Lingering Chaos

by nightelf37

Old Place, New Team, No Elements, All Unicorns

The party found themselves back on the path and started walking down it. There was nonsense and chaos all around, some enduing giggles, some horrifying them. However, of everything they see, there wasn't really any threat. Everything seemed to just ignore them and wander around aimlessly.

Ashen spent most of the time mulling things over in her head, not paying much attention to the oddities around her. They left her be, so she had no quarrel with them. I've failed…How could I let it be damaged? Why didn't I think of that when I jumped? Mother would hate me for letting it come to this.

After about an hour and a half, they managed to reach a landmark. Great, ancient ruins from the ancient kingdom that used to stand in this forest. This was the home of the artifacts known as The Elements of Harmony, for 1000 years. But now it was anything but harmonious. The bridge connecting the two sides of the cliff was broken, but all the boards were somehow levitating in mid-air, making floating, wooden, stepping stones in place of the bridge.

The ruins themselves seemed to be messed up as well. With random bricks floating around, the structure probably would have collapsed looking like this if it weren't for the "look blocks" suspended in their own space. Furthermore, through the cracks, they can see a dim red light. And a figure pacing around the room.

"Well ladies, Tango. I believe this is the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters," Mystic said. He and Tricky Books had once read the book while checking out the library. He also remembered that the latter inquired to Twilight Sparkle about the outdated info (which had thankfully been updated).

"Yes, it probably is," agreed Ashen, her eyes having dried by then from crying. "Can't say I blame them for abandoning it. It must be even worse without this madness consuming it."

Tango nodded politely, though he didn't seem to actually understand.

Ashen examined the other side of the cliff and stated her finding matter-of-factly as she processed them. "Single approach, levitating planks for a bridge, lots of hiding places at the other side...if my nose wasn't being drowned in the scent of candy cane, I'd say this reeks of a trap."

"No sane pony would go to this place voluntarily," Crinoline whispered to the others as her eyes darted about for alternate entrances. "We should be careful."

As the group approached the ruins and noticed the figure inside, Tango blithely trotted past the others and furnished whoever is inside with his friendliest "Hello there!" The figure glanced around, maybe trying to find the source of the voice but passed it off as just the chaos getting to him and returned to whatever it was he was doing. There were withered and dry trees sprouting all around the ruins, two or three actually growing inside it, each growing random objects on them, ranging from rocks to bugs to smaller trees.

"Look before you leap, Tango. Or didn't any of your siblings tell you this?" Ashen asked with a tone as dry as the Appeloosan desert as the aura of her magic enveloped the black stallion's crimson tail. She stopped him before moving past him to the beginning of the bridge herself and looked back to the other side, blocking his way. "Whoever that might be, friend or foe, doesn't matter much. Our first challenge would be to cross these..." She tapped the closest board to see if it'll move. "...without them deciding to drop us to our deaths."

Turning back around to face the rest, the mare continued. "Normally, in such cases the lightest would be asked to go first." She threw a glance at Crinoline for a moment before looking back at the bridge. "But that won't do here since there are no ropes holding up the planks. And the fact that Miss Crinoline would accuse me of bias towards her if I'd ask her to risk going first. So I'll go first myself. What do I have to lose anyway?" She put her hoof down on the first floating board.

The board wobbled a bit as Ashen stepped onto it, but not enough to flip. They seemed to be able to hold her weight easily and probably heavier ponies as well. With a few more steps and maybe a hop or two, Ashen made it to the far side safely.

Mystic Shield agreed with Ashen about the prospects of a trap in the area, but he felt like there was no other choice but to cross the bridge. It was unfortunate there were no pegasi (or even griffons) in this party; just four unicorns. I wish I was able to contact Skyla, but I was advised against calling anybody else.

He considered conjuring panel barriers at their feet to serve as steps, but he wasn't too confident on them being able to maintain his weight. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious…

"I'm next," he said as he stepped forward, in the process conjuring a panel barrier just below the floating board. He would repeat this process with the rest of the boards as he crossed.

Just after crossing the bridge safely, shortly joining Ashen, Mystic said, "Well that was—" before cutting himself off. "Whoops."

