Chapter 7: Into the Darkness

For the first ten minutes the group was able to walk, guided by their goggles’ low-light lenses, without encountering anything. Spike was fine without, since he had a dragon’s extremely effective low-light vision, and in complete darkness his eyes worked much like lamps, even throwing their own light.

They barely had any light at all to activate their lenses when they first encountered the moles. These were slightly larger than Spike, and they came out in a group of twelve, curiously sniffing at the newcomers. “Hold,” Armour cautioned. “They’re not doing anything threatening,” he said.

“Not yet," Spike said dubiously, but he moved his hand away from the lance strapped to his back anyway. Then he started laughing. “Hey, that tickles!” The others also started laughing as the moles tickled and sniffed them. Gearhead noted one mole’s interest in his daggers – more the forged one than his gemstone blade – and in the black pouch holding the Fireheart Gemstone. As long as the moles did not take any of his precious belongings, he did not mind their curiosity.

“Pardon me, but do you know where to find more deposits of these?” Gearhead asked, tapping both daggers. The moles around him nodded vigorously, then headed down the tunnel back the way they had come. Gearhead gave chase, with the others trailing behind him.

In fifteen minutes, the moles guided the group to three separate and large deposits of gemstones and metals. Gearhead was able to efficiently extract the materials. He placed the last of a deposit of baby blue sapphires into his saddlebags, and moved to follow Spike and Armour, who were following the moles.

They went around a corner, to discover that it was too dark to use their goggles. Armour and Cadence, at Gearhead’s side, called on their light spells for illumination. The moles had vanished, however the cavern just went straight ahead. Armour led a cautious advance.

“Did you hear..?” Click!

“Pony feathers,” Gearhead answered Armour, and then the ground gave way underneath them all. Gearhead’s attempt to dive sent him into a rolling fall. He bounced off the pit’s wall, and started tumbling the other way. There were a few more bumps, then he felt something soft wind its way around his tail, and he slowed down. Gearhead looked up from his upside down position to find his fall being slowed by a smiling, if struggling, Cadence, still lit by light from her horn. Of course it would occur to her to use her wings!

Seeing the bottom of the pit getting closer, Gearhead reached out with his hooves, touching down fairly gently. Cadence released him and landed beside him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not the one who kissed the wall,” Cadence said, coming closer.

“Let us leave your magic for when we truly need it, yes? I have only minimal bruising, but my goggles have broken.” Using Cadence’s light, Gearhead wrapped the glasses in a cloth to avoid losing pieces of glass, and thrust the goggles into the bottom of his left saddlebag. He looked around to recover his fallen hat. “Might I ask you to check to see if the shaft is still open? If it is we can reconnect with Armour and Spike.”

“Good idea,” Cadence said, noticing that the other two members of their party had not fallen down the same pit. She used her telekinesis to give her goggles to Gearhead. “Why don’t you check for passages?” Then she jumped and lifted off.

Gearhead walked about the room. Even as far away as Cadence was flying, she was still providing enough light for the goggles to work. A full circuit of the chamber into which they had fallen revealed only once passageway, unmarked and unlit.

Cadence returned to the ground. “There’s a large stone pillar across the shaft that makes it impassable,” she said, “and no sign of Shining Armour or Spike.”

“We can hope to run into them as we proceed. Even if we do not, if we can get to Princess Celestia we can at least communicate with them using Spike’s Sending magic.”

“Speaking of magic, I don’t know how long I can keep the light on,” Cadence said. “And like you said, we may need my other magic.”

“I can use my geomancy to give us a running reading of our surroundings,” Gearhead said. “They come in flashes, so it is not like constantly using magic power.”

“Okay. I just hope the others are doing better than us,” Cadence said.

Spike was falling just ahead of Shining Armour. He angled toward the dragon, guided by his light and the other’s screams. When the stallion was right behind Spike, he enacted his protection spell on its smallest scale, surrounding only the two of them to protect them from magical and physical harm.

Suddenly the wayward pair hit a curving, slippery ramp that slung them about and up, accelerating their movement. Armour held his spell as they ascended, and was glad to have done so because their landing was fairly rough.

Armour looked around, and saw they were on a raised platform, the tube from which they had shot out too far and too high up to easily each. Also, at a series of thumps, both adventurers realized they had more immediate concerns. They turned, and Armour’s light fell on pony-sized rabbits wielding spears and swords.

“Who – what – are you?” Spike asked, slowly getting to his feet.

“What, you’ve never seen a Jackrabbit before?”

“Can’t say as I have,”

“Well then, you’re in luck. Now hand over your weapons and come quiet-like, mate.”

“I don’t feel lucky,”

“We’d better do as they say, Spike,” Armour said. “This could still turn out okay just by going along with them.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Spike said, handing his lance over.

While Gearhead got a reading for the terrain with every other step, Cadence walked half a step behind, with one wing resting lightly on his back. “This has got to be the first time we’ve spent so much time together,” she said.

“That would be time not spent in the library, though. I have heard you spent far more time with Twilight Sparkle as her foalsitter.”

