Hello! I just wanted to let you all know that I probably won't be able to post a part this week. I'm going to be very busy, so I'll have it done as soon as I can!

I'm back! My schedule has mostly cleared up, so I'll be back on track for the ski lodge. I should have the next part posted by Friday latest!

I just wanted to pop in and say happy birthday GPH! It's been a full year since I started this ski lodge, and I can't really believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who reads it, whether you're in the story or just following along. You guys give me the motivation to write it! I can promise, even if I post a little inconsistently, I'll finish this ski lodge if it's the last thing I do. It means so much that you've stuck with me this long! <3

Part Forty-One

~

The CBers were scattered around the campsite, each trying to process the afternoon’s events. At some point during the attack, Agent Winter and Gracia had returned to the clearing, and they were quietly discussing. Jubilee was comforting Hollyshock, who was thoroughly shaken after her experience. Dusk was pacing around the firepit, and Bluebell was still sitting on the ground, staring despondently at the coil of vines.

“Is everyone alright?” Goldie asked, having recovered at last from her fall.

Jubilee stood so suddenly that Holly jumped, startled. “No!” they exploded. “No, we are very well not alright! The crazy girl with the earthquakes is now somehow a giant! A literal giant! How are we supposed to be alright?”

Goldie looked taken aback, and Gracia intervened. “I know, Jubi, but calm down. It wasn’t Goldie’s fault. We’re all in this mess together, remember?”

Reluctantly, Jubi subsided, muttering to themself.

“What if she dies?” Bluebell asked. It was the first she had spoken since defeating Sylvia.

Win shrugged. “All the better for us, right?”

“No,” Bluebell said, shaking her head adamantly. “She doesn’t deserve that.”

Win looked like she wanted to argue, but Gracia shot her a look. “Whether or not she deserves it, I think we definitely should check to see what happened. If she is dead, however upset some of us may be-” She indicated Bluebell. “-that would mean we can return to the palace safely. If she’s still alive, that means we’re still stuck out here and need to work out our next move.”

Goldie nodded quickly. “Right! Yes, good idea.” She looked around. “So, who wants to go check on Sylvia?”

Agent Winter was on her feet in an instant. She’d missed out on most of the action in the attack, and was desperate for something productive to do. “I’ll go!”

“I will too,” Jubilee added.

Dusk looked up doubtfully. As much as she loved her friends, the two tended to butt heads. “Are you sure-” she began, but Jubi cut her off with a wave.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Right Win?”

“That’s right!” Win gave a thumbs up, bouncing from foot to foot.

“Please, please be careful,” Holly pleaded.

Gracia nodded in agreement. “Yes, be careful. You’re going to observe, nothing else. Stay out of sight at all times, and stay in the trees if you can.”

After several more reminders to be cautious, the two CBers were off for the palace. This time, they took the most direct path, the one they had travelled the first time they’d visited the pond. It was wide and fairly straightforward.

“So,” Jubi said, “what do you think?”

Win glanced at them. “About what?”

“Sylvia. Do you think she’s alive?”

“No.” Win shook her head decisively. “I think we finished her once and for all.”

“I don’t think so. She seemed too powerful for that.”

“Come on, really? That plant was poisonous!”

“Yeah, but she’s a murderous AE with crazy magic earthquake powers! I feel like it’s going to take more than a few vines to take her down.”

“I don’t know, if she was that powerful I feel like she could have escaped from the tower a long time ago.”

“Tell you what,” Jubi said, “I bet you two granola bars that she’s still alive.”

Win rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. “Alright, deal.” Her smile faded and she pointed ahead. “Keep your voice down- we’re almost there.”

Through the thinning trees they could see the Golden Palace, shining in its usual way. Outwardly, nothing looked amiss, but it was clear to the CBers that something wasn’t quite right. Goldie, with her cheerful voice and bright smile, was the life of the palace- without her, it seemed empty and desolate.

Agent Winter and Jubilee both felt this, but neither said it aloud. It remained an unspoken realization.

Jubi looked around, searching for any signs of Sylvia. “I don’t see anything. Should we go closer?”

Win frowned uncertainly. “We’re supposed to stay in the trees…”

“But we’ll have a better chance of finding her if-” Their protest was interrupted as the palace doors slowly opened.

A figure emerged, small in the distance but unmistakable. Sylvia was limping, but very much alive. She had returned to her normal size, though she was no less intimidating for it. It seemed, even from so far away, that the CBers could see the fury radiating from the AE.