Tango resumed his position in the back of the group as Ashen chastised him, relieved to once more be following direct orders.

"After you, little miss," he said to Crinoline, intending to go last if by chance his heavy frame might prove to be too much for the bridge.

"I guess it is my turn now." Mot wanting to die plummeting to her death, she decided to remove the two decorative silk straps she had on her dress and use them as a makeshift rope, which reached about 9 meters long. She secured it on herself and gave the other end to Tango. "Tango, when I am on the other side, I will look for something to secure it so you can cross safely." She turned and stepped onto the first board. Careful, she waited before moving on to the second, calmly moving to the other side.

She moved across fine, slipping off the last one but managing to reach the cliff-side anyways.

Standing rigidly with one end of Crinoline's cloth wrapped around his hoof until she made it safely across, Tango fearlessly followed suit to join his companions. However, if Crinoline couldn't find a place to tie the rope, Tango would release his end; if he was going to fall, he wasn't going to take the little miss with him. Thankfully for him, she found one and tied her end firmly on one of the two posts planted in the ground that once held this bridge up.

Rejoining his comrades and seeing no plan of action immediately forecoming, Tango hesitantly spoke up. "Maybe I could go ahead and see if there's anything dangerous?" he offered. "My reflexes are mainly what I'm good for."

"I disagree," Mystic Shield said. "Unless you know a spell that can help you do that while keeping yourself safe at the same time," Like a magical clone spell. "We're going in together." He then turned to Ashen. "Unless you have a different plan." He also gazed at Crinoline, just to silently inform her that he'll listen to her opinion as well.

"I'd say we move from cover to cover," Ashen suggested. "If possible, in two stages with you and Mister Tango first, and then me and Miss Crinoline behind you two since you're better close range fighters. Doing so would spread us out, but would make it easier to approach unseen; if we are attacked, then we'd already be somewhat protected behind cover."

"I'm with Miss Ashen on this one." Mystic turned to the others to hear their opinion.

"Alright, then. Will do," Tango agreed simply, moving cheerfully onwards as if expecting Mystic to be right behind him. Thankfully, his hoofsteps were quiet.

Mystic Shield followed Tango's footsteps, treading carefully as well, his eyes focused on any pebbles he may kick or twigs he may snap—as well as Tango to make sure he doesn't get them into trouble. He's no Pinkie Pie, that I know for certain.

Crinoline gave a quick nod before she took her place next to Ashen. With her magic, she recollected and put the silk straps onto her dress again.

Tango and Mystic managed to get behind some trees and peered inside. There seemed to be an invisible barrier that objects can pass through but the chaos cannot. From this point, the two can see through the two grand doors and inside the ruins, where they saw a unicorn covered from head to hoof in chain mail and leather and wearing a brilliantly shining ruby on a necklace. Staring at the gemstone gave them mysterious chills and a general sense of uneasiness.

The center of the room where the Elements of Harmony once stood now held a large round table with pretty much everything needed to live in the forest for a month or two. There was a smoldering pile of ash and logs that was recently a fire. Other than that, it was very plain and clean.

"Can't we just go say hello, Mystic?" Tango murmured to his partner at length. "Don't seem to be much else to see."

Feeling he couldn't convince him otherwise, he said, "Be my guest."

Breaking cover at Mystic's agreement, Tango directly approached the unicorn with overflowing affability shining through his demeanor. "Hello, sir! How are you doing today? My name is Tango and I'm running an errand in this forest. Awfully interesting forest, isn't it? Do you live here?"

The pony whipped around. "No no! no!! NO!! NO!!!" he cried out. The ruby glowed and sparked for a second before sending red arcs of electricity through Tango and into several of the trees around, setting them ablaze quickly. Red hot fire stretching into the air, Ashen was obviously being very triggered by this. The tree that Mystic was under was the most fiery.

E - enemy

Following the others as they'd agreed to, Ashen can't help but sigh after Tango was struck by red lightning. "Everypony's mad here, aren't they?" she asked to nobody in particular as she moved to the opposite side of the passageway the shocked stallion was at.

