Chapters Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Chapter VII: Hostile Contact
Mirage ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the golem, getting some much needed distance away from the beast and regrouping with the rest of his team. The golem erupted in a fit of rage, slamming its fists against the ground and causing the whole mine to shake violently, nearly knocking the others off their feet/hooves had they not been expecting it.
"I don't think it looks happy to see us again." Derpy said, slowly backing away."
"Yeah, you think?" Wraith charged up her fist with her portal powers and stepped forward as a sign to the golem that she wasn't going to back down this time. "We can't run, we have to fight it."
"Wait, what!?" Mirage exclaimed, holding onto the Bamboozle Gem with his life. "We can't fight that thing! Without weapons from Talos we are inca- incapa-... unable to even hurt that thing, and yet you want to try and beat it!?"
"We have no choice!" Wraith replied. "You're right, we can't hurt it, not directly, but we can work around that. Everyone, try and find something to help us beat the golem. Perhaps the unicorns could use their magic to hurl boulders at it."
"Great idea, Wraith!" said Twilight.
"Yes dearie, splendid idea indeed." Rarity added, as she and Twilight charged up their magic.
The golem was angry and hostile, there was no doubt about it, but it had one goal in mind: to retrieve the Bamboozle Gem. Due to this, the golem was persistent with aiming specifically for Mirage, as he was the one who was in possession of the gem at this time. It was relentless, flailing its fists down towards Mirage, only barely missing and launching him into the air with every attack.
Mirage was in full speed now, his heart racing and his breathing rate like that of a running dog. Mirage turned a corner and used his suit to create a decoy of himself, which continued the mines while the real him crouched down behind some rocks for cover. The golem entered the area and saw the decoy running away. It let out a roar before chasing after it. Mirage watched as the golem followed after his trap and took hold of the advantage by running in the other direction.
The decoy hit the wall on the other side. The golem stopped dead in its tracks and cocked its head in confusion. The decoy continued to run into the wall, even though it wasn't going anywhere. Furious, the golem roared once again, turning around and heading back for the others.
"Alright, that thing is distracted, but not for long." Mirage shouted, placing his hands on his knees and catching his breath. "What's the plan?"
"Me and Wattson have devised an idea that could work." Crypto started. "We can lead the golem back to that big cavern that you and your team crossed over when we were split up. Once it's in close proximity, Twilight, Rarity and Cadance will use their magic to push it into the cavern, forcing it down and into the void below."
"I like it, but how do we get it to get that close without realizing our plan?" Rarity asked. "I don't think it's going to just willingly walk up to the edge of the cavern without thinking twice about it."
"We will use the gem. It seems to only care about obtaining that, so if we can use that to lure it there then we should be good." Wattson answered.
"Okay, let's make this work. We have one shot at this, so we can't fail." said Wraith.
"Ummm, it looks like it found us again." Derpy said, pointing at the approaching golem. The rock monster descended upon the group without hesitation, running at full speed towards its target.
"Mirage, take the gem and lead it towards the cavern, I'll buy you some time." said Wraith. Mirage nodded, running towards the location while Wraith got closer to the golem. "Hey ugly, let's get this thing started properly!" The golem roared at the relatively small human and threw out its fists. Wraith, predicting the attack, used her phase tech to shift her whole body into the void dimension, granting temporary immunity to herself. The golem lifted its fists, wondering if it had made contact. Instead of seeing a smashed-up Wraith, it saw a trail of blue particles rushing away from it. The speckles flashed for a moment and sent Wraith back into the real world shortly after.
"If anyone else has a plan, now's the time." said Rarity. Twilight used her magic to pick up a rock and chucked it towards the golem. It was headed straight for it and seemed to collide with it soon enough. Except it didn't. The rock simply phased through the golem. The rock monster chuckled in delight, scoffing at the alicorn for her failed efforts.
"Wha- what!? What just happened!?" Twilight exclaimed in surprise, wondering how the golem managed to dodge the attack the way it did.
"Oh my gosh…" Crypto said, getting a bunch of sudden readings from his drone.
"What is it, Crypto?" Wattson inquired.
"The gem is made almost entirely of the Bamboozle Gem! What you threw the rock at was a decoy!!!"
"A decoy!?" Rarity screamed. "But how? We didn't even see it create a clone of itself at any point."
"The Bamboozle Gem not only creates decoys, but also turns the user invisible." Crypto said, explaining the effects of the gem. "It's the same material used to create Mirage's suit, so it mimics his powers! Be careful, it could be anywhere!"
Wraith and Wattson grouped together and stood their ground. They could hear the golem carelessly stomping around, but they were unable to physically see it. Even then, they continued searching, trying to find something, anything that would give them the upper hand. That's when Wraith got a warning. The voice in her head shouted, "behind you!" She had to act quickly.
"Wattson, plant some fences around me." Wraith ordered.
"You sure about this?" Wattson replied, raising her brow.
"Trust me." Wraith stepped back and stared straight ahead of her. Meanwhile, Wattson played down the first of her nodes, preparing for the second. "Alright, on my command." Wattson held the node in her hand, waiting for Wraith's command. The stomping stopped, notifying the two Legends that it was close. Then another voice warned Wraith. "He's close, get him!" Wraith knew it was time to act. "Wattson, now!"
Wattson placed the second node on the ground and rolled out of the way. The two nodes soon connected to each other's frequencies and began to raise the pylons. And with that, an electrical current shot out of both nodes, joining circuits and creating an electric fence. Just as expected, the golem was seen caught between the two nodes and was electrocuted, preventing it from moving for a short time. To prevent this advantage from going to waste, Cadance, Rarity and Twilight shot beams of magic straight at the golem's face. The beams connected and knocked the golem of its feet and onto the floor. A noticeable crack along it's chest appeared, letting everyone know that it was damaged.
"Well that worked well." said Cadance, stopping her beam.
"I'm getting readings, the golem is unable to cloak itself now!" Crypto said, informing the others on their successful strike. "However, it can still clone itself, so don't lose sight of the real one."
But his words came out too late. The golem was still after Mirage and the Bamboozle Gem, and it was right on his tail. Mirage came so close to the cavern, but the golem leapt into the air and landed right in front of him, blocking him from going any further.
"Ugh, why does everyone have to like me?" Mirage said sarcastically. "It's getting annoying having so many adoring fans." The golem began to clone itself, multiplying at a rapid pace and sending its decoys all around Mirage, cornering him until there was nowhere left to run. Then, the golem began running in circles, throwing off everyone and making them lose sight of the real golem.
"Shoot, I lost him." said Derpy.
"So did I!" Cadance exclaimed.
"What are we going to do?" Mirage shouted, spinning around carelessly as he still tried to find the real golem. "Think of something fast, I'm about to become rock soup in no time!!!"
