_____*Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library, two days later, 1:30 PM*_____
Golden watched as Derpy around the library looking for a specific book, Twilight was out at the moment, apparently she went to visit Gwen who got accepted at the Wonderbolts academy, Dark was left to manage the library while she was gone, but had no idea where certain books were, as Twilight had gone and rearranged it without telling her.
The book Derpy was looking for was a history book on the Crystal Empire, she had become very curious after Gwen told her about it, but the book arrived only recently.
Golden couldn't help but chuckle as Derpy searched for the book, it reminded him of someone he met a long time ago.
'Heh.....just like Jinx.' He mumbled.
_____*A long time ago.......Freddy Fazbears.*_____
Golden opened his eyes and looked around, he was inside a large empty room, the floor was checkered and the walls were white with weird black smudges all over it, there was a green and black line going all across the room and there was some loose wiring around, he made an effort to stand up and heard footsteps nearing the room.
When the footsteps reached the doorway, he waited......and waited, but nothing, no one showed up. "What the?" He muttered.
Golden walked towards the doorway and reached out with his abilities, he didn't know what they were, but he knew how to use them, he sensed no one nearby and exited the room, he looked around but saw nothing, but just as he left the room, he felt a powerful force assault his mind, his instincts took hold almost instantly and he unleashed a powerful psychic burst.
Golden felt whatever it was that invaded his mind get repelled, but at the same time, he felt himself being dragged somewhere else. "Oh no." He muttered as he vanished.
_____*some other universe far far away.*_____
Golden screamed and fell to the ground and landed with a audible bang, he must have fallen at least fifty feet.
He mentally groaned and forced himself to sit up, he put his right hand on the back of his head and rubbed it, strangely enough there was no metal, he didn't feel mechanical right now, he checked his arm and saw that there was no sign of wiring or gears, no metal either, he checked himself all over and it was the same, he blinked and put one of his fingers in his mouth, and to his shock, it was fleshy, he also noted that he was without his top hat and bow tie, he was basically a walking talking bear without accessories, this was fine by him, his fur was also a more lightish brown than gold, but it was still slightly gold, if only as a few patches of it here and there.
Golden seemed to have landed on solid rock, he let out a sigh of relief at the luck that his bones weren't broken. 'I must have powerful bones.' He thought to himself.
He then stood up carefully, he blinked again and found himself wobbling a little, he waited a few moments and began to practice breathing, after he got a good system going he stretched and got a better grasp of his surroundings, he seemed to be in a mountainous wasteland area with only towering stalagmites and caves for shade, he saw little plant life in his current area save a few dead bushes, the area he was in now was decently sized and it was surrounded by several narrow pathways, sadly the beating sun combined with the intense heat and Golden's fur made him feel like he was in a sauna.
Golden decided to get moving and chose a random passage to take, as he moved through the passage, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, he kept a careful eye out but soon realized that his powers were gone, he found a small rock formation and decided to test something, he charged up as much of his power that he could and fired it, he found that his powers were weakened severely as the blast only damaged the formation, not destroy it. 'Are these psychic powers?' He wondered.
He signed and continued moving, as he did, he eventually found himself in a wide around surrounded by rock walls with only two exits, the one he came from, and the one off to the side, around the room were two things, a large button in the ground and a lever in the wall behind it. 'Where am I?' He wondered as he wiped his brow.
Golden started walking towards the exit but found his path soon blocked by a large rock wall rising up from the ground, it seemed to be made out of bricks similar to the rocky terrain, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Oh great." He muttered.
A scrap on nearby rocks made Golden flip around, on the rocks were strange creatures riding what seemed to be lizards of some kind, the lizards themselves had long heads with gnashing teeth and had tan scales all over from head to tail, the eyes were a pale green on them all and they each had four powerful but slim legs with razor sharp claws, all five of the riders were wearing tough looking leather armor and they seemed to be very agile as well, just at first glance anyway.
