“Hiya!” Korsan roared, chopping through a section of thick vines with his sword.
The green wall of vines flopped onto the rocky slope, revealing the volcano temple behind them. The crew gasped, overtaken by the sheer height of the temple structure. Massive spiral pillars extended from the ground into the black heavens above. The temple had millions of details and etchings sprawled across its massive height, mostly now coated in a radiant cyan moss.
“Do you think this is where it’s at?” Isyan asked, dumbfounded.
“…” Korsan was too shocked to respond.
“Korsan?”
“Look,” the captain quietly commanded in his long moment of awe. “Look at the details of this wondrous piece of architecture. The angles, the scales, the arches, the balances, the-the everything. Everything fits together so wondrously for such a giant building, built by ancients with little more than a hammer and chisel. It’s perfect. I have so many questions, so many theories, it may require a lifetime just to study this alone.”
The captain then glanced ahead of them and saw the front wall of the temple. He noticed how it had a large set of circular symbols around the center of a section between two pillars.
“This way!” Korsan commanded.
He giddily ran over to the peculiar wall. Ha ran his claws across the large symbols, trying to find something.
“Where are we going? It’s a wall.” Isyan said.
“It’s the front entrance, tightly sealed.”
“And how do you know?”
Carefully, Korsan started to push against the circles of the wall. Much to the crew’s surprise, the circular stones in the wall begun to move.
“I recognize this gimmick. They’re like tumblers to safe.” Korsan stated.
He pressed one of his ears to the overgrown door and listens intently while he turned the massive stone rings around each other.
“It appears that all ten of these things have to align at once for this to even sound out. But there may be a loophole if I can feel the right frequency in my hooves. Now, come on, wall…”
As Korsan continued to work the wall, small talk took place between the onlooking ponies.
“I wonder what those ponies that lived here ate.” Applejack asked one of the nearby pirates.
“Judging by the pots, plates, and whatever’s left of those crops we saw on the way, I’d say they ate corn, grains, fruits, smaller vegetables, and honey.” Yin replied.
“Notable thing about the honey,” Korsan loudly added. “If you’re hungry, you can heat it up and eat it right out of the pot.”
“Ewww, that doesn’t sound good at all,” Applebloom groaned.
“Actually, it should still be pretty fresh.” Korsan said.
“I’ll pass.” Applebloom said.
“Applejack?!” Rainbow Dash called out from behind.
Applejack responded, “What is it, Rainbow?”
“What are you doing joining his side?” Dash hissed.
“I’m becomin’ an alicorn.”
“Did you drink seawater?”
“Look, if Korsan’s findin’ a way to make himself an alicorn to use magic, I might as well join along and get some benefit from this losin’ fight.”
“Really, you’ll turn your back to Equestria and let this villain destroy us all?”
“I’m trying to convince him out of it,” Rarity quietly countered.
“That sounds fine enough with me.” Applejack said.
Dash merely scoffed in response to Applejack’s reply. She tried turning herself way from them, only to move an inch around.
“…Wait,” Applebloom nervously asked her older sister. “So, are we teaming up with the villains?”
“No lil’ sis. We aren’t.” Applejack said.
“Then why are we with Korsan? Isn’t he a bad pony?” Applebloom asked.
“No, well, yes, it’s, it’s complicated.”
“I’m confused.”
“How about you play with somepony, except the two similar yellow stallions?” Rarity suggested to Applebloom.
“They all look pretty scary,”
“They’re not too bad once you get to know them.” Rarity reassured her.
“I’ll… try...”
Cautiously, the filly wandered into the herd of pirates, looking around for the least threatening face to talk to.
“So, Applejack, what convinced you to join?” Rarity asked.
Applejack answered, “I thought about what Korsan said, and he’s… got a point. Unicorns and alicorns are better at doing what they do. I figure I could better protect my folk with this venture.”
“That’s not entirely true, I mean, you’re a pretty good pony,” Rarity replied.
“Not good enough though.”
“Well, that’s a very crude way of putting it. I mean, you shouldn’t be putting yourself down like that.”
“What caused you to join?”
Rarity hesitantly answered, “To be honest, I’m not really sure. I guess the main reason is that I sort of want to see Korsan get to this goal of his, without any negative repercussions of course. I’ve seen him work so hard for it after so many struggles-”
“And murders!” Dash interrupted.
“-An issue that’s being worked on, Dash, relax. But anyways, I do pity him.” Rarity replied.
“Pity my flank! Let me down!” Dash demanded, wriggling around in her spot.
“We can’t now.”
“Bah!”
“Huh,” Applejack quietly sighed.
Back at the front of the temple, Isyan approached his cousin, Korsan. He had something on his mind, and spoke with Korsan.
“Excuse me,” Isyan said.
“No please,” Korsan mockingly responded. “Just start yelling at me. You’re clearly far above that and not minding that I’m busy.”
“Oh please, I don’t just scream.”
“Even Juliana knows that you constantly scream. Isn’t that right, Missy?”
Juliana responded with a chipper screech.
“Exactly,” Korsan nodded.
“Besides that, there are more important matters at hoof.” Isyan said.
“In a minute,” Korsan dismissed him.
“I don’t like how you’re keeping the mares’ from Twilight’s team together and unmonitored.”
“Pop quiz, define ‘in-a-minute’,”
“Really, they could attack you at any moment.”
“Hey, hey, I’m the captain, you’re the boatswain. I’ll take care of bodies, you take care of wood,-”
A loud rupture then sounded off. The large stone rings retreated back into the structure. The wall was then pulled to the side by an unseen set of pulleys and rope, exposing the interior to the outside world.
“There we go.” Korsan declared.
“You are so full of yourself at times.”
“And you aren’t? Onward, fellow boucaniers!”