"Get back, I have a plan!" Crypto shouted, typing in some code to send over to his drone. I'm launching an EMP protocol, everyone stay low and be still!" Hack began to glow bright as a sphere of electrical energy emitted around the drone. The golem took the time to turn away from the fearful Mirage and instead face the glowing drone, staring at it like a confused child. The EMP hit its peak and sent electricity flying everywhere. The golem roared in pain as its body was electrocuted, forcing all his decoys to disappear, revealing the real golem to the group.
"There, get him!" Mirage ran for the cavern, closing in on it with only a few meters left to go. The golem quickly turned around and ran after him. The others followed right along with Mirage, never leaving his side.
"Woah, woah!!!" Mirage came to a stop as he peered over the cavern, his toes hanging off the edge. The golem laughed at him, knowing that Mirage would either have to go through him or fall to his doom. "Oh boy, I'm about to regret everything." Running out of options, Mirage knew what he had to do. "Twilight!"
"What?" She asked.
"Catch!" Mirage jumped off the edge of the cavern and into the void beneath. Everyone gasped in horror, scared for Mirage. Twilight wasted no time, rushing after her human friend. The golem tried to block her path, but Twilight was agile and got past it without too much trouble.
The golem stared at the pit, wondering if it should jump in after them. Now was the time.
"Now!" Both Cadance and Rarity shot one last beam of magic straight towards the golem, knocking it off balance and towards the void. The golem tried to recover, but the impact was too much, and it was soon sent plummeting down to its doom. The golem roared one last time as it fell, its volume fading as it continued falling deeper into the pit.
The sounds of rock hitting the ground let them know that the golem was no longer a threat. But there was still no sign of Mirage or Twilight. The group stood by, patiently waiting for the others to return, giving them a happy ending. It was silent. The sounds of a few rocks falling all around the mines echoed throughout, but
"Come on, Mirage. You can't die now!" Wraith shouted. "Don't do this to us."
"... You're right, I can't die!" Everyone looked over the edge of the cavern to see Twilight rising from the shadows with Mirage in her back. "I have like nine lives. Well, not really, but it's the thought that counts."
Twilight landed on the ground, kneeling down and allowing Mirage to safely hop off of her. Mirage touched down and smiled with a look of victory on his face.
"Well, well, well. Looks like you actually did it." said Crypto, giving Mirage a pat on the back.
"I did." Mirage said with a laugh. "You guys almost seem like you didn't believe I could do it. Especially you, Wraith. I've never heard you sound so stressed before."
"Let's just hope you never do that again." Wraith said with a smug look.
"To be fair, I did save your life." said Twilight.
"Huh? Oh, right." Mirage turned to face the princess of Equestria and bowed before her in a humorous way. "Thank you kindly, your majesty. Without your aid, I fear that I may be nothing but a puddle of my former self."
"Never use that analogy ever again." Rarity said, acting like she was gonna throw up.
"Noted."
"I take it that golem won't be anymore of a problem, right?" Cadance asked. "The last thing I need is another report regarding golem attacks within the mines."
"No, that thing is nothing but a pile of old rubble." Mirage said victoriously.
"Wait, you do have the Bamboozle Gem, right?" Wraith inquired. "The last thing we need is to have to do this all over again."
"No worries, guys." Mirage pulled out the sparkling gem with pride. "The journey is over. We have our prize."
Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Chapter VIII: Mission Complete
Safely back on the surface and far away from the mines, the Legends were ready to get back to their dimension. It had been fun while it lasted, for the most part, but they knew that they were needed back in their world, and knowing the circumstances, it wouldn't be long before the Syndicate noticed that they were gone, so there wasn't much time left to goof off.
"Do you really have to leave so soon, Dearie?" Rarity asked in a pitiful tone. "I know you only came here to get that gem, but it would mean so much to us if you could just hang around for at least a little while longer."
"Yes, we have to be heading home." Mirage replied, looking at the ponies with a smile. "But don't worry, it's not like this is the last time we'll see each other."
"He's, right," Wraith added. "we'll be back soon enough, but we do have a job to do back in our world."
"Although maybe it would be best if we went somewhere where there wasn't a bloodthirsty golem running around." said Crypto. "Things like that are just simply unacceptable."
"Haha, yeah. I'll be sure to talk to my husband about that." Cadance said, shaking her head. "Let's just say that no pony is going in there anymore until further notice."
"Good, don't want anymore trouble." said Wattson.
"Well, it was nice seeing you all once again. I do hope you tell the others we said hello." Twilight ran up to Mirage and gave him a hug. The bearded man tried to act too cool for her, but the alicorn's act of kindness proved to be too much for him to handle, as he fell into her chest and hugged her back. "Do come again, Mirage. You're such a blast to have around."
"We will soon enough, Twilight. You can count on it." Mirage said, nuzzling Twilight's chest fur.
"I thought about what you had said, Twilight. I think I might make a few adjustments to Hack." said Crypto. "Nothing major, but enough to make a difference."
"That's good to hear, Crypto. I hope your work turns out well." Twilight replied, letting go of Mirage and looking over at Crypto. "I have no doubt that you'll think of something amazing."
"Thanks again, everypony." Wraith waved goodbye with one hand while she used the other to open a portal back to Talos. "Come on, guys. We have a ride to catch. The last thing we need is to anger the others."
"Goodbye, Legends!" The ponies all said their goodbyes as they watched the Legends step into the portal, one by one entering the spiraling void and disappearing on the other side. The fun was over, and it was now time for things to return to normal. When the portal closed, the ponies just stood there, taking everything in. A lot had happened during their short time with the Legends, but one thing was for sure, there was never a full moment when they were around.
"Shame, I was really wanting to get together with them for at least a while longer." said Rarity. "Too good for their friends, I guess."
"Yeah, but they did come here only to complete a task, so at least we got to see them for a bit." said Twilight.
"I just wonder what they needed that gem for?" Derpy wondered.
"Oh, right. You haven't been told." said Twilight. "Let's just say that the Apex Games is gonna be filled with bamboozles."
~
"Guess who brought the Bamboozle Gem!" Mirage entered through the front door of Rampart's shop with a proud smile across his face. Rampart turned around and lifted her welding mask off her face.
"Well, well. You actually went and did it." She walked over to Mirage and grabbed the gem, holding it up to her eyes and inspecting it for herself, just to make sure that it was the real deal. "Gotta say, Elliot, never thought you'd actually make it back in one piece by yourself."
"Uh… I actually didn't do it alone." Mirage admitted.
"Oh? Did the famous Mirage himself need some extra firepower?" Rampart inquired with a smug expression.
"Yes. Crypto, Wattson and Wraith all helped me. Without them I may not be here in one piece." Rampart was surprised. Mirage didn't say this like he usually did: cocky and self-righteous. No, instead he spoke in a more humble manner, as if grateful to have such great friends by his side. "And of course we had the help of the ponies during our quest."
"Quest!" Rampart laughed. "You make it seem like it was a challenge to retrieve this. All I did was tell you to go to Equestria. What did you do that was so hard, fight a rock-made beast or something!?"