“True,”

“How does a Unicorn, even one with her talent for magic, get an Alicorn princess as a foalsitter anyway?”

“State secret, my friend. Don’t tell me you had the cold shoulder from the get-go.”

“That started sometime after my Name Day,” Gearhead said.

Cadence knew better than anyone except for Gearhead’s own family and the Princesses Celestia and Luna who he was, and the sort of things he had experienced as a colt. Cadence thus knew that ‘Name Day’ was also the tradition of giving a name to a foal on his or her third birthday – the one about which Gearhead had told the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Elemental Six. Prior to Name Day, foals were known by their birth order and ‘son’ or ‘daughter,’ so Gearhead had been ‘Thirdson.’ He did not know what he would have been named if his ‘knack’ had not triggered in the corn field.

“Everypony played with me until then, and even for awhile afterwards. But the more they thought of how strange I was, the more distance they wanted to put between me and them. It did not help that Big Brother did not appreciate all the time Father spent with me instead of with him, or in the field. Still, if it was not for Older Sister I probably would have ended up with just as much resentment in my own heart.”

“She has her own ‘knack.’ I look forward to seeing her at the Gala every year,” Cadence said. Princess Celestia always sent two or three invitations to Gearhead’s family, and they always sent someone as representatives. That had been Father and Mother until the two eldest siblings were old enough to attend.

Some extra vibrations brought Gearhead’s full attention to their present surroundings. “Prepare light, please,” he said, fitting Cadence’s goggles over his eyes.

“Ready,”

“Now,”

At Gearhead’s quiet signal, Cadence’s blue light lit the passage ahead, stunning the pale ponies who had been charging quietly at the pair. Gearhead could not tell if they were light-skinned or light-coated, but their ears and eyes were larger than normal, and they all carried iron knives. “Goblin Ponies!” Cadence gasped.

“Hold,” Gearhead called. “In the name of Princess Celestia, allow us passage and nopony needs to get hurt!”

“Only ones getting hurt is you!” One of the lead Goblinkin said, shielding his eyes with one arm. “Only two of you.”

“You count correctly, however…” Gearhead drew his dagger and called on its ability to elongate to sword length, and then he used his geomancy to narrow the hallway. “Only one of you can get at us at a time, and when you do you will be in sword reach. So why not talk instead? We can solve this peaceably, after all.”

“Orders are ‘capture or kill.’ You resist, we get to kill!” On the Goblins came, but at first they had enough trouble just getting through the narrow space without knocking each other out. Gearhead waited patiently while Cadence lit him from behind, also obscuring the Goblins from fully seeing him. As a bonus, when the blue light passed through the geargem dagger the light was projected as a rainbow onto the cave walls, entrancing some of the less focused Goblins.

When the Goblins came within striking distance, Gearhead started swinging, hitting them mostly with the back or flat of the blade to avoid killing even these enemies. The fallen started to pile up, but then Goblins further back grabbed the legs of their fallen comrades and pulled them into the back of the ranks and out of the way. “We’re not getting anywhere like this!” Cadence said.

“Once again you are correct,” Gearhead said. He called upon his geomancy again, sending visible tendrils of energy into the ground. The Goblins stepped back, but then advanced again when nothing seemed to be happening. Gearhead reared suddenly, slamming his front hooves into the ground – and a slab or rock popped up to rest on the floor. “Follow closely,” he said as he spun about. He only had his back turned long enough to buck the slab in the center, but that was long enough and strong enough to send the slab sliding down a suddenly-frictionless floor. The Earth Pony and Alicorn leaped after so they would not fall too far behind, while Goblins got thrown back unless they jumped out of the way and ran altogether.

There was a T-intersection at the end of the passage, and the slab slammed into the wall before shattering, triggering the recovery of the floor’s regular texture and restoring their grip on the ground. “Which way?” Cadence asked

“Left,” Gearhead said. “The right passage is a dead end.”

“Got it!” Cadence spread her wings and took the corner more sharply than Gearhead could on the ground, which brought them around the corner neck-in-neck. They made a handful more guided turns, then found a great gate ahead of them. “I shall knock,” Gearhead said, sword once again in mouth just in case.

“Permission granted,” Cadence said. Gearhead sent his magic command ahead of them, and the doors burst open revealing a darkened great hall. Within it stood as grotesque a giant Goblin Pony as any would have guessed they would see in their lifetime. Not only did he stand on his rear legs, but his hoofs were mutated with soft-looking appendages. Normal-sized Goblins were gathered behind him, brandishing their daggers and spears.

“Well now, mates, who wants to tell me why a dragon and a pony are poking around inside a mountain?”

“I’m Shining Armour, Captain of the Royal Canterlot Guard. This is my friend, Spike. We’re on official business for Princess Celestia surveying and securing the area.”

“Just the two of you, then?”

“No, you only got half of our party,” Armour said.

“That so? Then I’m afraid the other two members of your party have already had their kit pilfered and themselves eaten. Or maybe the other way around? You never can tell with Goblinkin, but in any case, that’s who gets whatever falls into the other half of the trap. We have an agreement with the Gobbies, you see.”

