//------------------------------// // Chapter #12 // Story: Operation Imortuus // by Pika53 //------------------------------// Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden crypt - main hall first floor, 11:30 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy Standing within what appeared to be a dark, spooky cellar of some kind, Rarifruit had to wonder how things had come to this point. Ever sense they'd arrived at this Celestia-forsaken mansion after that nightmarish dash through the forest they'd been encountering all sorts of ghoulish creatures and fiendish traps; a giant snake apparently living in the attic being among them. Rarifruit shuddered at the thought of such a beast residing in the place. Not to mention her own encounter with that horrid plant-thing that had seen fit to assault her earlier. After rescuing some of their companions from the room with the killer ceiling, the group had found what could have been a back door to the place with some sort of crest-thing set into a nearby pedestal. The door however, wouldn't open so they'd taken the crest and returned to the main hall where they'd met up with the other group and learned what they'd been up to. Soon after, they traveled to the room that contained the rather creepy looking manticore statue and discovered a blue jewel in one of the eye sockets that she didn't recall seeing before. Once they'd placed the red jewel in the proper place, the statue had turned to reveal another one of those ornate boxes. Rarifruit had been rather disappointed when one of the big ponies had used the yellow gem she'd found along the way to open the box; only to discover that it held a metal ring that was similar in size and shape to that crest they'd found. Returning to the main hall, they'd tried a door at the back of the stairs, between the two floors, that had led to a small courtyard-like area outside. Rarifruit had to admit that it was nice to finally be able to get out into some fresh air after enduring the frigid, stale air within the mansion; not to mention it gave her an opportunity to rid herself of that awful burnt smell she'd been forced to endure after the incident involving the plant-thing earlier. Although she'd managed to satisfactorily treat her burns using her own magic, Rarifruit couldn't help but wonder if it had really been necessary for Brutalight to torch her along with the plant. Shortly after they'd arrived in the courtyard, the group had found a strange tombstone. When one of the big ponies had placed a pretty green arrowhead shaped object in the proper spot, the bottom of the tombstone had moved aside to reveal a staircase that lead to the room they currently stood in. The room itself was rather large and empty; save for four horse head shaped busts mounted along the wall near the door, a small pedestal along the opposite wall, and a large coffin suspended from the ceiling near the pedestal. Why anypony would build such a creepy place she didn't know. “So, the mechanic here involves placing the masks on the busts and that'll trigger something else?” the bipedal thing remarked in confusion. “Great.” the caramel pony replied. “Somepony needs to keep an eye on that coffin then.” Rarifruit gave an involuntary shudder; dreading what could possibly be lurking inside the coffin. Moments later, she growled at the sound of murmurs among the group regarding “somepony's sharing rooms and disproportionate cutie mark regions”. There was no way THAT would ever happen. The only pony she would ever share a room with was her dear Endario. She couldn't believe any of these fools would even consider such an absurd idea; particularly at a time like this. “So, shall we get started?” the larger cyan pegasus giggled. “We'll do this on three.” the bipedal thing replied while pulling out two of those strange masks. The green and cyan colored pegasi took out two more of the masks and joined the bipedal thing in front of the busts while the caramel colored alicorn and the rest of them looked on. The trio then began to place the masks upon the busts; struggling to match the masks with the proper busts. As each of the masks were placed upon the proper bust, a chain that had previously been suspending the coffin in the air broke off. When the last mask had been put in place the coffin dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Moments later, the coffin's lid burst open as something leaped out at them. Although Rarifruit wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at, the beast vaguely resembled a pony. However, unlike the other corpses they'd previously encountered this one was a deep crimson color; and did its forehooves have claws? The creature let out a strange raspy cry before charging at them much quicker than anything they'd witnessed before. The big ponies seemed to separate as the beast lunged toward them. “Ah, horsefeathers... this thing is fast!” the caramel pony grumbled while dodging as the beast lunged at her. Moments later, the creature turned and charged at the green pegasus. After fending the monster off, the green pegasus moved aside and the bipedal thing blasted