Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem

Mirage's eyes slowly opened up as he gradually regained consciousness. His head pounded as if the sound of a thousand drums echoed through his brain, and the pain he was forced to endure filled his entire body from head to toe. He tried to push himself up onto his feet, but his chest returned to the ground after a sharp pain ran up his spine as he pushed upward. He tried once more, pushing with all his might to rise up and stand. Fighting through the pain, he lifted his foot and placed it on the ground, keeping himself balanced as he did the rest. Now back on his feet, Mirage slowly rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head to his sides. He could hear many of his bones crack and snap back into place, allowing him comfort once he was again realigned. Mirage felt good to be back to his normal self after a couple more stretches. He took a deep breath and exhaled with relief.

A distressed moan caught Mirage's ear as he turned to look down to find his wounded ally. Wraith was propped up against the cave walls with her arm rested against her injured side. She subdued the pain through a pattern of slow and steady breaths. Mirage wasted no time and ran to her aid, kneeling down beside her and lightly placing his hand on her shoulder. The two Legends locked eyes and smiled.

"I'm surprised you actually survived." Wraith said with a chuckle. "I was almost wondering if I had to bring you back through the Respawn Chamber."

"I ain't going anywhere, Wraith, and neither are you." Mirage rotated on his heel and propped Wraith's arm over his beck. "Alright, on three I'm gonna pull you up."

"On your go, Mirage." said Wraith.

Mirage began the countdown, starting at one. Wraith planted her feet on the ground in preparation. By two, she took a deep breath in to brace for the pain she expected to feel. Mirage shouted "three", and he helped Wraith up to her feet. Wraith let out a groan or two, but nothing too serious to concern Mirage nor herself. Once she was standing, Mirage stepped away and let her recover. Wraith clasped her hands behind her back and stretched her spine, loosening the knots in her muscles and regaining her full flexibility.

"Are you doing okay?" Wraith inquired, inspecting Mirage for any serious injuries. Nothing looked too severe. The only thing she could find on him was a scratch or two paired with some rocky debris from the fall.

"I'm actually more surprised that my gear is still opera- oper- opal-... it's still working perfectly fine." He laughed at himself for being so clumsy. "What about you?"

"I think I can say the same for myself." Wraith replied, cracking her knuckles and checking her arms for any cuts, to which she found none. "That monster really didn't want to see us." The female Legend placed her hands against her hips as she pondered on the past events. "It was almost as if we made it angry. It attacked us without hesitation. But what we could've done to provoke it like that is beyond my knowledge… and who knows, maybe golems are just naturally hostile in this world. Maybe only the ponies know."

"You say 'this world' as if to say that there are also golems in the Outlands." Mirage spoke sarcastically, hoping to make her laugh. She did, albeit nothing more than a slight giggle. "Far as I'm concerned, this is the first time we've had to deal with one of those."

"Let's just hope that's also the last time. We don't have the time to deal with that thing again." Wraith looked around at their surroundings as she spoke, making sure that they were alone. "We are ill-prepared to fight something like that. The last thing we need is another ambush."

"Right, right." Mirage turned around on his toes and looked for a way out. He took notice of a gaping hole in the cave. Wondering about the others, he looked up and spotted the part of the cave where they fell. The opening was completely blocked off by some massive rocks, no doubt due to the golem, so it was clear that no one was coming in or out from that way anytime soon. He then looked back down at the hole. "If anyone else was unfortunate enough to fall down here the same way we did then they might have ended up down there."

"If there are any others down there, here's hoping that they're still alive." Wraith stepped in front of Mirage, taking the role of leader and guiding the two of them further deeper into the cave in hopes to find another way out and meet up with the rest of the group. There was a steep slope granting the Legends safe passage down the cave hole. Wraith placed her foot firmly on the rocky surface of the slope and made sure to get a good footing. From there she pushed herself away and she said down the slope, landing on the ground beneath her without too much trouble.

Mirage followed closely behind… or rather what he perceived as close. He too mounted himself on the edge of the slope and prepared for a slide downward, however he didn't account for his faulty footing. Because of this, the moment Mirage pushed himself down, his whole body tumbled forward and he violently spiraled down the steep decline, rolling around like a snowball speeding down a hill. He yelled in pain as his body came to halt once he made contact with the surface. Mirage grimaced in pain as he struggled to push himself back on his feet.

"You know, the whole point of this task of ours is to get out of here in one piece." Wraith said in a sarcastic tone, holding her hand out for Mirage to grab.

"Yep, still working on that part." Mirage got a grip on Wraith's hand and pulled himself up, standing tall and ready to continue forward. A couple slopes and declines later they stumbled into Princess Cadance and Derpy looking out across a large split in the cave. "Girls, you're safe!" Mirage exclaimed with joy and relief in his voice.

Princess Cadance turned around and smiled in return after seeing the Legends once again. "I see that you are okay as well. That is some good news, all things considered."

"Cadance… erm, your majesty." Mirage spoke, quickly correcting himself and clearing his throat before continuing, eliciting a small giggle from the Princess of the Crystal Empire. "Have you been able to spot any of the others?"

