’re right.” Scootaloo wasn’t inclined to believe it, but Apple Bloom did have a point.
Just at that moment, a knock on the door bought their attention. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were standing in the doorway, each pony carrying a saddle bag for their return trip into Chalklantis.
Apple Bloom glanced at her friends, ensuring that they had nothing to doubt. “See? What’d I tell ya?”
“Sorry we’re late,” said Diamond. “We got kinda ‘sidetracked’ along the way.” As she and Silver Spoon entered, the CMC noticed another pony following behind them.
“Alula?” Sweetie Belle recognized her from class. “What’re you doing here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m heading into Chalklantis with you.”
That statement came as a slight shock to the fillies, who originally intended to keep their new hideout a secret. “I thought we agreed to keep Chalklantis between just the five of us,” said Scootaloo.
“We tried to,” said Silver Spoon, “but then we ran into Alula on the way here, and she kept asking us where we were going until we agreed to let her tag along.”
Scootaloo turned her gaze towards the other pegasus filly. “What makes us so sure that you won’t tell anypony?”
“I-I promise!” Alula responded, raising her right hoof. She didn’t want to lose their trust, especially with such a well-kept secret. “Filly’s honour!”
She seemed genuinely serious, obviously eager to hurry and see the wonderland she was told about, though the girls were still not inclined to trust her that easily. It was originally their discovery, and they didn’t want to just let anypony in. Alula was one of the most trustworthy ponies in Cheerilee’s class, however. They could potentially let her join on the adventure.
“We’re gonna need to discuss this for minute,” said Silver Spoon. She and the others huddled around, speaking in low, monotone voices to keep their guest from listening in on what they were saying. Alula, in the meantime, waited for them on the sidelines for their answer. She wanted to see Chalklantis, to see if it could really live up to the hype that Diamond and Silver Spoon gave her.
“It seems like she really wants in,” said Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. She couldn’t blame Alula, though. She reacted the same way they discovered Chalkantis. “If we’re gonna let her tag along, we gotta make sure she’ll promise not to tell anypony about it.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard,” said Diamond.
“What’s this?” They heard Alula’s voice and turned around to see a familiar living chalk drawing standing in front of her. Apple Bloom looked over at her saddle bag to see that part of it was open.
“Terry! How did you get out? You have to be more careful.” She galloped over and grabbed her creation, going back to place him in her bag.
Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, turned her attention to Alula. The filly was sincere enough, so perhaps they could place their trust in her. “We’ve decided to let you tag along,” she said, earning a gleeful cheer from their guest, “but you have to promise to keep it a secret.”
Alula nodded. “I promise.”
“Pinkie Pie swear?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye.” No pony in town ever dared to break a Pinkie Promise, so that sealed the deal between the six of them as far as they were concerned.
“All righty, then. That settles it,” said Apple Bloom. She placed on her saddle bags and motioned for the girls to follow. “Next stop: Chalklantis.”
The girls climbed the stairs, heading for Sweetie Belle’s room. As the unicorn filly told them, there was a chalkboard sitting on the wall across from her bed. Diamond Tiara looked around at all the stuff that was scattered around, nearly tripping over a stack of blocks in front of her. “Don’t you ever clean in here?”
“I bet your room’s just as messy as mine,” Sweetie Belle rebutted.
They approached the board, and when prompted, Diamond Tiara grabbed the chalk from her saddle bag and drew the circle. Alula looked on in awe as it began to glow bright before dimming down and revealing Chalklantis on the other side. A few trees and some birds, as well as the sun rising up in the distance, was visible from where they stood.
“That is so awesome,” she said.
“Anypony brought some paper with ‘em?” asked Apple Bloom. They would need it in order to draw the map of the place. She gave a nod when Scootaloo showed them a piece she had stowed away in her saddle bag. Now fully prepared for their return to Chalklantis, the fillies climbed in through the portal.
They found themselves standing in front of a forest upon arriving. It made sense that they’d end up at another location, seeing as they weren’t back in the classroom.
“Wow! Check this out!” Alula turned their attention to a nearby stream, which was carrying chocolate milk through the area. It was amazing what this place had to offer, and it only made the girls more anxious to see what secrets it might have held. Alula eagerly dipped her head in, taking a mouthful, before spitting it out in disgust. “Ew! Tastes just like chalk.”
“Makes sense since everyth’n here is made of the stuff,” Apple Bloom replied. She took a juice box from her saddle bag and passed it over to Alula. While the pegasus greedily gulped down the delicious beverage, Apple Bloom let Terry out of her bag, setting him by the stream to have a drink.