the monstrosity with that one unusual weapon that had blown a hole in the wall earlier; causing the creature to explode in a rather dramatic display. “Well, you don't see that every day.” Edi remarked. “Let's just hope there aren't any more of them.” the bipedal thing replied. Rarifruit shivered. She could certainly agree with that sentiment as the group slowly approached the coffin to have a better look inside now that the threat had been removed. Curiously, the only other item that was in the coffin was a small piece of metal that was similar in style and shape to the crest they'd found earlier. Confused, the bipedal thing combined the ring shaped piece with the object they found earlier. The result was another crest that was similar to the first one they'd recovered. “Maybe now we can access that door I saw behind the staircase in the main hall.” the bipedal thing remarked. “Let's just hope it leads out.” the caramel pony replied. Murmuring in agreement, the group made their way out of the creepy cellar and returned to the main hall. Soon after, they arrived at a pair of metal gates behind the grand staircase. From what she could see, Rarifruit noticed another staircase behind the gates leading down. She sighed as the rest of the group exchanged glances. This was just what they needed; more stairs to navigate. As if there hadn't been enough of those already. The big ponies quickly placed the crests into a pair of indentions within the gates and a loud clicking noise announced that the gates were now unlocked. “I want rifles at the ready!” the bipedal thing spoke up. The big ponies quickly swapped out their weapons and exchanged looks among themselves. “Zan, lead on.” the bipedal thing continued. Nodding, the green pegasus quickly pushed open the gates and began to descend the stairs with the cyan pegasus right behind it. The rest of them quickly followed the pair as they seemed to leapfrog down the remaining stairs and adjoining tunnel. The tunnel itself appeared to be cut into the rock and seemed to lead to something further ahead. After a few minutes, the group reached a ladder and exchanged glances. Moments later, she and the rest of the dolls took their places upon the big ponies’ backs. Those ponies in turn quickly descended the ladder and she and the others quickly dismounted once the big ponies had reached the ground. The group quickly set off once more and it wasn't long before an atrocious smell assaulted Rarifruit's nostrils. Moments later, they reached what looked like a large stream that extended to somewhere out of view to their left. “Looks like we found the sewer.” the cyan pegasus remarked in disgust. The bipedal thing nodded. Looking on, Rarifruit blinked in confusion as moments later the bipedal thing glanced at something on its arm before exchanging looks with the caramel pony while Edi shuddered again. Out of the corner of her eye, Rarifruit could see that Brutalight appeared just as confused as she felt by the big ponies’ behavior as Fluttershout spoke up. “Cold? Need a jacket or something?” the butter yellow pegasus sneered. “Oh, would you fetch one for me please?” Edi retorted smugly. Rarifruit sighed and rolled her eyes as, over the sound of snickers, Fluttershout snarled at the outburst. Before anypony could say anything about the strange behavior however, the bipedal thing turned and addressed them. “Uh, y'all might wanna hop on as I doubt any of you want to go swimming.” Cocking her head to the side and arching an eyebrow, Rarifruit could see the logic behind the comment. After all, there was no way she would ever immerse herself in such foul smelling liquid. Minutes later, she and the others resumed their places upon the big ponies’ backs. Much like she had earlier in the evening, Rarifruit found herself perched upon the caramel pony's back. Edi and Rainbine meanwhile, were on the larger cyan pegasus's back while Fluttershout was on the green one. Brutalight had opted once again to go with the bipedal thing as the big ponies slowly began to enter the murky canal. “Well, I suppose this is where the fun begins.” the green pegasus remarked. “At the rate things are going, I guess we'll need to find more rooms.” the larger cyan pegasus giggled. Rarifruit groaned as Fluttershout let out an indignant squawk over a chorus of snickers. “I don't suppose we could check into Hotel Coltlifornia.” the green pegasus replied. “Aw, can it ya dumb, perverted fucks!” Fluttershout snapped irritably; eliciting more snickers. “Alright, that's enough out of the peanut gallery.” the caramel pony chuckled. “Oh come now darling, why didn't you know... everyone loves roasted nuts.” the bipedal thing retorted in a strangely familiar tone. Rarifruit's eye twitched as she stared at the bipedal thing incredulously; recognizing the tone that he'd used. Did that idiot really just... Seconds later, she let out a screech as she realized what the fool just said. There had been absolutely no reason to bring that back up again! “Oh, let that go already!” she hissed, eyes narrowing to snake-thin slits. “Never!” Edi retorted smugly. “Darnit girl, ya done stole my line.” the bipedal thing piped up; eliciting snickers. “KEEP IT UP AND I'LL KILL YOU!” Rarifruit roared at the infuriating blue unicorn. Edi responded with an infuriating smirk on her face. It certainly didn't help matters that Rainbine was wearing a similar smirk upon her face also. Rarifruit growled as she watched the pair exchange glances before bursting into giggles as the green pegasus made another snarky comment that elicited yet more snickers. “Look, can we go now?” Brutalight snapped impatiently. “Whatever you say... 