“An agreement, you say? That would suit our purpose in coming here very well,” Armour said. “We should draw up a treaty, too. Of mutual protection: you protect Canterlot’s back from the mountainside, and Canterlot will protect you from all other angles.”

“And here is our counter-proposal, Captain: we kill you, take your gear, and sit tight until a search party comes looking. Then we kill them and take their gear. And repeat as necessary. We take everything, or half of everything, and give nothing. See how it works, mate?”

“Except that’s not how it works, friend. You see, Princess Celestia sent the four of us knowing full well how capable we are of protecting ourselves. Even now, I doubt our companions are doing anything but either mopping up, or drafting a similar treaty with the Goblins. Given that, if we don’t at least check-in in time, you’ll likely have all of Canterlot to deal with. And two very angry, very powerful princesses. That’s if you manage to even detain us long enough for them to muster and attack.”

“These are our mountains, mate!”

“Which you share with moles, Goblins, and Celestia-knows-what-else. A defensive treaty, or even an alliance, could be of great benefit to you. Or not. Your choice, really.”

“If that kind of threat is all the Captain of the Guard has –“

“And mind you, we came quietly. But we didn’t have to,” Armour said.

“He’s right, you know,” Spike said, recovering his courage. “Know what else?”

“What?”

“I’m kinda itching for a fight!”

“Are we in the presence of the Goblin Pony King?” Gearhead asked.

“What gave it away? My sheer opulence, perhaps? My towering stature? My effervescent and magnetic personality? But then, I think I’ve had my fun already. Whether you live or die now depends on whether or not I like your answers to my questions. So lets get started: Who are you, and what are you doing in my kingdom?”

“I am Thirdson Gearhead of Hoofington, and this is –“

“Princess Cadence of Canterlot.”

Some of the older pony tribes and societies were still aware of the traditional naming conventions. They also knew that when a stallion like Gearhead or a mare like Cadence did not want to give their family name, they could use their rank instead. It was also common knowledge that among the older, more traditional Earth Pony Herds, the family or Herd name came first. That was what Gearhead was doing, and Cadence understood what he was trying to achieve.

“We have been sent by Princess Celestia herself to bolster Equestria’s defences on the mountain-side of Canterlot. In this case, Majesty, there are two solutions to the dilemma presented by our encounter here. You see, we did not possess any information regarding what sentient life might be residing here. That leaves us with two options that will allow us to complete our mission. The first and less desirable is to subdue and subjugate you. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna do not desire to rule by subjugation, but they will accept it if necessary.”

“The other option,” Cadence took over, “is to draw up a treaty between your kingdom and Equestria. This treaty will offer mutual defence and aid. Naturally, it will have to be ratified at a later date in the company of the Princesses Celestia and Luna. That would make it an alliance.”

“An alliance? Don’t make me laugh! What’s to stop me from taking everything you have? Actually, I may do that anyway, as you look rather delicious. On the other hand, you could do well as slaves as well. It all depends on you putting forth your best behaviour.”

“It also assumes the Princesses will not send everypony they have into the mountain to recover us,” Gearhead said. “In that case, you forfeit a possible treaty for war.”

“You can throw away any assumption that we’ll surrender as well,” Cadence said. “Or did you not notice that we evaded your capture team?”

“Do you really think you can win against my entire kingdom?”

“If we have to,” Gearhead said. “I was hoping to solve this peaceably. I would even be willing to make a trade,” he said, noticing the king’s gaze on the sword in his mouth and the dagger still on his belt.

“Trade?”

“Your Majesty, how would you like to own a dagger of finest steel, stronger and lighter than any castle-forge variant? I see you are piqued, but not sold. If you bring forth enough gemstones of quality from your treasuries, I can create a fabulous masterwork for you, like the one I am holding. As you have seen, my gemstone dagger responds to my needs by adjusting its length. As the stones I used in its creation are high-quality, the blade is itself high-quality – stronger and sharper than steel.”

“I will take your gemstone dagger,”

“Apologies, Your Majesty, but this one only responds to me because I created it for myself. I would have to make you a dagger of your own. Keyed to you, it would likewise respond to you and you alone. There are currently only eight gemstone weapons in all of Equestria, you know. Two of them are currently in the mountains right now.”

“You have gemstones in your saddlebags. Use them!”

“It is likely I have enough for a dagger sized to a regular pony, however these are gems I collected for another purpose, and although I may have to use them to create a gemstone dagger, the stones themselves know whose they are, and for what purpose they will be reshaped. To be your own, they should be your gemstones.” Gearhead saw the king’s glare clear as day. “You do not believe me? Then I will use what I have, and you will see the truth as I have spoken.”

“Do it!”

Gearhead shrugged, then started to sort through his saddlebags, depositing the stones he would use on the floor between himself and the waiting Goblins.

“Use those ones too!”

