Chapter Thirteen: Challenges

The winding staircase terminated in a small room, a narrow corridor leading out from it. What caught my attention most, however, was a pair of torches mounted on the wall. They were lit.

"Yeah, we're definitely not quite alone here."

"But how did they get in? That barrier outside would have kept them out, too," Twilight said.

"We don't know that, there are some clever ponies out there," Daring added, taking a look around the room.

"Whoever they are, we're more than a match for em', I'm sure of it," Rainbow said.

"But we don't even know if they mean us any harm, do we? Let's get moving." Twilight illuminated the corridor ahead, which was unlit, and led the way, minding where she stepped. The group moved in single file, similarly minding their surroundings. We were led to a large chamber with a great chasm running through it. A drawbridge was clearly visible from the other side.

"A retractable bridge? Hah! I'll go extend it," Daring volunteered, and took flight. When she was about halfway across the chasm, round boulders began to fall from above, leaving the pegasus dodging a barrage of massive rocks, and she quickly retreated to our side of the bridge. The rockfall stopped, and the echoes of the rocks striking each other as they fell continued for about ten seconds. It was an awfully deep chasm.

"That isn't going to work," Daring said, already frustrated.

"How did the rockfall trap detect you?" I asked.

"It was magical, I'm sure of it. Detecting ponies is an easy spell," Twilight explained, "I'll try to teleport us across."

With a flash, the ponies were gone, and had reappeared on the other side. I felt a tingling as the spell fizzled when used on me.

"Hold on, we'll extend the bridge!" Rainbow called over, and proceeded to a wheel on the wall, and attempted to turn it. "It's stuck!" Daring helped her give it a push, and eventually, the bridge dropped. I joined the ponies on the other side.

"Easy-peasy!" Daring exclaimed, pleased.

There was a lit torch here, too. Whoever was here with us could teleport, which fell in line with the blue-hued magic surrounding the gem Daring claimed to be the fake. There was a magic-user down here with us. Something caught my attention. Daring was looking at a tablet on the wall, inscribed with ancient-looking hieroglyphs, or something of the sort.

"What's that, Daring? Can you read it?"

"I think it says we've passed the first challenge," she replied, "I think this is some sort of test, but what for? The time gem, perhaps?"

"We'll find out soon, I'm sure," Twilight said.

"Let's get going!" Our resident cyan pegasus wasn't interested in talk, not right now, anyway.

The next corridor led to another lit chamber, and another chasm which, again, had a platform. Floating over this chasm, however, were many rocks of different shapes and sizes, slowly orbiting one another.

"What's with the rocks?" Rainbow asked, and flew over to one, nudging it. It bobbed slightly.

"I don't know," Twilight's horn glowed, and a pinkish-white glow enveloped a rock. She focussed, moving the rock slowly to the base of the platform, and upon releasing it, it stayed in place. "Huh." She tried to teleport, but it fizzled, this time not working for any of us. "Can't teleport, either."

"Oh, I get it!" Daring began pushing one of the rocks down, placing it next to the one Twilight moved. Rainbow caught on as well, and before long a bridge had been constructed of the floating rocks. We crossed, and examined another tablet.

"One challenge left, it says. I wonder what that could be?" Daring turned to Twilight, "did this place even have any of these chambers and tunnels in your world?"

"No, none that we've found."

"Enough with the chit-chat! Let's go do that last challenge!"

"Rainbow..." I paused. "Calm down. We're in no rush here, and rushing through this could get someone hurt. Get it?"

"He's right, you know. I used to be uppity and excited on my adventures, too, but a few careless mistakes later, I learned to take it slow," Daring said.

"Uh, sure, whatever. Let's go."

The third chamber was bigger than the previous two, and nothing at all could be seen on the other side of the chasm, just a rock wall.

"This one looks like a doozy!" Daring exclaimed, her words echoing through the empty chamber. "Zach, give me your flashlight thingy, I'm going to look through the chasm."

I turned on my flashlight, and Daring took it in her mouth. She flew off into the chasm. Rainbow took off after her. Twilight produced a magical ball of light, and sent it down into the chasm below. Something occurred to me.

"What if whatever we're looking for is up, not down?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Send a light ball up there."

Twilight complied, and, for several seconds, a mirror-like surface could be seen. I took aim at it with my laser rifle.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No. Hey, Daring, Rainbow Dash! Get back here!" I called. The two pegasi came back almost immediately.

"Nothin'."

"Not a thing."

The two sounded almost completely identical. It was weird. I fired at the spot. The beam got reflected, and the visible red beam struck many different mirrors on the wall, the beam being reflected to a place out of sight. A bridge faded into view, as did a platform on the far wall.

