A Gear, A Nut, and an Apple: A Hunt for a Crystal (ATTN: Steeleagle and Dubstep!)

[Pretzelparty]

Fixing the Zephyr was going to be a ... difficult experience: But for the sake of her benefactor's pride (and maybe her own), she couldn't bring it back in shambles. Bevel had managed to replace a few of the parts but there was one last component that needed to be replaced. The central focusing crystal. Bevel had been using an artificial crystal in order to make sure the ship had been accumulating the aetheric energy charge needed to bring the ship to Ponyville and back again... however upon "landing" it had been shattered as the zephyr was impaled on the tallest tower of the newest princess's castle and when it was finally removed the ship fell into two pieces at the middle horizontally.

During her time in Ponyville, Bevel had been noticing some changes in herself ... and she wasn't sure she liked it. For one thing, she was smiling more often; to most ponies this wasn't that big of a deal and might be seen as a good thing. Bevel gear however had gotten used to her lowered smile quotient since she'd moved away from this blasted country and already the feeling of smiling was only making her remember times when she did it more, which just lead her back (in her memories) to those times that stopped the smiles. Some ponies had been saying her coat, mane and eyes looked less washed out and dreary as they did when she came, and she found her mane was getting... puffier. 

Even though Bevel was enjoying her time here, she couldn't help but feel somewhere that being in Equestria would only bring her some unnecessary drama that she didn't need right now, or that she'd distract and only prove to hinder someone else's life. It was for the best, In regards to Equestria the only thing she'd really though would be an event that could help her once she got out of here was maybe that consort event held by the same princess whose home she'd "crashed" into. According to the geniuses own (spotty) calculations of the likelihood of Twilight ever speaking, writing, or looking for again -based on past experiences with other intellectuals and factoring how much of a tiny blip she must be on her radar- came out to be a 9999999999999.9 percent likelihood of the two of them simply drifting apart.

But those were things left in the past, she needed to focus on the now! Bevel had put various posters over town for a guide in town who was knowledgeable about this "Great Nimbusgait Lake" area, adjacent to Froggybottom swamp and Cloudsdale. Someone strong, dependable, and could likely carry two of the incredibly heavy crystals out of the underground caverns with her, one for the synthesis of the primary component of the transaether focusing crystal and the other just a spare for a worst case scenario. 

The Mare who applied was somepony by the name of Applejack. Bevel had never heard of her, but then again when Bevel was here she hadn't heard of a new princess being crowned, or even knew about the whole Nightmare moon event. Maybe she was someone important, but right now she was just another pony who had been helping Bevel out without wanting anything in return. 

And now... here they were; on their way to the trio of lakes on the southern shore with the cloud city of... Cloudsdale looming behind them. The shoreline seemed to almost stretch to eternity from both sides as the two mare's found themselves right in front of the middle lake. Bevel... hadn't been the most talkative of ponies on the trip here so if there was a time to try adn strike up conversation it would likely be now as the inventor had to figure out where the likely location of the cave they needed to find would be...

"The map says that the cave these crystals is located in is somewhere on the tract of land that separates lake Cirrus from Lake stratus... and that it is closest to Stratus." She held out the map to Applejack. "Your thoughts, Miss Applejack?"

Spoiler

Red dot= current location

 

[SteelEagle]

Ponies could be very silly creatures at times and were prone to flights of fancy and whims of the moment. A sense of immediacy and excitement permeated so much of Equestrian society that it was rare to find a mare who took a more relaxed view of life. And Applejack? Applejack wasn't that mare. She took her rests now and then and loved to rest under a tree on the farm, but she worked. And worked. And then worked some more, both on and off the farm. If she wasn't there she was heading out of town on deliveries or helping other ponies with their troubles. It was that which drew her in today- that and the promise of getting out of town for a bit and adventuring in the great outdoors.

She had extra concerns this time, of course. She was pregnant and it was starting to show, but that wasn't something that by itself should prove an issue. Ponies were tough, earth ponies even more so- you couldn't do what they did and not have some sort of magic inside of you that hedged bets in your favor. She'd be a little more cautious than she would normally, but she would still give one hundred percent effort. She knew the area that this sign was referencing, at least as well as anypony else and those that could equal her weren't as strong. She was the best mare for the job with or without child, and anypony who knew her knew that.