“The baby sapphires? They are ideal for another project on which I am working. They would integrate differently… very well. After all, if we did not get out alive, I would not have to worry about my other projects. Or, indeed, any of my sales. You see, Your Majesty, I am a gadgeteer. If we become allies I could even offer you and your kingdom some deals on my wares. I have many devices that would make your lives easier, if you chose to buy them. Ah, almost ready.”

Three Jackrabbits leaped back to avoid feeling the heat of Spike’s flames, opening up a path for him to leap after and grab his lance. Shining Armour kept zapping his opponents with his magic, using defensive spells whenever he was forced to, then switching back to attack to push the Jackrabbits back on their heels.

As soon as Shining Armour had a sword and a spear, he and Spike started to corner their former-captors, hemming them in and hampering their attempts to attack. “Alright,” Spike said.

“About that treaty..?” Armour said. “And then you will help us find our friends, and possibly a route back out of these tunnels.”

“What is the meaning of this? I wanted a blade, not a shield!”

“How puzzling. I have made daggers that resemble staffs, but this is a first. Actually, it is quite fascinating. And I did warn you regarding the use of our gemstones. So like I said, if you want a dagger of your own, you will have to bring out some gemstones of your own.”

It really was quite interesting, for the gemstones upon which Gearhead had worked his geomancy had reformed into a buckler that was small enough for a pony like Cadence to lift and wield. But on the other hoof, it clearly had the same stars-and-shield design on it that Shining Armour carried as his cutie mark. “This will respond to a member of the other half of our party, and no other.”

“Then those gemstones of yours were wasted, for he is likely already dead.”

“He’s alive,” Cadence said.

“Indeed, I cannot create a device for the dead,” Gearhead said. “In any case, you probably want some proof that my gemstone gear only responds to one pony.” He nodded to Cadence.

Cadence raised the buckler telekinetically, then pulled it to herself. She strapped it to her left wing, then focused her magic on it, noticing as she moved the shield around experimentally that it had a small dagger attached to its midsection.

“You will notice that Princess Cadence can send her magic into the item, imbuing it with additional properties, but she cannot call upon its innate abilities to change its size or shape.”

“How do I know you’re not having me on?”

“Because we lack a reason to lie, but also because Princess Cadence is not the type to readily conceive of a lie, for any reason. Even to save our lives.”

“Yet I still hold your lives in my hands.”

Is that what they are called? Gearhead thought.

“Only if you insist on fighting, and can then get the better of us,” Cadence said. “I sincerely hope you don’t decide to fight.”

“Too bad then. Get them!”

Gearhead and Cadence stood close, weapons at the ready. With a mob of Goblinkin surrounding them and then closing in, it looked like they would be overwhelmed by the sheer crush of the advance. Then lightning radiated out from Gearhead’s hooves in all directions, and a circular rock formation rose quickly out of the ground. It launched the Goblins that were on it, running onto it, and off of it, in all directions. There were two openings, unaligned so they would not match up.

When the Goblins found these openings they began to come through, one at a time as in the corridor earlier, and met either sword or shield. Also as before, once the unconscious ponies started to pile up, someone from behind would grab a leg and pull them out to make way for a fresh fighter.

“Which will last longer, your magic or my army?” The Goblin Pony King called.

“There is one way to find out,” Gearhead said. He made wide slashes, both forward and back, to make more room, then reached into his black pouch with his tail. He tossed the Fireheart Gemstone into a low arc and swivelled the geargem dagger so the flat of the blade was toward the cavern ceiling. The half-gear crosspiece rotated and separated before accepting the gemstone. The sword went up a size, and Gearhead and Cadence both felt the magic power build.

Gearhead commanded the stone wall around him and Cadence to retreat into the ground, and turned, firing. The arrows of magic energy rotated between Fire, Lightning, and Light. The firebolts caused a more damaging burn. The lightning arrows stunned what they hit, seizing their targets in a paroxysm of twitching muscles. The light arrows were purely concussive, knocking their targets back and out of the fight. The blasts were so powerful they went through rows of Goblins. Gearhead turned a full 360 degrees while firing to clear out a large portion of the Goblin Army that had still been standing. This left him and Cadence with far more room.

Gearhead aimed his sword just slightly off from the king, and the blade split in two. He could clearly see the orb, and the energy wings that unfurled from that orb as the next blast charged. “I hesitate to use this in such a confined space,” Gearhead said, “but that does not mean I will not use it if necessary, Your Majesty.”

“I surrender!”

Gearhead shifted his aim slightly.

“I mean, we’ll talk! About the treaty.”

“Excellent,” Gearhead said, and in one swift motion, before anypony could truly blink, he sheathed his sword, which was once again the dagger, and swept the Fireheart Gemstone back into its pouch where it belonged. “Let us get started,” Gearhead said with a smile.

Luna was on duty, so Celestia lay down by the fire to unwind. She would likely receive one of Twilight’s letters soon, and the princesses certainly enjoyed reading them. Celestia’s Unicorn pupil could become obsessive of certain things, but in a way her focus was an endearing quality. In any case, Celestia was not one to mould another pony’s way of life to suit her own fancies.

