"Ugh! Come on!" the butter yellow earthen hissed. "We're getting nowhere!" He paced back and forth in his frustration. "Just give me a second," the pegasus muttered in agitation at her partner's impatience. Sorting through the rubble once more, Onyx Sierra sighed and said, "Nothing."
Billion Bits scoffed and spat out, "Told you so."
They trudged on through the wilderness as they continued on with their conversation. "As I was saying, it isn't a coincidence that this area has turned up with no treasure. Hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies have already searched here, desperate to find glorious treasure."
"Tell me something I don't know."
As she paused, her blank expression was almost comical. "What they found were spike traps. But in truth, we do have to be ca-AAAGH!"
"Sierra!" Billion Bits screetched, fearing for his partner's life.
"Oof!"
He gazed down into the 8 foot pit as Onyx brushed herself off. "Now how did I not see that coming..." She adjusted her hat. Bits broke out in an obnoxius laughter. The unicorn glared at him. "Oh shut up."
He wiped a tear of laughter away from his eye and moaned, "Let's just get this over with..." and sprinted into the ditch.
"What the hay, Bits!" the archaeologist roared.
"What'd I do now?"
"You were supposed to throw down a rope or something!"
"Pfft... it's only a few feet!"
Onyx didn't find this amusing... at all. "We've been walking downhill to a coupe of days now. If we even attempt to get out at this height... it would feel like a living Hay." she said coldly. "I suggest we keep moving."
"Let's see. From my years of research I calculated ruins aren't usually downhill. But under the circumstances... we'll take our chances... I guess." Billion spoke up. "None of the idiots would check downhill... I hope."
Every moment of their journey was agonizing. Pain was at their every move. At every step, it felt as if their calves were about to tear. As they traveled on, Onyx's mind was reverting to their actions in what seemed like eons ago. Onyx was regretting more and more that she didn't escape the ditch. Who cares if walking uphill was extremely torturous? It was just as much pain, if not less, to climb up. she thought furiously as she blew a loose, sweat-drenched hair away from her face.
After hours of walking in silence (except for their panting) Billion Bits, between his heavy breaths, akwardly interrupted, "Y'know you look a lot like Daring Do..."
She flushed, though it was true. Her nickname in school was Daring. What the others of her interest called her? Daring. Her teachers? Daring. Parents? Friends? I thought you'd never guess...
It was all due to her appearance.
She tried to cover up the akwardness of the conversation by saying, "Ummm... sure."
"You got the spirit, the profession," He paused. "The eyes..."
Onyx bawled, "SHU-" She cut off when something materialized in the distance. It was about the height of three ponies stacked on each other, and just as long. The muck-coated stone of it was ancient-- hundreds of years before the events of Nightmare Moon, it seemed. Onyx pointed her hoof over to the distant ruins as the celebrity perked his head up.
"Would ya look at that..."
"Out in the middle of the desert... not possible..."
"Just... a... DAMNED ILLUSION!"
Onyx Sierra sprinted toward the building, only stopping to use her wings and crashing into the so called "mirage". She rubbed her head and let out a little chuckle. Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she sat there, gazing up at the stone wall before her.
"Billion! Come on!"
But Bits just dragged on. No sprinting. No excitement. Probably too tired to experience such emotions. It seemed like ages. Come on, you stinkin' slowpoke! She gasped at how bitchy her thoughs were now. No matter how much she tried to control those thoughts, her attempts were futile. She took a glance at him, not finding him anywhere.
"Boo."
Sierra nearly jumped out of her skin.
"YOU DIRTY," She slapped him across the face. "PUNY," Another slap. "DESPICABLE," A punch this time. "VILE LITTLE TROLL! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" She ran at him at an extreme rate bolted into the air. She raised her hind legs and with bone-crushing force, and before she realized what she was actually doing, smacked him flat-out on his jaw. He whimpered out of the seering hot pain.
"OHCELESTA!" she shrieked, talking a few steps toward him. "I'm so s-"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Bits hopped back, clutching his dislocated jaw, groaning once more.
She sighed. Onyx then wondered why the curtain leading to whatever awaits was still intact; the stone shack was, after all, quite ancient. She suddenly found out why when specks of the fabric cascaded onto her coat from an attempt to casually stroll in (excluding searching for traps on the ceiling, floor, and walls).
That's when they saw it. An iron pillar, tarnished from eons of decay, delicately held...
A book.
It was enlaced with some kind of magic to prevent it from decomposition, as far as she could tell. Exactly when she was about to grab it, she suddenly sensed something was wrong. No, there obviously could not possibly be any traps in this small of a room. Maybe the magic of the book was lethal, but there was no indication of it. She inched toward the object, the pillar dwarfing her and forcing her to stand on her back hooves. Wobbling closer and closer, she opened her mouth, preparing for a harsh explosion to the face or a bashed-in head from a rockfall. Sweat from both the tension and hours of walking skimmed her face as she opened her mouth to pick it up, preparing for her death...
...and nothing.
She glanced around.
"Hey, I think I found something..."
"Bits?"
No reply.
"Biiiitss..."
She glanced around, spotting a single pastel earthen, not moving. "Bits!"
...