Of course she didn't know exactly what they were looking for, but that didn't much matter. This Bevel was a pony AJ only knew through the grapevine and knee her best as the pony who crashed into the castle, but it sure took a bunch of smarts to build something like her airship. And with such a specific task in mind, no doubt she knew what they needed, so all AJ had to do was lead them and help haul. Overall, not a bad day or three for her as long as everypony was on the same page.

She had met up with Bevel and led the mare across the Heartlands and through the environs of the Everfree and Cloudsdale. Bevel was quiet and so was Applejack for the most part- for the most part, mind you. She hummed some songs, talked about interesting sights as they came upon them, and brought up recent events of note. Bevel wasn;t much of a conversationalist but that was fine. She was paid to help lead, not entertain. After a while- and some hurting hooves, a fact which was tied into her pregnancy no doubt- they arrived at their general destination, and a map was introduced. She took a look.

"Hmm...lookin' 'bout right, Ah figure. Tha terrain on that side ain't so bad, an' Ah reckon it won't take much to get thar. If we run into somethin', Ah know a few ways down some of tha more sheer cliffs in tha region. Lotsa little paths."

[Pretzelparty]

 

"I would like to zhank you again, For your assistance by the way... Are you sure there is nothing I can pay you back withz?" She asked, in a tone that had a hint of confusion, worry, and perhaps a dash of desperation. "If you do run a farm, I can offer you a sprinkler system of my own design that could make watering crops in the morning automatic... or whatever you may need." 

While she awaited Applejack's reply she began to walk down the shoreline, her hoofprints slowly being washed away by the tide. As the two mare's walked Bevel thought a moment, "I managed to see your farm while I was in town... I admit; it is very impressive.I heard it is run entirely by your family, est-t'il vrai?" The inventor's tone on those last words were clearly meant to be questioning. At some point she needed to remind herself to lay off the fancy speak for the sake of others. She continued with another question, but curiously seemed to break her stride a moment as if debating whether or not to ask it, "Your Famille iz ... close, N'est-ce pas?"

The long series of trees that were near the water's edge began to meld together during the long walk, until one particular tree began to stand out the closer they came to it. It appeared to be a shack located beneath one slightly out of place looking tree. Bevel just took a moment to sit down, and take another look at the map. "the map mentions an arrangement of stones that marks the spot... but we can only access the cave's entrance if ..." The mare's face fell a moment and she hung it limp as if she'd been hung from the gallows. "If... there are three ponies standing at the corresponding stone markers..."

[Dubstep]

Boredom. The silent killer. It creeps into a child's mind when alone for too long, and entirely decimates their will or drive to go anything! Like get up off the floor after having fallen off a pile of beanbags. That is where we find dear Macadamia Nut. Laying flat upon his back in old Nut Family clubhouse, staring up at the ceiling as bored as bored can be. It had been a good long while since he got to see his cousins. Or even Purple Haze for that matter. Everypony gets busy sometimes though, but there was no one there to entertain the colt!

He had already read all the comics they had stashed here, twice. Beat himself at checkers three times, reorganized the beanbag pile and posters, spent two hours trying to balance on one hoof, all hoping that someone might eventually show up before he decided on taking a nap. At least that was going pretty well until he tumbled off into the floor, too bored and disheartened to really bother getting up. Though when he heard voices mumbling somewhere outside of the clubhouse, the young colt's hopes were instantly perked!

Rushing over to the window of the clubhouse, Macky carefully drew the curtain to the side and peeked out. Sadly, it wasn't any of his friends or cousins. Instead it looked to be a couple of travelers. One, a dark haired unicorn he couldn't really recall ever seeing, and the other a common sight around Ponyville when he happened to be in that area. A member of the Apple Family if he recalled right. What brought them out this far from Ponyville? Well if there was one thing kids were good at, it was nosing into others businesses!

Hopping away from the window, Macadamia sat about undoing the — entirely unnecessary — locks to the clubhouse before trotting out. "Well howdy folks. Don't see many ponies around these here parts too often." he said with a grin as he noticed the map the unicorn was studying over. "Y'all just passin through or are y'out here lookin fer somethin'?"

[SteelEagle]

Applejack laughed, then shook her head, at the implication she would need some sort of reward for what she considered basic good behavior. Ponies needed help and she needed to get out of town for a bit. This really was a win win, and she didn't see the fuss. Of course this could be because Bevel was a bit more of an isolated, odd sort of pony. Not bad. Applejack hadn't seen her do anything that made her think poorly of the strange mare. "Ah don't need nothin' ta help out a pony in need, Sugarcube. Besides, getting out in tha lakes is ause enough for celebration, Ah reckon. But that sprinkler system does sound kind of cool. Not sure Ah need or much want somethin' like that takin' a pony's job, but Ah'll like to see it in action at some point," she offered friendly-like, scoping out the area for what they needed.

