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RickGottfried

Iron Anon: Guest of Ruins

Nov 28th, 2012
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  1. “Ouch!”
  2. >You let out a tiny yelp as your head bangs against a concealed, low-hanging branch
  3. “You sure you can’t make that thing a little brighter?”
  4. >Twilight: “Anon, I already told you, this is the best I can do”
  5. “Well, I’m as blind as a bat back here…”
  6. >Twilight: “I think you mean ‘blind as a mole’, bats actually have excellent eyesight...”
  7. >Your little group of three had been pressing deeper and deeper into the woods ever since Twilight had sprung out of that scroll
  8. >It had gotten dark by then, so Twilight conjured up some sort of illuminating spell on the tip of her horn
  9. >It was a bright, white light that shined outwards a few feet
  10. >About 5 minutes ago, you had been moved off the road and into the thicket, heading to these so called ‘pony ruins’
  11. >Twilight said that that’s where the school had been heading when they got sick and would be the best place to start
  12. >Naturally, the path soon became clogged with vegetation and (with Twilight still leading ahead of you) didn’t give you much range in the field of visibility
  13. “Can you please slow dow- ouch! -that light isn’t helping me when you're all the way up there”
  14. >The purple unicorn sighs and trots back to you
  15. >Now you two walk side by side, Gus lingering a bit ahead
  16. “Much better. Say, does that hurt when you do that? I mean, you've had that thing on for like an hour now”
  17. >Twilight: “Nah, its fine. The average unicorn would have probably reached their limit by now, but Princess Celestia taught me a few things about magical stamina”
  18.  
  19. “I see… So Celestia, she’s your ruler right?”
  20. >Twilight: “That’s correct”
  21. “And you’re her… what did she call you? Student?”
  22. >The purple mare smiles happily at the word and you notice her light shine a tad bit brighter
  23. >Twilight: “Princess Celestia was so impressed by my entrance exam at her School for Gifted Unicorns that she offered to take me as her own personal protégé. I, of course, said yes and I have been studying under her ever since”
  24. “Ok, but why are you here in Ponyville then? Shouldn’t you be living in that Canterlot place with her?”
  25. >Twilight: “I DO live in Canterlot. Well, I suppose I used to live there…”
  26. “What do you mean?”
  27. >Twilight: “Up until about two years ago, I was living and studying under Princess Celestia in Canterlot. However, one day I happened to be researching an old pony tale …”
  28. >Twilight proceeded to fill you in on how she had came to being in Ponyville. Meeting her first friends, Nightmare Moon’s return, the similar journey you were on now to the old pony ruins and finally the revival of the Elements of Harmony.
  29. >Twilight: “And then, Nightmare Moon transformed back into Princess Luna and Celestia forgave her, taking her back as her sister. Ever since then, I have been studying the subject of Friendship here in Ponyville, sending back weekly reports to the Princess.”
  30. “Ok, back up. So you six ponies are the ‘Elements of Harmony’?”
  31. >Twilight: “Sort of. We each represent a specific element. Applejack is Honesty, Fluttershy’s Kindness, Pinkie Pie’s Laughter, Rarity’s Generosity, and Rainbow is Loyalty… leaving me to be the final Element of Magic. The elements have a physical form but can only be wielded by us”
  32.  
  33. “I see… Wow, so you guys are some pretty special ponies, huh?”
  34. >Twilight: “I guess so. A lot of ponies don’t know very much about the elements, if anything at all. So it’s not like we are famous or anything, but it’s nice to be treated like everyother pony”
  35. “I don’t really know about that, but hey, I’m no pony”
  36. >Twilight: “Granted”
  37. “What about Princess Luna? What happened to her?”
  38. >Twilight: “She rules over Equestria with her sister just like she did a thousand years ago. Princess Celestia reigns by day and Luna by night, so naturally you don’t see or hear much from her”
  39. >Interesting. Two Princesses?
  40. >No King or Queen?
  41. “I see… To get things back on track, what are we hoping to find here?”
  42. >Twilight: “All we know is that Zecora and the foals suffered from aliments assimilated with your world. Though we have no idea where Zecora might have been affected, we know that the class field trip was heading to the pony ruins. There has to be something there”
  43. “But what?”
