The Heroes of Haygrove

"Well, this could've gone better." The brown unicorn adventurer, Sword Thrust, said with a slight grimace as he struggled against the ropes holding him.

"It's your fault, don't look at me!" Shield Bash, A silver-coated pegasus, replied. "You're the one that said we should activate the pressure plate to see what it would do. I said we should just step around it! Then you set it off anyway!"

“Well I didn't know it was magical!"

"OF COURSE IT'S MAGICAL! WE'RE IN A FREAKING EVIL UNICORN'S LAIR!" As the two would-be heroes continued shouting at each other, the magical bonds started moving them towards the end of the long corridor they were in.

"Well, great. Twenty bits says it drops us in a spike pit." Sword grumbled.

"For my sake, I sure hope so. Then I could just fly off and leave your sorry flank to rot." Shield said with a smirk.

"Oh, whatever. Wings are just unfair."

"Well, you've got that fancy horn of yours, couldn't you just teleport?"

"I can barely do it with absolutely no distractions, much less while falling to my death! You know that, Shield!" Sword shouted.

"Ugh. Fine. I'll catch you if it drops us. But you'll owe me a liiiiiife deeeebt!"

"No, we'll be even. I saved you from that saw trap three rooms ago, didn't I?"

"Whatever. Hey, are we slowing down?" Shield looked around as they reached the end of the stone corridor.

In front of them were two enormous wooden doors, easily three ponies tall. The rope holding Sword slammed him into the doors, and they opened with a slight creak. Sword was about to complain about being used as a battering ram, But the sight of the chamber they had just entered took away his words. As he and Shield looked, the doors swung open to a vast chamber, made almost entirely of marble. In the center of the room, A large throne sat, with a rather diminutive yellow unicorn with a glowing gear for a cutie mark sitting on it, looking at them with a smug look on her face.

The tiny unicorn got up, walked over to the incapacitated heroes, and took a deep breath.

Then proceeded to laugh maniacally in a voice that sounded like she had been breathing helium for the past week: "I've got you now, pesky heroes! I'm surprised you lasted this long against my traps!"

Sword and shield looked at her, then looked at each other, then looked back at her, and began laughing as hard as they could.

"Pfft! What happened to your voice? It sounds like a mouse!" Sword choked out between laughing fits.

"Yeah! It sounds like a baby bunny!" Shield blurted.

"WHAT? You think the dastardly Sweet Cheek’ voice is funny?!" The little unicorn fumed. Both heroes fell silent immediately. Then began to grin.

"So..." "Wait..." Their grins grew wider. "The ‘evil unicorn’ that's been terrorizing the countryside's name is..." Sword started, beaming.

"SWEET CHEEKS?!" Shield finished, her smile almost touching her ears.

"What? Is Sweet Cheeks not a frightening name? Does it not fill your soul with horror?" Sweet cheeks asked, glaring at the grinning duo.

"Oh, no no no! It's terrifying!" Shield said, thinking. She wondered if she could use this to get them out of their bonds. "It's the kind of name a powerful wizard such as yourself deserves!"

"Heh, yeah. It's the kind of name one must bow down to!" Sword said enthusiastically, catching on.

"But how can we bow while we're tied up like this? We can't give you all the worship and groveling you deserve..." Shield picked up, frowning sadly.

“Oh! Well then. Ropes! Release them!" Sweet cheeks said cheerfully. Sword dropped on his head, while Shield gently landed with the help of her wings. They then proceeded to bow, and began groveling.

"Oh mighty Sweet Cheeks, you have bested us." Shield said solemnly.

"Yes, you have defeated us in both body and spirit." Shield added.

Sweet Cheeks smiled to herself and said, "Go on...".

Shield smiled. "We would, But since we're not being held anymore, we'll be taking our leave NOW!" She said the last word as Sword cast his smokescreen spell, and they dashed for the exit conveniently placed behind the throne.

Sweet Cheeks sat stunned for a split second, before she shouted "ROPES! GET THEM!" at the top of her tiny lungs. Sword and Shield dashed through the door just as the ropes started to lift from the ground. Sword slammed the tiny door shut with his magic as they raced through the low tunnel of the exit, laughing all the while.

"Did you see her face? She was all, ‘wha?’ If she wasn't trying to kill us, I would've thought it was cute!" Sword exclaimed as they neared the end of the tunnel.

"I know, right?" Shield laughed as they shot out into the open air, chuckling as they ran back to Haygrove.