The the very best subject in all of Equestria was brought up, the Apple family farm. Sweet Apple Acres was the best place in the world as far as Applejack was concerned, and she'd seen a fair bit of it. But nothing compared the sweat equity of hr very own farm, nothing to the love of the Apple family, and nothing to the pride she felt in everything they had been able to do. "Yep! Mah family an' Ah run tha whole shebang. Largest farm in tha Heartlands and tha second in all of Equestria, last time Ah looked anyway," Applejack said with no small amount of pride, rolling over the fancy talk. She didn't understand it and she didn't mean to be rude, but there was family to talk about! "Yeah, we're pretty close. Why'll askin', uhhh, nesty see pah?" She tried to respond with fancy, butchering it in the process.

Eventually they found what they were looking for, though it was easily accompanied by a pained, saddened, downtrodden look from Bevel. It seemed as though they had found the place but needed fifty percent more pony power to see their way to the next stage of this gem hunt thingy. Drats. Well, it would't be a bad idea to get a third pony from town. It would mean they'd have to hurry, but ponies from Ponyvillev were always willing to help. But it turned out that may not be needed! Out from a clubhouse from an unexpected quarter came a little colt. Maybe because she was pregnant, but Applejack felt the urge to coddle the little guy. More importantly, a solution presented itself. "Howdy there little guy! Ah'm Applejack and this here is Bevel. We're lookin' for somethin' and it looks like we need three ponies. Wanna help us?" She asked tenderly, wondering where his parents were. It was good she was here to look after him!

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

Feeling her failure hanging over her head the mare rather offhandedly responded to that question from Applejack. "I was just wondering if families in Equestria were all as... difficult to work with as mine." Bevel hadn't mentioned her familial status (obviously). There were some good reasons for that as Twilight could probably elaborate on. The subject of family was hard for this mare. Parents ... gone, Aunt an insane retired thief and mad genius, and her other aunt wanting seemingly to kill the other anytime they met up. Worst of all that one pony who she was fine NEVER seeing again.

When Bevel heard that unfamiliar voice pop up she went wide eyed and actually smiled for perhaps the first time since Applejack and her had started the trip to be here. Applejack managed to catch one of her elusive slight smiles when she brought along Winona when she first volunteered!

 The mare got off her haunches, brushing a bit of sand off her backside. 

Before she could make a foal of herself and dash over and practically beg the young colt to help them on their journey, Applejack moved in to provide a much more sensible and calmer invitation to join them. The inventor took a deep breath through her nose... and let it out the small fading and her face going back to it's neutral position. Bevel walked up and bowed politely to the young colt, "It's ... nice to meet you." 

 

 

 

[Dubstep]

Macky smiled brightly and dipped his head in return. "Well I reckon it's might nice to meet y'all too. M'name's Macadamia Nut. Mac or Macky works too if'n yer so inclined!" When Applejack brought forth the request for help, the colt couldn't help but to let out a relieved sigh. "Finally! Somethin' t'do! Sure thing, I'd love t'help y'all out. Lemme just get my gear from the clubhouse and lock 'er up for the day!"

Like a bolt, Macadamia rushed back into the shack. The two mares could hear rustling and clanking and rattling before he stepped back outside with a rather full pack on his back to lock up. Once that was taken care of, the colt trotted back over to the duo and grinned. "Alrighty! Ma and pa always said t'help out folks in need. What is it y'all ladies are lookin' fer anyway, if'n y'don't mind me askin."

[SteelEagle]

Families being difficult to work with? Well, Applejack was sure some families could be a bit of trouble every now and then. Even her family, which was the best family in history and let nopony tell you differently, caused her some trouble. Apple Bloom just got her cutie mark but before that her ceaseless quest to get it could blind her to what needed to be done. Big Mac was awesome in so many ways, but he wasn't a conversationalist, and had a stubborn streak on some things that made her look like a wallflower. And Granny Smith? Well, she was ornery. Very ornery. Legendarily so  in some ways! But she loved them and despite their faults, they were basically perfect. Try and wrap your head around that. "No family's perfect, Sugarcube. I'm sure whatever troube yer havin' with yer family, y'all can work through it- or find your peace with it, in your own way," She said, speaking from experience in both ways as she reoriented towards the young colt.

