//------------------------------// // PiT 14: Tussle // Story: Ponies in Tartarus // by ff0000 //------------------------------// “No way,” Spike gasped. His claws clutched the edge of the viewing basin tightly. “I lost my memories? So they really are my friends?” Princess Terranea glanced sideways towards the baby dragon. “That’s right.” He curled his tail up in front and hugged it tightly. “Twilight Sparkle?” He stood still as a statue, transfixed on the six Equestrian ponies. Around him, the guards had set up quite a comfortable viewing area. They had brought in couches, and a wooden table. Colorful fizzy drinks and salty snacks were everywhere. Trash overflowed from the table, dribbling onto the ground. The princess turned her attention back to Fog Lace, one of her soul reapers. “In your professional opinion, was it Sir Spike’s time?” Fog Lace looked down thoughtfully. “Tttaking all the neeew infooormation into account, nnno.” The cloaked pony let out a shrug. “Mmmy bad.” “Try not to let it happen again.” Fog Lace nodded. “Of course. Aaare you going to returrrn the sssoul?” Looking at the image of the group travelling to the next river, Princess Terranea said, “I haven’t decided.” “It wwwouldn’t matter anywwway,” Fog Lace said. “Because the last guardian,” the princess said grimly. “It is a shame they came all this way only to fail. Or will you, Twilight Sparkle?” Her gaze briefly flickered to the massive chamber doors. Waiting beyond that was somepony very troublesome. Unlike the other guardians, this one was unfalteringly serious of preventing any unauthorized entrance. Twilight and the others headed down a set of stairs where the walkways met up with the river again. Everypony was in a bright mood. The lavender unicorn was feeling good because they had almost reached their destination. Only one river left to go. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were especially happy. They still had an emotional high of meeting with each other again as well as having a lovely meal. Pinkie Pie was extremely happy to remember her friends and was bouncing higher than normal with an unflinching smile. The only pony not exuberant was Ferry Merry. In fact, she was looking scared and reluctant to move forward. She shuffled forward, staying close to Fluttershy’s warm flank. A skull mask was still on her face. She thought it was a good way to hide her anxiety. It wouldn’t do if the river guide was worried about the river. As they moved, the temperature cooled down. It was no longer stuffy and humid. The drastic drop in temperature was almost too much for their still damp fur. “So, Ferry Merry,” Twilight said with a bounce in her voice, “what’s the last river?” “Er, well,” the filly said, “you dames should be careful. The last river is the River of Hate. The guardian there has the resolve of cold steel and the violent tendency of heated death. You will have to fight your way past her.” “Alright.” Twilight nodded firmly. How bad could it be? At the very worst, there were six of them and one of the guardian. As they continued on, the sound of water grew ever louder and more violent. The churning waters echoed within the tunnels, creating a roaring cacophony. All of the thrumming noises made it hard to talk, or even think. The downward sloped tunnel ended just ahead. All they could see from the opening was a rigid, pony made bridge, wide enough to fit a channel of water in between two stone walkways on either side. The channel could fit a small fleet of ships and was filled cold, opaque water. The walkways were made with massive stone tiles. Pretty much every tile they could see was cracked in some way. A few were completely destroyed and hazardous to walk on. One thing they noticed was the absolute lack of guardrails. It was like that with the River of Wailing as well. Nothing was put in place to stop somepony from walking off into the abyss. Bronze spider statues were set along the edge though. Their many eyes gazing towards the river in the center. The source of the rumbling din became apparent as the group stepped onto the massive grey bridge. Far below them was a lake or some other body of water. The water was bubbling and frothing with activity. Multiple whirlpools clashed, spitting the lake high into the air in a burst of pressure. Anything that fell down there wouldn’t have a chance at getting back out. They would be instantly dragged under the violent surface. Circular stone pillars held the bridge up high above the swirling waters. Twilight gulped. “Alright, just stay away from the edge,” she pointed out obviously. “I hear you, Sugarcube,” Applejack said. “I’ve seen a class full of hungry fillies at an all you can eat pie buffet behave better than this.” “Stop paying attention to the dismal waters and look around,” Rarity said dreamily. “Look at all those gemstones.” She was right. The area around the bridge was a vast open space. The jagged blue rock retreated far into the distance. Above them was a ceiling filled with shining gemstones, brightly lighting up the