Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem

Now back together again, the Legends and the ponies made their way to the Crystal Empire via train. The journey there took quite a bit of time, so the group kept themselves entertained through talking about their lives, discussing all the crazy events that had taken place since the last time they had seen each other.

"How's Hack doing, Crypto?" Rarity asked, starting a conversation. She looked at the drone hung up along his back with wonder.

"Hack is fine, as far as drones go." Crypto said, keeping his words to a minimum like he usually did.

"You know, have you ever thought of giving Hack a personality? Like its own consciousness!" Twilight tilted her head and raised her brow. "I'm sure that would make your time in the games a lot more fun and entertaining!"

"I haven't." said Crypto. "But I don't intend to. Hack is merely a machine made to aid me, nothing more."

"But… don't you think a companion of sorts would make the games at least a bit more fun and entertaining?" Rarity asked.

"Maybe, but I prefer to do things solo. I only trust those who I have to trust." said Crypto. "I like to think that it's safer this way."

"Maybe, but where's the fun in that?" Rarity asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Rarity, don't be rude!" Twilight snapped, jabbing the white unicorn in her side. Rarity whined aloud as she rubbed her hoof against her bruised ribs.

"It's quite alright, your highness." Crypto held his hand out in front of him as he spoke, letting the two ponies know that he took no offense. "I'm sure you think it silly for me to be so… antisocial. But I have my reasons." Crypto leaned back in his chair and pondered on the thought for a moment longer. "Who knows. Maybe one day I will give Hack a conscious of sorts. You never know."

"Crypto is just jealous that he can't be like me." said Mirage. "A perfect specimen of brains, brawn and style." Though his gloating came almost naturally, Mirage's main intention was to simply cheer up Crypto. It worked, as Crypto shook his head laughing to himself.

"You are the farthest from perfect, Mirage." said Crypto, smiling at Mirage.

"Oh, is that so?" Mirage replied playfully. The others laughed at their rivalry, letting the time pass with their fun conversations. The rest of the train ride was about the same, but it soon came to a stop and the Legends were now at their destination: the Crystal Empire.

The group exited the train in a single file fashion. Twilight and Rarity led the Legends out into the kingdom. The Crystal Empire stood out to the Legends the moment they laid eyes on it. This wasn't their first time seeing its grandiose design, but it was quite the spectacle, nonetheless. The intricate detail of the entire kingdom looking like it was naturally made was something that was just too much for their minds to comprehend.

"Man, if I could live in a place like this, I would be in Heaven." said Mirage. The bearded man spun around on his heels, taking in the view of the kingdom.

"I agree. Zis world is very beautiful." Wattson added.

"Imagine if they had this in the Apex Games. Talk about a crazy POI." Crypto said, imagining some changes to some previously existing locations in the games. "But we are getting distracted. We must remain focused."

"Crypto's right. Let's go see Princess Cadance and tell her about what we need to get done." said Wraith. "If we hurry then we can get this thing done before nightfall."

"But, Wraith, look at all this!" Mirage spoke with a childish whining in his voice. "An entire crystal wonderland, and you're just gonna shake it off like that's normal!?"

"Stop whining. You are the one who wanted us to help you, so don't waste our time." said Crypto.

"Fine. But don't ruin my fun, old man." Mirage said with a sigh.

"This way, everypony… er, everyone." Twilight shouted as she led the Legends to the castle. The others followed closely behind, keeping to themselves as they looked around at all the wonderful things that the Crystal Empire had to show. At one point, Mirage had found a vendor selling sugary treats that he had never seen before. Being the easily distracted person he was, Mirage began to veer away from the group, walking towards the vendor. Wraith caught note of this and used her abilities to open a portal right in front of Mirage, forcing him to unintentionally walk straight into it. Once inside, she closed it just before he could go back. She then opened another portal in the air in front of her and Mirage was shot out of the portal, falling towards the ground. With a thud, Mirage landed on his back, groaning in pain and struggling to get back on his feet.

"Wraith, what the heck!?" Mirage exclaimed, standing up and throwing his hands in the air with annoyance in his voice.

"You had no way to pay for those, anyway." Wraith replied, shaking her head in disappointment as she caught up with the rest of the group. Mirage pursed his lip and furrowed his brow in defeat, crossing his arms and childishly whining to himself the rest of the way there.

When the group made it to the castle, they immediately took notice of two guards standing in front of the gate. Twilight told the others to stay behind her while she ordered the guards to let them into the castle.

"Princess Twilight!" The first guard said. "What brings you to the Crystal Empire?"

"And are those… humans!?" The second guard asked in surprise. "Your majesty, why in Equestria are humans back in these parts?"

"Do not fret, good sir. These are the Legends, the same ones who came to Equestria many moons ago. They are here with my permission." Twilight explained.

"Very well, state your business." The first guard stated.

"These humans need to speak with Princess Cadance. They wish to go into the mines in search of a rare gem." said Twilight.

"The mines, huh? Well, that's a bit of a problem." said the second guard. "She hasn't really allowed anypony into the mines, especially since yesterday. There have been many ponies threatening to riot against her rule."