The little fella's name was Macademia Nut, and he was just a pleasant colt. His ma and pa must have raised him the right Equestrian way helpful, friendly, willing to lend a hoof and willing to help out ponies in need. As she considered her pregnancy, Applejack could only hope her little one would be so friendly. After a few minutes he came back with a large backpack, and she gave a bit of a hoot. "Hehehe. we won't be needin' none of that, Sugarcube. We just need y'all ta stand somewhere with us for a spell. See, we're lookin' for somethin', an' we need ta start by standing in three separate places. Think you can help us with that?" She turned to Bevel, motioning with her head towards the little fella. "Hey Bevel, where are tha three markers? This little fella's prepped ta go."

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

The family issues Bevel had were going to have to be put on hold now.  The introduction of another pony with another "Folksy" accent like applejack. For a moment her smile came back as she spoke, her voice sounding not nearly as annoyed as she thought it did, instead it was more amused sounding than anything. "Par les becs D'argent, The accents are multiplying." A faint chuckle escaped the fancy mare's throat before she levitated the map over in front of her...

"Let's see... they should be around..." 

"Here... Have you seen anything that looks like three identical stones around this area?"

[Dubstep]

"Well shucks. Y'never know when you might need some rope, a flash light, some'a them flare sticks, or better yet..." he starts digging through his pack and pulls out a tiny wooden horse with a windup key in its back. "One of these! After all, mysterious places what open by standin on some stones? Might be some traps round there!" Macky gives the key in the little toy's back a few turns and sets it down. For a moment it sat there before it clicked to life and started to walk forward.

"See, y'can send em in as advance troops or somethin'. T'ain't the fanciest thing I've ever done built, but they could get the job done!" he said, picking the toy back up and tossing it once more in his pack after it stopped moving. When shown the map and asked about the markers, Macadamia put a hoof to his chin in thought and studied on it. "Hmm, that's a might ways towards Trottingham, innit? Can't rightfully say I get around them parts very often, but I remember one of my cousins talkin about a weird set of stones layin around, said they kinda sunk when you stepped on em! Maybe those are what yer lookin for!"

[SteelEagle]

Applejack had to stop herself from bursting out into friendly laughter a just how adorable this little colt was. And look at his little toy! He built that? A hands on colt, this one was. She was hooves n herself at that age but that was with farming equipment and work materials, not fun little toys. She saw them sometimes when she went to Manehattan at those toy stores. She got some when she was a kid, but they gathered dust. Apple Bloom never showed any interest, but as she grew older she thought those sorta toys were nifty. Where were hers? Were the screw on parts still workable? She'd have to dig it up and see if she could get it going. But for now, that was a none-issue. They had an adventure to take care of.

He seemed to know where they were. Which was good, since she was worried the little guy was going to get lost and get hurt and it would be her fault. She wanted to make sure he was safe- he seemed over-prepared, but maybe it wouldn't be that big of a deal? He knew this area better and even if they never needed it, she could see the sense in over-preparing with a little fella in tow. Flashlights and flare sticks were always good. Flare sticks were made from a flexible moss enchanted so when you snapped it, it would glow bright for hours. Flashlights- a fancier term for light lanterns- were also useful. Most were shaped like a small cylinder. You then twist it a few times until it produced some light, the geode crystals inside reacting to layered Earth pony magic. She tended to put some tree sap on it and stick it between her ear and her head, lighting whatever she was looking at.

"That's good that y'all know about these here stones, Sugarcube. You lead the way- we'll follow real close, ya hear?" She said, as if to reassure him even though she had a sneaking suspicion it was to reassure herself.
 

[Pretzelparty]

(Thanks to hackers... The last post I made here was promptly erased and I doubt I'll be able to replicate it. Instead I'll be posting a summary.)

 

Bevel admired Mac's work and asked to call him "Mac". She also asked what other stuff he'd made and if he'd be willing to show her more of it later on. She also nervously said that if anything came out of the more dangerous lake that they'd figure something out to  deal with, pondering of possible giant crab encounters. Simply put, She's seeing a bit of herself in mac and is mulling over possible problems on the journey.

 

 

[Dubstep]

Macadamia smiled brightly when Bevel asked to see some more of his work. "Oh sure thing! I've got a couple other things I made in here." he said, setting his pack down on the ground to start digging through. It wasn't very often that he got to show off his inventions. His family saw them all the time, but with how rarely they had to take trips either to Ponyville or Trottingham, no one else ever really got to see his work!
 

