Ponest Dungeon

Chapter 9: Mistakes Were Made

Week 6, Day 1, Morning

“Are you alright, Shining?” Amethyst asked as they trotted down the old road.

Looking forward, Shining saw that Lyra and Bon Bon were ahead of them by several dozen paces. “I’m fine,” he lied, surprised at how swiftly the untruth had come to his lips. He forced a smile to his muzzle. “How about you? How are you holding up?”

Seeming to think on the question, for longer than Shining thought was necessary, Amethyst finally turned to him. “Just a little sore from where that wagon axle pressed into my back, but otherwise… good; no major problems here.”

After walking in silence for a few minutes, Shining turned back to Amethyst. “So, are my lies as obvious as yours?”

Eyes narrowing, Amethyst regarded him cooly. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine, fine,” Shining said. “But that only leaves me with the rumors I heard from the others—”

“What—” Amethyst’s muzzle turned crimson as she asked the question “—what did you hear?”

Observing her from the corner of his eye, Shining allowed a mischievous grin to creep onto his muzzle. “Just that you went into Blueblood’s chambers for quite a while, and then came out—” he gestured at her clothing and armor in a sweeping motion “—without any clothes on, and then the two of you went straight to the baths.”

“And?” Amethyst’s confusion was genuine.

“Oh, c’mon, Amethyst. It doesn’t take a genius to see that you and Blueblood are—” Shining pantomimed a lewd gesture with his forehooves.

“Ugh!” Amethyst made a disgusted face to accompany the outburst. “How could you possibly think that?!”

“How could I not?” Shining laughed. “Blueblood is the crown-prince of Equestria. He’s rich—well, despite the finance issues on this campaign. He’s politically powerful, has a good physique, he’s charming—Tartarus, if I were into stallions, I’d have tried to get a piece of him by now. And, as his personal guard, let’s just say he’s been highly… promiscuous in the past. And you’re saying you’re not even mildly interested?”

Eyes narrowing, Amethyst glared at Shining. “Not in the slightest.”

His smirk threatening to bisect his head, Shining pressed further. “You into mares then?”

Poking a hoof at his breastplate, Amethyst rolled her eyes. “I’m saving myself for Harmony, you clod!” She turned her head up and away as she harrumphed. “As a holy vestal, I never have done any such thing, and I never will!” She put on a sudden burst of speed, trotting off to catch up to the others and leaving a shocked Shining to bring up the rear.

As his startled expression melted away, Shining grinned. “Oh, she is far too easy to tease.” He shook his head and sighed. “At least Rainbow fights back—aaand I’m talking to myself, great.” He hurried to follow after the others.

Week 6, Day 1, Noon

“Look,” the plum-coated mare said. “I’m usually on the receiving end of this speech, so it’s saying something that I’m the one giving it to you: don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

“Go to Tar-tar-bus, Bury-shine,” Rainbow slurred. “Go to Tarshtarsh and git me more shider!”

“No,” Berryshine crossed her forehooves. “You are cut-off! Celestia, it’s only noon! Even I don’t think this level of drinking is healthy!”

In the manner of most Equestrian lushes, Rainbow responded by attempting to do… something. What that was, nopony would ever know, since she only succeeded in slamming her face into the bar and subsequently, herself into unconsciousness.

“Dammit.” Prodding at Rainbow’s unmoving form with a hoof, Berryshine sighed. It was too early in the day for her to be hauling drunks out of her bar. She looked around and settled her eyes on the mare entering the tavern, the one who had the bad habit of insulting her cider quality. Berryshine was fairly certain she worked for Blueblood. “Hey, Applejack,” she called over to her.

Turning to look at Berryshine, Applejack nodded. “Howdy Berry! How can I help y’all?”

“This one,” Berryshine said, indicating Rainbow, “belongs to the Prince, right?”

“Well, I don’t rightly reckon if he ‘owns’ her or not. But I know she sure-as-sugar works for him.”

“And you work for him too?”

“That’s right,” Applejack drawled.

“Good.” Berryshine crossed her forelegs again. “Haul her sorry flank back to your boss, and tell him she’s got to lay off. I don’t need her dying in my bar; it’s bad for business.”