“Where should we head towards first?” asked Scootaloo.
“I don’t know. We got all day to check this place out,” said Sweetie Belle. They’d just have to remember to draw out the map so they could find their way back to the portal.
Once Terry was finished with his drink, they decided to head east, heading down the chocolate milk stream. Perhaps there was a chance they would find more animal life roaming around along the way. Aside from birds, it was a mystery what other types of critters could’ve inhabited this land.
The map was drawn carefully drawn as they continued, noting the various things of interest they passed along the way. There was a medley of strange things they saw in this world, stuff like polka-dotted boulders, flying soda cans, and a tree that grew cookies, though after tasting the chocolate milk river, they decided it was best to steer away from it.
So far everything was going well for them. They hadn’t run into any trouble, if there was anything remotely dangerous with Chalklantis. Eventually they stopped to take a break after traveling about a half-hour.
“All this exploring is making me kinda hungry,” said Sweetie Belle. She could feel her stomach growling for food.
“Ah brought some snacks for us ta share.” Apple Bloom reached into her saddlebag and grabbed a few apples and gummy candies for them to have, which they eagerly ate.
A flock of flying soda cans flew overhead. Alula gazed up at them as she chomped down on one of the juicy apples she was given, watching as they soared by until her eyes fell upon something in the distance. She tapped Sweetie Belle’s shoulder to get her attention.
“What’s up?” the unicorn asked.
Alula pointed to a mountain down the hill in the distance. There was a rocking chair and welcome mat placed next to a cave, and a huge sign above the entrance that read, Magic Chalk Mines. Those three things alone meant that there had to be some form of intelligent life residing out here, though Scootaloo’s attention was more drawn to the sign than anything else.
A cave that was comprised entirely magic chalk, just like the one that they currently held, meant they could have as much as they want to take home. They could have a literal endless supply at their hooves if they wanted, and that offer was too tempting for them to let go.
“Looks like somepony’s living there,” said Sweetie Belle.
Silver Spoon traised an eyebrow at the small setup. “Who in their right mind would live in a cave?”
Apple Bloom figured that whoever lived down there had access to all the chalk held inside, which also meant they had to be one of the most powerful people living here. “Maybe we can ask them for some,” Alula suggested. If they were nice enough, they would agree to give them more, even if it was just a little bit.
“We’ll jus’ have to see about that.” Apple Bloom led the group down the hill. They hoped that whoever resided in the cave was still there so they could speak with them. As they got closer, they noticed that the rocking chair and welcoming mat were much bigger than they initially thought. In fact, they seemed almost as large as the cave entrance itself.
They could barely see the inside of the mines from where they stood, and they had no intention of venturing any further without knowing what else could’ve inhabited the interior. “Hello?” Scootaloo called into the cave. “Is anypony home?”
They waited for a response, but nothing came, except an echo of Scootaloo’s voice. “They might be gone,” said Sweetie Belle. It was the only explanation they could think of, otherwise they would’ve heard someone else from inside. “We should wait until they get back, and then ask them.”
Scootaloo nodded. “You’re right. Let’s come back later. Who knows, maybe they’ll be here by the time we head back to the portal.”
They turned to leave, intending to continue their trip, and were immediately greeted to the sight of a giant standing behind them. It towered over them, even blocking out the sun from their point of view. It had light greenish skin and stood on two legs, and also had a set of eyes on his face, one above the other. He was carrying a bag of groceries when he stumbled upon the fillies.
For a moment, there was nothing but an awkward silence between them, though the girls were more scared at seeing a literal giant in front of them.
“Ponies?” The giant took a moment to inspect them. The way they looked meant that they weren’t chalk drawings, but last he checked, talking animals didn’t exist in the human world—as far as he knew, anyway. “Where are you six from?”
“P-Ponyville,” Alula stammered, hiding a bit behind Diamond Tiara.
“You live here?” asked Apple Bloom.
“That is correct,” the Giant replied, setting his groceries down on his rocking chair. He walked past the fillies, standing at the entrance of the cave. “I am Biclops, Keeper of Chalkzone’s Magic Chalk Mines.”
Sweetie Belle raised a brow at the name. “Chalkzone? So much for Chalklantis, then.”
“So this place really is full of magic chalk—just like ours?” said Apple Bloom.
Biclops nodded. “Precisely. All the magic chalk in the land is grown here, each with their own varying powers and abilities.”
“So that means we can have some, right?”
Hearing this, Biclops gave a haughty laugh. “Absolutely not, little pony. As Keeper of the Chalk Mines, it’s my job to ensure the magic chalk does not fall into careless hands—or in your case, careless hooves. There have been many incidents where the citizens of Chalkzone have been put into peril due to those irresponsible abusing the powers of the magic chalk.”