  44. >Twilight: “I don’t know. You’re supposed to be the expert here. What causes those kinds of conditions in your world?”
  45. “The cold. Sometimes dehydration can help, but it’s primarily caused by a rapid drop in body temperature. Am I correct in assuming that there’s no skiing resort around this next tree?”
  46. >Twilight: “The only place thats cold this time of year is in the mountains, where its snow… this doesn’t make any sense”
  47. >Snow.
  48. >You subconsciously repeat the word over and over again in your head
  49. >But you didn’t know why… it seemed so important for some reason
  50. >You knew there was plenty of snow in South Dakota, but that wasn’t it
  51. >The more you tried to pin its meaning, the more it seemed to evade you…
  52.  
  53. “So you said you’ve been here before, when you got the Elements?”
  54. >Twilight: “Yes. According to my books, it’s an old ruined palace where Princess Celestia and her sister used to live. It had been abandoned after Nightmare Moon’s banishment”
  55. >Suddenly, the forest opens up and you find yourself looking over a ravine
  56. >You notice immediately a tiny rope bridge lay suspended between the two sides
  57. >On the other side, you can make out the silhouette of a large broken-down structure, directly in front of the bridge
  58. “Please don’t tell me we have to cross this thing?”
  59. >Twilight: “Really, Anon? I didn’t take you for one being scared of heights.”
  60. >She moves onto the bridge, looking back after she notices you weren’t following
  61. >Twilight: “Look, if a bunch of foals can cross it, why can’t you?”
  62. “I weigh a couple dozen of those things for starters. What makes you think that rinky dink bridge could hold me?”
  63. >Twilight: “Just wait a second, I have an idea”
  64. >Twilight crosses over with easy and you order Gus to head over before you
  65. >He doesn’t like it anymore than you do, but is on the other side in seconds
  66. >Twilight: “Ok, now I’m going to use my magic to hold up the bridge. Go when I tell you too”
  67. >The unicorns closes her eyes to concentrate as her horn glows a bright magenta
  68. >The bridge become enveloped by her magic and you watch as the slack ropes becomes rigid and firm
  69. >Twilight: “Ok, I think I got it. Come on over”
  70. >You reluctantly place on foot on the bridge
  71. >It all seems well enough until you bring your other foot onto the footboard, forcing yourself to displace all your weight on the bridge
  72.  
  73. >Twilight’s eyelids tighten and her body twitches as you do so, as if physically in pain
  74. >As you feel the bridge shake and begin to give way, you latch onto the rope’s rail guards in hopes they would save you
  75. >An instant later, it stabilizes but you can see Twilight is struggling
  76. >Twilight[grumble]: “H-Hurry up”
  77. >With each step you take, the bridge shakes more and more and Twilight’s horn starts to fizzle and spark
  78. >On the second to last board of the bridge, the purple aura begins to fade and the ropes scream under your weight
  79. >Twilight: “JUMP!”
  80. >You bend your knees to better spring your jump, only to find nothing to push off against
  81. >The ropes snap immediately and the bridge begins fall with it, you along with it
  82. >In your freefall, you reach out to grab the edge
  83. >Your fingernails dig into in the soil but soon are dragged off the cliff after you
  84. >Just then, Gus snaps and latches onto your sleeve
  85. >You hear it start to tear but it gives you enough time for a retry
  86. >Swinging your arm up, you feel two furry hoof grab your hand and try to pull you up
  87. >Soon enough, you get your chest flat on solid ground and, swinging your legs up and over, find yourself on the other side of the ravine
  88. >Gus had a bit of torn cloth in his mouth and you looked down to see the cuff on your jacket had been completely ripped off
  89. >Next to him was Twilight, completely out of breath and sweating
  90. >Twilight [panting]: “You’re heavy… like…. really heavy”
  91. “Sorry, I’ll go on a diet as soon as we get back to Ponyville”
  92. >Twilight: “No, I mean you’re REALLY heavy…. It felt like... I was holding up… an Ursa Major”
  93. “An ursa what now?
  94.  
  95. >Twilight: “It doesn’t… matter…”
  96. “You ok?”