“What’s she doing?” Win whispered. Although she knew Sylvia couldn’t hear her, the words still seemed too loud.

“Looking for us?” Jubi suggested.

“No, look! Is she glowing?”

Sure enough, the small figure looked brighter against the dark wood of the doors. She began to grow larger, but after a moment the light flickered. Her growth faltered. In an instant, she shrunk back to her usual size.

Winter and Jubilee watched as she turn around and limped back inside, slamming the doors shut behind her. They didn’t speak for a moment.

“She was trying to grow,” Win said. “But she couldn’t.”

Jubi sighed irritatedly. “Yes, I got that. Come on, let’s go tell the others.”

The others were getting the campsite back in order when Win and Jubi returned. It was littered with branches, and Sylvia had effectively demolished the firepit by stepping on it. Dusk, Holly, and Goldie were picking up some of the larger sticks, while Bluebell and Gracia were taking inventory of all their belongings.

Everyone looked up when the two scouts entered the clearing.

“Did you see anything?” Goldie asked anxiously.

Agent Winter nodded. “Yeah, we saw Sylvia. She’s alive, but it looks like she’s in bad shape.”

“We saw her try to grow,” Jubilee added, “but she couldn’t. I think we weakened her, but she’ll be back.”

“What are you guys up to?” Win asked, looking around.

Dusk hefted her armful of branches. “Cleanup!”

“And inventory,” Bluebell said. Gracia held up a list for emphasis.

“Great!” Jubi said. “What do you need us to do?”

Holly pointed at the stack of stones in the middle of the clearing. “If you could rebuild the firepit, that would be great.”

“Sure!” Win responded, then paused. “Oh, hold on.” She made her way over to the sizeable pile of granola bars and tossed two to Jubi, who caught them, grinning. The other CBers were confused, but ultimately decided not to ask.

Everyone got back to work. Bluebell finished counting the markers in Hollyshock’s bag and relayed the information to Gracia, who jotted it down. She then pulled her own bag closer and opened it.

“Let’s see… There’s a sketchbook, some pencils, chapstick, that history book from the barn-”

Gracia looked up. “You still have that?”

Bluebell shrugged. “Why not? I’ve been reading it, it’s pretty interesting.”

“Fair enough. Anything else?”

“Yeah, there’s something at the bottom…” Bluebell reached her hand into the bag and emerged holding a sheaf of papers.

“What are those?” Gracia asked.

“I’m not sure.” Bluebell rifled through them, glancing at each page. Comprehension dawned on her face. “Oh, they’re the blueprints we got from the murderer!” She handed them to Gracia, who looked through them in turn.

“That’s right! I’d forgotten about these.” She looked at them more closely. “It’s a blueprint for a trap. I wonder, do you think if we built some on a larger scale-”

Bluebell saw where she saw going and finished the thought. “We could use them to defend the clearing!”

Gracia nodded, then waved the papers in the air to attract everyone else’s attention. “Guys! Come here, we have an idea.” 

Part Forty-Two

~

After hearing the plan and reading through the blueprints, Goldie slowly nodded. “I think this could work. The question is, can we pull it off?”

“I think we can,” Gracia replied.

Holly peered at the blueprints, then asked, “Where will we get the wood? We don’t have an axe or anything.”

After thinking for a moment, Dusk spoke up. “The barn! The structure’s falling apart, but the wood should still be in good condition. Is that okay, Goldie?”

The Palace Keeper gave her a thumbs up. “That’s perfect! Great idea. We don’t need the barn anymore, since Sapphire’s here with us.” She indicated the pegasus, who was grazing by the trees. “And if we get through this, we can always build another one.”

“Let’s split into groups,” Bluebell suggested. “ One group can collect wood, and the other can start building.”

“I’ll direct the building group,” Gracia volunteered, “since I can’t really carry wood.” Her arm had been feeling better, but she was still favoring it.

“I’ll help with building too,” Bluebell said. “Holly, do you want to join us?”

Holly nodded. “Sure.”

Jubilee raised their hand. “I’ll lead the wood-gathering group. Sapphire can help!” From across the clearing, the pegasus whinnied, seemingly in agreement.

“I guess that leaves me, Win, and Goldie to go with you,” Dusk said.