"Yeah… you could say that." Mirage rubbed his fingers through the back of his hair, thinking back on the golem. "But it was nothing I couldn't handle. I mean, as you can see, I'm here in one piece."
"Oh well, either way I have to thank you, Elliot." Rampart walked behind her work table and pulled out a fat stack of cash. "I'll be sure to pay the others for their work. But for now, here is your share."
Mirage let out a high pitched scream that made Rampart wince as he looked upon all the money he had earned. It was enough to buy himself a new suit if he wanted to.
Mirage went to thank her, but spun around very quickly after hearing the door open behind his back. It was Gibraltar.
"Whoa, Mirage. That's a lot of money you got there." He said, raising his brow and nodding in surprise. "How'd you get that?"
"Oh, nothing really." Mirage turned to Rampart and said with a wink, "I just did Rampart a favor that's all."
"Cool... cool. I mean, that's good for you, glad to see you working your way up." It was all Gibraltar could say, as Mirage's answer wasn't exactly helpful or informative. Nevertheless, he accepted it as it was and left the room without any more questions.
"So, what are you gonna spend it on, Mirage?" Rampart asked. "You gonna buy some new decorations for your private Mirage Voyage, or maybe take a special lady out on a nice, quiet dinner... or heck, maybe even get a new haircut!? That mop you call hair is far past a fitting cut."
"Oh, you know…" Mirage smiled back at Rampart, as if reminding her that she already knew what he was gonna say. "Probably some pork chops."
Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Chapter I: Bamboozle Me This
Author's Note
This is a special one shot crossover staring characters from both MLP:FiM & Apex Legends! I don't own any of the characters, yadda yadda yadda, hope you enjoy!
Chapter I: Bamboozle Me This
It was another great evening on the planet Talos. The sun was beginning to settle down over the horizon and with it bringing the fall of night. Everyone was going through the Apex Games base, settling down after the recent events that had just taken place. The Legends had just finished a brutal, high action ranked match in World's Edge and were now taking the rest of the day to relax and ready up for their next match.
Located in the cafeteria, some of the Legends were filling themselves with the necessary nourishments. Mirage was sitting at a small table eating a delicious, freshly smoked pork chop, enjoying a taste that had always reminded him of his childhood. Mirage was a master with all things bamboozles. He could make decoys and turn himself invisible with the help of his special suit. Sitting with him around said table was Lifeline the combat medic, Pathfinder the exploration robot, and Gibraltar, the one they called the "shielded fortress." Each of them were eating something different to fill their appetite - except for Pathfinder, of course, because he is a robot.
"Awe man, I do love me some pork chops." Mirage said, taking another bite of the tender meat, careless of where the barbeque sauce was ending up on his face. The others turned to him and laughed.
"I swe-ah, ya always say dat whenev-ah ya eat a pork chop." Lifeline said, shaking her head as she stared at the man with a raised brow. "I knew ya liked fool'n others. I didn't know ya were play'n da fool."
"Hey, come on! Don't be hating on my tastes!" Mirage shouted on defense for his succulent dish. "Ok, maybe I talk more than I chew. But I mean what I say, these things are perfe- perf- perga-... they're good." Mirage shook his head in defeat, resting his head against his arm and letting out a sigh.
"It's okay, friend. I'm sure that if I had taste buds, I'd find pork chops just as enjoyable to eat as you do." Pathfinder said with his always joyous tone.
"Thanks, robot. Means a lot." Mirage looked over at Gibraltar, who couldn't have been any less aware of the conversation going around the table as he dug into his burrito. "You have any say in this, Gibby?"
Gibraltar held his finger up to Mirage as he finished his bite before speaking. "Bruddah, I think you are allowed to eat whatever ya like. But Lifeline's right, ya sometimes repeat yourself like a broken record."
"Ok, I'll tone it back next time." Mirage said, giving the others a simple nod. From that point until they were finished the small group of legends were in silence, keeping to themselves as they cleaned their plates. Just before Mirage could finish his last bite, Rampart snuck up from behind Mirage's back and shook him intensely, scaring the bamboozler and forcing out a sudden yell. Everyone nearby laughed at Mirage's reaction.
Rampart was in hysterics. She expected something like the reaction she got out of Mirage, but never could she have seen it coming with this amount of energy. "Haha! Mirage, you are such a baby." Rampart was the Outland's top weapons expert, and always loved a good laugh… even if it wasn't the most appropriate time to do so.
"Baby? Me? No, you got it all wrong, you are the baby." Mirage said in defense while trying to catch his breath. "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to meet me in my shop in about half an hour. I got a special… job for you. If you're looking to gain some extra dough, I'm sure I can make it worth your time." said Rampart.
"A special job?" Mirage inquired. "Uh… sure, why not? I mean, you should be honored to ask the likes of me for help." Rampart raised her brow and scowled at the bearded man. "B-B-But yeah, I'll swing by your place in thirty minutes."
"Heh, dope. Don't be late, Witt." Rampart said before leaving the cafeteria.
Once Rampart left, Mirage laid back in his chair and wondered what exactly got her in such an eager mood. He pondered on the subject, thinking back on any of their past discussions and hoping that in doing so he would at least get some hints, but nothing seemed to click. Realizing that the time spent thinking over the subject was pointless, Mirage finished the last of his pork chop before getting up, throwing away his plate and making his way down to Rampart's shop.
On his way there, Mirage accidentally bumped into Wraith, who was in the middle of reading a book. When they collided, the book flew out of Wraith's hands and towards the ground. But before it could hit the ground, Mirage flicked his hand over and grabbed the book with speed so fast that it surprised both him and Wraith.
With a small chuckle, Mirage stood up and handed the book back to Wraith. "I bet you didn't see that one coming." He said with a snarky tone.
"No, not this time." Wraith replied admittedly. "Nice moves." She took the nook from Mirage and quickly checked for any scratches, to which she found none.
"I didn't know you were an avid reader." said Mirage, pointing at the book.
"Oh, yeah." Wraith said, tossing the book around between her hands. "I don't enjoy reading. This one is about phase technology. I hope that by reading this I could find out more about my past."
"Ah, that makes sense." Mirage shook his head in understanding. "I don't get it, though. Those voices tell you everything you don't know… except anything regarding your past." Mirage looked at Wraith with a look of genuine concern. "Why do you think that is?"
"I… I do not know." said Wraith. "Maybe I am also trying to find answers in most other universes. Maybe… maybe I'll never truly know."
"Well, don't give up. Doesn't do anyone any good stopping yourself from pursuing something you've worked so hard for." said Mirage.
"I know. I haven't given up. Not this time." Wraith replied, placing the book under her arm. "Anyway, where are you off to?"
"Rampart said that she had some sort of… job or something for me to do." answered Mirage.
"Job? What kind?" Wraith inquired.
"I don't know. The only thing she's told me so far is that she would pay me a lot of money if I can go through with it." said Mirage. "She seemed almost happy to tell me."