A magic swirl came down through the section of the chimney that Celestia had had installed after one of Pinkie Pie’s pranks had given Spike the hiccups. Twilight’s young dragon assistant would have to learn to control his magic eventually, however until then Celestia had this device in place to save herself the trouble of being buried in scrolls again. The swirl formed into a letter. The seal bore Shining Armour’s mark.

Princess Celestia – Canterlot Castle

Mission Report, Day 1

Trek up mountain uneventful. Encountered 3 MOUNTAIN LIONS at cave entrance. Rendered 1 unconscious and forced others to flee. Left Gargoyle Golem at entrance.

Encountered troupe of MOUNTAIN MOLES. Extracted gemstone and metal deposits.

Fell into trap with SPIKE; separated from others. Surrendered to JACKRABBITS, then fought free. Negotiated defensive peace treaty.

Camping for night.

Shining Armour – Upper Jackrabbit Caverns

Celestia could appreciate Shining Armour’s military-style report since it was short and to the point. By printing names in capital letters, it was easy to find the parts of the report that were the most interesting. The group had had three unexpected encounters, yet had adapted fairly well. The only concern Celestia had was that the team had been separated.

Shining Armour and Spike were obviously taking care of themselves, having won free from the Jackrabbits. That they were camping for the night meant that the Captain did not completely trust the Jackrabbits. He would likely be up all night while Spike slept, since he was a baby dragon and unable to stay awake for long. That wasn’t something that could be helped, though. Celestia had sent Spike along on the mission knowing that he couldn’t stay awake for as long as the others, but believing that he would be instrumental in getting regular reports, just like this one.

While Shining Armour had been forced to omit Cadence and Gearhead from his report, Celestia held very little concern for them: trapped or not, both ponies were highly resourceful and fairly determined. Even on her own, Cadence could likely talk her way out of trouble, aided by her ability to spread Light and Love. And if not, well, few knew how strong Cadence’s offensive magic was, despite the impression the youngest Alicorn liked to project of herself.

As for Gearhead, the Earth Pony was surprisingly powerful given that his tribe was not known for overt magic. While he could not cast traditional Unicorn spells, he could still manipulate energy, and with his geomancy, the caves themselves could become his weapon. Gearhead also had a number of physical resources available to him, including the pair of daggers he usually carried. The steel backup dagger was ordinary except for its exceptional quality, but the Geargem Dagger was a true work of art. Celestia had seen many powerful magical items in her life, including the Elements of Harmony, and the dagger was a Beta-pass Artefact. The somewhat rougher daggers Gearhead had made during the Diamond Dog incident were Alpha-pass, but they still counted as Artefacts – powerful magical items.

Celestia summoned pen and paper and began to write her response.

Gearhead awoke some hours later, and blinking the sleep away, looked around. The caves had gotten colder at night, so he and Princess Cadence had slept curled next to each other to share body heat. With a hoof unshod, the pair had not needed to concern themselves with attacks of any kind, as Gearhead would have detected any incoming threat and roused his partner to full combat readiness.

Sleeping right next to the princess came with its own issues, but while Gearhead found Cadence attractive, being beautiful and kind, he would never cross certain boundaries. First and foremost, they and Shining Armour were friends. As such, Gearhead was well aware of how Cadence and Armour felt for each other. The Earth Pony would never cuckold a friend, nor would he do anything that could force Cadence to do such a thing: it would break their friendship, and upset Twilight Sparkle. On top of that, Gearhead and Cadence were of social standings that were far too different.

Then there was Fluttershy to consider. Kind and beautiful in her own way, the Pegasus had become a frequent presence in Gearhead’s life. It may have started as a cover to help keep the Cutie Mark Crusaders from getting more hurt than necessary by their efforts to gain their cutie marks, however Gearhead genuinely liked Fluttershy.

And on the other other hoof, Gearhead still did not feel as though he really had the time or position for romance, having much to do to prove himself to his family first.

As they were underground, Gearhead did not have any way to tell what time it was. He did not know how rested Cadence was, so he allowed her to continue to sleep for another hour. They opened their rations for breakfast, then broke camp and moved on without a word. Again, the pair traveled in darkness, Gearhead feeling the way ahead with his geomancy, while Cadence rested a wing on his back for guidance. Gearhead marked a stumbling rock or other similar obstacle by making his rump rise a little higher. Cadence sensed the rise, and adjusted accordingly.

Princess Celestia’s response was waiting when Shining Armour awakened, not having realized he had fallen asleep at all. I must be more tired than I realized, the stallion thought as he unrolled the parchment.

Dear Shining Armour and Spike,

I am happy to have received your report. I am curious to learn more about the creatures you encountered, and about the golem you left behind. Please do your best to find Gearhead and Cadence as soon as possible, and do stay safe. I look forward to evaluating the treaty on your return.

Yours always,

Princess Celestia of Equestria

It was just like the Princess to respond in such a manner. Armour awakened Spike, and soon they were on the move again. If they were lucky, they could follow the route the Jackrabbits had given them right past the Goblin halls. There were some chambers before the exit that was the pair’s target, and hopefully they would encounter the other half of the team before they got there. Armour was anxious to see Cadence again, but he was also confident that she was doing well. As for Gearhead, the two stallions had a standing, unspoken promise about protecting the princesses. Armour was confident that his counterpart would keep it.