“But we won’t abuse it,” said Alula. She reached into Diamond’s saddle bag for the chalk to show to Biclops. “We even have our own. See?”
Despite their attempt at trying to persuade him, the giant refused, even grabbing hold of the chalk from Alula. “Possessing even one piece is a great responsibility. I barely trust you with this one.” He tossed it back to them and pointed them away from his dwelling. “Now begone ye, and never return.”
Grabbing his groceries, Biclops retreated into the chalk mines, content that he had made his point with them. He retreated inside his cave, leaving the fillies standing at the entrance, confused as to what just happened. After waiting a moment or two, they finally trotted away, a bit downtrodden at how the encounter went for them.
“That could’a gone better,” said Scootaloo. “What do we do now?”
Diamond Tiara harrumphed, pointing her nose up. She wasn’t content with leaving this matter behind her. Having another piece of magic chalk was far too tempting to let go, and the fact that they’d have more than one means they would never have to worry about running out.
“You girls give up way too easily,” she said, passing the five of them. “If you really think I’m gonna sit by and listen to some big dork, you’re sadly mistaken.”
Apple Bloom eyed the pink filly with undoubted suspicion. She’s known Diamond Tiara long enough, and if there was one thing she had to admit, it was that she had a lot of determination. “What’re you think’n?”
Diamond turned to face her. “What I’m ‘think’n’ is that if he’s not gonna give us the chalk, then we’re gonna have to take it from him.”
Her suggestion garnered worried looks from the crew, especially from Silver Spoon. “Do you really think we can take on Biclops?” asked Alula. Her question received a raised eyebrow from Diamond.
“Are you crazy? He’s way too tall for us,” she said. Even Diamond knew they were no match for someone of Biclop’s size. “There’s no way we can take him head on, but there is another way we can try. All you five have to do is follow me lead.”
Hours rolled by, and it was eventually night time in Chalkzone, the perfect time for Diamond Tiara to send her devious plan into motion. It did take some preparation on their part, however, purchasing more chalkboards and finding how where each of them were located adjacent to the chalk-themed world, but they had gotten that little problem out of the way, they were ready head out.
They agreed to meet up at the chocolate milk river, and from there they’d make their way to the Magic Chalk Mines. Alula carried the flashlight, lighting the way for them as they made their way through the night. They found that it was much darker here than it was back in Equestria. The chalk moon was shining no brighter than Princess Luna’s.
Eventually they found themselves on the hillside overlooking the cave. It looked just as creepy as it did during the day, but that didn’t deter them from their mission. Their job was simple: get in, get the chalk, and get out before Biclops woke up.
Each of them wore stripped shirts, snow caps, and thief masks to keep their identities hidden in case they were compromised. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak up. She had her doubts about this heist. “I don’t know about this, Diamond Tiara. What if he wakes up while we’re in there?”
“Then we’ll just have to be extra quiet and not draw attention to ourselves,” replied Diamond. “It won’t take more than a few minutes to grab some magic chalk and get out before he spots us.”
Apple Bloom glanced at her saddlebag. “Hear that, Terry? Be real quiet while we’re in there.”
Diamond Tara sighed when she laid eyes on the fish-hamster. “I still can’t believe you brought him with us.”
“I still can’t believe you brought him with us.”
“Ah can’t jus’ leave him at home, especially since Winona can find him.”
“Whatever. Just follow my lead.”
They hurried down the hill, making their way towards the chalk mines. The darkness around them provided excellent cover should they be spotted. Eventually they found themselves at the entrance of the cave. They could hear Biclops snoring from inside. He was loud, almost making the ground shake beneath the fillies.
“Remember: Stay quiet. If he wakes up, make sure to stay out of sight.”
The girls nodded and slowly began their trek inside. Alula made sure their path was bright so they would know where they were going. Biclops’ snoring was growing louder as the group continued further. Each step closer to the source made them even more nervous. If the giant woke up and found one of them, there’d be no place to hide.
The group delved deeper into the chalk mines, on alert for anything that would give their position away. It didn’t seem like much was in here, though, just a few rocks and boulders here and here. The pathway was surprisingly kept clean and tidy of any sort of debris. It made sense since someone was living in this place.
They could see an opening at the end, not too far from where they were standing. Continuing on, they found soon themselves in a large cavern. It was made up to look more like a bedroom, along with a few decorations to make it a bit homier. It was nice, but there attention more drawn to the ceiling than anything else. They couldn’t count how exactly many, but there was much more magic chalk here than they first thought; various colours and sizes just hanging from the ceiling.