  97. >Twilight: “I’m fine, just need to… catch my breath”
  98. >You get up to your feet no problem and offer a hand to Twilight
  99. >She takes it and you pull her back up to her hooves
  100. >You’re no feather either, pony…
  101. >Without missing a beat, you three make your way to the ruins
  102. >This place was probably huge a long time ago… but now, it had fallen into disrepair and even lacked a roof
  103. >It was entirely constructed of a light purple marble, with a few decorated white chalk markings
  104. >Vines and other encroaching vegetation had found home in the ruins and were threatening to consume it
  105. >After passing through the main doorway, you spot the pedestal Twilight had described that had once held the Elements
  106. >The platforms were empty now, vacant, just like the rest of this place
  107. >Twilight trots off past the stand and you are forced to follow her
  108. “See anything different?”
  109. >Twilight: “No, everything’s the same as it-“
  110. >A sinister laugh echoes through the palace and catches Twilight’s tongue
  111. >You instantly back up closer to Twilight, scanning your surroundings for the noise
  112. >Twilight[whisper]: “What the hay was that?!”
  113. “I have no idea, you see anything?”
  114. >Twilight lights up her horn again and shines it over every inch of the place
  115. >Nothing
  116. >Suddenly, Gus growls and you and Twilight turn to face him
  117. >Standing slouched over in the middle of the entrance, stood a gray colored creature you couldn’t put a name too even if you tried
  118.  
  119. >It stood a little taller than Twilight, had massive hands, a spiked tail and tiny hinged legs
  120. >It wore a crooked smile and its ears were erect and sharp
  121. >Most distinctive of all its features was the glowing film of menacing green that covered the whites of its eyes
  122. >Maybe if you had been paying more attention, you would have also noticed the slushy white powder lining its feet
  123. >But you couldn’t will yourself to take your gaze off the tiny, black pins that were it irises
  124. >It gave you chills
  125. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doLUE8j1gSE
  126. >???: “Ahhh, Rover has guests!”
  127. >His voice is… unlike anything you’ve heard before
  128. >Its does a great job creeping you out
  129. >Twilight: “Not these guys again...”
  130. “What? You know what that thing is!?”
  131. >Twilight: “The girls and I ran into a group of them awhile back. Their called Diamond Dogs, they hunt for gems as their name implies. Actually, we got to know them after they foalnapped Rarity, so you two have that in common”
  132. “Very funny”
  133. >???: “But... Rover did not invite guests… TRESPASSERS!”
  134. >His voice hisses at you
  135. >Twilight [demanding]: “What are YOU doing here?”
  136. >???: “Must protect the gems. Must protect the gems…”
  137. >Twilight: “Are you… are you ok?”
  138. >You take a slight step back as his eyes slowly turn red and he extends his arms
  139. >???: I WON’T LET YOU HAVE THEM!”
  140. >He brings his digits together in a loud clap and the large door behind him mysteriously slams shut
  141. >Twilight [worried]: “Uh oh”
  142. “What the hell is going on?”
  143. >Twilight: “I don’t know, but he’s acting a lot stranger than the first time we met!”
  144. >The diamond dog begins to slowly advance, but only to have Gus block his path, snarling at him
  145.  
  146. >This catches the Diamond Dog off guard and he jumps sideways into the shadows
  147. >And like that, he was gone
  148. >Vanished into thin air
  149. >Seconds later, eerie laughter bounces all around the room
  150. >Twilight: “We need to get out of here!”
  151. >You run over and try to pry open the door, but it refuses to budge
  152. “It’s no good!”
  153. >The laughter intensities and you start to feel a bit on edge
  154. >You look around the room for a way to escape
  155. “Any plan B's?!”
  156. >Twilight:"Just one..."
  157. >You watch as her horn glows bright and eyes close in concentration
  158. >Twilight:"Grab Gus and hold on!"
  159. "To what?!"
  160. >You let out a whistle and Gus leaps at you
  161. >You manage to scoop him into your grasp but you falter a bit as his weight displaces on your unexpecting arms
  162. >Damn, you thought an only apples diet would have caused him to lose a few pounds...