With Gearhead back in his usual quiet and reserved mode, Cadence could hardly believe that he was capable of what she had seen him do, especially once he had powered up the Geargem Dagger with that strange orb he had been keeping in his pouch the entire time. What was more, that gemstone seemed to be capable of projecting the same magic energy that Cadence’s many-times great-aunts, Celestia and Luna, possessed. Plus a little extra trick that might very well have come from Philomena.

Even more surprising, Gearhead had helped her negotiate a decent and balanced treaty with the Goblin Pony King, and as part of the initial peace agreement, he had even made a gemstone blade for the king. Oddly enough, however, the new blade did not seem to change size or shape. Gearhead put it down to the quality of the emeralds, sapphires, and other gemstones the king had ordered brought up from the treasury. Still, that same goblin had seemed pleased to have a gemstone greatsword only he was large enough to wield. One of the last things Gearhead had said before he and Cadence departed on the route the Goblinkin had given them was to be aware that gemstone daggers had a habit of surprising even their owners with their hidden gifts. The Goblin Pony King said he was looking forward to that.

After many twists and turns, the two ponies entered a cavern lit red and orange by magma. “This must be a magma chamber,” Gearhead said. “If we are lucky, we will not find a dragon living here.”

When did he encounter a dragon? Cadence thought as they circled the magma pit in the center of the room.

As with the tunnel system Gearhead had ‘visited’ in the Everfree Forest, the exit to the magma chamber was on the side opposite from the entrance. Also as in that case, a dragon lay nearby. More accurately, it was fetched right up against the exit, which was curious in and of itself. It would have been enough just to see a light-blue dragon of such a small size. It looked very tired. Gearhead almost believed they could get past it without being detected.

Dragons, though, have excellent sight and an even better sense of smell. This one slowly raised its head so it could look straight at the two ponies directly. “Strange,” it rasped. “Very strange.”

“May I ask if we can pass, or are you going to eat us?” Gearhead asked.

“Eat you? With your size? Barely a snack… much less a meal. Not helpful at all. Know how much… a dragon needs… to eat?”

“Not as such,”

“A lot. Haven’t eaten in… such a long time. But you smell… strange.”

“So that is what you were referring to,”

“Yes. And if you are… Dragonfriend… show me the proof… please.”

Proof? “Oh, you probably mean this,” Gearhead said, taking the Fireheart Gemstone out of its pouch again. The blue dragon widened its eyes, and Gearhead noticed their flatness begin to fade. As it showed more depth and intelligence, the dragon raised its head. Gearhead looked around, and noticed energy flowing from his gem to the dragon.

“Yes, that’s much better. Thank you, Dragonfriend,” she said in a far more melodious voice. Gearhead noticed that the dragon seemed far less withered and her scales had even become lighter as she was infused with more energy.

“We are always glad to help,” Gearhead said. “Especially if you can show us the way out of this mountain.”

“Oh, of course you are going out. All you have to do is follow this passage, and then the light, or so I seem to recall. I have been a long time down here. But you, Dragonfriend, can facilitate my rest. You see, I have not the energy to return home, my strength having been sapped by the fire. Even reinvigorated like this, I could not get out. If you are prepared to render a vow to me, I will rely upon you and your kindness.”

“If it is within our power to carry out, I promise to do it.”

“It is, or shall be, in your power, I assure you. You see, I was trapped here by a dark Unicorn. I will die here, that is not in doubt, however I have one last child who can survive if you take her with you. You may teach her what you will once she hatches, however you must promise me that you will take her to her arctic home to learn of her heritage.”

“The arctic? You’re a White Ice Dragon?

“Indeed, Alicorn Princess. This discolouration is a mark of my weakening, and my impending death.”

“Gearhead’ll freeze before he can make your arctic homeland!”

“He will endure, if he goes when the time is right, worry not for your friend. It is forbidden to send a Dragonfriend to his or her death, in any case. Will you take this vow, Dragonfriend?”

“If I can do it, I will,” Gearhead said.

The ice dragoness nodded slowly, then started to roll onto her side. Beneath her belly was a single white egg marked with a blue flame, covered all the way around in a thin frost shell. The dragoness nodded, and Cadence used her magic to lift it to Gearhead, who put it safely in a pouch in his right-hoof saddlebag.

“Once you have discharged your duty, return here, and I will grant you the greatest boon a dragon can. If you are unable to fulfill your task, do not return at all, I beg.”

“You have my word, if you can wait.”

“I have waited a thousand years and more, a few more is as nothing, thank you. I will use my remaining strength to guard this pass against all threats, until next we meet.” The dragoness got up and slunk to the side, so the ponies could pass. Once they had done so, she moved back, blocking the exit and pushing her tail as far into the passage as she could.