"I feel so bad for ze pony leaders." Wattson said, placing her hands over her mouth in shock. "I couldn't begin to imagine ze stress of being the ruler of a nation."

"Perhaps, but I intend to talk with her." Twilight persisted.

"By your orders, Princess Twilight." The first guard turned to the other and ordered him to inform Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor about their arrival. The second guard nodded and ran into the castle. The first guard then looked back at Twilight and lowered the gate. "Do be cautious, Princess Twilight. I have not seen you sister-in-law like this since Flurry Heart was born. If I may, I might suggest that you keep your talking to a minimum so as to not anger her any further."

"Thank you, good sir. I will keep that in mind." With that, the guard stepped to the side of the gate, allowing Twilight and the others safe passage into the castle of the Crystal Empire. Twilight gestured to the others to follow her into the castle. They all nodded and did just what she told them to do. Once inside, the gate closed behind their backs, locking them inside of the castle.

"Not much of a welcoming entrance." said Crypto, looking over his shoulders instinctively.

"What, did you expect the red carpet to be rolled out for us?" Wraith inquired.

"Uh, I did." said Mirage, shrugging his shoulders and acting like it was obvious. "I mean, we are the one and only Legends. I think that we should get more recognition. Like, where are the adoring fans and little fillies and colts begging for our autographs?" The other Legends rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"No one thinks of us like that, Mirage." Crypto said, smacking Mirage against the back of his head. "You expect too much for yourself."

"Yes they do! Have you seen the way all of them stare at us when we walk by!?" Mirage said in defense.

"Who's to say that isn't because they're scared of us!?" Crypto yelled in annoyance.

"Who's to say… erm… anything!?" Mirage snapped back in a failed attempt to support his claim.

While the two fought with each other yet again, Wattson walked over to Twilight with concern in her heart. "I do not like what is happening with your sister, your majesty. Princess Cadance does not seem like ze kind of pony who just gets angry over everything."

"You heard the guards. Cadance just isn't really feeling like herself. I could only imagine the struggles she has to go through regarding the new crystal mines." said Twilight.

"Not to mention the fact that they still have to look over Flurry Heart." Rarity added, her voice raised by two whole octaves by the end of her sentence. "I'm sure that foal gives both of them enough stress already."

"Do you still think that she will be able to help us?" Wraith asked Twilight.

"Of course she will. I know Cadance better than anypony. She'll be more than happy to help." said Twilight.

The guard from before came to Twilight and saluted her before speaking. "Princess Cadance has allowed you to speak with her." The guard then expeditiously stepped to the side and held his hoof out in the direction of the long hallway leading to the throne room. "Follow me." Twilight nodded and the group followed the guard to the throne room. They passed by a large set of doors; the left one had the symbol of Equestria engraved into it while the right had the Crystal Empire's symbol. Two other guards took trumpets and played them aloud, informing the royal family that visitors were arriving shortly. The doors then opened up, revealing Princess Cadance and Shining Armor sitting upon their thrones while Flurry Heart sat in her mother's lap. "May I present to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Canterlot, Rarity of Ponyville and the Legends from the Earth world!" After the announcement, the guards all left the throne room and the doors firmly shut behind them, leaving the group alone with the royal family.

"Twilight!" The princess of the Crystal Empire didn't waste a second after seeing her younger sister-in-law appear before her. Cadance and Twilight ran to each other, doing their little dance that they did since Twilight was a little filly. "Sunshine, sunshine-"

While the two mares had their fun, Shining Armor stood from his throne and walked down to greet the Legends. He went for a more formal approach, being polite and shaking their hands, one by one. He looked at each of them with a smile, glad to see such familiar faces after such a long time.

"Shining Armor, it is a pleasure to meet with you, today." Crypto said, grabbing the stallion's hoof and shaking it.

"The pleasure is mine." said Shining Armor. "It has been such a long time since we've last met." The white stallion lowered his hoof and took a step back, looking upon the Legends and remembering all the memories they shared together.

"Is zat little Flurry Heart?" Wattson asked, pointing at the foal in the princess' throne. The little pony was too busy sucking on her hoof to realize that the Wattson and Mirage were both staring at her in awe.

"Yes that is." said Shining Armor. "Would you like to go say hello to her?"

"If that is alright with you!" Mirage said eagerly, falling prey to Flurry Heart's natural born cuteness.

"I trust you guys. Go ahead, just be gentle." Wattson and Mirage walked over to the foal in an almost skipping motion, hovering over her and making baby noises.

"Hello, little pony. Are you happy to see us?" Wattson gingerly stroked Flurry Heart's mane, getting a friendly laugh from the foal. "Oh, such a sweetheart. Une merveille de la nature."

"I hope we didn't come here at a bad time." Wraith said, bowing before the prince.

"Not at all! It was actually getting kind of boring in here." Shining Armor said with a sigh. "Being a part of royalty has its perks, but it's not always sunshine and rainbows."