  163. >As Twilight's body begins to shine, you reach out and sluggishly place a hand on her side while grasping Gus
  164. >You close your eyes as what you guess is a teleportation spell lets off a blinding light in your face
  165. >For a moment, you feel the sensation of weightlessness, as if you were floating in space
  166. >Only after a half second later do you open your eyes to realize you were actually just falling to the floor, without Twilight to support your weight anymore
  167. >You face meets cold slab and Gus jumps out from your arms
  168. "Shit"
  169. >You had forgotten magic didn't work on you, so it was a no go for teleportation
  170. >A second later, you hear Twilight banging at the door behind you, only on the other side this time
  171.  
  172. >Twilight: "Anon?! Are you alright?!"
  173. "I'm fine, but I was expecting we were both getting out of here"
  174. >Twilight: "Sorry! I forgot you don't mix well with magic. Can you try and find another way out?"
  175. >Getting to your feet, you spot a corridor just in the back of the palace
  176. "I see something, but its heading deeper into the palace"
  177. >Twilight: "I'll run around back and see if I can find a exit"
  178. >You can make out her hooves galloping away as another uncanny squeal comes from the shadows
  179. "Show yourself!"
  180. >There is no response and you dart off towards the hallway
  181. >Luckily, you find it to be illuminated by small torches lining the walls
  182. >Bad news, you couldn't see the end of the tunnel because of the darkness and the howling laughter seemed to be coming right behind you
  183. >You and Gus run for a solid minute before a silhouette with glowing red eyes appears ahead of you, causing you both to skid to a stop
  184. >The diamond dog steps into the light of a torch, smiling crudely
  185. >This thing was something else...
  186. >You feel yourself tense up as you unsheathed your bowie
  187. >???: “You really shouldn’t play with KNIVES”
  188. >His exaggeration of the word ‘knives’ only proves to tighten your grip on its handle
  189. >It wasn't as scary as a manticore but it sure wasn't friendly
  190. >And there weren't any pony witnesses around this time...
  191. "Last chance, pup, get the hell out of my way"
  192. >Rover: "You think Rover takes orders from a freak? Rover has no master."
  193. "So be it"
  194. >You tuck the blade close to you as you charge the beast
  195. >As you come closer, he doesn't even flinch but stands tall, trying to match your height
  196.  
  197. >Without stopping, you bring the knife down in a slash just as you close the distance
  198. >The blow would have easily cut through his throat... If he hadn't of caught it.
  199. >All the momentum behind you and the blade is stopped by a single contracted paw around your wrist
  200. >He roughly pulls you down a few inches to his height, your eyes meeting his
  201. >Before you can react, his free paw slams into stomach, launching you back at least 15 feet
  202. >Gus stands guard in front of you, bearing teeth and growling, as you recover
  203. >Shit, he's strong. Really strong
  204. >You'd have to play this one carefully...
  205. >This time when you rise to your feet, you position the blade in front of you, a traditional defensive stance
  206. >The diamond dog only grins and extend his arms again
  207. >This time, he brings his paws together in a tiny, controlled clap
  208. >But instead the whole room goes black as the torches are systemically extinguished
  209. >You feel a shiver run up your spine as the darkness encases you
  210. >You call to Gus but he does not respond, only a short chuckle answers you
  211. >Panic fills you and you try desperately to find a wall to stand up against but fail to find any
  212. >Just then, something latches onto your shoulder and squeezes tightly
  213. >Rover: "Gotcha!"
  214. >Your shoulder creaks from the strain and pain shoots down the arm attached to it
  215. >Quickly, you bring the knife up and slash as your shoulder
  216. >The action is rewarded with a yelp of a dog and a decrease in pressure on your bones
  217. >You hear something scurry off into the darkness as you rub your shoulder
  218. >Looking at the blade, you see a thin line of blood clinging to its edge
  219. >If it can bleed, it can die...
  220.  
  221. >A soon as this realization pops into your head, a terrible scream rings out in your ears
  222. >Rover: "NO! MY GEMS!"
  223. >Off in the distance, you hear a muffled explosion as the palace shakes from the blast
  224. >You hear the diamond dog scream again as his paws scrap against the tiled floor, sprinting down the hallway towards the sound
  225. >Suddenly, the lights from the torches return and you spot Gus standing only a few feet from you
  226. >His eyes are glassy and dazed, but a quick whistle wakes him from his trance
  227. >You two take off down the hallway in pursuit as well
  228. >That explosion had to be Twilight... maybe she had ‘made’ a way out for you
  229. >Soon, the corridor comes to an end and you can tell you were entering a wide, domed room
  230. >Rover: “MY GEMS!!!”