Trotting over to the bar, Applejack shrugged and hefted Rainbow onto her back. “There anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah, tell him that his Zebra is banned from the brothel.”

Applejack canted her head precariously to the side. “Pardon?”

“It’s bad enough that she’s been freaking out all my working-colts and customers with her bizarre wordplay.” Berryshine shuddered and shook her head. “Anyways,” she gestured one hoof in a circle as she spoke, “our bordello is a reputable one; we don’t do any of that hardcore kinky stuff she’s apparently into. If she wants that, she can go to Las Pegasus.”

“Anything else?”

Putting her hood to her chin for a moment, Berryshine thought. “No. Nopony else has caused any problems—yet.”

“And Miss Dash here can come back after—”

“After she sobers up and figures out how to last until at least happy hour,” Berryshine said flatly.

“Alrighty, then,” Applejack drawled. “I’ll catch up with y'all later.”

Week 6, Day 2, Dawn

Blueblood awoke refreshed for the first time in weeks; the wards that Amethyst had installed apparently having done their job admirably. He had experienced neither undead visitations nor visions of the comet since she had finished the inscriptions and incantations yesterday. For the first time since Celestia’s disappearance, he was starting to feel optimistic about things.

Of course, Amethyst had said that the measures she had taken were merely temporary, and would need to be renewed each week until she could spend enough time and material to permanently protect his chambers from nocturnal intrusion.

There was still the lingering apprehension from Amethyst’s cryptic vision; but even so, he couldn’t keep a smile from his muzzle as he walked the manor.

“Ditzy,” he called after the mare when he saw her staggering down the hallway ahead of him.

“Yes, Sir!”

Blueblood cringed in anticipation of an impact that never came. The fact that she didn’t hit herself was very encouraging; it meant that she’d taken their little chat regarding head trauma to heart. It also helped elevate Blueblood’s already good spirits. “How are things going with our guests so far, Ditzy?”

“No problems, Sir!” Ditzy seemed to be in a cheery mood as well. “We have a lot of perishables coming in since you called in those favors. We can prolly take twice the ponies we currently have staying here without straining our supply of comestibles.”

“Okay,” Blueblood said. “But how are the company members doing? I trust everypony is out enjoying themselves?”

Ditzy chuckled mirthlessly, her affect suddenly one of embarrassment rather than joviality. “Uhhh… about that, Sir.”

“Oh Celestia.” Blueblood facehoofed, his good mood suddenly soured. “What happened?”

Week 6, Day 2, Dawn

“Where’s the Prince?”

“No idea, Lyra,” came Bon Bon’s terse response. She went back to gnawing on a hoofful of muffintack, which was what the company members were calling Ditzy’s unique hardtack creations.

“I wasn’t asking you, candy-flank,” Lyra said, sticking her tongue out.

“I don’t know,” Shining said, putting his helmet and polish down. “He normally checks in with us by now.” Placing his hoof to his chin for a moment, Shining closed his eyes in concentration. “It could be an issue with Celestia’s spell—after all, Blueblood has only used it a few times; he’s no expert, and since it usually takes months of repetition to memorize a spell, he probably hasn’t yet. If he misplaced the copy of the incantation, or if there’s unexpected interference, he might not be able to reach us.”

“Well,” Amethyst said, looking at the others. “What do we do?”

“Don’t look at us,” said Bon Bon, waving her forehooves in a warding motion. “We’re just hirelings.”

“Speak for yourself, moody,” Lyra quipped from her seat. “I say we just go in. We have spare parchment, we can map the place without the Prince looking over our withers.”

Amethyst glowered. “That is unacceptable! We need Blueblood’s instructions to make sure we’re exploring the correct part of the ruins. And he needs to see where we’re going to accurately map the place.”

“What do you suggest, Amethyst?” Shining asked.

Amethyst looked thoughtful for a moment. “We should wait until he contacts us, and head back tomorrow if we have no word from him before then.”

“What?!” Lyra shouted. “I didn’t trot all the way out here just to turn around on account of a little magical snafu!”

