Descent (Gilda/Anon) - Part 1

>When Twilight approached you about investigating some pre-pony ruins in Griffon territory, you had been a little skeptical.  You were no scholar when it came to early Equestrian architecture, but the purple mare had insisted and you soon relented.  From her description, something had created an underground city with a vast network of interconnecting caves.  Considering the amount of effort that would have taken, you were interested to see this lost city.
>Upon arriving at the site, you were greeted by a Griffon delegation, who would accompany you throughout your explorations.  As it was found on their land, it seemed understandable that they would be as curious as the ponies.  It just so happened that Gilda was in that delegation, though she paid no attention to you at the time.
>Twilight, along with several other ponies from across Equestria, began to examine, note and discuss what remained of the underground city.  You had been on the site for a few days when Twilight approached you, excitement evident on her face.
>“Anonymous, I’ve found something unusual, I’d like to get your perspective on it.”
>She led you down into the depths of the caves, her horn lighting the way.  After a good ten minutes of walking, the hall opened up into a ten by ten room.  In the center sat a stone altar, raised carvings going along the entire length of it.  Twilight pulled you to the back wall, and the closed her eyes, the purple glow intensifying as she focused, shedding light onto the wall.
>“Anonymous, tell me what you see.”

“Carvings.”
>She giggled a little at that, then nodded her head.  You turned back to the wall and ran your fingers along it, looking closer.  As the light grew, you began to notice something strange about the art.
“The art features humans.”
>“Very prominently across the entire wall.  Anonymous, I believe that this city may have been made by humans, or another species which had close ties to them at least.  It could be that this room holds the secret to open a way for you to go home.”
>You turn to her.  She’s smiling again, the glow fading a little as she turns back to face the altar.
>“There are remnants of ancient, powerful magic still lingering in the air, especially around this stone slab.  I believe that many of our questions will be answered if we can unlock its secrets.”
>That evening, Twilight had informed the Griffon delegates about her discovery and requested communications be opened between the Griffons and Canterlot, to allow excavation and long-term study of the ruins to begin.
>“It won’t be quick, but at least you have some hope of getting home now.”
>To say that it was one of the greatest moments since you arrived in Equestria would be an understatement.  Unfortunately, it was quickly followed by several not-so-great moments.  The day after Twilight’s announcement, Gilda began following you everywhere she went.  She was subtle at first, keeping to corners and shadows, but eventually you called her out on it.  Big mistake.
>
“Good morning, Gilda.”
>“Morning, Baboon Butt, mind telling me where we’re headed to today?”
>You sigh at the new nickname.  She seemed to have a new one every time she opened her beak.

“I was going down to the altar room again to get a few etchings of the slab and take a closer look at the carvings in the wall.”
>“You and that room.  You’ve spent half your days down there, but you haven’t made any progress.  You’re not going to find an answer, so just leave it to the eggheads to figure out.”
“Gilda, this is a chance for me to go home.  If I can do anything to help move along this discovery, then you can bet that I’m going to do it.”
>Your griffon shadow huffs a little, rolling her eyes, but falls in step behind you.  She moves with a cat-like grace, which is hardly surprising considering she is part feline.  Still she maintains an air of superiority, regardless of what she is doing, a kind of confidence and swagger that most of the residents of Equestria lack.
>The trip down to the altar room consists of Gilda stalking you and opening her beak on occasion, just in case you forgot she was there.  Like you could.  As you sit down in front of the altar and pull out a chunk of charcoal and several sheets of paper, Gilda wanders around the room, muttering to herself.  It doesn’t take long before the questions begin again.
>“So what’s the deal with the lighting in here?  You’ve got a handful of carved squares that make it through to the outside, but they’re too small for anything other than light and fresh air.  Seems kind of pointless for all that work.”
>You don’t bother to look up from your project as you respond.
“Where I’m from, early humans placed a significant importance on four days of the year, the equinoxes and the solstices.  If I were to guess, I’d say that’s what some of those are for.”

