As they make their way down the left path, Star glances back at Fiona, who watches the ground beneath her feet intently, still afraid of attacks from the mud. Poor filly.
Thankfully, the mud slowly gives way to stone. If there are any true tracks, though, they can no longer be seen. No way of knowing if any horse has been this way now. All they can do is press on and hope for the best.
The end of the tunnel opens to yet another cavern, but this one is drastically different than the last two. Stalactites and stalagmites layer the ceiling and floor. The place is a veritable maze. A pointy, dangerous maze.
"See anything, Sun?" Star asks. She doesn't want to weave through the spikes until she knows it's safe.
Sun shakes her head.
Part of her wants to go back and take the right path instead--perhaps that way will look less deadly. If one of those stalactites loosens and falls on them, they could be shish-ke-horses. Ugh. Now she's thinking like the silly filly behind her. What is the Valley coming to? "OK, then. Let's continue. But everyone, be careful."
They pick their way through the stone spikes, making it to the middle of the cavern. Then the world around them trembles.
Fiona and Quell stumble, slip, then fall on their rumps. Everyone else keeps their feet.
Star looks around, making sure none of the stalactites are about to plummet on them and keeping an eye out for monsters. She isn't sure if it's residual tremors, but the stalagmites near her seem to be moving. A quick glance up, and she sees a few stalactites disengage from the ceiling and skitter like spiders on tiny legs, heading straight for the horses.
Fiona screams. A stalagmite runs toward her.
Mud monsters have been replaced with pointed stone death. What Star would give to have the mud back--if wishes were horses, the Valley would have a serious overpopulation problem. The only solace she has is that not all of the stalactites and stalagmites have come to life. "You know the drill."
"I count ten Pointy Demons coming at us," Sun says. "Let's end them."
Quell and Fiona are still struggling to their hooves as the monsters descend--even Quell can't strike up a song from being jolted so roughly. So, it's up to the others to land the first blows.
Star unleashes a spell at the Pointy Demon heading for Fiona, but all it does is bounce off the hard, stone exterior. "Those things are like shells."
Sun charges and knocks the monster over. "Then we just need to get at the squishy insides. Finish it off, Burn."
He obliges, sending a fireball at the overturned Demon. It screeches while in its death throws.
Fiona is lucky they take out the one after her because she can't find her footing and slips again. The filly is going to have a sore backside when this is all done.
Distracted by the others, Star doesn't see two Pointy Demons coming from behind, and they bowl her over. Her next spell is interrupted during the fall.
Sun trots toward her sister to help, but two others waylay her. She fails to knock them down and they poke at her ribs, bruising her sides. "Those things hurt!"
"Defense then?" Quell asks, now on his feet and ready to keep a beat. He doesn't wait for an answer and strikes up his Rousing Refrain.
Star feels the defensive song envelop her. Music to her ears, it has a great effect deep inside. She lashes out to defend herself against the two Pointy Demons attempting to crawl on her, knocks one over, and sends a Divine Blast straight for its vulnerable underside.
This one doesn't have time to screech before it crumbles to dust.
Fiona screams again. Two Pointy Demons converge on her. She scrambles back, but hits one of the still stationary stalagmites. "Get away, get away, get away!" The filly goes limp, passing out.
Burn steps toward her, intent on saving her, but another monster jumps in his path. "No you don't." He kicks out and knocks it over, then sends a fireball at it. Its legs are burnt to a crisp, and it can't right itself, however another monster knocks Burn down from behind.
Quell succeeds in finishing off the injured Pointy Demon with a swift stab while continuing to sing his heart out. No cute quips from him with this kill. Another skitters toward him, and he knocks it over with a deft hoof, also scrambling its insides.
"Ah, these things are harder to flip than I thought," Sun says. "I think they're adapting to our tactics." She barely keeps off the two monsters that are still on her.
"Keep trying, sis." Star dodges the one still after her and summons a shield to protect the poor, passed out Fiona. Just in time, too--the monsters slam into the shield. They then start running into it, like little battering rams. She hopes it will hold.
Sun misses with her next strike again. Two seem too much for her to handle, and Burn can't deal with the one that knocked him over. Once off his hooves, he doesn't have much to protect him from the Pointy Demon, and it pummels his rump.
Quell assists Star, knocking over the last monster on her, and she happily fries its insides with a spell. "How many are left?"
"Five, I think," Sun says. "Better get the ones off Fiona before they get through the shield."
As if saying her name brings her back to the world of the conscious, Fiona stirs. The shield falls, but she manages to gain her feet and run to hide behind another stalagmite before the two Pointy Demons realize there's no more shield to ram their spiky heads against.
Star trots up to the two that were on Fiona, succeeding in getting their attention, so much so that they slam into her side knocking the wind from her. She struggles to get her breath back, whispers a Divine Blast, knocking over one of the monsters.
Quell is behind her and finishes it off.
Sun finally knocks down one of her attackers and shears off one of its spider-like legs, and when the other one strikes at her, she knocks that one off its feet as well. "Ha!"
"Matriarch, save me!" Burn fails to move out of the way of the Pointy Demon, and it opens a gash on his side. No more mere bruises. These things are getting deadly.
Quell drops his defense song in a rush to get to Burn. He kicks the monster off of the wizard, but doesn't have the angle to bury his blade into its belly.
No matter, Burn throws out a spell that sounds like a curse, his fury evident in every word. The fireball is small, but enough to fry the Pointy Demon.
Sun, on her way to help Burn as well, misses her chance to finish off the two she knocked over.
Star shoots a bolt of white light at the one missing a leg and ends its failed attempts to right itself. The other, though, finds its feet and skitters after Quell and Burn--perhaps seeking revenge. And the final monster knocks Star off her hooves, yet again.
Burn blasts the Pointy Demon heading for him, and it tips over. Then Quell comes in and double stabs.
The monster's death screech is louder than its friends, rattling Star's brain.
Thankfully, Sun charges in, flings the last Pointy Demon off of Star, then stabs it with fervor.
That should be the end of them.
Star surveys the room, making sure no other stalagmites and stalactites are on the move. Everything seems still. "Let's hope there are no more of those the rest of the way." How far did Big Bad Girl take Dom into this cave?
They begin the healing and bandaging process. It takes a bit to coax Fiona out of her hiding spot--the filly is shaking uncontrollably. They should have made her stay behind. Star hopes she can survive the rest of the way without completely falling apart.
While the others rest, Star trots over to the exit. Unfortunately, the tunnel is caved in. No getting through. She sighs and returns to the group. "It looks like we'll be heading back and taking the right path. There's a cave-in blocking the way."
"Back to the mud?" Fiona asks.
Star nods.
"Well, I guess that's better than these things." Her eyes flick from point to point.
Sun laughs. "She's got that right."