“We can’t proceed—”

“I actually agree with Lyra on this,” Shining said, silencing Amethyst. “We were dangerously low on funding after the Froggy Bottom Bog fiasco. The bandit clearing and the excursion the other team made into the ruins did little to replenish the company’s coffers. Blueblood spent the majority of our remaining funds on the supplies for this trip. If we return from this mission with nothing to show for it, that’s it; we won’t have the bits to continue any further expeditions. Tartarus, we might not have enough to pay everypony for this little soirée.”

“In we go then,” said Bon Bon. “I, for one, am doing this for the money.”

“But we haven’t—”

“Sorry Amethyst,” Shining said. “It’s three against one.”

Week 6, Day 2, Morning

“You can’t ban my ponies from your establishment!”

If Berryshine felt at all intimidated by Blueblood’s posturing and bellowing, she didn’t show it. “I can, I did and, if I feel the need to in the future, I will. Anypony disrupts my business, or hassles my working-colts, they can say hello to the door. Or to Bulk’s hooves,” she said gesturing to the flexing, grotesquely over-muscled stallion who seemed to be acting as both bouncer and gigolo.

“YEEEAAAAHHH!” Bulk Biceps said conversationally.

Narrowing his eyes, Blueblood turned away from the bulging pegasus abomination and back towards Berryshine. “What did she even do? Rhyme?” He crossed his forehooves.

Berryshine gestured for one of her colts to approach. “If only,” she said, forcing one of Blueblood’s eyebrows to climb. “Ok, Quibble Pants,” she said to the scantily clad stallion who’d approached. “Tell the Prince here exactly what happened when you were with Zecora.”

Blueblood furrowed his brows in anticipation of an underwhelming tale of deviance that couldn’t possibly top anything perpetrated by the Canterlot elite. As he listened to the words of the overly-vocal stallion however, his eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Then Blueblood saw the wounds.

They weren’t kidding.

Week 6, Day 2, Morning

This exploration of the ruins had been going incredibly well so far; too smoothly for Shining’s liking. “Keep an eye out everypony, my gut is telling me that we’re due for some bad luck here.”

“Come on Shining,” Lyra said, igniting another torch. “That’s six whole rooms since we’ve gotten here, and all without any signs of creepy-crawlies, and all filled with chests and cabinets stuffed to the brim with bits, gems, and even some of those deeds and crests that Blueblood is so in love with.”

“Shining’s right,” Amethyst cut in. “Last time we were here, the accursed things were coming out of the woodwork. It would be foalish to just assume that they’d all vanished.”

As the party entered another room, there were exasperated sighs at the sight of nothing, save a few pillars and an open stone sarcophagus.

Taking a quick look at the deepening shadows cast by his waning torch, Shining waited a few moments before motioning to the others. “Well, there’s nothing jumping out at us, and we can’t loot the coffin there. I’ll check to make sure the skeleton’s still there but otherwise, let’s hurry onto the next room.”

Following Bon Bon and Lyra as they exited the room, Amethyst turned for a moment and caught a glimpse of Shining hoofing something from the sarcophagus into his robes, which stopped her in her tracks. She turned back to the other two mares for a moment. “You two hold in the hallway for a minute or two, I need to discuss something with Shining.”

“Sure,” Bon Bon said, discarding her spent torch and lighting another. “Just don’t take too long, couldn’t afford a ton of these for the trip.”

Nodding, Amethyst pushed back into the room, almost colliding with Shining as he approached the exit.

“Amethyst?” Shining said in a questioning tone as she lit her horn and closed the door behind herself.

Not knowing quite how to pose the question, Amethyst decided to be direct. “What did you just take?”

Shining Armor’s brows furrowed. “Take? What? What are you talking about?”

Sitting back on her haunches, Amethyst crossed her forehooves. “I saw you take something from the coffin there.”

His expression taking on a look of genuine confusion, Shining stood in place. “If this is about my teasing you earlier, I’m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood, Rainbow usually loves a good verbal sparring match.”

Lighting her horn, Amethyst pulled at a section of Shining’s robes.

“Hey!” Shining exclaimed as a golden chain and pendant was withdrawn from his robes. “What are you doing?!”

The jewelry hung, suspended in the air between them, its very presence accusatory in nature.

“I have to report this to Blueblood,” Amethyst said, still holding the ornate necklace in the air between them. “I saw you do the same thing on our last trip, but I didn’t want to believe that you were stealing from him, from the company.”