Gearhead finally understood why she was so close to the exit: she had to stay as far away from the magma as she could to survive, but she was too large to use the passage, just like Shadow Wright had been. Gearhead could have widened the passage, as he had then, but the dragoness did not seem like she wanted to have to fly home across Equestria.

It saddened Gearhead greatly to know that such a great beast had given up, however that just meant he would have to do his best to do right by the dragon’s unhatched daughter. He proceeded down the passageway, followed closely by Cadence. Following the light as instructed, they would find their way out of the caverns as evening fell.

Three hours after being visited by the Earth Pony and the Alicorn, the dragoness got a Unicorn and a baby dragon for visitors. Shining Armour and Spike found themselves being examined closely and silently by the pale blue dragon. Finally she nodded. “Your friends passed this way a few hours ago. If you follow immediately, you may catch them before they leave the mountain.”

“Thanks, ma’am!” Spike said.

“You’re a nice young dragon. You’ll try to keep it that way, won’t you, Young One?”

“Of course!”

“Keep following the light, and you will be out. Wish your friends luck,” the dragoness moved out of the way again. When the pair were through, they looked back to see the passage blocked by a pale blue tail.

“I don’t think she likes the heat,” Spike said.

“Agreed,” Shining Armour said. He did not like the possibility of having to spend another night in the caverns, especially so close to a dragon. Even a friendly one.

Shining Armour and Spike exited the cave to find themselves low on the south side of the mountain. They could smell burning wood nearby, and the glow of a fire called out to them. The pair followed the scent and light and found that there were only two occupants, sheltering under some wooden boards they had found.

Armour trotted to Cadence and embraced her tightly. They did not exchange words, although they were both glad to see each other. Gearhead and Spike exchanged a glance. “We should probably send our report to the Princess,” he said, yawning.”

“Great idea, Spike,” Cadence said, coming to pat him on the head.

“Ready!”

Princess Celestia – Canterlot Castle

Mission Report, Day 2

Trekked through Jackrabbit and Goblin Pony tunnels.

Encountered dying ICE DRAGON in magma chamber. Guided to exit.

Rejoined PRINCESS CADENCE and GEARHEAD on south side of mountain. Will return to Canterlot tomorrow.

Shining Armour – Southern Mountain Basecamp

[attached: 1 letter]

Spike switched to a new sheet of paper and turned to Cadence, who sat beside Armour.

Dear Aunt Celestia,

I know from Shining Armour and Spike that you already have a report of what happened to us on our first day. Let me quickly tell you what happened to us after we fell into the trap.

Firstly, Gearhead had only minimal injuries from the fall. I was unharmed. We navigated the tunnels using my Light and Gearhead’s Echo Location spell.

We found the Goblin Pony capture team a ways in, and Gearhead managed to bottleneck them in battle before we rushed through.

We found our way to the Goblin King’s throne room, where we negotiated, battled, and negotiated some more. Gearhead and I negotiated a peace treaty with the Goblin King for mutual defence. Gearhead made a gemstone sword for the king as a gesture of goodwill. The king gave us a route to safety outside the caves.

Before we found our way out, we encountered a pale blue ice dragoness, who was dying from the heat of the magma chamber. The dragoness claims to have been trapped there by a ‘dark Unicorn,’ and also claims to have been there for over 1,000 years. She claims that Gearhead is a ‘dragon-friend,’ and asked to be shown the fire orb he carries on him at all times. This same orb, he used to demonstrate greater destructive power to the Goblin Pony King. The dragoness seemed satisfied, and even empowered by the orb. She said she would be unable to leave the caverns, but asked for Gearhead’s vow to take her egg to her arctic homeland. Gearhead agreed.

We made our way out of the caverns and set camp northeast of the cavern entrance. This is where Shining Armour and Spike met up with us. We will make our way back down tomorrow morning, so see you then.

Love,

Cadence.

“That should do it,” Cadence said. The others nodded their agreement, so Shining Armour sealed the letters and Spike sent them. The dragon yawned, then lay down to go to sleep.

“You mentioned an egg and an orb?” Armour asked.

“I believe it will be safer to show you back at the castle,” Gearhead said.

“Of course. I’ll take first watch,” he said.

“Second shall be mine,” Gearhead said.

“And I’ll take third,” Cadence said.

Spike snored, causing the others to chuckle, but softly in case some Mountain Lions were out and about.

The mountain scouting party walked into Canterlot Castle in time for lunch, having circled the mountain to the western slope before descending. Princess Celestia was there to greet the four adventurers. “Well done, my little ponies. Why don’t you wash up, and then we can have lunch together. Afterwards, we can discuss the results of your mission.”

“I agree with your plan, Your Highness,” Shining Armour said.

“A bath sounds especially good right about now,” Cadence said.

“Are you kidding? If it was Rarity, she’d be taking a Spa Day!” Spike said.

“Forgive me, but Spike, could you think of any reason Miss Rarity would venture into a cave?”

“Only if there are rare gemstones inside,” Spike said.