"No, I have not. Besides Derpy, you are the only others I have been able to find." Cadance replied.

"Darn, that's a shame." Mirage said in distress, kicking at the stone floor beneath him with a grunt.

"Do you have any ideas to get back to where we were?" Wraith inquired. "They could still be up there… perhaps we were the only ones that fell down below."

"That's a valid possibility, and one that I'm not yet going to rule out." Cadance turned towards the cavern." As you can see, we have hit a bit of a dead end… well, for you guys." She then pointed her hoof towards a small opening in the cave walls located on the other side of the cave split. "That over there, there is some light seeping into this part of the cave. You can see it just up ahead.

"Yeah, that's light. That's what happens when things get bright." Derpy said as if she understood the situation.

"Well yes, but that's beside the point." Cadance placed her hoof on the ground and turned to face the rest of the group. "With how far down we've traveled, light from the surface is impossible to spot from here. Any light source at this elevation is caused by the flames from torches, which we have placed throughout all of the explored parts of the mines. With that in mind, that must lead back to the main part of the cave, which would also mean that we would possibly find the others over there, too!"

"Okay, that sounds promising!" said Mirage. "But umm, how do you plan on getting us across?"

"Uh, Mirage." Wraith began. "They can fly across the cavern."

"Yes, I know that! I mean how do they want you and I to get across?"

"Oh, you can just sit on our backs and we can fly you right over to the other side without any trouble." said Derpy.

Mirage planted his hand against his face in embarrassment and let out a troubled sigh. "You know, one of these days I'll be smart enough to figure out the obvious."

"Derpy, you carry Wraith since she is lighter. Mirage, you mount yourself on top of me and I'll be the one to carry you over the cavern." said Cadance.

"Haha! You hear that, Wraith? I'm worthy of a royal flight." Mirage said, praising himself and rubbing it in her face. Wraith simply scoffed as she walked over to Derpy.

"Not so hard, now. I can't really carry a lot of weight on my back." Derpy said, crouching down to allow Wraith to mount herself.

"Don't worry, I won't be too much of a hassle." Wraith said in a reassuring tone. The interdimensional traveler hopped on top of Derpy and planted herself atop the pegasus' back, placing her hands along her mane as a means of balance.

"Alrighty, big guy. Your turn." Cadance knelt down in front of Mirage, knowing very well that she was much bigger than Derpy, so she had to get a little lower.

"Wow, bowing before a commoner such as me? I'm flattered." Mirage said in a regal manner. Cadance could do nothing but roll her eyes and reluctantly allow him to have his fun. Mirage got on top of Cadance and gestured with his hand stretched out in front of him, as if he were a king mounted atop a mighty stallion with the blade of his ancestors held in his grasp. "Come, my subjects! Let us fly across this vile pit and claim victory to the motherland!"

"What in the heck are you doing!?" Wraith shouted in distress. She was hitting her limit with Mirage's stupidity and demanded that he zip his mouth for the rest of the trip.

"Ummm… yes, Wraith." Mirage really wanted to return with a snarky comeback, but even he knew that now was the time to start a round of banter. They were on a mission, and it was him who brought them into this mess. "Okay, let's get moving."

Without another word, Derpy and Cadance lifted the two Legends high into the air and flew over toward the other side of the cavern. Wraith kept calm during their journey, but Mirage was a complete mess, screaming like a child as he stared into the gaping abyss beneath them. Cadance was in hysteria, unable to hold back her laughter as Mirage continued to scream. Once the two ponies landed back on the ground, Mirage and Wraith hopped off their respective means of transportation.

"So, I take it that you had a wonderful time during that whole way here." Wraith said, speaking to Mirage. The bearded bamboozler cleared his throat and returned to his illegitimate, pompous attitude.

"I-I-I don't know what you are talking about, Wraith. It was merely a simple flight, nothing of enjoyment or any other importance." Mirage turned his back on the others, acting mature but feeling absolutely embarrassed deep down.

"Right…" Wraith let out a chuckle, but decided not to drag the situation out any longer. "Well then, let's go inside and see if we can find the others."

"Do you think that they are there?" Mirage inquired.

"Only one way to find out." replied Cadance.

~

Crypto looked around for any kind of light source, but there was nothing. He pulled Hack out from his sheathe and tossed the drone into the air, activating its systems and watching it hover in the air. He then pressed a button on his control panel and made the drone light up, illuminating the nearby area.

Now able to see his surroundings, Crypto began looking for the others. He immediately caught a glimpse of Wattson and Twilight, but not Rarity or any of the others. Nevertheless, Crypto ran over to Wattson and helped her up to her feet.

"Crypto, you are okay!" Wattson said with relief.

"I am." He said subtly. "I'm glad you are still in one piece, yourself."

"I took a bit of a beating, but nothing too serious." Wattson turned and began to aid Twilight. "Your majesty, are you alright? Is there anything you need from us?"

"No, no, I'm quite alright, thank you. Both of you." Twilight stumbled back up to her hooves and shook all the debris off of her fur. "That was crazy. Golems haven't appeared in Equestria for centuries, let alone in the Crystal Empire. Something strange is going on." Twilight pondered on the topic. "Where are the others, have you seen them?"