'Mommy'.” the bipedal thing replied smugly. Over the sound of more snickering, Rarifruit groaned and planted her face in a hoof as Brutalight growled and smacked the bipedal thing in the back of the head. She couldn't believe this was really happening. “That really hurt ya know.” the bipedal thing murmured. “Let's get moving before somepony gets neutered.” the caramel pony giggled as Brutalight grumbled something she couldn't quite make out. Over the sound of more snickering, the group finally got moving. Eight minutes later, their reached the end of the canal and crossed into some sort of decrepit edifice. As Fluttershout and Rainbine once more took to the air, Rarifruit let her gaze drift; silently taking in their new surroundings with a critical eye. Although, it wasn't nearly as grand as the mansion had been, she couldn't deny that the place had a feel of being occupied at some point. She couldn't help wondering what had happened to the former resident. There wasn't even anything lying around that she wanted to take. Rarifruit was about to hop to the ground when one of the big ponies spoke up. “Seems we've gotta another ladder over here.” Rarifruit groaned. This was just what they needed; more ladders to navigate. As if there hadn't been enough of those already either. Soon after, the group made their way up the ladder and emerged in a small house of some kind. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit silently took in the new surroundings with a critical eye. Much like the structure they'd just left, the house was nowhere near as grand as the mansion had been; yet she couldn't deny that it too had a feel of being occupied at some point. She couldn't help wondering what had happened to its former resident either as they slowly moved through the area. There wasn't even anything lying around that she wanted to take here as well. At least it didn't smell here like it had back in the mansion... or the tunnel. Of course she had no idea what time it was so she didn't know how long they'd even been in the tunnel. Exiting the structure, Rarifruit was once again relieved to be out in the fresh air. Quickly hopping to the ground, she and the rest of the group began following the only route available to them through the forest. As they traveled, the group came across numerous remains of many of the creatures they'd encountered back at the mansion. When the group halted to examine one of the corpses, Rarifruit glanced uncomfortably around; wondering what would see fit to jump out at them next. “Looks like somepony passed through here a short time ago.” the green pegasus remarked. “Do you think it was Shadow and sis?” the larger cyan pegasus asked. “It's extremely likely.” that mystery voice that had provided the maps replied; eliciting a sigh from the larger cyan pegasus. In unspoken agreement, the group silently continued onward. Soon after, they arrived at another structure. One of the big ponies quickly opened the door and they all filed through; entering into what appeared to be a well-lit and tidy storage shed of some kind. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit silently took in their new surroundings with a critical eye. To their left, she noted several large poles were propped against a large metal door; obstructing it. “Guess we now know why that door wouldn't open before.” the green pegasus murmured at the sight. The door to their right however, wasn't blocked in any manner and the group made their way in that direction. Passing through the door, the group entered another high-walled courtyard. Low hedges were set into nearby brick planters and ahead of them, was a large open space with an island of shrubs in its center. An iron gate stood beyond the shrubs and to their left was a straight path that was overshadowed by the massive wall surrounding it. Dark clouds hung oppressively in the air as they all silently took in their new surroundings. The first thing Rarifruit noticed was the sound of rushing water over the soft forest noises that filled the cooling air; like a waterfall. The gentle waterfall sound seemed to be coming from their left; though the path ended abruptly in another metal gate almost as tall as the first. Rarifruit couldn't help wondering what might be in that direction as she continued to study her surroundings. The second, third, and forth things she noticed were the remains of three of the beasts that had attacked them shortly after they'd arrived at the wreak laying across the irregular stone path; apparently shot to death. As the group moved closer to inspect them, Rarifruit got