The creatures riding the lizards were also scaled, they had long and strong arms and legs that had claws, their scales were tan as well and they were holding an assortment of weapons, their were a total of ten, five beasts, and five riders.
One of the riders had a spear, another had an axe, two had swords while the fifth had a greatsword, the riders seemed to order the beasts into the small canyon and they all leapt in their own way,
Golden braced himself for battle, but the heat made him slow, he cursed in aggravation at having fur, the five riders then seemed to circle him as best they could.
Golden growled and readied himself to fight, and just as he did, one of the riders charged, Golden dodged out of the way and the rider had its beast leap off the wall and lunge at Golden, who quickly blasted the beast with psychic energy, he managed to drive the beast mad and cause the rider to jump off in the process.
The rider then furiously charged at Golden, swinging its axe angrily at him.
Golden barely managed to dodge as the heat bared down on him, seeing as it wouldn't bother the strange lizard, he quickly tried something, just as the lizard went to swing, Golden grabbed its head, headbutted it and kneed it in the crotch, he then threw it towards the other riders and picked up its axe.
The spear wielding rider charged next, aiming its spear directly at Golden as it ran by, it missed, but only because Golden threw himself to the ground, the rider then turned its beast around and charged again, just as it neared Golden, the bear quickly rolled and dodged the spear.
He now felt the heat taking its toll, he could barely move, and he had to drop the axe just so he could easily get down, so when the rider charged once again, Golden could not move, he simply closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable........it never came.
Golden heard the sound of fighting and opened his eyes, he saw another strange creature fighting off the riders, he growled and forced himself to his feet, the new creature seemed to be a hyena, but without the hunch in its back, it's fur was thick and brown, it had strong arms and legs, it was wielding a halberd in one hand and had a crossbow on its back, Golden quickly grabbed the axe and did what he could to assist.
He saw one of the riders trying to flank the mystery warrior, he quickly hit the rider with a psychic blast and swung the axe at the beast, it dodged, but backed off soon after.
The mystery warrior swung its halberd and knocked the rider off its beast, and quickly spun it around and hit another rider in the face with the shaft of its weapon.
Golden found himself disarmed as he faced off against one of the riders, the rider charged and swung its sword in a flurry of blows, he was unable to dodge, but WAS able to use both of his arms to block most of the damage, he cringed at the pain, but he quickly unleashed the strongest psychic blast he could summon on the rider.
The blast impacted heavily on the lizards chest, tearing its armor apart, it flew back and it dragged across the ground painfully, Golden for his part, was now exhausted, he fell back to the ground and he glanced over at the warrior.
The mystery person, for their part, just finished kicking the last of the riders away, they all started to fall back but one of them spoke, much to Golden's surprise. "This isn't over." Said the rider with the greatsword as it left the area.
Golden watched as the mystery person walked over and extended a hand. "Who are you?" The creature asked with a firm and cautious voice, definitely female in tone.
Golden took the person's hand and got back up, he wouldn't normally talk to strangers like this, but seeing as she saved his life, he would make an exception. "I'm Golden Freddy, just call me Golden." He answered.
The hyena blinked at the name and sighed, she placed her halberd over her shoulder. "Names Ancree, and until we can think up a better name for you Goldilocks.....im going to call you G." She said before walking over and picking up the axe from before.
"You must be new around these parts." Ancree said.
Golden blinked and walked over. "What makes you say that?" He wondered.
Ancree suddenly spun around and held the crossbow at Golden's throat, he raised his hand and did not move. "Three reasons.....one, your a bear, and your kind don't come to this land, two, you have no weapon, everyone carries one around here, three, you let your guard down quickly, people around here are paranoid and will kill you on sight if you make one wrong move." She then pulled the crossbow back and handed Golden the axe. "Now, come on Goldilocks, we need to get out of these canyons before more of those riders come back." She said before walking to the lever.
Golden held the axe for a few moments before walking to the button. "So now what?" He wondered as he walked.
