The hallway was large, open, and extremely dark. The candles did little to combat the unusual, almost supernatural darkness. Wind Rider looks over at Fire Bolt. “We have to go down there?” he asks, emphasis placed on the word 'there'.
“I believe so. See that sign next to the door?” Fire Bolt asks. Wind Rider focuses his gaze on a sign wit strange looking letters. “What about it?”, he asks.
“It's written in Latin. My Latin is a bit rusty, but I think it says 'torture chambers'. It would probably be the best place to start looking for your friend”, Fire Bolt answers. Wind Rider takes another look down the hallway, and an uneasy feeling begins to brew up inside of him.
“Fine”, he says, “But lets take and inventory check first. You make sure you have everything you need in your satchel, and I'll do the same with mine.”
Fire Bolt nods in agreement and begins sorting the items in her pack. Wind Rider removes his pack from his side and begins to rummage through it. He manages to count up:
1.32 tinderboxes
2.2 sanity potions
3.3 bottles of laudanum
4.1 large oil potion
5.5 small jars of oil
6.his journal
7.some string
8.Stephano
“Okay”, Fire Bolt says. “Ready to go in?”
Wind Rider says, reluctantly, “Yes.”
Slinging the packs over his shoulder, Wind Rider and Fire Bolt head down the hallway. An erie whispering noise emitted form every which way. Puddles of water coming from dripping, rusty pipes in the ceiling dotted the cobblestone floor. After a minute or two, metal bars that served as windows to the torture chambers, each filled with blood.
“Dear Celestia, this place is creepy. If a grunt...” Fire Bolt began.
“Bro”, Wind Rider and Stephano say in unison.
“Whatever. If a grunt comes in front of us, we wont be able to see where we're going. And since when did Stephano talk on his own?” Fire Bolt asks.
“Oh, he started talking to me ever since I found him here. You thought it was me talking to him, didn't you”, Wind Rider asks.
“Well, yeah. It's the only logical explanation...” She begins before being cut off by Stephano.
“Jesus Christ, Fire Bolt, I'm not Wind Rider's puppet!” Stephano yells out of Wind Riders satchel. She gives Wind Rider a look of confusion. “Yeah, he doesn't take things like that to lightly”, Wind Rider whispers.
“Will you two stop talking and let me out? It's getting very stuffy in this pack”, Stephano complains. Wind Rider unhooks the straps and pulls Stephano out before putting him in a pouch on his vest. “Much better”, Stephano says.
“Why do you keep him, exactly?” Fire Bolt asks Wind Rider as the turn a corner and enter a room labeled 'kitchen' in Latin. Wind Rider pulls Stephano out of the pouch and sets him on a table next to a candle. “Once you warm up to him, he's a pretty cool guy to hand around. He just doesn't like you because your new, so he doesn't really know a lot about you. Plus, he's been stuck in this asylum for god knows how long. Give him some time”, Wind Rider says.
“Anyway, we need to continue. This isn't exactly the safest part of the castle to be in. Who knows how many grunts...” Fire Bolt says.
“Bros”, Wind Rider and Stephano say again.
“Fine, BROS, are in this area. It's to dark to see even ten feet in front of us. Let's just get through this place as quick as we can and move on through the asylum”, Fire Bolt finishes.
“Okay then. Let's move on”, Wind Rider says plainly, placing Stephano back in his vest pouch. They leave the kitchen and re-enter the torture chambers. The trio walk down several corridors, the two lanterns actually lighting up quite a bit of space. The whispering noises have been replaced by an eerie, cold silence. Their hoof steps echo through the damp hallways, and Wind Rider keeps looking over his shoulder to make sure no gatherers are following them.
(20 minuets later)
“Wind Rider, take me out of this satchel! It's hot in here”, Complained Stephano. Wind Rider rolls his eyes and removes Wind Rider from the bag before setting him on his head. “Why must you always keep me in that damn satchel?”
“Two reasons”, Fire Bolt said quickly. “One, so he doesn't drop you like he might when you're on his head, and two, because is keeps your mouth shut!”
“What's her problem?” Stephano asks Wind Rider in a barley audible whisper. He just shrugs his shoulders as a response. They all walk in silence for quite some time when they reach a blockage in the tunnel. A note lies next to a candle about three feet away from the rubble.
To whom it may concern,
I have prepared the explosives you needed for clearing the flood drain. I can't stress enough how important it is that the mixture is handled with care. Please try to tell your featherbrained servants this before you go ahead with your plans. The liquids are not by themselves explosive and should be kept separated to avoid further mishaps. I have arranged two large vats in the next room for the ingredients. All you need to do is to mix the liquids and you are ready to go.
Silent Echo
“Okay, so we need to find these ingredients in order to get rid of the debris”, says Wind Rider. “Stephano and I will search for the ingredients, but I need you to look for more oil and such”, he says to Fire Bolt. However, as they turn separate ways to go look for the materials and supplies, a voice says in a clear, serious tone, “You won't get through the grunt's down here without my help.”
Wind Rider and Fire Bolt turn around to see a female pegasus with a black coat and mane with part of the mane covering her right eye.A strip of white runs through her mane and tail, and she has a white lightning bolt for a cutie mark. Her eyes are a soft blue in color. “Who are you?”, Wind Rider cautiously asks the strange pegasus.
She gives him a look that sends cold shivers down his spine. “My name is Silent Echo”, she says.