Shining Armor just stared at Amethyst and the pendant like she was a hangmare with a noose in hoof.

“Why Shining?” Amethyst couldn't keep the sadness from her voice. “You’ve worked for Blueblood for years, he pays you well; you don’t need to be stealing! Especially not from the dead!”

“I didn’t take that!” Shining insisted. “I never—” His expression became suddenly dark. “You… you did this?”

“What?” Amethyst stood to her hooves, with a surprised look on her face; she was completely taken aback by the unwarranted accusation.

Sneering, Shining began to advance on Amethyst. “You’ve been getting closer with Blueblood these last few weeks. He’s starting to confide things in you, treat you with more respect, all the while, he’s been cutting me out, treating me like a new recruit—” His eyes widened as he stepped backwards. “Have you been turning him against me?”

The shocking and absurd nature of Shining’s words had stunned Amethyst into silence; her brain couldn’t form any kind of coherent defense with which to debate the madness that Shining now wielded against her.

“You have, haven’t you? You want to be his… his… just his! And you were going to use that—” Shining pointed with manic energy at the pendant. “—to frame me? Knock me from his good graces and take my place?” He lit his horn and opened the door with enough violence to almost tear it from its hinges. “I won’t let you!” he hissed as he stomped past her and into the hall.

Staring at the empty doorway and the quickly retreating torchlight, Amethyst struggled to wrap her mind around what had just happened. “He’s insane,” she muttered to herself after several moments had passed.

A sudden twinge of fear made itself known in her gut. “I… have to tell Blueblood when we get back,” she said as she stuffed the necklace into her robes and trotted out of the room after the others.

When Amethyst’s hooffalls had faded, a purple glow appeared from behind one of the pillars. As the pony that had been hiding there stepped out from behind it, they looked in the direction of the open doorway and scowled.

Week 6, Day 2, Noon

Blueblood had decided to take the time to track Zecora down after his conversation with Berryshine and Quibble Pants. She hadn’t been in the manor, nor at the blacksmith.

He’d finally found her in front of a blue vendor cart labeled “Great and Powerful Trinkets.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks you will appreciate this enchanted cauldron,” pontificated a blue unicorn with a starry cape and equally-starry, oversized wizard hat. “It will allow you to mix more potent concoctions for use against your foes.”

Canting her head, Zecora continued to inspect the engraved metal pot. “The cauldron, yes, I do desire. The price though, I do not admire.”

Trixie seemed unperturbed as she kicked into the second phase of her sales pitch. “The Great and Powerful Trixie only charges cost plus expenses. You won’t find cheaper elsewhere!”

“Easy it would be, for you to lie. Since there’s no other vendor here, to verify.”

“While the Great and Powerful Trixie takes great offense at that insinuation, she is willing to offer you a discount since you seem to be a—”

“Excuse me, Trixie,” Blueblood said as he approached the cart. “I need to talk to Zecora here for a moment.”

Trixie harrumphed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will wait, but won't wait all day,” she huffed as Blueblood led Zecora away from the cart.

When they’d gotten far enough that Blueblood was satisfied that they wouldn’t be overheard, he turned to Zecora. “What is wrong with you?!”

She canted her head, regarding him again through the expressionless lenses. “Of what wrong do you refer? Is it something that you heard?”

Sitting back, Blueblood crossed his forehooves. “Berryshine said you were a ‘bit rough’ with one of her colts.”

The laugh that issued from Zecora’s mask took Blueblood completely by surprise.

Furrowing his brows, Blueblood waited for the zebra’s laughter to die down. “This isn’t funny, Zecora. Firstly, they’ve banned you from the brothel. Secondly, the nature of why you were banned is circulating in the rumor mill. It reflects poorly on the others, as well as myself.”

Zecora sat and ceased her chuckling. “Please tell me what you heard, for such a reaction is quite absurd.”

Blueblood sighed. “Well, I’ll just start with the worst of it; Quibble Pants said you tried to cut him with your knife and burn him with your acids. I’ve seen the injuries but I didn’t know if it was you—”

“That accounting sounds true,” Zecora said. “Though succeed, I did, Mister Blue.”