"No we have not, and there aren't any signs of them previously being here." Crypto said regrettably. "But we can still look for them. They have got to be at least somewhere in the mines. I doubt they'd go as far as escape from the mines and leave us to die."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." said Twilight.

"Help!!!" The three of them all turned towards the direction of the shout, recognizing the voice.

"Rarity!?" Twilight shouted in reply. Her heart rate increased drastically as she feared for her friend. "Where are you?"

"Twilight! I'm stuck under a bunch of heavy boulders and I can't use my magic to move them, I need your help."

"Don't worry, Rarity. We are on the way!" Crypto shouted, gathering the others and rushing towards the unicorn. "Let's go, we have no time to lose!"

The group of three ran in the direction of Rarity's voice as Hack followed closely behind, lighting the path for them to safely continue forward. After a moment they found Rarity with cuts and bruises from the collapsed debris.

"Oh, thank goodness you are here. I have been trapped under these rocks for Celestia knows how long." Rarity said in a pitiful tone.

"Don't worry, Rarity. We're here now and we will get you out of there." Crypto commanded Hack to hover over towards Rarity's position and illuminate the area so that they could find the best way to go about freeing Rarity. Twilight charged up her horn and began pushing away the boulders. Crypto and Wattson helped out as well, using their brute strength to move away the smaller rocks in order to give Twilight an easier time. One by one the debris was pushed away and without much time wasted Rarity was freed.

Rarity bolted up to her hooves and rushed towards the two Legends, wrapping her forehooves around them and hugging them as a sign of gratitude. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I was so worried that I would be stuck there forever." She let go of them and looked over at the purple alicorn. "Oh, and thank you too if course, Twilight."

"Relax, Rarity. You are safe now, and zat is what matters." Wattson stated. "Now with zat out of ze way, I do think zat we should start looking for the others. Zey could be close."

"You're right." Crypto said in agreement. "Look, moving the rocks around has given us a way out. I'm sure we could start by looking over there."

"Good idea, let's get moving. The sooner we find them and the gem the better." Twilight said, leading the others down the way and hopefully towards the others.

The journey back into the center of the mines was a breeze, but the whole time they walked they were worried that they weren't gonna find the others that easily. Still they held on to what little hope they had and pressed on. They made it to the place they were last seen together, where the golem attacked them. They recognized where they were but the others weren't to be found.

"Drat, I thought for sure zat zey'd be here." Wattson said in defeat.

"Wait, don't lose hope. Hack says that there are other life forms nearby, just pass this wall. It could be them!" They all turned towards a gap in the cave walls, waiting eagerly to see who or what would come out from the other side. To their surprise, it was indeed the others.

"Guys, you're okay!" Mirage shouted.

"Yeah, we are." Crypto replied.

"That's great news!" said Twilight. "And you have the gem, right?"

"No, actually." Mirage said in an apologetic manner. "I dropped it when we were split up. I bet that golem took it."

"Darn, we were so close!" Rarity said with a sigh. "And I thought men like you were supposed to be strong and heroic."

"I'm sorry, okay! I wasn't fully paying attention." Mirage held his hands up and pleaded his case. "Look, I know I messed up and now we are stuck with very little options, I get it. Bad news, we don't have the gem and there is a giant rock monster running around the mines in search of us no doubt. Good news, we are all still alive and at the very least we have a way out of the mines, so it isn't like we're trapped in here or anything."

"He does have a point." Wraith said in agreement. "We aren't defeated just yet. We still have a chance to finish this off correctly." Mirage gave off a smile, thankful that Wraith backed him up for once. She returned the smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Well then, what do we intend to do?" Cadance inquired.

"Huh… funny." Crypto muttered.

"What is it, Crypto?" Wattson asked.

"Hask is getting readings of the Bamboozle Gem, as if it's nearby." He turned his head and followed the direction of the scans. "It says it's right-"

"There!" Mirage ran over to the bright gem, which was just so happening to be laying on the ground out in the open. He grabbed it and held it with both hands, spinning in circles and jumping with excitement in his soul. "I can't believe it, my luck is unmatched! This is the luckiest moment of my life!!!"

"Something isn't right." Wraith said, wincing as she got a voice of warning from the void. "This is too easy. Something has to be going on."

"You don't need another you telling us about that." Twilight said, slowly stepping away from Mirage. "I don't like it at all. I think… I think this is a trap."

"But who would make a trap for us?" Derpy inquired.

That's when it hit everyone like a brick. The floor beneath Mirage's feet trembled and shook violently. He stopped his moment of praise and froze in place, looking around in search for the one responsible for this event. As his face went pale and his eyes widened, the golem stepped out from the shadows and approached Mirage in defiance. It looked down upon the small man, letting out a loud and broad laughter. Mirage wanted to run, but he was worried that any sudden movements would enrage the beast and cause it to attack. Either way, Mirage knew he was about to be its new punching bag, so he had to do something.

"Help…"