The first thing he pulled out was an odd little screwdriver with a key stuck into the handle. To demonstrate, he wound the key up a little and held it up, the metal portion of the screwdriver started spinning and spinning until the key finally wound down. Setting it aside he dug three more of the little toys he made out. A unicorn, a pegasus, and a dragon! The horn of the unicorn started to glow with a light about half as bright as an average torch when wound up, the pegasus would flap and hover in place making a gentle little breeze, while the dragon would puff out gouts of smoke. "Now, I didn't have any seeds in the earth pony toy, but when it stomps along it plants seeds er'ry few feet, to help out on the farm. The unicorn one here has a little chunk'a glowin crystal in it that brightens up whenever it's shook. The pegasus one is...well it's a bit of a pain. See it's got a teeny tiny cloud up inside it? But sometimes it evaporates or gets out somehow, so I gotta get someone to fetch me a new one now and then. And the dragon? Well that's just some liquid smoke that I bought with my allowance!"
 

The colt smiled proudly as he put the stuff back away. "I got some more in here, but it'd all down near the bottom. with everything tucked away again, Mac stood once more and pointed off dramatically towards Trottingham. "Trottingham's that'a way! T'ain't too far, and since the stones y'all are lookin for aren't that far, they're even closer!" If only his friends could see him now! Leading an expedition into the unknown! How exciting!

[SteelEagle]

 

 

This little colt got more and more adorable with every passing moment. All of his little toys were so much fun! Sure none of them would be real help during actual labor- the earth pony toy would be too slow and the screwdriver so inefficient- but the ideas were spectacular, and his ability to see them through was fantastic. It was good to see the young ones get interested i the sorts of toys that promoted Equestrian values and ingenuity while celebrating all the unique talents that Ponykind had to offer. She'd have to get Apple Bloom something like it, though she figured her sis was a bit too caught up in older toys to show them the proper attention. Well, there was always her foal. He or she would grow to love them.

 

That would be for a different time,. For now, they were supposed to head in a certain direction. Truth be told, she didn't need any help knowing where Trottingham was as she had been there a number of times on business. But she'd allow the little guy to lead them as the stones were't far and she wanted to ensure that everypony was kept happy. That way they could make sure that when all was said and done they would be able to do their job with no additional difficulty. And so they walked. It was a ice enough walk, and Applejack was pleased.

A light rain started to settle in the area, more of an all-over mist sort of feel than any heavy raindrops. Not even enough to really get your mane wet. As this continued, they approached the site of the stones- or what AJ believed were the stones. "Those're lookin' like tha right ones Bevel," she said, excited to see the next step in this journey develop.

 

 

 

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

These small contraptions were ... very impressive, and ain a way somewhat nostalgic as the mare looked almost dreamily over them. "I used to make things like zhis back in Prance when I was a foal..." The mare held a hoof out to the pegasus one and thought a moment, "Using the cloud is very useful but there are some other ways you could use to make it fly... I have heard the caribou to the north have a way to make wooden ships float. But there are other ways to induce flight that are easier, may I see these again once we are finished with our business here, Monsieur Mac?" 

 

For now though, the rest of voyage needed to take presidence. Thankfully, Mac was more than willing to assist and Applejack was seemingly excited to go ahead with this excursion. Bevel joined along, smiling faintly. That expression faded a moment as she took notice of the mist growing in the air. Thankfully her dreadlocks would keep her mane from being affected too much...

 

 

Finding the stones on the beach turned out to be... much easier than she'd thought they'd be. Thanks to Applejack and Mac's assistance she might have cut a considerable amount of time in this journey off. Before she answered in the affirmative, Bevel looked over her notes. After a few seconds of deliberation she nodded, "These are the ones... according to the text we've got to all stand on one of these stones." The inventor-mare wasn't picky about which one who stood one, so she just chose the one closest to her. While she waited for the others to get into place she felt over her person, making sure she had all her things ready: which she did.

 

The second that the last unattended stone was occupied... everything went dark. It wasn't as if night suddenly fell. It was as if all around the group there was absolutely no light anymore, anywhere! They could still feel their hooves and body but they couldn't even see the noses on their face. After maybe a solid minute in the pitch black darkness with nothign but the soudn of their voices for company... there was a light. Bev summoned up a small orb of light on her horn, "Beaucoup mieux!" She said in a tone much more excited sounding than any she'd let out on the entire trip here. 