"Really? Well, I hope things work out for both of you." Wraith said, nodding her head.
"Yeah, thanks." Mirage tried to come up with a good way to end the conversation, but his mind went blank, forcing him to stand there and look like a fool. Wraith began to feel awkward, so she just waved goodbye before walking past him and towards her room. "Ugh, why can't I just be normal." Mirage said to himself, continuing towards Rampart's destination.
Once Mirage made it to the shop, he knocked on the door before entering. "Rampart, you wanted to see me?" said Mirage.
"Ah, Elliot. Just the man I wanted to talk to." Rampart came rolling out from under a construction table, covered in sweat and oil from her current task. She stood to her feet and cleaned herself off with a rag. She looked up at her clock and gave off a quick laugh. "You are quite early. I told you to come here thirty minutes after we last talked."
"I know, but it's better to be here early than late. Or something like that…" Mirage said, rolling his eyes in self-disappointment.
"It's 'better late than never,' but yours' works too." Rampart said, shaking her head. "But I'm not gonna make you wait. Let's talk business." Rampart sat down on a nearby stool and pointed to another one close by for Mirage to sit in before she discussed her job with him. Mirage nodded and sat down on the other stool, wondering what she had planned for him.
"So, you chose me to do a… how did you put it? 'Special job,' was it?" said Mirage.
"Witt, I need you to do something very important to me." Rampart said, smiling with a pleased grin.
"Ok… I need a bit more information to go off of if you want me to help you." Mirage said, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.
"Hold your tongue, Witt. I'm getting there." Rampart cleared her throat before getting into the details of the job. "I have recently created what I would consider my best work yet. It is a new type of weapon hop-up that can create an infinite amount of decoy ammunition. With it equipped, you could fire standard rounds, or fake ones, the latter of which could be able to be seen and heard as live rounds, throwing off the enemy and possibly sending them into a spot they wouldn't normally want to be in."
"Decoy ammunition hop-up?" Mirage said with peaked interest. "You know I like anything with the word decoy in it."
"I knew you would, which is why I need you to help me." said Rampart.
"What do you need from me?" Mirage asked.
"These hop-ups, while cool in concept, are not easy for me to make. In order for me to create one, I need a small piece of a special material known as the Bamboozle Gem." Rampart lifted a piece of paper to Mirage's face which showed him the image of the gem in question.
"Ah, you mean like the same material my suit is made out of! Ok, well where can I find this gem you're talking about?" Mirage inquired, intrigued by the natural shape and design of the material.
"Considering the fact that you use it to create more of you, which by the way is the most annoying and uncalled for thing in the world, I'd imagine that you of all people would know that answer." Rampart said with a laugh.
"Yeah, I know. Unfortunately I only get them from the Syndicate when I send in a report regarding necessary repairs. Where they get them is beyond me." Mirage suddenly had a strange thought appear in his head. " Now that you mention it, they haven't sent me any of those materials to me in quite some time."
"Well, we used to have pretty easy access to it a couple of years ago through the planet Cronus, which was abundant with Bamboozle Gems scattered all around the mines. But recently the syndicate has banned any and all foreign trade with Cronus and it's people, which includes the Bamboozle Gems."
"Dang, that's not a very wise thing for the syndicate to do. How am I supposed to fix my suit now? Think of all the money they are missing out on!" Mirage said, shaking his head. "However, I think you are giving me this job because you have another way to retrieve the gems."
"Right you are, Witt." said Rampart. "There is one other location that holds the gems I need in order to make these new hop ups, and luckily you know just where it is."
"Ok, where is this place?" asked Mirage.
"Dimension X45-D9A." Rampart said.
"Oh, yeah I remember that place…" Mirage smiled and nodded, for a moment or two before realizing he had no clue what those coordinates entailed. "Uh, where is that exactly?"
"Equestria, dummy." Mirage's face went pale very quickly. "You remember that much, don't you?" asked Rampart.
"Ugh, yeah I know that. It's just…" Mirage went silent.
"But what?" Rampart wondered why Mirage was being so weird about the situation.
"It's just that I don't exactly know how to get there by myself. Wraith and Wattson did that last time. I don't mess around with computers and coding and what not. Heck, that's what got us in that mess in the first place." Mirage said, waving his hands around as he spoke. "Not to mention the fact that I am not exactly liked there. They probably forgot about me."
"Please. Forgetting you is like forgetting you're hungry everyday." Rampart said, laughing to herself. "But hey, if you insist on not going then I guess the job can go to someone else."
"Wait, hey!" Mirage stood to his feet. "I am not giving up just yet. I can do this. I just have to, you know… improvise."
"And how do you expect to do that?" Rampart asked.
"I… I don't know. But I do know that things shouldn't be that hard. I can figure something out, promise." Mirage said with a bit of a pleading tone.
"Ok, Witt. The job will stay up for grabs until you come back to me. If you bring me that gem, you will be paid. If not, the job is going to someone else. Got it?" Rampart held out her hand to Mirage.
"Deal." The two legends shook hands and the deal was set. With that, Rampart walked Mirage to the exit and shut the door behind him. "Alright. Just got to get to Equestria and retrieve the Bamboozle Gem. Shouldn't be that hard, right?" Mirage rolled his eyes and laughed to himself, but as he thought harder and more thoroughly on the situation, he realized that things would in fact prove to be more difficult than it needed to be for him to complete his job. It was by this point he understood the true difficulty of the task at hand. "I am in so much trouble."
Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Chapter III: Hello to Old Friends
In a far off land, beyond the stretches of space, was Equestria: the colorful, beautiful land of ponies, dragons and other seemingly mythical creatures. The sun was high over the small town of Ponyville, bringing a little heat along with its light.
Rarity and Twilight Sparkle were having a picnic just outside of Ponyville. They sat atop a red and white striped blanket, enjoying a mixed berry pie made by their friend, Pinkie Pie. It had been a while since Twilight had gone back to see her old friends. Most of them were busy at the moment, but Rarity was more than happy to make time for her best friend. The two ponies spent their day looking up at the clouds and discussing their lives, catching up with each other's top past stories.
"I'm telling you, Twilight, I don't know how you are able to keep calm when confronting such foul creatures." Rarity exclaimed, throwing her hooves in the air from the sheer stupidity of the topic.
"It's not easy, Rarity. But as the princess of Equestria, I have to do my best to make sure I represent this land at its best. Any screw ups and I'll just make matters worse." replied Twilight.
"Yes, well I guess that is why Celestia and Luna chose you to be the next in line for the throne." Rarity said almost enviously. The girls giggled and continued eating their pie. The sweet flavors of cherry and blackberry overwhelmed their taste buds, the richness and texture of the pie never dulling with each bite. "I don't know how she does it, but Pinkie never ceases to make an outstanding delicacy."
"I agree! If I had half the skills that she possesses then I don't think I'd have to bother her to make so many ever again." Twilight said with a giggle, holding her hoof to her mouth so as to not spill any crumbs. "Not like she's bothered by my company or anything."