area. Pillars valiantly rose out from the waters below dotting the area. Set into every surface of rock were chunks of gold, dazzling gems and a myriad of treasures. This place was almost like a dream. It wasn’t gloomy and run down like the River of Pain. There was no sweltering heat from the River of Fire. The cold loneliness of the River of Wailing was missing. And it lacked the mind destroying properties from the previous river, whatever that was. Everything was full of sparkling glory. “I’ve never seen so many jewels before,” Rarity squealed as her hooves tapped against each other. The other’s agreed with amazed nods. “Well, yeah,” Ferry Merry said. “The majority of the under ponies actually make minerals and metals in Subterrania. Only a few of us work in Lot D.” “I really want to see Subterrania,” Rarity said. “Ooh, yeah! That would be great.” Ferry Merry sidled up to the Equestrian ponies. Her eyes were wide and sparkled from the reflected gems. “You know, I really want to see what’s up there, on the surface.” Twilight chuckled. “I’m sure we can work something out.” “Yeah, no problem, squirt. Once we save Spike, you can come along with us,” said Rainbow Dash as she waved a hoof. A click punctured through the noise in the air, and everypony froze. Ferry Merry nervously backed away to hide behind Fluttershy, who was already all the way in the back. As several more clicking noises happened, the bridge started to rumble. What the ponies couldn’t see was the complicated series of bronze mechanisms located both on and within the pillars the bridge. Heavy gears had started spinning on one of the stone supports, setting in motion an entire segment of bridge. It wasn’t the one the ponies were standing on but the part directly in front of them. The river next to them turned into a waterfall as a segment of bridge started to rotate. The water started to flow out from the channel as the source had been cut off. The floor of the channel was filled with old metal scraps. They weren’t just a random assortment of stuff. Every piece of metal was either some old armor, dented beyond use, or dull weapons. It was as if an army had perished here. Falling water pushed off several of the fringe armors and weapons. The rumbling finally stopped when the segment of bridge was now perpendicular to the normal orientation. A large gap that could not be jumped now kept the ponies from continuing on. Everypony stepped back as a shadow slithered out in front of them. It had just appeared from the edge of the walkway. “It’s the guardian,” Ferry Merry whispered. A shape of a pony formed as the shadow rose from the ground. Each hoof landed on the stone tiles with a powerful impact. The mare’s angry eyes gazed out at the group of intruders. Without any words, the guardian rushed forward. She tackled Twilight squarely in the chest, sending the unicorn flying back. Rainbow Dash managed to catch Twilight. Both of them gently landed on the ground. “Wait a moment here,” Applejack started to say. She couldn’t get out any more words as the guardian leapt towards her. Applejack managed to sidestep away. It was a good thing too as when the guardian landed, the stone tile cracked all the way through from powerful hooves. With a snort, the strong guardian of the River of Hate stood at attention. Her dark purple fur was like a dark spot among this shining cavern. Her mane was long, but the tail was trimmed short. Both had a feral wildness to the way they twisted and spiked. The pattern revealed by them was one of black, shimmering with white reflections. Jagged obsidian, that was the picture shown behind her mane and tail. A set of crossed keys was pictured on her flank, one silver, one gold. Finishing off the guardian’s fierce gaze was a scar across the bridge of her nose on her otherwise uninjured body. “Sticks, h-how you doing?” Ferry Merry said, trying to sound cool and casual. Her voice was a bit too shaky for that though. “Don’t just come here and start attacking us.” Applejack Scowled at the guardian. “Words are meaningless,” the guardian, Sticks, growled. Her voice was scratchy and deep. “If they weren’t, you would have left when you spoke with Cool Cestus. I won’t bother asking you to leave, I’ll make you leave.” “Yeah?” Rainbow Dash said. She leaned forward with one eye opened wider than the other. “How are you supposed to do that? It’s against your rules to hurt any living ponies isn’t it?” Sticks let out a low, rumbling laugh. Though she wasn’t any larger than the other ponies, Sticks felt imposing as she walked around, gazing at each of the intruders in turn. Her powerful aura drove back the ponies. Her words came, low and fierce. “We are not allowed to kill living ponies. The rules are somewhat fuzzier on the subject of me breaking every bone in your stupid bodies and dragging you out.” A wicked grin spread over her face. Rainbow Dash and Applejack immediately lowered in a ready to pounce stance. Their eyes narrowed as they pawed at the ground. A sneer was on Sticks face. She started forward, one