Ancree blinked and held her hand on the lever. "There are some traps up ahead that have you solve a puzzle like this, other than that, you should be fine as long as you can do withstand the heat." She said as she pulled the lever.
Golden was following the hyena's example and stepping on the button, he watched as the rock wall blocking the path lowered completely.
Ancree walked to the wall and Golden followed. "I hope you know where you're going."' He said.
"Of course I do." Ancree replied.
Golden gave her a skeptical glare but decided to simply let her lead the way as he had no way of getting out on his own, he wiped the sweat off of his brow and followed quietly.
____*three minutes later.*_____
Golden and Ancree approached what seemed to be a dead end in one of the narrow paths they took, Golden sighed. "We might as well head on back." He said.
Ancree chuckled and approached a rock wall that was far lower than the others. "What are you talking about?.....boost me up Goldilocks." She said.
Golden approached and saw what she meant, he put both of his hands out low enough for Ancree to step on them. "Alright." He said.
Ancree step on Golden's hand and he raise her as high as he could, she soon lept up and climbed to the top. "Alright, now give me your hand." She said.
Golden stepped back some and quickly jumped up and grabbed Ancree's hand, he almost slipped due to the sweat, but he was able to pull himself up with the hyenas help.
Golden got up and lightly panted. "How are you handling this heat?" He asked.
Ancree handed Golden a small device. "It's a stabilizer, you strap it to your arm and it helps balance the temperature to your current climate." She said before walking. "I'll want that back, you can buy a used one for yourself by trading in that axe." She explained.
Golden nodded and strapped the device to his arm, he almost immediately felt himself cooling off and followed Ancree. "Thanks." He said.
"It's nothing, now come on, you don't want to get stuck in this place." She said as she walked.
The two eventually came to a large crossroads filled with rock formations and dead bushes. "Something tells me that this place used to be different." Golden said.
Ancree nodded as she looked around. "You aren't wrong, seventy years ago this was a thriving city, but a plague struck and the population had to evacuate, earthquakes and land shapers followed leading this place to become the wasteland it is now." She explained.
"What happened to the plague......and what are land shapers?" Golden wondered.
Ancree pointed in a direction and started walking. "The plague was eradicated sixty years ago.......and the land shapers are gigantic worms that literally bring land changes with them, they're extinct now, but they left their mark." She said as she walked.
Golden followed Ancree and as they walked and reached the next area, Golden had another question. "Where are we going anyway?" He wondered.
Ancree pointed at the towering stalagmites in the distance. "There's a city around those things, and on the way should be an old supply station, we can stop there." She said.
Golden nodded. "Alright." He replied.
The area they were in had a puzzle, there was a rock wall preventing them from continuing, there were two levers, a button and a switch.
"Ok, so how do we solve this one?" He asked.
Ancree grumbled and rubbed her eyes, she walked to the center of the room and looked at the switch. "Hit the switch Goldilocks......let's find out what kind it is." She said as she pointed to it.
Golden headed over to the switch and scratched his head, it had no button or lever, and was circular in shape. "How do I activate it?" He asked.
Ancree blinked. "I told you, hit it." She answered.
Golden looked at the switch for a moment and hit it with his axe, it lit up and glowed dark blue for a few moments before reverting back to its normal pale blue color.
Ancree stood on the button and looked at Golden. "I hope you can jump high now." She said.
Golden walked over to the levers, one was in reachable distance, while the other was high up on the wall, he tried to jump, but didn't even make it halfway.
An idea then came to Golden, he pulled and held down the one lever with one hand, and with his psychic powers, he reached out and pulled the lever. "Do whatever it is you need too, and hurry." He said, strained by the exertion of his powers.
Ancree pulled out her crossbow and aimed at the switch, after a few quick moments she fired and hit the switch. "Let's go." She said as the rock wall lowered.