Seeing the burning foliage, the first thought to run through her mind was Not again though it was followed by another; to fight fire with fire. Repeating her plan from last time, Ashen started pulling down the blazing branches but without a river to toss them into she instead threw them inside the dome in the general direction of the crazed unicorn.

As she started pulling down branches and throwing them, she realized that the fire was much too out-of-control for her to stop it without de-rooting the trees. She managed to throw five and hit him with two, but three missed.

Mystic Shield ran up to Tango's side, fired on the enemy with a magic shot spell, then said to Ashen Rise, "By Luna, you're right about that." His shot unfortunately missed, knocking a few bricks out of the far wall behind their foe, who drew a sword and ran up to him, slashing his chest with it.

Tango righted himself with a handsome roll and continued to address the now-flaming pony in a hopeful and friendly manner. "If it's not too much trouble, sir, could you stop attacking us and maybe we could help you stop being on fire and then talk about things a little?" Tango proposed generously to the raving, burning pony. "Waltz says ponies ought to try to talk out their disagreements first."

Tango's proposition would probably calm an angry mother bear. Unfortunately, this was no mother bear. It seems like they will have to "calm him down" with force.

"Unforgivable!" Crinoline screeched, having been shaken by the sudden hostility. Her motions were quick but precise as she sidestepped to the right to let fly with a storm of throwing needles (just five) at the attacker. The first two of them whizzed past him, and the other three jabbed into him, one embedding itself into his armor.

Unfortunately for Ashen, the nearby trees have already caught fire and were up in smoke. She did manage to get more flaming sticks on the battlefield though as a few fires burned out.

"Dammit!" cursed Mystic as he backed away from their foe and under the flaming tree. He then shot a blast of magic at their attacker (which struck head-on), formed a barrier to Tango's left, and said, "Crinoline, my shield won't stop your needles! Tango, get away or get in if you won't fight! You can duck from her needles."

As the fire on the attacker's coat finally burned out, he downed a drink, ran back to his table to grab a whistle, and blew on it hard. There was a ringing left in the group's ears, but nothing else happened.

"Oh great," groaned Mystic as he saw their foe quaff the potion, which seemed to heal injuries. "How did I not realize this?" There was also the fact that he had backed up against a flaming tree. He could feel the heat of the intense flames on his flank, but it wasn't hot enough to burn him.

Not sure what else to do and torn between the order to stand back and his desire to help in some fashion, Tango looked for the heftiest object in reach he might manage to lift so he might toss it on top of the crazed pony. He pulled a loose chunk of bricks out of the wall and hurled them at the crazed pony. They cracked and fell apart on his back.

Crinoline rushed the ruffian, pulling out the dagger hidden in the handle of her umbrella, and stabbed him repeatedly, following his every step. "Hah!" she exhaled heavily every time the blade sank deep into her foe, which was three times.

Damn, that must've been a call for back-up. Ashen thought to herself as the ringing in her ears lessened. "Keep an eye out, that could've been a call for assistance."

She took notice of Crinoline practically diving into close-combat with a hidden blade, making the smaller mare seem even more suspicious to her. After all, who would have need of throwing needles and a hidden dagger?

Putting those thoughts aside for now, Ashen looked around outside to see if anything was reacting to the sound the whistle made before she tried to snatch it away from their opponent with her telekinesis, as well as his cloak if possible. She was able to yank the whistle out of his mouth mid-blow, but the ringing in her ears prevented her from doing more.

Mystic sidestepped to the left, fired the magic at the enemy, and the shot exploded on his flank. Being knocked off balance a bit, he still made a mad dash for the hole in the wall.

Tango dashed headlong after the enemy with the single-minded goal of tackling him to the ground. He didn't know what he would do after that, but it beat just standing around uselessly. He managed to catch him, pulling him to the ground. The two skid across the ground, coming to a stop about a meter away.

"Oh no, you won't get away!" Crinoline shouted, drawing one of her throwing needles to use on him, but put it right back the second Tango tripped the attacker. She instead decided to use the two silk straps of her dress to tie him up.