Seemed the light she'd conjured creative a chain reaction as the entire cave was now lit by... magical crystals coating ever area of the walls. None of these types were the ones that she was looking for however, "Well... Time to move along. Alons-y, Mes assistants!" Behind the mare was a path, possibly a carve one by what or whoever used this place before this party came along. "the records stated that the crystal samples are... much deeper in this... place."

[Dubstep]

The colt was super excited now! Not only was he helping these two gals out with their expedition, somepony was interested in seeing his inventions! Sure they weren't as fancy as some of the stuff you could find elsewhere, but he did what he could with what he had, and that was something to be proud of for sure! "Well sure thing, Miss Bevel! I've got a few other things back on th' farm too, and I'm sure both of y'all'd be welcome to stay for dinner." Macky replied with a smile and a nod.

 

The trip to the stones was mostly uneventful, occasional humming of songs or glancing at scenery. The local weather team had pulled in a few small rain clouds, making for a nice and cool drizzle that settled like a mist across the landscape. It really was a picturesque scene.

 

When the trio had finally arrived at their destination, Bevel stopped to inspect her notes and the stones. She certainly was a serious business kind of mare. Once it was confirmed that these were, in fact, the stones she was looking for, the unicorn instructed Mac and Applejack on what to do next, which was super simple. Stand on the stones!

 

Nothing really seemed to happen...that was until all three had taken their place. In an instant, it was like the world around them had vanished. "Alright, who all up and stole the sun!" Mac said with a happy little chuckle. The dark didn't particularly spook him, at least not when it was quiet. Dark with noises is what was really spooky! Thankfully the darkness didn't stay for long, as when Bevel's horn lit up with magic, so too did the cavern begin to blink to light. Thousands of crystals of all different colours glistened and sparkled in a beautiful glow. "That's cooler than an ice bath in winter...and me without a camera..." the colt mumbled to himself as Bevel bid them to follow deeper into the cavern.

 

Glancing over at the other Earth Pony, Mac leaned closer and quietly whispered. "Do y'all understand the fancy talk she's sayin? I ain't learned much Prench other than merci..."

[SteelEagle]

 

In no time at all they found the stones, which was just fine to Applejack. She loved herself a nice hike in the beautiful land of Equestria, don't get her wrong, but she was here for a purpose and it wasn't to spend the next ten years of her life searching for something. Luckily there was no real threat of that happening with what they had on tap. Between the little fella's knowledge and the Apple pony's good sense of direction they found the stones in pretty short order. They each took one stone, occupying them one by one until whatever magic they had activated took hold ad plunged the area into darkness. Bevel bellowed in glee and activated her own magic, and shortly the place was lit by the pale light of dozens of small crystals. Not bad for a start to the more esoteric part of this journey, but Applejack wasn't going to toss her lot in entirely with magic. She was a self sufficient mare and would get through this not relying wholly on the skills of her friends.

 

She pulled out a small cylinder and shook it for a few seconds. She then twisted it a few times and it produced a light, the geode crystals inside reacting to the layered earth pony magic. Once that was done, it was slathered in tree sap and put it between her ear and her head, giving her good light ahead of her. She then put her saddlebag back on and stepped into the cave, pushing a rock in between her and the exit. "Mighty fine magic y'all got goin' on, Bevel. How far in does it say?" She asked as she trotted alongside the mare, but making sure to hover around the little fella.

Speaking of, he had a question- Applejack laughed. "Sugarcube, Ah don't have tha slightest inklin' whatsoever. All I know is she sure does like her Prench," she laughed, looking to and fro. This was exciting!

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

 

As she moved along down the passage, Bevel's ears perked at Applejack's question. "Well," She began, " It's a simple light spell, using magic to generate photons on the tip of my horn to create a small ball of light that sticks to it. Pardon, I shouldn't pick apart your words. Merci, Mademoiselle Applejack." To address that question of 'how far' Bevel pulled a mysterious device from her breast pocket, it looked (at least initially) like some smallish pipes connected together but after a brief surge in the magical field holding it a series of magically induced lines of light filled the inside of it. 

"The aether network's properties are a bit scrambled down her. It's probably the nature of the crystal that's down here... We've got a ways to go before we reach it according the modified I.D.E.A. " The mare slowed down a bit to point to a trio of dots on the screen. One of them was orange, the other one of a mocha ish brown, the last being a smaller white and reddish dot, and all of them surrounded by a circle that faded away towards the edges of it's radius. "These three dots are us, the circle around is our personal auras interacting with the network all connected by our proximity." The tip of her hoof drifted over to the upper right corner of the device pointing at a pulsing red dot. 