"Twilight!" A shouting voice came from behind their backs, startling the two mares. Twilight looked back and saw Spike, running towards her. The expression on his face exclaimed danger, stress and worry. This caught Twilight's attention almost instantly. When the young, purple dragon made it to the princess, he placed his clawed hands in his knees and propped himself up, taking a moment to catch his breath.
"Spike, what's going on? Where have you been?" Twilight inquired.
"Yes, dear. Don't you know it isn't polite to sneak up on ponies?" Rarity said with a stern look.
"I'm sorry, really. It's just that *gasp* there is a strange portal opening at the edge of town. No one knows *gasp* why it's there, but it's starting to grow in size!" explained Spike.
"A portal?" Twilight wondered. "Who could possibly be opening a portal here at a time like this? Heck, why would there be a portal appearing at any given time!?"
"I don't know, but I think that you should come and see for yourself." Spike insisted.
"You're right. I'm heading over there right away." Twilight got up on her hooves and stood next to Spike. She glanced over at Rarity apologetically. "I'm sorry, Rarity. I'm gonna have to cut our afternoon short."
"Wait, don't think for a moment that you are leaving without me." said Rarity. "Anything that threatens Ponyville has to go through me, first."
"Calm down, Rarity. Maybe this thing isn't even a threat at all." said Twilight. "Maybe we are just misunderstanding the whole situation. Perhaps nothing is as bad as it sounds."
"Maybe, but I'm not waiting to find out." Rarity trotted over to Twilight's side and pursed her lips. "Let's go see what this is really all about." The girls, plus Spike, began their walk over to the mysterious portal, checking to make sure that nothing was meaning to harm Equestria and it's citizens.
Once they made their way to the scene, Twilight stared at the spinning vortex with curiosity. She wondered why a portal of all things appeared at this point in time. She cautiously approached it, her horn glowing bright as she charged it with magic, just in case any threats appeared before her. The portal began to sputter and glitch in a way. Twilight stumbled back in surprise. Rarity and Spike rushed to her side, ready to protect their leader. The portal jerked again, this time expanding like it was gonna burst.
"Stand back." Twilight ordered, charging her horn to its full potential. With one final jitter, the portal burst into a wave of molecular particles, sending the vortex flying in all directions for a short distance. The group shielded their eyes from the light, careful not to let the explosion blind them. As the particles dissipated, Twilight, Rarity and Spike looked back at where the portal was, only there wasn't a portal. Instead, there were four humans standing in front of them. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light, but their confused looks were soon replaced with that of joy and happiness once they recognized the humans.
"It's the Legends!" Twilight exclaimed. Twilight had to hold herself back from jumping into their arms and giving them a big hug. Wraith laughed at the pony princess' gesture, holding her arms out and allowing her to do her thing. Twilight smiled and fell into Wraith's embrace, nuzzling into her neck. Wraith's stoic attitude was immediately broken as she felt the warmth of Twilight's fur press against her body. Wraith lifted her hand and stroked her fingers through Twilight's mane, petting her and showing affection. It has been so long since I have last seen you, Wraith."
"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Wraith replied, lovingly squeezing the pony with her arms before breaking the hug. "It's a pleasure to see you again, and so coincidentally at that. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon once we got here."
"Yeah, Spike warned us about a random portal appearing out of nowhere. We didn't know if it was because of somepony evil or something like that, but needless to say, I'm glad it was just you guys." Twilight explained.
"I bet that's a relief." replied Wraith. "I'm sure I would expect the same thing if I was in your place."
"Hello, little pony." Wattson said, waving her hand and smiling from cheek to cheek. Wattson was delighted to see her colorful animal friends yet again.
"Wattson! A pleasure to see you again!" said Twilight. "You look great."
"Merci!" Wattson replied giddily. "You look good, yourself. Ya know, all regal and such." Twilight nodded in reply, her smile never leaving her face.
"Mirage, what a joy to see your face around here." said Rarity, hugging the bearded man.
"Rarity, you remember me!" Mirage exclaimed with pride. Mirage wrapped her arms around her and stroked her mane, making sure not to ruin it, as he knew just how protective she was about her grooming.
"Well of course I do. I don't think I could possibly forget about you." Rarity giggled at the thought of forgetting someone such as Mirage, considering the fact that all he ever sought out was fame.
"Right…" Mirage rolled his eyes, feeling stupid for making the greeting become so awkward.
"Spike, how are you?" Crypto asked, placing his hands in his pockets.
"I'm doing very good!" Spike replied with his best manners, making sure to be very respectful to the Legends. "Yourself?"
"I've been… better. There have been a couple bugs in the system that I have had to deal with." Crypto glared over at Mirage, who was to no surprise making a fool of himself in front of the others. "But in all seriousness, things have been going smoothly."
"You know, Crypto, it's okay to make mistakes. They only make you better." Mirage said, knowing that the master hacker was no doubt making fun of him.
"Maybe… but it's also wise to just simply avoid them as well." replied Crypto.
"See, this is your problem. You don't ever have fun. Live your life!" said Mirage.
"I do. Just in my own way." Crypto turned away from the others, giving himself a moment to process the sheer stupidity that was being thrown out at him from Mirage. Although, as much as he hated to admit it, part of what he said was true in a sense.
"Why do you two always have to fight?" Rarity asked, shaking her head and laughing to herself as she watched them bicker at each other.
"Uh… I, he started it!" Mirage exclaimed, pointing his finger at Crypto. Pursing her lip, Rarity looked over at Crypto, seeing what he had to say about the subject. He had nothing to say, so he just shrugged and shoulders and apologized for his behavior.
"I am sorry, Rarity. I will keep my mouth shut." said Crypto.
"Oh, don't be so modest, Crypto. I know you weren't the troublemaker." said Rarity. Mirage's jaw went agape after hearing her say that. Crypto just smiled and stared at the bamboozler, giving him a malicious wink.
"While it's great to see you here again, what brings you to Equestria?" Spike inquired.
"Yeah, I was just about to ask that same question?" Twilight added. "Why have you come all the way here?"
"Well, long story short," Wraith began. "Mirage was hired to find a special gem that can be used to create a new hop-up, which wouldn't be a problem if the Outlands didn't have such heavy security. He got us to help him in exchange for a cut of the profit. Upon further investigation, it appears that Equestria holds the same type of gem, although we aren't sure where it is exactly located. We came here to find it and bring it back."
"With your permission, of course." Crypto added, not wanting to make them all look like the bad guys. "The last thing we want is to be marked as thieves."
"Is that why?" Twilight was surprised by the Legend's reasoning. "Don't worry, I know that you guys aren't thieves. Expect for Loba, but that is another story."
"And here I thought you just wanted to see us again." Rarity teased. "Shame, I thought you loved us enough to even care to visit from time to time. Guess I was wrong to think so highly of you."