Sharp on command and lead by Korsan, the crew promptly walked into the dark entrance of the temple, entering a hallway with an unseen end. Mindful not to trip on anything, the pirates made slow progress as they travel inward. The further they traveled, the further they retreated from the moon’s light. After just three minutes of walking, the long hallway turned pitch black.
“Are we they yet?” Maria asked.
“This might be a trap.” Yin said.
“Quit shoving!” Yu barked to his unseen hustlers.
“I can’t see, Jack.” One of the pirates grumbled as he aimlessly stumbles in the void. “Oh wait, there he is.”
“Hey, that’s my private part!” The aforementioned Jack immediately yelled.
“We need a light.” Rarity said to Korsan.
“Quite,” Korsan replied. “I’m getting sick of this whining. There should be a torch somewhere,”
Reaching a hoof upwards, Korsan grabbed what felt like a wooden stick and pulled it down. A small cloud of dust and ash poured on the others. Rarity sneezed.
“Excuse me.” Rarity said.
“My apologies,”
Korsan held the upward end of the wood to his nose, sniffing it.
“It still has some fuel in it.” Korsan said.
Carefully, Korsan moved his front hooves away from his face with the torch in his left claw. He held his free claw over the top end and snapped his metal fingers. A small spark hopped from the grinding metal and into the torch. It ignited the torch immediately, burning Korsan’s hoof a little. He yelped and pull his burnt hoof back.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s just a burn. At least we have light.” Korsan declared. “Carry on.”
With the burning torch now illuminating the walls of the corridor, the crew pressed onwards, having stopped their previous complaining. With their forward pace unhindered, Korsan and the rest looked at their surroundings freely. To their sides were massive paintings and etchings on the stone and pillars that stood along the walls. It surprised the travelers especially as to how well preserved the art was and the amount of detail in each one.
“It truly is interesting, these walls. Despite probably the worst water damage, this temple stays perfectly pristine. That gate had to be pretty tight in order for this to still be around for thousands of years.” Korsan said.
“Good thing,” Rarity added. “These all look so beautiful.”
“I could try my hoof and interpret some of these. I memorized that translator book front to back now.”
“Sure.”
“Let’s see…”
Korsan looked over to the right wall and analyzed the painting. The mural showed six ponies, three stallions and three mares, all finely dressed in royal garments, sitting at a round wooden table with symbols surrounding the background.
He read the text, “To thy great kings of queens, we blessed thou many, for keeping order and strength throughout our lands three. With your children be blessed thou four, as they take the mantle and secure thy thrones three. May love fall either between them, or by us noble citizens. Yet rumours be told, told by the many, that struggle for harmony and power has corrupted thee six. Have thou turned all into shadows of themselves, bickering to each other and planning schemes of dark forces. We pray not. Let these rumours be nothing else but gossip, and give prosperity to all the same thy fathering generations as centuries ago.”
“What does that mean?” Applebloom asked out loud.
“Yeah, I’m a bit lost.” Yu added.
Korsan explained, “That mural right there is probably a tribute to a generation of kings and queens that ruled this island. Sounds like they were having a bit of a scuffle though anyways while their children were going to be coronated at a relatively similar time.”
“Why?” Applejack questioned the captain, curious as well.
“Who knows? Conflict of interests, desire for power, wealth, greater fame, tough times, could be multiple reasons.” Korsan said.
“Hey, what about that one up ahead?” Rarity asked, pointing to another mural.
“Huh?”
As the group walked past the first fresco, they came across a solid, bright red wall with black writing and glyphs all over it.
“That’s a bit off-putting.” Korsan commented.
“What does it say?” Rarity asked.
“Well, let’s see, one sec…”
“…” The group turned deadly silent, waiting for their guide to read.
“Be warned by all who hath intruded this sacred temple. For many an ill heart and mind seek the Fountain of Balance’s power to bring envy and wrath upon thy neighbor and countries, it has been secured in the heart of this temple of earth, metal, magic, might, Take heed to thy mind, for the winds of death and destruction of the soul. To heed to thy body, for toothed spikes and impenetrable liquid and boiling stone and iron, all to pierce and melt and destroy thee. And most important, for what portion of thou shalt be altered and bent, be your fate and destiny. For you may avoid these defenses and tricks, once you reach the Fountain, you’ll never go back. Turn back now, or suffer a grim turn, sooner is better, later is never.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“The Fountain of Balance? Is that where the power of Alicorn Island is?” Korsan asked.
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Rarity asked back.
“Don’t worry. I’ve dealt with much worse than anything simple tools can build. Hold my torch.”
Rarity grabbed the lit wand from Korsan with her magic and hovered it a bit further ahead. Korsan pulled out his two cutlasses and crosses them over his chest in a defensive position.
“Lentement, onwards,” He suavely said.
Slowly, the crew continued on forward, looking out for any traps on the floors, walls, or ceiling.
“What was it that we were looking out for again? Just a reminder,” Yu asked.
“Spikes, thick water, lava, poisonous gas, some sort of gas, and one more thing, what was it…”
Suddenly, the stone floor beneath Korsan, Rarity, Applejack, and Applebloom was swept out from under them. The four ponies immediately dropped down into a massive dark hole. They grabbed onto each other as they plummeted down. Korsan acted quickly and stabbed his swords into the hallway floor, anchoring himself as well as the rest of the mares attached to him.
“Trap tiles! That was it!” Korsan groaned.
The stone floor slowly returned back from slightly ahead in the hallway. Korsan tried to pull himself and the others up, but as hard as he tries, the heavy floor was too fast. It shifted back and covered the hole, crushing the captain’s hooves. The stallion roared in pain as he released swords above and fell down into the black with the mares, all screaming in terror of what awaited them.