"That is where we need to be." With that the device folded up and she slid it back into her pocket, "It's not going anywhere anytime soon so we can still walk a bit I suppose." She looked back to the two, "I apologize for the constant use of Prench... It was my first language. My mother taught it to me first and we'd always have these secret conversations about Fa--... " The mare coughed a moment, her face looking increasingly sad as she went on until she stopped , "Erm sorry. Prench is my first language." She sped up the pace a bit before letting her mind wander. 

"So... Um... Mac. How long have you been building things like you showed us?" 

[Dubstep]

"Golly, that things pretty nifty!" Mac said as he caught up to the inventor, glancing down at the magitech device in her hooves with his head tilted slightly in thought. "So what you're saying is it's thaumoreactive right? Sorta keeps track'a nearby magical signatures and lights up them little dots based on how strong they are or somethin?" he asked just as she was folding the device up, apologizing for her fancy speak.

 

With a little frown on his face, Macadamia shook his head "Well shucks, ain't nothing to apologize for. I always thought Prench sounded nice, I just ain't had the time t'learn it!" the colt laughed softly and picked up his pace to keep up with Bevel. "Huh? Oh, well I reckon ever since I could get my hooves on the tools! Got my cutie mark from taking apart the family carriage and putting it back together! Course I could probably do it better now, maybe add some upgrades to make it move automatically if I had the resources..." he tapped his chin in thought and shrugged softly. "But yep! I've been tinkering with things ever since I was a little foal!"

[SteelEagle]

 

Bevel: Giving over-complicated answers to simple questions since now, Applejack mused. The what in the what now? it was only in the tail end of her speech that Applejack caught up with what she was saying. At least Twilight started at the ground floor and built up- this mare started at the tree tops and dared the Earth pony to jump up and touch her. At ther very least Applejack now understood that there was no big rush. Deciding it best that she take front, Applejack secured her little flashlight and took point. Protect the little fella and see to it that Bevel was taken to where she needed to be. They would get through this together!

 

While they walked and talked, Applejack did her fair share by listening. The little fella certainly had a lot of good ideas and technical know how to make all those fun toys and gadgets he made. Where did he manage to get the time to do all that though? Young ponies had school and chores and their studying, if they were being raised right. Well, maybe it was unkind of her to judge the activities of ponies she didn't know. She was always willing to believe in the quality of others after all and they had raised a nice son, so regardless of whether they were getting him ready for adulthood, she wouldn't judge. Except a little, because she had big plans for her foal. "Y'all put back tha family carriage? That's mighty sweet of you, Sugarcube," she said, eyes peeled ahead for anything of note.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Tres bie-- erm Very good... Maybe I can assist you with that once we come back from this with the carriage." As the mare and the colt continued to talk, Bevel only blinked a bit as she noticed Applejack outpacing them. Not really surprising since she probably got more cardio work done in her profession. When she looked down at her little contraption she noticed the little lightshow it was depicting swiftly shut down... something was messing with the network around here. Bevel slowed her pace a bit, going from an open trot to a brisk walk as she tried to think things out, only to run muzzle first into a wall.

"Ow..." She sighed and rubbed at her muzzle before looking up to see... a door. It was majestically carved, all the crystal that made up it's  entirety was smooth to the touch, no cracks at all. She lifted up her horn higher and cranked up the light a moment to get a better look. "I can't... quite see it..." She coughed and pointed up at a small disc partly hidden by the shadows. "Applejack, if you'd help me a moment?" When Applekjack's little headlamp managed to illuminate the area the mocha colored mare was pointing too, it was revealed it was a curious looking emblem with what looked to be two ponies dancing. After a few seconds of the light shining on it the doors opened to reveal a massive cavern again... but with a strange sound coming from the walls. If someone gave a good listen they'd realize that it was a curious, almost jazzy sort of melody that was going on for a loop. 

 

at the center of the room was a narrow bridge with a series of tiles on it, each of them lighting up in a curios sequence and a magical bolt firing from the other end. The inventor stepped forward and placed a hoof on the tile, only for a noticeable loud "BZT!" sound to echo across the room. A kinetic blast of magic shot towards her and laid her against a wall, looking more irritated than injured. 

