//------------------------------// // Arriving at Mt. Bedlam // Story: A Rose's Journey // by VioletRose13 //------------------------------// Violet’s hooves ached as she and the group of creatures in front of her trudged up the mountain. Breathing heavily, she asked, “How long have we been climbing now?” “About a few hours. I don’t know, lost track.” Tempest replied. “Ugh, are we there yet?” Discord whined. “The last thirty-seven times you asked that, the answer was ‘NO’!” Snow Diamond yelled. “…This time, it’s actually ‘yes’. We’re here.” The group craned their necks up to see a huge stone temple standing before them, which caused them to let out a collective sigh of relief. “Finally! Let’s find these creatures and get outta—” Gallus exclaimed as he ran towards the temple, only to have his tail tugged on by Snow Diamond. “Wait!” The unicorn said before letting go of the griffon’s tail. “You can’t just barge in like that! You could get seriously hurt!” “What nice pony mean?” Yona asked. “This place is bobby-trapped.” Snow replied. “Uh… what do you mean ‘booby-trapped’?” Ocellus nervously asked. “I mean that this place is filled with them, to keep out any and all intruders.” Snow Diamond explained. “When I first discovered this place, I made the mistake of stepping in the wrong place, and as a result… I ended up getting pelted with different kinds of pie and I had to wash whipped cream, banana peels, and occasional pumpkin seeds out of my mane for a few weeks. And the worst part was that those pies literally exploded right in my face. So I made up my mind to never come back here unless I come prepared.” “Can’t we just fly over?” Silverstream asked. “Nope. The air is filled with invisible triggers that go off with even the slightest movement. So you’re not safe there either.” Snow replied. “Then how are we supposed to get into the temple?” Skystar asked. “That’s the problem… I have no idea.” The rest of the group groaned in frustration. That was until they heard a twig snap from somewhere unknown; they froze. “What was that?” Capper whispered. “Um pardon me for pointing out the somewhat obvious, but… I don’t think we’re alone.” Discord replied. Violet suddenly felt a cold wind touch the nape of her neck; her eyes nervously glanced around to find the source, but there was none. “You shouldn’t be up here.” An unfamiliar voice hissed. “Show yourself.” Celaeno demanded. “Come on out and fight.” Tempest added. “We don’t want any trouble. A pirate invaded their homeland and they need help from this tribe.” Snow Diamond said, trying to reason with the mysterious voice. “…How do I know you’re not lying?” The voice asked. “We don’t help outsiders; it’s not our way.” Discord’s eyes narrowed when he noticed the Hispanic accent; he knew this voice. “Okay, you can stop playing games. Come on out, Babel.” He called out. “BABEL?!” The rest of the group shouted. “You mean ‘Babél’, old friend.” The voice said before a bright flash appeared. Everyone was shocked to see another draconequus standing before them, only this one had pink eyes, the head of a leopard, the tattered wing of a changeling, and the tail of a fox. Discord smugly grinned at the creature as he approached it. “Why hello there.” He said. “Hello, Discord.” The creature replied. “Are you impressed? I think I almost sent a chill or two up your spine back there, if you know what I mean.” “Wait, wait, wait! You KNOW her?!” Smolder yelled. “We used to be friends… somewhat.” Discord answered. “But that all changed when the rebellion started.” “Rebellion?” Capper asked. “Ugh, there’s no time for stories.” The creature, now known as Babél, groaned. “Why are you here? Why have you returned to Bedlam, Discord?” “Because Miss Snow Diamond here said that there was a tribe who can help us defeat a siren that has stolen our magic and invaded our hometown, Ponyville.” Discord replied. “A siren?! I haven’t seen one of those in centuries! I thought they were extinct.” Babél said in surprise. “That’s what I said.” Discord joked. “Yes, siren invaded home. She is under control of mean pirate pony.” Yona chimed in. ‘He’s not mean.’ Snow said to herself with a furrowed brow. “…That’s impossible. Sirens cannot be controlled by a mere pony. Something is VERY wrong here.” Babél said. She looked at the group before her; she sighed. “Come with me. I shall take you all to the Queen.” She said. “The Queen?! You have a queen?” Silverstream exclaimed. “Of course. We also have a king, but he’s… not himself today. Come on.” Babél said before she flew over to the temple. “What about the traps?” Snow Diamond asked worriedly. “Don’t worry, only a draconequus can evade the booby traps we’ve set up. You’ll be safe with me.” Babél replied before everyone reluctantly followed. They made it to the temple, but it had two entrances. “Which way are we supposed to go?” Skystar asked. “We go left; this door leads to the Queen’s chamber.” Babél replied, turning left. Everyone followed her… except for Violet. She heard a faint voice coming from the right tunnel and for some odd reason, she felt the need to follow it. So, with her curiosity kicking in, she went right without anypony or any creature knowing that she was gone. The group continued down the hall until they came across another room that was filled with sheer curtains. “Your Majesty? We have visitors.” Babél said as she bowed her head; she looked at the guests. “What are you waiting for? Bow before her!” “Oh please, Babél! There’s no need for any of that!” An unfamiliar voice said. Discord’s eyes widened at the voice; he hadn’t heard a tone like that in so long. He bowed, everyone else reluctantly followed suit. A pair of blue polka-dot curtains opened to reveal a female draconequus with white hair, blue eyes, a blue jay’s wing, and a blue snake tail. She looked