  231. >The terrible creature shrieks up ahead and you charge into the room without a second thought
  232. >As you guessed, it was a large, circular room with a domed roof... or at least it had been a domed roof
  233. >The wall and half of the ceiling to your right had crumbled inwards, allowing rays of moonlight to radiate inside
  234. >On top of the debris stood Twilight, looking down upon a distraught diamond dog, who was helplessly scraping at the bottom of the rubble
  235. >Rover: “No...no.no-no no!”
  236. >The dog gets down to his knees and claws at the stone to try and free the gems that were apparently trapped by the fallen wall
  237. >The whole floor was littered with sapphires, diamonds and other crystals but Twilight’s little stunt had put a solid ton of marble over a large number of them
  238. >Despite his sharp claws, Rover fails to make a dent in the refined stone
  239.  
  240. >Finally he stops what he is doing and slowly looks up to Twilight
  241. >Rover: “You-You will pay for this, pony!”
  242. >You watch in a strange sense of awe as the creature leaps into the air, flying upwards a good 20 feet towards Twilight
  243. >Twilight, on the other hand, stumbles back a bit before charging her horn
  244. >A single purple blot of energy shots from her horn and impacts the dog’s chest, negating his leap
  245. >He is effectively thrown back against the adjacent wall with a heavy bang, falling down to the floor a second later
  246. >Still, the beast shakes it off like it was nothing and charges again with a distorted roar
  247. >This wasn’t good
  248. >You had to get Twilight and yourself out of here before it was too late
  249. “Twilight!”
  250. >The unicorn, startled, turns her head in your direction
  251. “Anon?!”
  252. >As her focus shifts to you, the diamond dog takes his chane to leap again while Twilight isn’t looking
  253. >Suddenly, just as Rover leaves the ground, Gus slams into his form
  254. >The two begin to tumble sideways and you take the opportunity to climb the rubble up to Twilight
  255. >Behind you, you can hear snarls and gritty barks being exchanged as the two clash, fueling your speed up the mountain of overturned marble
  256. >Twilight offers a hoof and you take it, pulling yourself up
  257. “Ok, now lets get the heck out of here”
  258. >Twilight: “What about Gus?!”
  259. >You two look down into the center of the room again, watching the two encircle one another
  260. >As the diamond dog tries to tackle Gus, the wolf’s fangs find home in the beast’s forearm
  261. >It yelps as Gus pushing deeper into the flesh, refusing to let go
  262. >Rover stumbles onto his back, whipping his arm around
  263.  
  264. >Finally, Gus is successfully pulled off his arm, though taking a hefty piece of flesh with it
  265. >That wound would serve as a great reminder not to follow us, you thought to yourself
  266. “Gus, let’s go!”
  267. >A whistle later and Gus is up by your side, tiny samples of blood lining his maw
  268. >Twilight: “Now can we go?!”
  269. >Looking back to the outside, you notice a small wall of still standing marble was preventing you from just walking out
  270. >As you make your way over, Twilight follows behind, though lagging a bit
  271. “Are you ok?”
  272. >Her eyes are half open and her head hangs lower than usual
  273. >Twilight [tired]: “I’ll be fine, just a little worn out in the magic department. Thats all.”
  274. >Another cry from behind you as well as the sound of something climbing the rubble reminds you both of the need to get out of here
  275. >Gus leaps over the wall with little easy and waits outside, looking over the ledge at you
  276. >As you begin to climb, you look over your shoulder and see Twilight just standing there
  277. “What are you doing?!”
  278. >Twilight: “Don’t worry... just need a second to charge this spe- WOOO”
  279. >Before she can finish, you grab the purple unicorn by her barrel and throw her to safety
  280. >She lets out an unexpected gasp as she sails over the wall and lands on solid ground
  281. >Just then, the head of a furious, demonic dog appears over the rubble as it tries to pull itself up
  282. >Without hesitating, you rush over and bring a boot into its face
  283. >Naturally, he loses his grip and tumbles back down below
  284. >Just as the echoing sound of its body hitting the bottom reaches you, you are pulling yourself up and out of the palace
  285.  