Cleaned up and fed, the adventurers sat with Princess Celestia in one of her more private rooms, the throne room being too large and impersonal for this smaller meeting. Princess Cadence had gone over the treaty with the Goblinkin, while Shining Armour had done the same with the treaty with the Jackrabbits. Princess Celestia looked over both papers, then looked across at the other four assembled in the room.

“These are satisfactory,” Princess Celestia said. “I would post a squad of guard in the Upper and Lower Caverns, however the Jackrabbits and Goblinkin sound like they’re extremely territorial. They could feel like their freedoms and autonomy are being taken away, and attack us instead. If they can help to protect Canterlot from threats within the mountain, then that is completely in our favour. That goes for the dragon as well, although the pledge is personal, and we don’t know how much longer she’ll last. Unfortunately, we don’t have any Unicorns powerful enough to get her out of those caverns, even if she was willing to leave.

“As for the ice dragon egg…” Princess Celestia looked over to where it sat on a pillow beside Gearhead. “The dragoness preserved the egg in perfect health. The frost shielding will protect it even in an Equestrian heat wave, so you don’t need to worry about the dragon dying before she can hatch. On the other hoof, a journey to the arctic would be suicidal for you, and anyone accompanying you. Even in a record-breaking hot summer, ponies simply can’t survive the extreme temperatures at that latitude and altitude.” The princess tilted her head expectantly.

“So I take it that it will be up to me to create a device that will facilitate my survival,” Gearhead said.

“Yes. Among your other projects. Speaking of which, good job bringing back resources we can use for the Gala, as well as for yourself.

“On the subject of the different tribes living in the mountain, I had a survey done shortly after I moved the Equestrian seat of power from the Everfree Forest. I lost quite a few members of the research team, and a few guards who got lost. These probably developed over time into the Goblinkin, so essentially they’re still ponies. The Jackrabbits and Moles, however, are new. And by the way, I believe the Moles are an integral part of the double pit trap, either signalling to whoever triggers the trap, or triggering it themselves, but also almost certainly leading the prey directly into it.”

“That’s a distinct possibility, however we now have a route around the trap,” Armour said.

“And the trappers are our allies,” Cadence said.

“Indeed. Now, Luna and I can’t both leave Canterlot for any length of time, and I don’t know if the Goblin King or Jackrabbit Chief want to leave the mountain. We two sisters will therefore take turns, and a guard, to go in and ratify the treaties. That will indeed make us allies, and I believe that seeing Luna and me will do great things for our new allies. Which means we will be perfectly protected in time for the Gala.”

“Auntie, a question, please. What is the orb Gearhead carries? Why did the ice dragon call him a friend?”

“The orb’s called the Fireheart Gemstone, and Gearhead got it from a dragon he happened to have met in the Everfree Forest. This gemstone can only be made by a dragon in its stomach, and since it has a living flame, it grants control of, and protection from, all flames. Magical energy can, and has been, added to it to make it potentially more powerful. Given the nature of fire itself, the Fireheart can replenish its energies over time, so if it’s used sparingly, it could even outlast Gearhead himself. It’s a powerful Artefact that can’t be destroyed by anything that wouldn’t kill a dragon, but if destroyed, all of the energy contained inside it would escape explosively.

“Also, it’s ‘Dragonfriend,’ not ‘dragon-friend.’ This is a special title given to anypony a dragon, any dragon, can trust implicitly. Dragonfriends are allies to dragons, and dragons are allies to Dragonfriends. It’s a powerful tie that could be useful, and even life-saving, in the future. The only tie more potent is if a dragon was to give a pony his or her name, because a dragon’s name carries power with it. What power, I can’t be sure, since I’ve only known a few dragons, and they live too far away for me to call on them and find out.”

“Wow. That’s a lot of power,” Armour said.

“Fortunately for us, our dear friend Gearhead isn’t the type of pony who can misuse or abuse the power he has. We can therefore trust him to use all of the power he gains wisely.”

“My thanks, for your trust,” Gearhead said, bowing.

“Very nice. Now then, Gearhead, I would like to see you in the practice room until dinnertime. Afterwards, for our fourth day together, you can continue your magic studies in the library. I understand you’ve made some headway with an older style of casting.”

“I have, Highness, however I am still unable to cast a spell that does not use a force that is not already energy, and I cannot cast without an object of power, such as my dagger. In other words, I am not ‘there’ yet.”

“All in good time. You have all the prerequisites for casting. You just need to find a way to open the gates or flip the switch on, as it were.”

“I am in need of an activation key.”

“Yes, that could work.”

“I will conduct research to discover the requirements of a good key.”

“I’d say that the first requirement is that it fits the lock,” Armour said.

I think he is half kidding, and entirely on the right track, Gearhead thought. “Most decidedly,” he said, “it needs to fit me, like my dagger.”

“Or my shield,” Armour said. “That’s nice work, by the way.”

“Indeed, your gemstone items are all masterworks,” Princess Celestia said. “If you found more ways to improve on them, I would be most impressed.”

“Meaning that there are ways,” Cadence said. “This, I can’t wait to see.” Next Chapter: 8. An Autumn Nightmare Estimated time remaining: 31 Minutes