Golden followed the hyena as they entered another narrow pathway, soon after, they exited and came across some smaller versions of the beasts the riders were riding, they seemed to be eating a dead creature. "What are those things anyway?" He asked.
"They are called Fonku, predators of the wastes that have near immunity too heat, they also have paralyzing claws, do not underestimate them." Ancree warned.
Golden nodded and watched as the Fonku ran off after finishing their meal. "And the things riding them?" He asked.
"The Homla, they are the cousins of the Fonku, but are highly intelligent, they rule a good portion of this world, they do not possess the physical strength of their cousins, but are just as deadly all the same." Ancree explained as she continued walking.
Golden followed Ancree as they soon had to climb up a small rock wall, when they reached the top of it, Ancree sighed and looked up. "We better get moving, we don't want to be caught outside when the sun goes down, as dangerous as the Homla are, the nocturnal creatures out here are even deadlier." She warned as she continued moving.
They traveled through the mountainous terrain for a while, completing a few puzzles on the way so they could move forward, eventually, they reached an exit.
Golden hopped down and walked up to Ancree. "So, what do you think?" Ancree wondered as she gestured at the city in the distance.
"It's got it's ups and downs." Golden replied, even though he could just barely make it out.
Ancree looked up and saw that they had some time. "Ok, we've still got some light out, let's get to the supply station." She said as she started walking down a path.
Golden spotted the supply station near a small mountain, he then began to follow Ancree.
They walked for a while, they made a beeline for the supply station while avoiding any Fonku they encountered.
It was almost an hour before they reached the supply station, and when they got inside, Golden was kind of spooked, the place looked as though it had been left to rot for years. "You sure this place is safe?" He wondered.
Ancree nodded as she pulled a large switch down, some of the lights came on. "Yea, I stop by this place whenever I go to that mountain, it's well stocked.......how are your arms?.....I meant to ask a while ago, they can't be alright." She wondered.
Golden looked at his arms and noticed how bad the wounds were. "I guess they are torn up, I didn't really notice once we beat back those riders." He mentioned.
Ancree opened a drawer and pulled something out, she then walked over to Golden. "Seeing as you won't be doing anybody any good, let me patch you up." She said.
Golden chuckled as he allowed her to start applying the bandages and whatever that weird goop was. "Seems like I owe you a lot." He said, while he still didn't trust her, he didn't have much choice.
As she worked Ancree shook her head. "Consider this one your freebie, besides, your young for your kind, you have plenty of time to pay me back." She replied.
As the hours passed by, Ancree had gone up to the roof but hadn't come down for a long time, Golden had gotten worried and headed up.
When he reached the roof, he looked around and saw Ancree sitting and looking out to the wastes. "You should get some rest, we're heading to the city tomorrow and you are gonna need your strength." She said.
Golden walked up and sat next to the hyena. "And you?......what happens if you pass out in the middle of a fight?.....so I'll just say this, I'll get some rest if you do." He asked.
Ancree chuckled and looked up at the moon. "You aren't going to give up on that one are you?" She muttered.
Golden sat there in silence for a few moments before looking at the hyena. "Why are you helping me?......you would have been better off leaving me to die." He pointed out.
Ancree sighed. "I have my own reasons, but if I had to give you any answer, it would be that I refuse to let anyone die if I can save them." She said.
Golden blinked and looked out at the city, he saw lights in various places, he then stood up. "Come on, we should get some rest, this whole thing will have been pointless if one of us dies." He said as he headed inside.
Ancree sat there for a moment or two, she then stood up and followed Golden into the abandoned building.
_____*the next day.*_____
Golden opened his eyes and sat up, he looked around and saw Ancree looking outside from a hole in the wall. "Keep quiet Goldilocks, there's a patrol outside." She whispered.
He quietly stood up and silently walked over to Ancree. "Wait." She said, Golden paused, she then sighed in relief a few moments later. "They left." She whispered.
"Does this mean we can't get to the city?" Golden wondered.