 

"Curious... " She said, a hoof rubbing at a still sore snout.

[Dubstep]

"Well a'course. I reckon I'd have gotten a mighty big earful if I hadn't put the ol' thing back together!" he said with a little laugh. He could only just imagine the looks on his parents faces and the kind of talking to he'd have gotten if he left it a pile of parts in the middle of the walkway. Course that probably still would have been after they celebrated the fact he got his cutie mark, but still.
 

Woowee this cavern was just full of surprises! Glowing rocks, weird looking magically sealed doors with dancing ponies carved on em, music comin outta nowhere! Whoever made this place must have had a right fun time doing it! The colt gazed around curiously, yep. His friends were going to be at least three kinds of jealous. Maybe four! When the door that Bevel found (the hard way) was illuminated, it eventually slid open and let the strange music flood the rest of the hall. It sounded a lot like some of the records some of the older members of his mother's side would listen to.
 

Trotting up beside Bevel as she got a better look at the flashing panels and everything, Mac tapped his chin in thought. He wondered just what would happen if -- halfway through his thought, a loud noise caught his attention just in time for him to see Bevel get launched back! "Well I reckon that's what would happen...Miss Bevel, y'all alright?" he asked as he rushed over to check on the mare and help her back to her hooves. With another glance towards the flashing panels he arched a brow. "Y'all reckon it wants someone t'dance across it?"

[SteelEagle]

They found their way in but it wasn't as if life got easier the moment they stepped in. Of course there was complications. If there was one thing she could take as stone cold fact it was that the ponies who designed these areas were so taken in by their absurd levels of creativity and smugness that they simply refused to build a straightforward holding for their artifacts. Everything had puzzles and traps and adventures to get to what lay within and Applejack wondered why the puzzles couldn't be something simple. Like a big game of checkers, and if you lost, nothing happened. Bevel tried out this trap and it didn't run out very well for her, though she rebounded quick enough that Applejack was confident her friend was okay. She turned back to the puzzle and sighed. Of course this wouldn't be simple!

 

The little fella was pretty right, she thought. Needed some sort of dance. But of course they needed dancers and this was the group that came. She was fairly certain that Bevel couldn't dance and the little fella was...well, he was a little fella, and not somepony she thought of immediately as a dancing star. Applejack felt as though she could bust a move, but even she wasn't some sort of dancing queen. Still, they needed to get it done and get it done sooner rather than later. She nodded at both of them. "Well, if its dancin' we gotta do, Ah figure we can get it done. Bevel, yer ready to boogie a bit? Or do you want this little guy and I to strut it?" She asked, trying to pay attention to her surroundings so she could to it when it was decided.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Je ne peux pas croire ce gâchis"

 

Bevel's hooves came up to rub at her temples  while she leaned against a wall for support. " She still couldn't believe those atrocious Yearling books actually were telling the truth about these increasingly ridiculous trials in tombs, even after experiencing a few already. What was next? A task where the tomb robbers were expected to kiss each other like a paid of lovelorn loons?! This needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later.... and what in the bloodsoaked talons of the Razorclaws was that infernal tapping noise?! She looked behind her and blushed as she had to stop her hind leg's hoof from clopping to the beat of the crystal's tones.

 

"Hm... " She narrowed the beam of light emanating from her horn, " Interesting, seems the dance requires a male and female party... curious." She looked to the older colt, he seemed to have a good deal of muscle, But so did AJ. And something was starting look strange. A cursory glance over her seemed to show her ankles seeming a tad swollen: not ideal for dancing. "I have a bit of dancing experience myself... Honestly, Miss Apple, looking at your hooves maybe we should keep the sudden movements and stops to a minimum. I think that pedestal over there is made for somepony to keep track with the beat while two dance..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dubstep]

Macadamia did have to say, he was more than a bit surprised someplace like this was practically in the backyard of the clubhouse. How many times had he and his friends came this way to play and never even really bothered too check for anything like this! He was really kicking his rear in hindsight, but maybe it was good in a way. After all, none of them would have any idea what to do once they got here, and how many more puzzles would come their way. Only time would tell really.

For now though it sounded like dancing was exactly what the doctor ordered. Or well, the strange mystical stone wall, but still. "Well I ain't gonna say I'm the greatest dancer t'ever strut the floor or nothin but I've helped a few cousins'a mine get their practicing in before their proms and I ain't never stepped on their hooves...more'n the one time that is, but I think I can do it!" he said with a grin and a nod.