Goldie clapped her hands together. “Sounds like a plan! Should we get started?”\

They all agreed, and split into their respective groups. As Gracia, Bluebell, and Hollyshock sat down to puzzle over the murderer’s blueprints, Jubilee led the rest of the CBers, Goldie, and Sapphire out of the camp.

Walking at a brisk pace, it seemed to take them less time than usual to reach the old barn. They stood at the top of the hill, gazing down at it.

Agent Winter gave Goldie a sidelong glance. “Before we tear this thing down, is there anything else hidden inside? Any secret weapons or food that isn’t granola bars?”

The Palace Keeper shook her head ruefully. “Unfortunately, no.”

As they started down the hill, Dusk said, “Goldie, I’ve been meaning to ask. Why did you keep Sapphire all the way out here? Why not keep her in the palace stables with the other horses?”

Goldie sighed and looked down. “I should have done that. I just- she was a reminder. Of Copper, of the CB. Of everything I’ve lost. It was selfish of me.” She gave a soft, humorless chuckle. “I guess I have a habit of locking away things that bring me pain.”

Dusk hesitantly stepped forward and put a hand on Goldie’s shoulder. “It was in the past. We all make mistakes, but the important thing is that now you’re working to fix them. We forgive you. Sapphire forgives you. And who knows, maybe Sylvia will forgive you too?”

“I’d like to believe that,” Goldie said, “but I think she’s past that point.” She shook her head, then looked up, surreptitiously wiping her eyes. “Well, as much fun as it is to stop and chat, let’s get to work!”

The group made their way down the hill and to the barn, pausing as they reached it. Sapphire flapped her wings a few times, and Agent Winter grinned at the door laying on the grass a few feet away.

“That was me,” she said to no one in particular.

The CBers got to work, starting with the floorboards at the back. Jubilee picked up a shovel that was laying on the ground (“Also me,” Win noted) and pried up boards while the others brought them outside. There was soon a sizeable pile on the grass outside the barn.

“That’s enough for now,” Goldie called. “Let’s start heading back.”

Dusk looked doubtfully at the pile of wood. “Can we carry all that?”

“We don’t have to,” Jubi said, returning from the barn. They held up a length of rope. “There was an old lead rope back in the corner! We can use it to tie some of the wood onto Sapphire’s back. If she’s okay with that, of course.”

Sapphire shook her mane in agreement, and the CBers set about making preparations to return to camp.

Gracia nodded to herself as she bent over the blueprints. After studying them with Bluebell and Holly for a while, waiting for the other group to return, she thought she had a pretty good grasp on the design. They needed wood, obviously, along with some rope (they would be using vines, though not the poisonous variety). The design itself was quite clever- it would span the length of the path, each side hidden so that it was easy to miss if you didn’t know it was there. If executed correctly, it would trap the victim and knock them unconscious at the same time.

Bluebell was working on the dimensions, figuring out how to build the trap on a larger scale. It seemed likely that Sylvia would return in her giant form, so they wanted to be prepared. She didn’t think the calamum vesperum trick would work twice.

“Holly,” she called. “Did you work out the positions yet?”

Holly had been placed in charge of deciding where the large traps would be placed. She nodded from over by the water. “Yes! I’m thinking we put one on the far side of the pond, where Sylvia came from last time, and a couple more at intervals around the edge of the clearing.”

Gracia gave a thumbs up from where she was sitting. “That sounds good to me! Now we just have to wait for- hey, perfect timing!”

Emerging from the trees were the other CBers, Goldie, and Sapphire, all laden with wooden boards. Holly and Bluebell ran to help, and once all the wood had been deposited in the ground, they reconvened in the center of the clearing.

“This is great!” Bluebell said enthusiastically.

“And there’s plenty more,” Jubi responded. “We’ll go back and forth a few more times while you guys start on the traps themselves.”

“Did you figure out the blueprints?” Win asked, leaning over Gracia’s shoulder.

She nodded. “Yes. We should be able to build them fairly easily, it might just take a while.”

“We’d better get started, then,” Goldie said. “I don’t know how much time we have.”

~~~

Thanks to whoever topped this thread! It gave me the motivation to finish this part, since I've been procrastinating. Sorry for the wait, and sorry in advance--I'll be juggling this with a lot of other things, including my novel for Camp NaNo. Even so, I'll do my best to have parts out in a somewhat timely manner!

I've been.. not checking in on here. So uhh.. Hello!! The story is so amazing and the plot is just awe-inspiring! The writing is so amazing! Your writing is so amazing!!