"Hey, come on. Don't put zat on us. We always love your company." Wattson said, placing her hands against her hips.
"Just kidding around, darling. Don't fret for a second." said Rarity. "I know you all care."
"So, do you give us permission to look around?" Mirage inquired.
Twilight Sparkle placed her hoof against her chin and thought about the situation. She knew the Legends were true to their word and wouldn't start trouble. However it didn't seem like they knew where to look, at least compared to what they had stated. After some thought, Twilight lowered her hoof and responded to their question. "Ok, I'll let you look around. On one condition."
"What!? Another condition!?" Mirage was beginning to feel light headed and betrayed. "Is this going to happen every time?"
"Mirage, don't be rude. Baegchi" said Crypto. "Do not forget that her words decide if you get your gem or not."
"Yeah, but… I… she…" Mirage fumbled over his words, unable to speak due to the mixed feelings plaguing his mind.
"It's okay, Mirage. This isn't that bad." Twilight said, hoping to ease his conscience. "All I ask is that you let me and Rarity come with you."
"Oh, is that it?" Mirage said with curiosity. "Uh… of course. But… why do you want to come with us? Do you think we will blow something up?"
"No, of course not. At least, I hope I can trust you not to do anything like that." Twilight said with a giggle. The Legends joined her laughter, knowing that they were known quite well for being destructive, being part of such a violent bloodsport and all. "But in all seriousness, I ask you this because it seems like you will be needing to go into the mines located in the Crystal Empire. There have been a lot of requests from ponies all around Equestria requesting to search the newly constructed mines in hopes of finding untold riches. Princess Cadance won't be so easy to persuade, as she has enforced all lot more security measures due to the overwhelming number of ponies coming to the mines. But I think I can talk with her and make her grant you access into the mines. Also, Rarity knows almost everything about gems and such, so she could be very helpful with finding the type of gem you seek."
"Wow, that's very kind of you, Twilight." said Wraith. "We accept your offer. It should make our job a lot easier with your help."
"It will also make the trip a lot more fun and enjoyable." Wattson added, clapping her hands together in excitement.
"Glad to hear it!" Twilight turned to Spike, who was already awaiting further instructions. "Spike, fly back to Canterlot and watch over the castle for me. I won't be long."
"Yes, Twilight." With that, Spike spread his wings out and flew into the air, making his way to the castle.
Now that their job was beginning to take action, the Legends looked to Twilight for advice. "So, how do you plan that we get to the Crystal Empire from here?" Mirage inquired. "Last I checked, it's not exactly walking distance from town."
"Oh, don't worry about that. We will just take the train there." Twilight answered. "It shouldn't be too long to get there, and in the meantime, we can catch up on things."
"Sounds like a plan." said Wraith. "Let's move."
Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Chapter IV: Gems and Crystals
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.
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Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Chapter V: Darker than Coal, Prettier than Diamonds
The elevator shook gently as Princess Cadance led Twilight, Rarity and the Legends down into the mines in order to help them find the aforementioned Bamboozle Gem. The mines went very deep underground, so much so that the journey down to the bottom seemed endless, making everyone feel like their minute long wait had lasted well over half an hour. While things felt time consuming and rather uneventful, the group was least able to entertain themselves by looking around and examining all the various types of crystals, gems and ores that jetted out of the rocky walls of the mines. Some of them were new to Legends and they could only guess what they could possibly be.
"Forgive me for asking, but why exactly do you need the Bamboozle Gem?" Cadance inquired. "Assuming it's actually here in Equestria."
Mirage turned to face the mare and answer her question. "We need it for a hop-up that Rampart-"
"Sorry, what I meant to say is… what does it do, exactly?" Cadance interrupted Mirage's sentence as she corrected herself.
"Oh, of course." Mirage held his hand out as he was ready to give what he assumed was an obvious answer, but his mind drew a blank, leaving him standing there with his jaw left agape. Even after all of this searching, he never was told why the Bamboozle Gem was a necessary part of the hop-up. It could've been used for anything. It could be a power source, a casing, or perhaps it could even be a hoax, a mere prank to give Rampart a good laugh. Mirage shook in despair, hoping that it wasn't the latter possibility.
"Well whatever the case, I am sure that I should come in handy for Rampart." Cadance said, choosing to end that conversation then and there.
Their descent slowed abruptly, coming to a halt as the elevator made it safely to the ground. The doors opened up, allowing safe passage for the group to enter into the mines. The view was beyond comprehension, making the surface world of the Crystal Empire seem like nothing but a wasteland in comparison. No one, not even Crypto could hold back from smiling in awe.
"Sacre bleu! Zis is most miraculous!" Wattson said with an overwhelming amount of joy in her soul. "I have never seen such beautiful works of nature before."
"You Crystal Empire folk really know how to choose a good place to live." Wraith said with a chuckle in her voice. She was rather jealous of the residents of the Crystal Empire. The scenery of every location within the kingdom was something that she was very envious of.
"Call it luck, but I can never take this for granted." Cadance said in reply. The princess looked around for the nearby mining tunnel to her left. "I think if we go down this way then we should find this gem of yours in no time."
"Seems like our best bet." Crypto nodded and followed closely behind Cadance. "Do you happen to know what the Bamboozle Gem looks like, your majesty?" He asked while looking around for anything that caught his eye.
"Not by name, no." Cadance replied. "I don't even recall anypony talking about a gem such as that. But who knows, maybe it's nearby. It could be right in front of us for all I know."
"I'll be sure to check around. I have my ways." Crypto reached behind his back and grabbed a hold of his drone. From there he tossed it into the air and activated it's systems, allowing it to hover in the air before hitting the ground.
"Your drone?" Cadance inquired. "What do you plan to do with that?"
"I've analyzed and recorded all known characteristics regarding the Bamboozle Gem from the internet and placed all the information into Hack's systems. With it, my drone will be able to scan the area and pick up anything at least similar to what we're looking for." said Crypto.
"Wow, you guys get all the crazy gadgets, don't you?" Cadance was blown away, although she was always eager to learn about everything that the humans had to work with.
"Ugh, such petty machinery." Crypto looked over and saw Rarity scoffing at him, ultimately disgusted and appalled by the human's unorthodox methods.
"Oh yeah? And what do you plan on doing?" Crypto spoke with a hint of sassiness in his voice.
"While you have fun playing around with your toys, we unicorns have something far more helpful: magic!" Rarity taunted Crypto with her horn pointed at him. The pointed appendage illuminated for a split second as Rarity charged just enough magic to cause it to sparkle and glow. "I can just use a spell to search for the gem you are looking for. After all, I do remember Twilight informing you about the fact that I am the best at finding gems."
"Calm yourself, Rarity. This isn't a competition." Crypto crossed his arms and shook his head. "You can use your magic, I'll use my drone. Working together will make things go by a whole lot faster compared to fighting against ourselves."