"Geulaeyo? I'd imagine that Flurry Heart alone would give you plenty of chances not to be bored." Crypto said, raising his brow playfully. "Are you telling me that being a father can be boring at times?"

Shining Armor laughed at the hacker, getting a kick out of Crypto's joke. "Well, she's being quite respectful to us as of now, but I'm sure that will change very soon." Shining Armor looked over at his mate, who had just finished prancing around with Twilight and Rarity. He signaled for her to come to his side, flicking his hoof in his direction. Cadance nodded and galloped to her husband. Wattson and Mirage looked back and gathered around the rest of the Legends. "Now, with the greetings out of the way, what brings you to the Crystal Empire?"

"Well, we were just gonna ask you about something…" Twilight began. But her words trailed off once she remembered what the guards had said about Cadance in regards to the mines.

"But… what?" Cadance inquired, wondering why Twilight didn't finish her sentence. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

"No, not at all, your majesty." Crypto said, stepping forward. Crypto nodded to Twilight, letting her know that he would take it from there. Twilight nodded back with a smile, silently thanking him for his kindness. "Truth is, we have come here to ask you if we can go into the mines."

"The mines!?" Cadance immediately snapped. Her eyes twitched in anger and her tail went stiff. "Why is everypony wanting to enter those stupid mines!? It's always the same thing. 'I want to be rich!' 'I want to find gold!' 'I want an excuse to quit work!' Like, is there anything better for you to do!?" The room fell silently, nothing but the sounds of Princess Cadance's heavy breathing was heard. The Legends stood still, shocked and slightly embarrassed to see the ruler of the Crystal Empire so worked up over such an insignificant topic.

"Cadance, calm yourself this instant!" Shining Armor demanded, stomping with his hoof and furrowing his brow. "These humans have come a long way to get here and yet you yell at them as if they are our sworn enemy." Cadance glanced over at her mate in fear, fear of what she had done and fear of what the others thought of her. Realizing that he came across a bit too violently, Shining Armor took a deep breath and sighed. "What has gotten into you, dear?"

Princess Cadance dropped her head in shame and whined, exhausted from all the stress that she had put on herself. "Forgive me, I just can't stand that place." She lifted her head and faced the Legends. "You must understand. If anything happens to anypony in those mines, we could get sued… or worse."

"Sued?" Mirage raised his brow. "But, you're the princess. Aren't you void of being sued?" A childish question, perhaps, but still somewhat acceptable.

"It's not that easy." said Shining Armor. "We are still quite new to this whole leadership thing, and because of this, we haven't exactly worked our best with legal issues regarding injuries involving natural disasters. If anything happens, even the smallest thing, we are subject for blame."

"Dumb legal issues." Wraith muttered under her breath. "Just a stupid reason for people to stub their toe and always have someone to blame for it. Erm… I guess they don't have toes."

"Anyway, why do you want to go in the mines?" Cadance asked, trying to be more accepting this time around.

"Rampart sent us with a mission to find a rare gem that can only be found in these parts of Equestria." Mirage explained. "We wanted to know if we could just go down there for a little bit and search around for the gem we're looking for."

"Wait, you're serious?" Cadance said, baffled by Mirage's explanation. "You aren't here to get filthy rich or anything like that?"

"Nope. We are here just for the gem." said Wraith.

"If we are lucky, it shouldn't take any longer than half an hour." added Wattson.

"Oh, what a relief." Cadance said, placing her hoof against her chest and letting out a relieved sigh. "That makes things so much easier."

"I told them that me and Rarity would help them find the gem, so they will have us to help them while we're down there." Twilight explained.

"Is that so?" Cadance laughed her nerves away and regained her composure. "Do forgive me for my rude manners. If that is truly the whole reason you want to go in the mines then by all means go ahead. I'm not stopping you." The Legends cheered aloud, excited to know that they were now one step closer to finding the Bamboozle Gem. "In fact, why don't I come along too? I could lead you through the mines and show you where you'll have the best chances of finding that gem of yours."

"But, Cadance, don't you have a kingdom to lead?" Twilight inquired.

"Yes, but I'm sure Shining Armor wouldn't mind taking over for a bit." She turned to face her mate. "Would you?"

"Uh… I mean, sure." He said, smiling through his gritted teeth. He felt backstabbed by the fact that Cadance put him in such an uncomfortable situation, but he was too prideful to deny his wife's request.

"Sweet, zis will be even better!" said Wattson. "Ze more ze merrier!"

"Yeah, but I'm not splitting up the reward anymore." Mirage said, selfishly thinking of himself.

"Selfish, often?" Crypto said with a scoff.

"Don't worry about it. Whatever deal you have settled with Rampart is yours alone." Cadance said, easing Mirage's mind. "Don't worry about me, my work here is free."

"Well then, if we have your permission to go into the mines then show us the way." said Twilight.

"Right then. Everypony… er, everybody follow me." Cadance said, leading the group past the castle doors and towards the Crystal Mines. The others followed behind her in an orderly fashion, ready to find the gem and return to their world before nightfall.