  286. >This time, Gus is the one to help you up, latching onto your jacket’s sleeve to pull you
  287. >As you get to your feet, you spot Twilight still laying out on the ground, dazed
  288. >She shakes her head a bit before looking up angrily at you
  289. >Twilight: “Why the hay did you do that?!”
  290. “Sorry but I couldn’t risk letting my guide become doggy cho... Speaking of which, we aren’t safe yet”
  291. >Twilight finally gets to her hooves, brushing herself off by flipping her mane and tail
  292. Twilight: “Agreed, but we still haven’t found out the cause of the-”
  293. “Doesn’t matter. Obviously, anyone would be crazy to go into this forest anyways, with all the killer manticores and psychotic diamond dogs. We might as well follow Celestia’s advice and mark this forest as no man’s land”
  294. >Twilight: “But... but-”
  295. “But what?”
  296. >Twilight: “I NEED to know, it’ll drive me insane if I never find out”
  297. “We’ll talk about that later, right now, we need to move”
  298. >Twilight: “Right...”
  299. >And like that, your trio leaves the palace behind, embarking back to Ponyville
  300. >Anywhere was better than this place
  301. >After about 15 minutes of jogging, you all slow down and walk the rest of the way back
  302. >Twilight: “That was weird... They were never that ‘hostile’ before”
  303. “Who?”
  304. >Twilight: “That Diamond Dog, Rover. When we ran into their gang, they were mean and maybe a bit half-brained but never vicious like that. I wonder where the rest of them are”
  305. “They can’t be following us, Gus would have smelled them by now”
  306. >Twilight: “Right... Still, do you think they might be responsible for all this?”
  307.  
  308. “I doubt it. Like I said, hypothermia is something caused by the cold, by nature. Unless they’re able to use magic to summon up a blizzard, that can’t be it”
  309. >Twilight looks back to the ground, obviously frustrated that this whole trip had been for nothing
  310. “Look, is there any good reason a pony should be in the Everfree Forest?”
  311. >Twilight: “Well, I don’t suppose so...”
  312. “Then there is no need for them to be coming in here. We’ll just seal it up”
  313. >Twilight: “What about Zecora? She lives in here”
  314. “I don’t know, move her into Ponyville?”
  315. >Twilight: “What about Fluttershy? She has to make runs into the forest to tend to her animal friends all the time”
  316. “How should I know?”
  317. >Twilight: “No, we just can’t close the door on this case yet...”
  318. “Suit yourself but we’re done for tonight”
  319.  
  320. >The moon is high in the sky by the time you fall into your bed at Twilight’s place
  321. >Twilight also jumps into her respected bed, equally spent
  322. >Spike was already tucked away in his tiny bed, but he had left a note on the table for Twilight
  323. >It said that Applejack had stopped by just after you left and said she wouldn’t need help tomorrow for apple bucking and you would have the day to yourself
  324. >Twilight: “Good thing I’m not doing anything big tomorrow either, *yawn* I might have to pull a Rainbow Dash and sleep all day”
  325. “I would if I could, but tomorrow is when my house is supposed to be finished, right?”
  326. >Twilight sitting up in her bed and looks over at you, scratching her chin with a hoof
  327. >Twilight: “The mayor did say two to three days... We probably should've checked on our way back”
  328. “But then there wouldn’t be a surprise waiting for me tomorrow”
  329. >Twilight: “True, I suppose”
  330. >Twilight’s horn glows and the candle lighting the room goes out as she lays down to pull the covers over her
  331. >Twilight [formal]: “Goodnight, Anon”
  332. “Likewise”
  333. >Just as you’re about to close your eyes, something hops onto the foot of your bed, right next to your feet
  334. >You look down to see Gus, contently curled up like a domesticated house cat
  335. >On the bed
  336. “The nerve...”
  337. >You’re about to shove him off before Twilight speaks up
  338. >Twilight: “Its fine. He’s allowed to sleep there, if it doesn’t bother you I mean...”
  339. >You look from her and back down to Gus
  340. >He was already asleep, a motionless ball of white fluff
  341. >You guess one night wouldn’t hurt
  342. >You sigh heavily before falling back onto your pillow, drifting to sleep
  343. >Little did you know of the wounded creature, broken and defeated, howling solely into the night…
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