Ancree shook her head. "No, the patrols usually leave for their base near the edge of the wastes, they prefer not to stay in this land longer than they have too." She explained.
Golden looked around and saw that all of the random supplies scattered were missing. "Where is everything?" He asked.
Ancree pointed to the twin backpacks in the corner. "In there, grab one, we need to get moving." She said.
They quickly strapped the backpacks on and left the supply station, and they were now on their way. "What happens now?" He asked.
Ancree wiped some dust from her eyes. "We need to get to the city, it should be a straight shot, assuming we don't run into any Konpa." She seemed to mutter the last part.
Golden however heard what she said, and raised an eyebrow. "What are those?" He wondered.
Ancree kept walking and looked around every now and then. "Large towering beasts that naturally roam the icy tundra far to the west, they are able to turn anything into nutrition, even poison, problem is, some of them migrated here, and became carnivorous, we should be fine though." She replied.
As they walked, Ancree's fears did not come true, as they encountered no Konpa, but eventually.
"Home stretch Goldilocks.....not long now." Ancree said.
Golden however was now more paranoid then ever. "Yea.....don't drop your guard though." He then looked up at the towering stalagmite just above. "How have those rings not crumbled?" He wondered.
Ancree shrugged. "I couldn't tell you, they just do." She answered.
As they approached the city borders however, Ancree spotted something. "Oh no, patrol!" She quickly threw Golden down a nearby pit and jumped down after him.
Golden screamed until he hit the bottom, he groaned and rubbed his head. "What the?....oof!" He let a pained breath as Ancree fell and landed on his back.
"Sorry." She said as she pulled him up.
Golden stood back up with the hyena's help. "You could have gave me more warning." He complained.
Ancree looked up, the pit was quite deep, though not far enough to not be able to see the sky, she watched as the shadows of the riders passed over and she let out a breath. "Alright, we're safe now." She muttered.
Golden looked up and then looked around, seeing only one path forward. "Interesting assessment, but now what?.....I can't see anything in that tunnel." He pointed out cynically.
Ancree sighed and paused for a moment, she then looked at Golden. "Hey, look in your bag, should be a lighter." She said as she started to go through her bag.
Golden looked inside quickly, he then spotted the small contraption and showed it to Ancree. "Here." He said.
Ancree then pulled out a torch and lit it, she gave the lighter back to Golden and strapped her backpack on before picking up the torch. "Shall we?" She said before heading to the tunnel.
They walked through the tunnel, which was just big enough for one person at a time and was going up continuously through a long and winding path, Golden soon spoke up. "What's with this tunnel anyway?" He asked.
"It was probably an old pathway before the earthquakes came." She answered.
Golden didn't bother replying, as he had nothing to say, soon a thought came to his mind. 'Why hasn't she asked me anything yet?' He wondered silently.
Eventually they saw light at the end of the tunnel.....literally, they walked to it and soon they exited, they came out from a random part of a nearby hill, they felt the ground shake and they quickly ran away from it, when they looked back, the exit was caved in. "That was close." Golden commented.
Ancree nodded in agreement. "Well, we're near the city, let's go." She said as she resumed course to the city.
They made their way steadily to the city, me when they arrived, they were relieved, they entered the city through the main gate.
Golden originally thought that they city would be like a crowded mess, but it was actually very lively and clean, people going about their everyday lives, guards making their rounds, shop owners buying and selling, he couldn't help but be impressed.
Ancree tugged on Golden's shoulder. "Come on, we have one last stop to make before we can rest." She said.
Golden nodded and started to follow the hyena as she led him somewhere.
_____*a few minutes later.*_____
Golden stared at the building and blinked, it looked just like a wall, he saw Ancree leaning at the wall waiting for him, so he walked over. "What is this place?" He asked.
Ancree opened a hidden door and let him inside. "It's our headquarters in the city." She said.
Golden stopped and looked at her. "Our?" He asked curiously.