"Erm, I suppose you are right about that." Rarity said, raising her hoof to her forehead and expressing her extreme sorrow simply for everyone else to feel bad for her. However, no one showed any sort of sympathy for her, as they all knew how overly-dramatic she could get if things didn't go her way.
"Perhaps, but we aren't going to get anywhere just standing here and talking about it." Mirage was growing more and more impatient and time went on, so much so that he took the role of team leader and began walking down the tunnel by himself, all the while dining to himself about why he was the best Legend. "Bamboozle, Bamboozle, the rest of you are snoozles."
"I always missed Mirage's optimism." Rarity said with a sigh. Wraith looked over at the mare with a confused expression, as if she knew Rarity wasn't telling the whole truth. "Not all of it, but enough." Wraith and Rarity exchanged laughter as they shrugged their shoulders in agreement.
The rest of the group followed behind Mirage, surveying the area and looking for the gem. Crypto controlled Hack from a distance, looking in places that the others couldn't see, like small crevices and tight cracks in the cave walls. The rest of the group searched for it near ground level. Many natural rarities were found, like rubies, diamonds and gold, enough to make anyone rich in an instant. However, nothing seemed to resemble that of the Bamboozle Gem. They went as far as to lift smaller rocks to see if the gem was buried beneath the ground. Twilight and Cadance even used their magic to move massive boulders, but as much as they tried to find it, nothing seemed to work in their favor.
That is until Crypto's drone began beeping.
"What did your drone find, Crypto?" Wraith inquired, turning on her heels and facing the drone.
"Haeng-un-ui nal, I have picked up signs of the Bamboozle Gem. We are close… very close." Crypto tapped a button on his earpiece and switched to drone view, piloting the drone from a first person perspective. He switched his monitor to a thermal detector which allowed him to scan the area and see through walls. Without too much trouble, Crypto spotted the white gem sticking out of the wall nearby. "There, by Mirage. I can see it."
"Really, you found it?" Mirage turned to where Crypto pointed and found the Bamboozle Gem hanging right in front of him. "Bingo, come here you jolly find." Mirage lowered his hand and grabbed a hold of the gem. With a mighty tug, he pulled it out of the cave walls with ease… or so he expected. In reality, the gem wouldn't budge. "What the?" Mirage attempted to pull the gem out of the wall a second time, but there weren't any differing results. He then tried a third time. Then a forth… then fifth. Nothing happened.
"Mirage, I don't think zat brute strength alone will be enough to pull zat thing out of ze wall." said Wattson.
"Come to think of it, I don't suppose that we brought a pickaxe with us, did we?" Wraith inquired, looking over at Princess Cadance.
"Oh my goodness, I have completely forgot about that." Cadance pressed her hoof against her forehead in shame. "To think that I have led you all down here just to forget about the most essential tool for mining. I must be getting old."
"Zat is quite alright, princess. I am more zan certain zat we can find another way to free zis gem sample." Wattson said in a hopeful tone. "We just need to think zis through." The electrical engineer began surveying the area, searching for something that could help them.
"Perhaps my magic could be used to help." Twilight offered, pointing to her horn with her hoof. "I'm sure with enough force I could pry it out of the rock wall with a simple grapple spell."
"That's actually a pretty good idea." Wraith said in agreement, all though she couldn't really think of anything else to do at the moment. "Twilight, how about you, Cadance and Rarity use your combined magic to free the gem while Mirage uses his bare strength to help."
"I don't see that going badly." Cadance replied.
"Well as long as I don't get my hooves dirty, I guess that could work out." Rarity added.
"Wait a minute!" Mirage detested. "Why do I have to be the one to pull it out?"
"You want the gem? Then do your job." Crypto grinned at the bearded man, laughing to himself while watching his rival suffer - that is if he could even consider something as miniscule as this a reason for suffering.
"Alright, girls. Charge your magic and let's help them get their gem." Twilight announced. The three ponies charged up their magic within their horns and pointed them straight towards the white, shiny gem. Mirage then stepped in front of them and got a firm grip on the gem. He seemed confident at first, but soon became worrisome and hesitant.
"Hey, uh… y-y-your magic won't hurt me, will it?" Mirage inquired, fearing the worst.
"The worst possible result would just be that we pick you off the ground. So there's nothing to worry about." Twilight said in a reassuring tone, though it hardly left an impact on Mirage who was by this point scared half to death.
"Ok, I guess that's good." Mirage wiped the sweat off his brow before reluctantly gripping the gem with all his might. "R-R-Ready when you are, girls." His voice cracked several times once he spoke.
"You heard him, now!" The three ponies each shot magical beams from each of their respective horns. Their combined forces caused the beam to cross each other, creating a much more powerful grapple spell. The beam hit the Bamboozle Gem soon after, encapsulating it with the beam's tricolored aura. The ponies, plus Mirage, all pulled against the gem, forcing it out of its confines. It took some work, but with relative ease the gem came clean out of the rock wall, floating in mid-air and completely freed.
Mirage held his hands out and the mares all released the gem from their magic hold. The gem fell into Mirage's grasp, shining brightly for him and all the others to see. To Mirage's surprise, this sample of the Bamboozle Gem was quite big in size, yet very light in weight, almost as heavy as a basketball. Nevertheless, Mirage was ecstatic. He had found the gem that he sent to retrieve and could now return to Rampart in order to claim his sweet reward.
"Crypto, are you sure that this is the one?" Mirage asked for reassurance, hoping that it wasn't simply a false claim, or else all this work would have all been for nothing.
"The readings match that of other gem signatures, this is indeed the one we are looking for." Crypto said in reply. "I'm actually quite surprised. I didn't think it would be this easy to obtain. I don't even think it's been half an hour since we came down here."
"Well don't jinx it!" Wraith said with a mild anger in her tone. "The last thing we need is another obstacle to climb over."
"Right." Crypto apologized for his foolishness.
"Are you looking for the special mineral, too?"
Everyone turned around in an instant, looking towards a pegasus pony in the distance. They all squinted to see the identity of the pony through the darkness. It took the others a bit longer to recognize who exactly it was, but Rarity found the answer rather quickly.
"Derpy?" Rarity spoke in shock. "What in Equestria are you doing here?"
"I have been looking for a special mineral that somepony told me I could find here." Derpy explained. "I see you found quite a shiny looking thing, yourself. Is that the same one?"
While the others were left confused as to which gem she was implying, Mirage immediately struck a defense stance and shunned the pegasus mare away. "No, you will not get this gem. This is mine, and mine alone. Finders keepers, losers weepers." Wraith and Wattson both glanced at Mirage on the verge of laughing aloud while Crypto simply placed his hand against his forehead in disappointment.
"Wait, what gem are you talking about?" Twilight inquired, wanting to know if Derpy was really referring to the Bamboozle Gem, mostly just to prevent an unnecessary fight.
"I am talking about a rare mineral called Muffin Marble." Derpy said with a smile. "It is supposed to be an edible, softer inorganic material that mimics the taste of muffins, but fills you up with only one bite, making it last a lot longer than normal muffins." Just describing it alone made her stomach rumble with hunger.