>“Why?”
>You become aware that Gilda has stopped walking around the room at this point and has focused all of her attention on you.  Feeling that predatory gaze on you causes your brain to freeze for a moment, but you collect yourself and continue.
“Why they regarded the days the way they did, well, I couldn’t tell you, but dozens of cultures all throughout the history of my world built structures to keep track of them.  Some of them are absolutely enormous.  Looking at the way the cuts are spaced, and also the size of the windows, it seems possible that this was a precision time piece for distinct parts of the year.”
>You can feel her breath on the back of your neck now, a thick, hot sensation sliding down under the collar of your shirt.  You give an involuntary shudder and you hear Gilda begin to laugh.
>“I guess I had you pegged wrong, Banana Brain, you might be an egghead after all.  Or some sappy romantic, ick!”
>She makes a sound like she’s choking and you turn back to your work, wishing she would.  Another twenty minutes, and you’re done with the altar.  Turning to the mural, see Gilda has taken to looking at the wall again; you can see her squinting at it from where you’re sitting.
“Something catch your eye?”
>“There’s a lot of violence in these pictures.”
>She gives you a sly smile.
“Kind of makes me wonder if you’re not hiding a wild and dangerous side from everyone, you half-shaved ape.”
>You laugh a little at that.  Sure, humanity as a whole was pretty violent, but you yourself would never think of assaulting something, anything, like the carvings portrayed.  It just wasn’t you.
>You move to the mural and begin to glance over it again.

>As you try to make sense of the drawings, you feel a tremor run through the ground.  Gilda frowns and begins to flap her wings, before seeming to remember that she is underground, not too many places to fly when you’ve got solid stone all around you.
>“Hey, I think it’d be a good idea for us to, y’know, get out of here.  I don’t think I like being down here when things start shaking like that.”
“Seems like we agree on something for once, let’s go find Twilight and the others.”
>You pack up your things and begin to hurry down the tunnel.  The ground quivers again, with greater force this time, knocking you from your feet.  Gilda yanks you up by your arm as she flies past.
>“Let’s go, Monkey Man!”
>Finding your footing proves difficult, leaving you scrambling as Gilda drags you.  Planting your feet for a moment, you’re running.  Tremors begin to come in rapid succession, each one making it difficult to stay standing.  Soon you are on all fours to stay balanced, using your arms to steady yourself as your legs launch you forward.  The earth gives a mighty heave, and you’re floored again, watching as Gilda glances over her shoulder, giving you an apologetic smile as she continues flying.
“Sorry Gangly Gorilla, but I’m not in the mood to die today!”
“Damn it, Gilda!”
>Your entire world shudders as rocks begin to loose themselves from the top of the tunnel.  You scamper for your life, heading back to the altar room, hoping that the open space will give you a better chance to avoid getting crushed.  As you exit the tunnel, debris bursts from the opening and coats you in a layer of rock dust and pebble-sized shrapnel.  Coughing and wheezing you pull yourself to the altar.

>The shaking subsides and you take a moment to breathe, staring out at the tunnel.  You can feel nicks and cuts all over your body from the falling rocks, but nothing seems to be broken.  Thank goodness for the little things.  Several larges chunks of rock had shattered against the floor of the room, but the worst of the tremors seemed to have passed.  After a few moments to prepare yourself, you push yourself to your feet and went back down the tunnel.
>With any luck, you’ll be able to walk out of here without too much trouble.  If not, at least Gilda made it out.  Twilight will insist on coming after you.  It won’t be a long wait.  These thoughts comfort you as you weave through the altered tunnel, taking care not to get yourself stuck in between any of the new rocks along the path.  Pulling yourself up over a large pile, you feel your heart drop.
>The tremors had caused the tunnel to collapse and you’re stuck staring at the wrong side of a wall of rock blocking your path.  Walking up to the barrier, you give one of the rocks an experimental pull.  It dislodges itself with ease, and then you’re scrambling for footing as a multitude of rocks roll down around your legs.  A muffled voice causes you to tense.
>“Ouch!”
“Oh no.”
Turning, towards the sound of the voice, you begin searching, pulling rocks aside and hoping it was just your imagination.  Soon you hear labored breathing, and you can feel your spirits dip again.  Gilda’s head soon comes into view, her pristine white plumage marred by the grit and dust from the tunnel collapse.
>“About time, get me out of here!”