at the group with curious eyes. “Rise, all of you.” She said; everyone rose. “So… why have you brought strangers here, Babél?” “Because their homeland has been taken over by a siren, Your Majesty.” Babél replied. “A siren? I thought there were only three in the world.” The Queen said, scratching her chin. “Oh don’t worry. Princess Twilight took care of them.” Sunset remarked. “Princess… who?” The Queen said before she noticed the colorful coats of the ponies gracing her court; her eyes widened in shock. “PONIES?! Babél, you brought ponies here?!” “We mean you no harm, madam.” Tempest said, stepping forward. “We just need your help.” “How do I know I can trust you?” The Queen asked, giving Tempest a dark glare. “Because they’re my friends and we’re not leaving without some kind of help.” Discord commented, taking a step forward. The draconequus Queen’s eyes widened at the sight of Discord. She approached him and put a claw to his face; her eyes began to water. “D-D-D-Discord…?” She whispered before she burst into laughter with tears streaming down her cheeks; she wrapped her arms around Discord’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Oh, I knew it! I knew you’d come back to me someday! I missed you so much, my little cub!” “Cub?!” Discord exclaimed, prying the elder creature off of him. “What are you talking about? Am I supposed to know you?” “You don’t remember me? It’s me, Echidna … your mother.” The Queen said. “MOTHER?!” The rest of the group screamed with wide eyes. “Yes, mother.” The draconequus, Echidna, sighed; she looked back at Discord. “I didn’t really expect you to remember me; you were just a tiny, fragile cub when you were separated from me and your father.” “Father? …My father is here too?” Discord asked. “Yes, but he hasn’t been feeling too well lately.” Echidna replied. “Now… tell me everything.” She flapped her wings and flew over to a lavish looking armchair in which she sat down; they told her the whole story. “I see.” Echidna said, nodding her head. “Well… if this Jackpot Spade character has a siren working for him, then this pony he’s after must be very important. Where is she anyway?” “Violet? Oh, she’s right…” Sandbar turned his head to where he thought Violet was standing, but he saw nopony behind him; he looked back at his companions. “Uh, guys? She’s not here?” “Violet’s not here?” Snow Diamond asked worriedly. “Why isn’t she here? Where could she be?!” “Oh dear…” Echidna muttered. “I think I have a pretty good idea where your friend might be.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As she wandered through the darkly lit hallway all by herself, Violet couldn’t help but feel as though she were being watched. She felt a cold gust of wind go up her back, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. “H-hello?” She nervously called out. “Is anyone there?” Nothing but a foreboding echo answered her. She gulped. She took a deep breath and continued down the dark path. Pillars of rock separated her from a rushing stream. Rustling came from behind her, the noise echoing over the flowing water. She quickly snapped back. Still nothing. ‘Keep it together, Vi. You’re just imagining things.’ Violet shook her head slightly and continued on as the passageway began to turn slightly to the right. The cascading noise of rushing water intensified as she approached what awaited her below. The antechamber opened up to what looked like a massive throne room, rays of clouded sunlight coming in through a porthole embedded into the ceiling. She gazed around at the ancient brick walls that seemed to be shadowed by humongous stalactites, looming over a rushing stream that flowed around the central platform. ‘What is this place?’ Making her way across a worn stone bridge that extended onto the platform, she examined the various marking across the walls. From what she could tell, they were depicting a battle of sorts, a great many years of war, and a large figure that was long since faded. There appeared to be writing that accompanied the pictures, written in a language that was completely foreign to her. She made her way to the center of the room and discovered piles of different and somewhat random things. One of them was a cowbell; she picked it up with her hoof and examined it curiously. She suddenly felt another cold wind brush up against her neck; she froze and dropped the bell, causing it to emit a loud clang when it made context with the stone floor. “You, pony.” A deep, unfamiliar voice said. Violet slowly turned around and looked up at a huge figure that was completely shadowed by the darkness it was sitting in; she figured the voice came from there. “Do you come from the east, the west? What part of the world?” The voice asked; no answer. “Where are you from, little filly?” “I um… I’m from down south, in Equestria.” Violet reluctantly answered. “Equestria? Never heard of it.” The voice replied. “So tell me. Have you ever had a taste of any choco-berries down in this ‘Equestria’?” “…No, I don’t think so.” “Well, you don’t know what you’re missing. Choco-berries are probably the greatest confectionery creation this world has ever seen. Try some.” Something was gently tossed Violet’s way; she looked and saw that a small cardboard box was lying at her hooves. She picked it up and opened it to see different kinds of berries covered in different kinds of chocolate. “Go ahead, have some.” The voice insisted. As hesitant as she was, Violet took a berry out and took a small bite out of it. She nodded. “It’s good.” She said. “You know who I am?” “…No.” “I am the King of the Draconequui.” Violet’s eyes widened and she took a step back in surprise as the figure slowly moved into the pale light. The face of a male draconequus with graying hair, red eyes, and a red tail appeared. “Call me Typhon.”