the impression that the canine abominations hadn't been deceased for very long. Although it had been too dark and hectic on the run to the house to get a good look at the things, the monsters reminded her of large skinned wolves. As the bipedal thing gently probed one of the creatures, Rarifruit noted that they were much closer to the gate than the walkway; and if the monsters were terminated while attacking then the shooter likely passed through the gate. The bipedal thing quickly stood up and began vigorously wiping itself as it spoke. “Hasn't been dead long; maybe half an hour or so.” None of them spoke as they continued to stare at the loathsome creatures. Each preoccupied with their own thoughts on the matter. Their respective musings were interrupted by the sudden sounds of water splashing wildly. As one, the group exchanged glances before sprinting down the walkway; hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was making the noise. As they reached the end of the path and the big ponies pried open the gate, Rarifruit let out a startled squawk; surprised by the sudden drop off. The gate had opened into a tiny platform elevator situated above a huge open courtyard some twenty feet below. The actual elevator meanwhile, was sitting within the courtyard itself. The splashing was coming from their right and as Rarifruit gazed down and across the wide yard she thought she saw a shadowy figure pass through the waterfall she'd heard; disappearing behind the curtain of water that cascaded down the west wall. She stared at the small waterfall, blinking, not entirely certain if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not. The splashing had stopped as soon as the figure had disappeared and the fact that the others had heard the sound also meant that she wasn't imagining things. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit watched as the rest of the group exchanged puzzled looks as the bipedal thing tried to summon the lift; but nothing seemed to happen. “Looks like those of us born without wings are gonna have to find another way down.” he said. Rarifruit let out an exasperated sigh. She wasn't looking forward to wandering all over the place as the group silently headed back toward the other gate. As they traveled, a disturbing thought crossed Rarifruit's mind; if the individual who'd passed through the waterfall had been a member of the big ponies unit then how had they known that a passage was even there? It was a good question and one Rarifruit didn't want to linger on as they continued walking. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit could see the others had similar thoughts as the bipedal thing pushed at the second gate. The gate opened on violently squealing hinges to reveal a huge cut stone reservoir that was easily the size of a small lake. Deep shadows draped and hung around every side, caused by the seemingly solid walls of murky green trees and lush vegetation that threatened to break through the bordering fence. As they moved forward, the green pegasus let out a soft whistle. Stopping at the massive pool, it became apparent that the area was in the slow process of being drained; the turbulent noise caused by the narrow flow of water through a raised gate on the east side. There wasn't a complete path around the reservoir but Rarifruit could see a walkway bisecting the pool itself; roughly five feet below the water line with bolted ladders on each side. It was rather obvious that the path had been submerged until quite recently; the stones dark with dripping algae. As she studied the unusual set-up, Rarifruit wondered how anypony got across when the reservoir wasn't being drained. Sighing in exasperation once more, she already dreaded what would come next as the caramel pony and the remaining pegasi took to the air while leaving Brutalight, Edi, and herself with the bipedal thing to figure out a way to get across on their own. Over a chorus of murmurs from the pegasi hovering above, the bipedal thing silently descended the ladder to the walkway below before turning back to them. “Come on. I'll catch you.” it said. Rarifruit exchanged glances with Brutalight and Edi before the blue unicorn leaped into the pool. Brutalight followed soon after, leaving Rarifruit alone on the lip of the reservoir. Suppressing a groan, Rarifruit gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of having to cross such a foul smelling place. “Let's go, Rarifruit! We don't have all night!” Brutalight shouted, snapping her out of her reverie. Rarifruit snarled in reply before plunging into the pool after them. Seconds later, she let out a soft grunt as the bipedal thing caught her and smoothly set her on the ground. Rarifruit grimaced as her rear hoof sank into something with a squishing texture. A clammy humidity enveloped them as without speaking, they hurried across the slimy stones. Upon reaching the opposite side, the bipedal thing quickly boosted them over the wall. Rarifruit stumbled slightly as she landed, relieved to be out of the muck as the bipedal thing quickly scaled the ladder and joined them on the stone path. From what she could see, the heavily shaded path was littered with branches and pine needles and appeared to border the east side of the reservoir; passing over the floodgate. Silently, they started toward the forced waterfall and had only traveled a few feet when it started to rain. Blinking, Rarifruit frowned; an inner voice coolly informing her that she shouldn't be able to hear raindrops over the roar of the waterfall. Looking up, Rarifruit watched a twisted branch fall from the stretching foliage hanging over the fence; a branch that hit the stone path and slid smoothly away. Rarifruit's jaw dropped as she noted dozens of the creatures already on the ground hissing and writhing as they fell from the trees overhead and twisting across the stones. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Brutalight muttered, voicing her thoughts perfectly. “Time to go!” the bipedal thing spoke up. Without speaking, they hurried the rest of the way along the twisting path. As they reached the end of the path, Rarifruit let out another startled squawk as she almost tumbled into the courtyard far below. Seconds later, Edi slammed into her, followed by Brutalight, as the bipedal thing activated the lift which slowly began to descend. The ride seemed to last forever as they all watched the gruesome scene before them. What Rarifruit guessed had to be hundreds of the slithering beasts hissed and squirmed in an alien frenzy as they struck wildly at one another as the decent continued. When the lift was within a few feet of the ground, they all jumped off; stumbling quickly away from the wall in case the serpents began spilling over. Leaning against a nearby rock, Rarifruit took in the courtyard they'd escaped into in between shuddering gasps; letting the sound of the waterfall sooth her nerves as the caramel pony and remaining pegasi landed beside them. It was a huge open space made out of brick and stone; the colors washed out and hazy in the frail light. The water from the reservoir above tumbled into two stone pools nearby. Not far away was another metal gate... and no snakes. “You're okay right? You weren't bit or anything?” the caramel pony asked, gazing at them worriedly. “We're fine.” the bipedal thing replied. “I'm just glad there weren't any super-sized snakes to deal with up there.” it continued. “Uh, yeah... one was bad enough.” the green pegasus contributed. Taking a final deep breath, Rarifruit gave an involuntary shudder as the group turned their attention toward the waterfall. The caramel pony voiced her thoughts perfectly when she said “Do we really have to go through there?”. “Just another fun filled day on the job.” the bipedal thing retorted sarcastically. “So, who wants to go first?” it asked after a pause. Nopony answered. Rarifruit groaned in exasperation at the thought of having to pass through the torrent in order to continue. 'Great secret passage. To use it, one would almost certainly be required to catch pneumonia.' she thought bleakly to herself. Rarifruit was snapped out of her reverie as a naggingly familiar magic aura gripped her tightly and levitated her off the ground. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see Brutalight glaring at her irritably while many of the others looked on in amusement. “Now Brutalight, there’s no need to be rash.” she stammered nervously. “Can’t we discuss this a little more?” Moments later, Rarifruit let out a piercing wail as she found herself propelled toward the churning liquid veil. Soaring through the chilly obstruction, she slammed into the ground hard; gasping and sputtering. It certainly didn't help matters that she was struck by backwash every time one of the others passed through the waterfall. By the time she'd recovered enough to get her bearings, the rest of the group was already inside the alcove, staring silently at her. From what she could see, the others were just as miserable from the ordeal as she felt. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit spotted a door that presumably lead somewhere at the back of the alcove. She dearly hoped that whoever had come up with the bright idea to build such an absurd place was very pleased with themselves. Slowly clambering to her hooves, Rarifruit shook as much water off herself as she could before shivering in the cold damp air. She then shot Brutalight, who didn’t seem fazed at all, a withering glare as the bipedal thing spoke up. “Why darling, are we having fun yet?” Over a chorus of snickers, Rarifruit’s eye twitched. Did that idiot really just... again? “What do you think?” she snarled. “I think I’m ready to leave this bizarre fun house.” the bipedal thing answer. “I also think somepony needs a hug.” it continued after a pause. Over another chorus of snickers, Rarifruit growled as the green pegasus began humming softly to itself. She really couldn’t believe this was happening. “Ya know, you’re awful cute.” the bipedal thing went on, smirking. “Let’s move on, shall we?” the caramel pony spoke up. As they headed for the door, Rarifruit sighed and shook her head. She was looking forward to this whole bizarre ordeal being over.