Settling his eye on Zecora, Blueblood thought carefully on what to say next. “Why do you think such things are acceptable? I’ve known my fair share of mares, and I’ve received reports on what shenanigans the nobility gets up to, and I’ve never run into anything like what you practice. Is this some custom native to your home?”

Zecora shook her head. “In my homeland, such activities would not be permitted. Only abroad did I find such acts committed.”

“I won’t pretend to know what the draw is,” Blueblood said.

Putting a hoof to her chin, Zecora tilted her head slightly. “In hurting oneself, one can find release. The practice, once started, is quite difficult to cease.”

“But hurting others—”

“To cause pain, is to exert control,” Zecora explained. “It is pleasurable then, to exact a heavy toll.”

Blueblood was mentally brought back to his dealings with Neighsay, the bandit, Cynic—both alive and dead—and realized that each time he’d been in complete control of the existence of another individual, he’d reveled in it. The revelation was disquieting, but fascinating.

“I was hoping our chat would give me some grounds to persuade Berryshine to allow you to being able to use the brothel again,” Blueblood said, trying to dispel all manner of stirring thoughts. “But, since you aren’t refuting any of the claims, there isn’t going to be anything I can do about it.”

Zecora shrugged in a non-committal manner. “Other diversions, I can find. It is easy to substitute, if one has the mind.”

“Well, as long as you’re fine with the situation—” Blueblood stopped speaking as Zecora kicked the glove from her left forehoof and lightly traced it up his right foreleg. He swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat. “...what are you—”

“To the brothel, I can no longer go,” she said as her hoof reached his shoulder and began to make slow circles there. “So it is your body, Prince, I wish to know.”

Reaching down below Zecora’s chin, Blueblood lifted his hoof. He pushed her mask up and back until it and the hood it was attached to fell across the zebra’s withers. He took in her exotic appearance again, taking in the sight of her stripes and mohawked mane. His eye met with hers, which burned with desire. He exerted every ounce of self-control to prevent pressing his muzzle to hers right in the middle of the street. “I’ll have you know that you’re turning me on, despite your incessant rhyming.”

“Hush now, Prince,” she said, placing her hoof to his lips. “Words with me, you need not mince.”

Throwing caution to the wind, Blueblood batted away Zecora’s hoof. Grabbing her roughly by the neck with his hoof, he dragged her into a passionate kiss. As he lost himself in the feeling of their intertwined tongues, a slightly distant voice made itself heard.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to sell amazing and astounding curiosities, not watch you two ‘getting it on…’ though she will if you’re inclined to continue.”

Pulling away, Blueblood stared daggers at the salesmare. “We really should get back to the manor,” he said to Zecora. He looked at the few ponies that were in the general vicinity of Trixie’s cart. Most had stopped walking and were staring right at them.

“Great,” Blueblood muttered, “That little stunt will probably have this town’s rumor mill going for the next month. Tartarus, Amethyst is probably going to quote scripture to me about—” His eyes widened. “Celestia above,” he swore. “What time is it? I forgot about the expedition! How could I—Zecora, back to the manor, quickly! We need to go!”

“Wait! Come back!” Trixie yelled after them. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is willing to haggle further!”

Galloping hard back to the manor, Blueblood and Zecora shouldered their way through the front doors once they’d arrived. They navigated the hallways and stairs, which seemed far too numerous than remembered in their haste.

As they finally burst through the observatory doors, Blueblood ran to the observation table and lit his horn.

The pinprick of light expanded slowly, showing the party standing in a hallway. The group was standing in front of some kind of twisted plinth, which seemed to have grown around some kind of red orb. Sound slowly began to filter through the enchantment as it powered up.

—‘the sacrifice of fire is the gate to ruin,’ Shining said, in what Blueblood felt was a somewhat exasperated tone. ’Place a torch if you crave the void…’ Well, why the Tartarus not?

“NO!”

Blueblood’s frantic exclamation wasn’t heard; the enchantment wouldn’t be able to transmit sound for another minute or two. Blueblood could only watch in horror as all of the party’s torches were suddenly extinguished, and the screaming began.

“Oh Celestia, no,” Blueblood breathed.