Ancree cleared her throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead, when I say 'our' i mean the group I belong too." She answered.
Golden gestured inside. "You first." He said.
Ancree nodded and walked inside, Golden catiously following.
The inside of the building had a calming atmosphere to it, if it wasn't for the giant war map in the floor, it would practically be a home. "Welcome to hq, don't show or tell anyone where it is, it doesn't exist, you were never here.....understand?" She asked.
Golden nodded. "I get the message, wait......why would you show this to a complete stranger?" He wondered.
Ancree sighed and rubbed her eyes. "This would probably be better if my friend explained this.......JINX!" She called out.
Golden heard clanging in a nearby room and soon enough, he saw what looked like one of the Homla fly out and land on its feet, he was going to ready himself for a fight but Ancree stopped him.
The Homla quickly got to its feet and looked into the room. "Hey come on Jinx, don't be like that, it was just a mistake." The creature pleaded, only to have an axe thrown out the door, it quickly dived out of the way and spotted Ancree.
"Thank the maker!.....you got to help me! ever since you left she's been cranky as hell!" The Homla pleaded.
Ancree shook her head and walked up to the door. "Jinx, it's me." She said calmly.
"Ancree?...oh good, do me a favor and throw Krak back in here." Said a dangerously calm voice.
"Jinx.....don't make me count to three." She patronized, as if talking to a child.
Golden blinked as he watched this happen, he then heard footsteps. "Fine." Said the same person.
From out behind the door, came a strange creature, it was small, about five foot two, it was lightly furred and had two foxlike ears, Golden assumed this was Jinx, he took note that she was the only one wearing clothes, even if it was just a pair of brown pants with a single black glove on a clawlike hand. "You got off easy Krak." She said, revealing slightly sharpened fangs.
Ancree then whistled shortly. "Guys, I want you to meet Golden Freddy, just call him Golden, or Goldilocks, since he doesn't seem to mind it." She said.
Krak, the Homla, walked over and shook his hand. "Good to meet you." 'He' said.
Golden nodded. "Likewise." He replied.
Jinx looked at Golden and sighed. "I hear your the one that's caused that big fuss yesterday." She said.
Golden shrugged. "Not by choice, but I guess so." He answered.
Jinx grinned. "Sweet, we needed someone with a functioning spine." She said as she walked over to the war map.
Ancree walked over to Golden. "Ok, listen, we've been fighting a losing battle against the Homla Empire, they have been sweeping the land spreading worldwide panic, we are trying to stop them." She explained.
Golden suddenly found himself wanting nothing to do with anything, but seeing as this Empire was hunting him for some reason, he had little choice. "Ok, then I assume there are more of you." He assumed, but seeing as they all shook their heads, he sighed. "Fine....." Now, he was going to make a decision which would change everything. "I'll help, but first I need to rest up, because SOMEBODY, decided that it would be fun to push me down a hole." He said, while looking accusingly at Ancree.
"Oops?" The hyena offered.
_____*back at the present.*______
Golden sighed as he found himself missing that world. "Oh well." he muttered.
"What was that Golden?" Derpy asked.
"Nothing, just talking to myself." He answered.
Golden then materialized something, a small pendant with a dragon symbol on it, he clicked a hidden button on it and smiled at the image inside.
It was that of the four of them, him, Ancree, Jinx and Krak, they were all sitting down and they each had beer in their hands. 'Old times.....' He trailed off.
When Derpy went home after finding the book, she read it for a while, but after picking up the kids from school, making and eating dinner, along with everything else that needed done, she went to bed early that day, but she had one question for the animatronic in her head. "Hey Golden, do you think Lyaroa will help get you a body?" She asked quietly.
"I'm not sure." He replied. "She was strange, even when I first found out about her, but nowadays I can't say for sure."
Derpy chuckled briefly. "Maybe, it would be nice though wouldn't It?" She asked as she drifted off to sleep.
Golden nodded. "Yea.......nice." He said quietly.