“Whoa,” was the only thing Alula could choke out. She even dropped her flashlight in awe. There was just so many of them here.
“How many do y’all there think are?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Probably hundreds,” said Alula. “This is so awesome!”
Silver Spoon quickly stuffed a hoof in the pegasus’ mouth and pointed at the far end of the cave. There was Biclops, sound asleep in a bed with a small stuffed animal at his side. “He sleeps with a teddy bear? How lame,” said Diamond Tiara.
“Don’t you sleep with a teddy bear, Di?” Alula asked, right before being shushed in response. Nevertheless, she earned a few laughs from the three Crusaders beside her.
The girls stayed as quiet as possible as they moved around the cavern, careful not to wake up Biclops. There weren’t that many places to hide aside from a big rock near the center of the room, so they made sure not to cause any noise. They looked around for anything they could use to get up to the chalk. So far, however, there was nothing they could put to use.
“So how’re we gonna get it down?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Maybe we can throw something at it?” Scootaloo suggested.
Sweetie Belle shook her head at the plan. “What if we break something? We can’t risk waking Biclops. We should find something to climb up on.”
“There’s nothing we can use,” said Silver Spoon. “And everything in here is way too big for us to move.”
Alula thought about how they could possibly get the chalk down. She looked over at Diamond’s saddlebag, which still contained their piece. “Remember when Biclops said chalk how their own special powers? Maybe our chalk has powers, too. Ya know, aside from making portals.”
Diamond Tiara reached into her saddlebag, grabbing the chalk. They hadn’t used it for anything other than making portals since they found it, but how would they use it? Maybe it worked like a magic wand. She waved it across the air, hoping it would do something. She swung it one more time, and to her astonishment, a line followed her movements.
She looked back to see the others encouraging her to continue, watching with curiosity as more of the chalk’s magic was put to use. Diamond Tiara doodled away, drawing the first thing that came to mind that they could use to get to the chalk. The end result was a ladder.
With help from Scootaloo and Silver Spoon, she lifted the ladder, leaning it against the nearest stalactite of yellow chalk, and climbed up. “How am I supposed to get it down from here?” she called down to the others.
“Draw someth’n!” Apple Bloom responded.
Thinking of what she could use, Diamond Tiara drew a small pick-axe. She grabbed it in her mouth, ignoring the taste of chalk, and swung it against the stalactite, breaking pieces of magic chalk free and letting it fall to the ground. The girls quickly picked up the chalk and placed it in their saddle bags before moving on to the next group.
There was a lot more than enough for each of them to take home. Each piece of chalk came in various colours, leaving them curious as what they could do. There were even a few crazy designs on them, including a polka-dotted one and one with stripes all over. Alula picked up one piece off the ground. It was red, her favourite colour. “I wonder what you can do,” she muttered as she placed it inside her bag.
“Is that everyth’n?” asked Apple Bloom.
“As much as we can hold,” said Scootaloo. Her saddle bag was full of the chalk she took.
“Guess it’s time to head back home, then. The sooner, the better,” said Sweetie Belle. She and the other girls quietly backtracked out of the cave. They’d be returning to Chalkzone tomorrow to continue their adventure.
Unbeknownst to them, however, as they were busy picking up the magic chalk, Terry managed to sneak out of Apple Blom’s saddlebag again. The fish-headed hamster scurried aimlessly around the cavern. He climbed up onto Biclop’s bed, the sleeping giant oblivious to the critter now standing on his face.
Biclops abruptly woke up to a ticklish feeling under his nose. He opened an eye, and was immediately greeted to the up-close sight of the rodent. “Ah! Rat!”
He pulled the rodent off his face as he rolled off his bed, landing on the ground with a thud. He staggered to his feet, rubbing a sore spot on his head, and looked around the cave to find where the small critter had managed to get in. He was instead saw piles of broken pieces of chalk scattered across the floor.
Someone must’ve made off with some while I was asleep, he thought to himself. He set the fish-hamster in a container and assessed the damage. The ground was littered with various coloured chalk, ranging from blue to the ones with crazy and silly patterns.
Grabbing a broom from his closet, he began to sweep up the pieces of chalk towards the middle of the room, all the while thinking about who could have stolen it. Sprawl was locked up in Chalkzone’s prison, as was many of his old foes from the past, so it couldn’t have been any of them that did this. It had to be someone else.
In his musing, he noticed a few stray pieces out to his right and went over to sweep them up. As he got closer, his eyes began wide and colour nearly faded from him.
The thieves had taken the red chalk.