"I didn't think that would work," I admitted, and we crossed the chasm.

"How did you figure that out?" Rainbow asked.

"Just a hunch. Daring, what does this tablet say?"

"It says to proceed to be granted your reward," she replied.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rainbow led the way through to the presumably-final chamber. In the middle of it sat a pedestal. This chamber looked a lot like the main one from upstairs.

"Who's there?!" I heard a familiar voice shout from an undiscernable location. Who was that?

"Daring Do, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Zach," Daring called back.

"Twilight Sparkle? What is Twilight Sparkle doing here?" A blue unicorn appeared from the shadows. Trixie.

"Trixie? I'd ask you the same thing," the lavender unicorn replied.

"I asked you first. Why have you followed the Great and Powerful Trixie here?"

"We didn't even know you were here, Trixie, and stop it with the 'Great and Powerful' thing, we all know who you really are," I said, sternly.

"I don't, who is she?" Of course, Daring had no idea what was going on.

"She's a magician that travelled to Ponyville some time ago, claiming great feats of magic, among them the defeat of an ursa major by her efforts. When some fans of hers lured an ursa minor to town, Trixie was unable to stop it, and ran away. Twilight saved the day, though," I explained. Trixie's face grew red with rage and embarrassment.

"I'm not the foal that you bested last time! This time I am truly the Great and Powerful Trixie! Just you watch!" Trixie faded from view, and reappeared behind us with a flash, blocking our way out. "This time, it's a duel."

"Trixie, I don't want to-"

"Be quiet! We'll settle this once and for all, you and me." Trixie's horn charged, and Twilight's did as well. I pointed my laser rifle at Trixie.

"Trixie, there's nothing to settle, nothing to fight about. You ran away in the face of danger. Sure, it was after some grand boast, but almost any pony would run at such a sight. I know I would. There's no need to fight over anything, quit this nonsense, you don't want to start what you can't finish," I reasoned, in the most authoritive voice I could muster. Trixie stood down, as did Twilight and I.

"Good, now, why were you protecting the gem at the entrance of the building?" I interrogated.

"Just in case some ponies like you came along and decided to take it. I decided to look further after entering myself because it didn't do anything when I tried to use it, but..." Trixie trailed off. She had calmed down now, and was less angry and more sad, for some reason.

"What?"

"The real one's a dud, too. It doesn't even do anything. Here, have it, it doesn't matter to me anymore," Trixie said, sullenly. She produced a small blue stone from her saddlebag, dropping it to the ground in front of us. As far as I could tell, it was a simple blue gemstone, probably not of too much value in this mineral-rich land.

"How long have you been down here?" I asked.

"A few days..."

"Days? Without food or water?"

"Yes. Time doesn't seem to pass here like it does everywhere else. So I decided I'd stay here for a while, try to find something of value here. I haven't even had to sleep since I came here."

"Why would you spend so much time in this place? And, more importantly, how did you get in?" Twilight asked.

"I learned to reflect magic. None of the other ponies that have tried to come through here tried that, and got frozen by the barrier. Why did I stay here, Twilight Sparkle? Why? Because I promised the entire town of Hoofington I'd find it, and I was sure I could do it. I'm tired of failure."

"Hold on a second, how is that time barrier functioning if this gem doesn't even do anything?" Daring asked, changing the subject.

"Maybe it does do something. Are there any tablets with odd writing on them in here, Trixie?" I asked.

"Yeah, over there." She pointed a hoof at the pedestal. We examined it, finding a small indent where the stone had sat, and .

"Place your... Oh! The blue gem is a key, and this is a key slot! The temple itself is the field's generator, and this gem is just the key and controller!"

"What? Really?" Trixie was surprised. "What should I say to-"

"Nothing, don't say anything, just forget about Hoofington," I said, "this time field is far too dangerous for anyone to have access to. We should destroy the gem," I said. Trixie looked at me incredulously.

"Zach's right. Did you see those ponies out there? This whole thing could be a weapon, for all we know," Twilight said.

"Hey, can you turn off the barrier?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes, it says you can. Just turn the keystone in its slot," Daring replied.

I placed the blue gem in its slot, and twisted it.

"There." I placed it on the ground, and fired at it with my laser rifle, warping it into a useless shape.

"Well, Time Piece will be happy to know what we've found here," Daring said, "let's get out of here."

"Are you coming, Trixie?" Twilight asked. She looked surprised at the invitation.

"Yes, let's leave."

We trekked through the chambers of challenges and started on our way up the stairs. I wondered what the true purpose of this place was, if time had different effects on those inside it. Whatever it was, it was history now.