>She glares up at you when you don’t move to assist her.
>“Yo, quit gawking and help me out!”
>That gets your attention.  You squat down, beginning to move the stones away from her.  Soon she has freed one of her front legs and begins to assist you.
>“Get my wings, it feels like they’re about to fall off!”
>You oblige her request, grunting and heaving as you roll the rocks away from her.  Before long, you begin see the brown downy fur covering the tops of her wings and redouble your efforts.  After a few more minutes, Gilda speaks, her voice broken by an occasional heave.
>“Okay, I think I can pull myself out, get back.”
>Gilda grunts and heaves as you take a few steps away.  Her frustration builds as she visibly shifts, and then falls back down into place.  She screams and scrambles again, only to have the results be the same.  As she continues to push and struggle to escape, you approach her again.
“Gilda, maybe we should try and dig you out a little bit more…”
>“Get away from me!”
>She snarls as her eyes light up, livid with a wildness of a feral animal.  You jump back and stumble over a rock, sending you onto your back.  As Gilda continues to struggle, you see some of the stones coming loose, but not much in the way of progress.  Pushing yourself up to your knees, you try again.
“Gilda, please.”
>“This is all your fault, you damn dirty ape!”
“My fault, how is it my fault that the cave collapsed?”
>“You kept coming down here!  You couldn’t leave that room alone and now we’re stuck!”
>A growl builds up in your throat, and you put yourself nose to beak with the griffon.  She jerks back a little, still attempting to free herself, but casting a wary eye in your direction.

“No, Gilda.  You’re stuck.  And if you don’t calm your wild ass down, I’m going to go and leave you here.  Now, are you going to check your attitude, or am I going to have to find a way out on my own?”
>Her struggles slow, until she sighs, glaring down at your hands.
>“All right, but if those filthy opposable thumbs touch me, I’m going to bite them off.”
>You nod, and begin to help her remove the rocks.  Starting from the bottom, the rocks are harder to move, but you see results as the surrounding stones fall away.  It’s a grueling exercise, but eventually Gilda is able to pull herself from the rubble.  She stretches her wings and glares at you.
>“Thanks for the help, but don’t think that I’m forgiving you for getting us in this situation in the first place, you disgusting troglodyte.”
“Of course not, Pecker Face.  Let’s just go back to the altar room and see what we can do.”
>The two of you head back in silence, though you can feel Gilda’s eyes on your body from time to time.  You know you don’t look the best, your clothes are in tatters, and you’re still covered in dust, but it’s not like you brought a change of clothes with you.  The walk drags on even longer now that you have to avoid rocks, but you finally arrive in the altar room.
>A quick glance around reveals that the altar room made it through well enough, a few rocks had been knocked loose from the ceiling, but the slotted holes were still in place, so fresh air wouldn’t be an issue.  Judging from where the light was entering the room, it was getting to be late in the day.  Glancing at Gilda, you sigh.
“So, it’s going to be dark soon.”
>She sneers.
>“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark, primate?”

“Will you cut it out for a second?  All I’m saying is that there’s not going to be enough light to see by once the sun sets.  We should take some time to rest and recover from today, and come up with a plan for tomorrow.”
>Gilda sighs and gives you a small nod.
>“I don’t see what good it’s going to do.  We’ve only found one way in or out of here, and right now that’s blocked by a few hundred thousand boulders.”
“The others will be looking for us before too long, the best thing we can do is sit tight, or try to find our own way back to them.  If there is another way back to the city”
>“Then they can follow our trail when they break through if we haven’t caught up yet.”
“Now you’re getting it!”
>Gilda manages a small smile and then moves towards the altar.  Sitting on one side, she begins to preen herself, trying to get rid of the grit and grime that soiled her plumage and coat.  You move to the other side of the slab and lean against it, staring up at the fading light as it streamed through the small cut in the solid stone.
>Tomorrow would be a new day, you could work with Gilda and find a way out of here, you were sure of it.  Your body aches and begs for rest, though you’re not sure how comfortable the cold stone floor is going to be.  Using your arm as a pillow, you lay down on the ground, staring upwards before closing your eyes.
“Yes.  Tomorrow, everything will be better.”