step, then two. On the third step, the guardian charged forward. The feisty pegasus did so as well, wings spread out. Sticks widened her eyes. The upper world sure was mysterious to give ponies strange growths on their back. She quickly got over it. Sticks sank into the ground, completely avoiding the dashing pegasus. Applejack landed hard on the shadow. Her hooves felt like they had landed on something soft and fleshy. The shadows swirled around angrily. Sticks burst forth, her front hoof raised. The farm pony contorted in pain as the uppercut connected in her stomach. She was flung backwards from the impact. By that time, Rainbow Dash had returned for another tackle. This time, Stick was still distracted from her attack. She let out a grunt as the pegasus plowed into her back and carried her into the air. Both of them twisted around, struggling while soaring at high speeds. Rainbow Dash swerved around a lot, trying to avoid the guardian’s snapping teeth and hard hooves. It was quickly apparent that Sticks had superior fighting skills. She managed to wrestle the pegasus over to gem studded wall before kicking off, sending her opponent crashing into the rocks. Sticks landed back on the main bridge with a deep thud. Applejack and Twilight both charged in. The three ponies twirled around each other. Sparks streaked through the air, following the unicorn’s horn. Their movements were fast, and their strikes were fierce. Kicks with both hind legs, tackles, stabs with the horn, everything went. “Give her the left,” Pinkie cheered as she mimed the action. “The left. No wait, right. Duck, duck, goose!” Even with both Twilight and Applejack going on the offensive, Sticks was easily beating them back. What the guardian had was training and a desire to fight, both of which was lacking from the Equestrian ponies. Sticks had clean, sharp movements with little waste. Just a tiny opening was enough for her to lunge in for a quick strike. Up on a stone ledge sticking out of the wall, Rainbow Dash shook her head into a recovery. She immediately hopped off with wings stretched out to their fullest. A trail of rainbows lagged after her position. On the bridge below, Sticks had blocked a simultaneous attack from the two upper world ponies. She quickly wrapped her legs around the ponies. Spinning around, both Twilight and Applejack was lifted up, the world passing by in front of their eyes. She let them go, flinging them away. Applejack bounced along the hard stone floor, coming to a stop near the other ponies. Twilight let out a cry as she sailed through the air. She could see the bridge fading away, only to be replaced with the violent whirling waters. She didn’t have a chance to fall though as something blue caught her. “Thanks, Rainbow.” Twilight sounded winded when she spoke. The words had a tough time getting out from her pained chest. “No problem.” A dark look of joy was on Sticks face. She raised a hoof and waved over all the ponies in a taunting manner. “Come on.” There was a loud crash as a chunk of gem filled rock suddenly landed on the place where Sticks was standing. When the dust cloud cleared, the guardian was revealed to have ducked to the side. She was still lying on her stomach, looking around at what happened. Breathing heavily and standing with head tilted forward was Rarity. The glow on her horn faded away, as did the one around the chunk of rock. “Stay away from my friends, you ruffian,” Rarity said. Her normally refined face had a hint of cold anger. A smile was still on Sticks’ face. A shiver worked its way through her body. It was a shake of excitement. Out of all the attacks thus far, that falling rock was the first potentially lethal one thrown. Her toothy smile grew larger. “No,” Sticks said. Ferry Merry took several deep breaths. As the river guide, she felt it was her responsibility to make sure the situation doesn’t escalate any further. Each breath increased her level of courage a tiny bit. Finally, she stepped out in between Sticks and the intruder group. “Sticks.” The filly cleared her throat, getting rid of the silly high pitched tone. “Sticks, why don’t we just stop this? Let these dames through. They need to save their friend. He was kind of, sort of, accidentally killed.” Sticks walked towards the filly. Every step of her hoof seemed to make the bridge tremble. Ferry Merry stood her ground, though an ever increasing amount of sweat was rolling down her face. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both ready to jump in. Ferry waved a hoof, noting for them to back off. Her young eyes stared up at the wild looking guardian. “Showing these ponies all the way here, you are a traitor to Lot D,” Sticks said. “Catch her.” Before anypony could react, Sticks swiped her hoof, sending the small filly flying off the bridge. “Ferry Merry!” everypony called out. Rainbow Dash did her best to live up to her name as she streaked across the bridge. In her rush, she didn’t notice the under pony leaping up to intercept her. The pegasus let out a pained cry as she was spiked down into the stone bridge. Ferry Merry disappeared from view as she went below the level of the bridge. Fluttershy and the others ran to the edge, all with a look of horrified look. Something large and made of bronze swooped out. Flying upwards, they saw that the strange contraption looked like a bird, but one made of metal. It had a basic bird head with sharp beaks. The body was a cage where Ferry Merry was currently residing. The mechanical bird flew through a large metal board attached around its waist. On either end was a rapidly spinning propeller. Its feet were chained together by a dangling metal ball. “Dames,” Ferry shouted, “just get to the princess. I’m sure she’ll agree to see you.” “Okay,” Fluttershy said. “Like I said.” Sticks barreled over, sending knocking Rarity to the ground. “I am stopping you right here.” When the white unicorn landed on the ground, her golden necklace, a heart shaped jewel ruby was set into the gold frame, sprang off. Rarity watched in horror was it twirled through the air. Her horn glowed in a panic. The magic weaved around the necklace, stopping it just before it hit the floor. Loud clicking suddenly filled the area again as the machines within the pillar sprung to life. The portion of bridge that had rotated away started to move back into place. “What?” Sticks asked. Twilight had teleported over to the bridge segment. After poking around for a bit, she had found the mechanism to control the rotation near the center of the segment. It was not exactly hidden, but the small sliding tile wasn’t immediately apparent either. “Come on, let’s go.” The Equestrian ponies hurried away from the violent guardian. As long as they kept moving forward, it would be alright. Their hooves trampled along the ground in a dash to reach the end. At the far side of the bridge stood a magnificent gate, their most definitely not final destination. “Hold it!” Sticks roared. She had not expected all the magic and the flying ponies of the upper world had. “TALOS, all systems active. ξ defense level.” With those words, the entire area suddenly sprang to life. Rubies sticking out of the wall started to shine as if there was a spiraling light within them. Screeching and groaning of metal clashed with the noise of turbulent waters. The bronze spider statues, they weren’t statues at all but more mechanical creations. Whirrings gears were visible through their metallic frame. Ahead of them, the spiders triggered the switch on the bridge, breaking apart every section. Now was a series of platforms running perpendicular to the way they wanted to go. “Quick, how do you control the bridge thing?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Here.” Twilight showed the group what to do. Rainbow Dash saluted. “On it.” Applejack managed to keep the rather slow mechanical spiders away. Her powerful legs could toss them far, even if they were made of metal. One well placed kick sent a spider tumbling into a group, knocking all of them off into the water. Rarity tried to put her necklace back on. That was when she discovered that the clasp had broken in the fall. She held the necklace out in front of her, looking at it sadly. “Twilight dear,” Rarity said. “Yes?” Twilight grunted as she blasted away a metal birdcage bird. “Would you mind holding this for me? I don’t want it to get lost.” She held up the necklace set with a heart shaped ruby. The other unicorn nodded. She gently used magic to place the necklace within her saddlebags. “Hey!” Rainbow Dash called out. “Get ready for more incoming.” Without looking, she swerved out of the way of an birdcage trying to eat her up. The next bridge section had just slid back into place, allowing them to continue forward. That also meant the spiders waiting there could come after them. Applejack stormed through the spiders, making a path right down the middle with mighty clanging and banging. Twilight and the others followed in a single file. More heavy clicks rumbled through the area. At first, they thought Rainbow had activated the next bridge, but that wasn’t the case. They were confused about the source of the noise until Fluttershy made a small peep. Her hoof timidly pointed backwards. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “Rarity, what are you doing?” The bridge they had just came from just finished rotating back out of place leaving Rarity stranded there with Sticks. The unicorn lifted her hoof off from the switch. Rarity proclaimed with a lot of force behind her voice, “This incorrigible brute hurts my friends, stands in our way of saving dear Spikey-Wikey, breaks the necklace he gave me and has a horrible manestyle. I will prevent her from coming after you so can reach the princess.” Her eyes narrowed angrily at the guardian. “You and me. It. Is. On.” An aggressive smile appeared on Sticks face. This was the first time they noticed that she actually had two sharp fangs, ground down from her regular teeth. “If you think this is on, you haven’t seen anything yet. We can still crank things even more on.”