"Muffin Marble?" Wraith said with a grin, slowly turning towards Mirage. "Well, I don't think you will be needing to fight anyone for your gem, now will you?" Mirage looked back with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his head and coughing as a distraction for himself.
"Where in the world did you hear about something as crazy as that?" Crypto asked Derpy. The mere thought of an edible rock baffled him greatly, as it sounded like something that of a fool would believe.
"I read about it in a couple history books. Apparently the Earth Ponies would ration it between the tribes whenever there was a massive famine. I also read that it tastes even better when paired with berries, the same way muffins do!" Though the idea was still hard to believe, Crypto couldn't argue with a valid source such as that. But then again, what if she instead read a book about mythology? Whether or not Derpy was telling the whole truth, Crypto shook it off his concious and paid it no mind, figuring that there was no benefit to prove her wrong and potentially crush her dreams.
"Well then, if you aren't looking for the Bamboozle Gem, what makes you think that you will find it here?" Mirage inquired.
"Well, I don't know for sure. I just picked the first place I saw and decided to just hope for the best." Derpy reached behind her back and pulled out her mining tool. "With me and this pickaxe, nothing will stop us."
"Derpy… that's a shovel." Twilight said with a snicker. Derpy scoffed in disbelief, only to look down at the object she held and thoroughly analyze it. Seeing the spade in question, it was then that she realized that she was wrong and Derpy immediately blushed in embarrassment.
"Is that it, now? Huh… that would explain why I haven't been doing any actual mining." Derpy could do nothing but smile nervously as the others all laughed with her.
The mission had seemed to be a success; the Bamboozle Gem was now in Mirage's possession, the group was unharmed and all they had to do now was send the Legends back to the Outlands. Seemed like a pretty easy job. Wraith was about to lift her hand up and rally for everyone to follow her, but she suddenly had a vision. A warning about a future event.
Wraith cried out in pain as her brain began feeding her many blurred images. Her eyes began to glow and change color, turning into a paler tone. The others looked over to her and gasped, wondering what was happening to her. The other Legends knew that she was having a vision, but they still ran to her side to comfort her, nonetheless.
"Wraith, what is it?" Wattson inquired. "What is it zat you are seeing?"
"Ergh… the w-w-wall." Wraith snapped back to reality with a gasp for air. Her eyes returned to normal and her sanity came back to her full control. She flicked her head towards the direction of where the Bamboozle Gem was pulled out and shouted a warning. "Everyone, get away from the wall!"
Within seconds, the crack split across the rock wall, crumbling in on itself and tumbling down towards the rest of the group. Wraith used her powers to open a portal for the other Legends to walk through while Twilight used her magic to cast a shield spell for the other ponies to take cover from the falling rocks. Crypto and Mirage ran into the portal and were spat out near Wraith's and Wattson's position. The debris smashed against Twilight's barrier, but her experience with magic proved to be more than enough to overcome the force of the collapsing cave walls.
The sounds of falling rocks faded into echoes and nothing but dust surrounded the group. Twilight lowered her barrier and checked to make sure that everyone was okay. To their luck and surprise, everyone was accounted for and unscathed.
"Is everypony okay?" Twilight inquired, wanting to simply get a verbal confirmation that no one was hurt.
"I think we are all ok." Wraith said, helping Crypto to his feet while Mirage and Wattson aided Princess Cadance. "Thank goodness I was able to see that coming."
"Yeah, all nine of us look good to go!" said Derpy.
"Nine?" Rarity questioned. "There are only eight of us, including you."
"Nine." Derpy replied with certainty. "I know I counted correctly."
"But, if there are nine, then…" Twilight turned around and was bet with a large boulder standing right before her. Looking up in curiosity, she saw something that no one could've expected. "Golem!!!"
A large creature made entirely out of rocks came from behind the collapsed wall and towards the group. It's intentions were immediately read as hostile as it picked up a nearby boulder and chucked it at Princess Cadance. The princess used her magic to cast a magical wall in front of her and redirect the trajectory of the boulder.
"Did your vision warn you about this?" Mirage exclaimed to Wraith.
"I wish it did." Wraith replied, trying to keep her cool. "Everyone, stay calm and find a way to stop this thing."
The group nodded and did their best to stop the golem. However, they didn't have much of a chance to do anything as the hostile creature lifted its rocky fists high into the air before slamming them against the ground. The sheer force of the impact caused lots of the rocks from about to fall down towards the others. The group was split into two smaller teams as the debris blocked their path to each other.
Wattson, Crypto, Twilight and Rarity slammed against the rocks to try and meet up with the others, but neither their strength nor magic could move the debris away in order to clear a path. They had to find another way around, and fast.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the rock wall, the rest of the group was left to deal with the golem. Mirage did his best to fend off the creature, but the rock-made beast laughed at the bamboozler, knowing its victory was near. The golem slammed its fists against the ground once more, causing the ground beneath them to split open. Mirage, Wraith, Derpy and Cadance fell into the depths of the cave, plummeting further deeper into the dark and empty void beneath them while the golem simply watched from above with a feeling of success.
The rock-made monster nodded with defiance, proud of what it had accomplished. It turned around to retreat back into the mines, but a shiny gleam of light caught it's attention. Turning to inspect the object, the golem was surprised to see the Bamboozle Gem, which Mirage had dropped during their short battle - if they could even call it a battle. The golem placed it in its hands and walked away, heading further into the mines, no doubt to find another victim.
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…"
Mirage and the Quest for the Bamboozle Gem
Epilogue: One More Upgrade
Crypto had just finished the necessary changes to Hack's AI. After his recent adventure in Equestria, the words that Twilight said to him had been stuck in his mind for quite some time. Because of this, he finally took the time to do what she thought would be best. It took several days of planning, and many more to actually carry them out, but with the upgrades completed, he stepped back and powered up the drone. It took a second to boot up, but began hovering in the air not too long afterward. Now was the moment of truth.
"Hack, can you hear me?" said Crypto. He didn't expect anything to work right away, as this was only the first trail phase. But even then, he hoped for the best.
"Yes I can." The drone successfully replied to Crypto's words. He was astonished to say the least. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Sir. Your heart rate is increasing rapidly. You seem rather excited. Is everything all right?"
"Oh, believe me. Everything is much better now that you're talking." said Crypto. He looked at the drone with a small smirk, thinking of the princess of Equestria as he did so. "Thanks for the idea, Twilight. Maybe things will be a bit more… interesting."
"I see that you have given me a consciousness of sorts." Hack said after scanning through its code and finding all the new updates it received. "Might I ask why?"
"I don't honestly know." Crypto admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Let's find out together, shall we?"
"Interesting answer... but my objective is to help you, so I will help you find out why you built me with this concious." said Hack.
"Well, maybe I should allow you to speak less like a robot before we do that. Don't want to irritate the others with your purely factual statements and observations."
