//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve: Loot to Boot // Story: The Equestrian Venture // by TheCrimsonDM //------------------------------// THE EQUESTRIAN VENTURE Chapter Twelve: Loot to Boot Written by TheCrimsonDM Rita stood inside Fluttershy’s kitchen with a very cross looking yellow pegasus staring at her. “You want to do what?” Fluttershy asked her tone was gentle, but Rita could feel the strength behind it. “I’m going on an adventure with Rainbow Dash. What’s so wrong about that?” Rita said. “You are going to get yourself hurt again, and this time it might be worse. What am I going to do if you get hurt again?” Fluttershy asked still staring into Rita’s eyes. “What are you, my mom? Look I’m going to be just fine, it’s just a little expedition into the castle to learn about some old equestrian lore. I want to know more about your world, and about your people,” Rita explained. Fluttershy continued giving her a hard stare, and Rita added, “It might help me fit in more…” Fluttershy’s eyes softened a little and she let out a deep breath before saying, “Okay, Rita. You can do this, on one condition.” “Yeah, what’s that?” Rita asked her voice becoming hopeful. “Swear to me that if you do come back hurt, that you will make it up to me,” Fluttershy said. “I swear by my honor as the most awesome mage in Arcadia, that I will return safe, and if not, that I shall spend my life making it up to you,” Rita said proudly. Fluttershy let out a sigh before saying, “Okay…and thank you. Now get going, Rainbow Dash has a low attention span and she might leave without you if you don’t hurry.” Rita turned around and ran out of the kitchen while shouting, “Thanks, Fluttershy. I’ll be back before dinner this time.” Fluttershy simply sat there and watched as Rita ran off. She didn’t like sending Rita off to go into dangerous places, or letting her do dangerous things. But Fluttershy couldn’t force Rita to stay here against her will either. She had already learned that lesson with Gil. *** Rita and Rainbow Dash had trekked through the forest and finally arrived at the old castle where she knew that there would be adventure. Of course she was a little upset that she had worried Fluttershy, but that wasn’t why she had gone home first. She needed to change into some more terrain friendly clothing, so she did that and when Fluttershy had asked why…well Rita couldn’t very well lie to her best friend after all. Best friend…that was an odd term for Rita to think of someone as. It was nice having friends, especially one like Fluttershy who took care of her. Rita only hoped that she could prove to be a good friend for Fluttershy. “Hey, you go brain dead or something?” Rainbow Dash asked teasingly snapping Rita out of her thoughts. “Um…no, I was just thinking about Fluttershy,” Rita said. “Yeah, she sounded pretty upset about this little adventure of ours…although she has come here, like a whole ton of times, so I don’t get what’s up with her,” Rainbow Dash said. The two of them walked into the old castle, debris lay scattered around the area forcing them to walk around it carefully. Rita explained, “I got hurt pretty badly the last time I was here. Did you know that Timberwolves scratches hurt like a bi-“ “Hey check this out,” Rainbow Dash shouted, fully interrupting Rita. Rainbow Dash flew up to the second floor staircase and Rita followed as quickly as she could on her legs. At the top of the steps was a long hallway leading to a library and Rita asked, “What in the world are we looking for?” “I saw a glowing light up here, but it’s gone now,” Rainbow Dash said. Taking caution Rita said, “Don’t count on that. If something is here, it’s surely dangerous.” They moved cautiously into the library and Rita was surprised by great condition this place was in. The last time she was here she had Pinkie Pie with her, and they had gotten a little lost. This time Rita was following a pony who actually knew where things were. She enjoyed this very much. Rainbow Dash landed in front of an old statue of a soldier pony. She stared into its purple gem set eyes for a few moments, suddenly its eyes flashed with a pale purple light and Rainbow Dash jumped back in surprise. Rita took a combat stance and waited for several long seconds. The glow disappeared after that and seemed to be gone for good. “What was that?” Rita asked. “Don’t know, I’ve never seen that happen before…maybe Twilight would know more,” Rainbow Dash said. “Hmm…maybe,” Rita said as she looked around the room. This room’s design was a little off, but it was exceedingly familiar to the castles from her world. If her suspicion was right, then she would find a secret room right…aha. Rita walked over to a book shelf and grabbed one side of it and began pulling it back. It slid open slowly, but after a few long moments Rita moved the bookshelf revealing an open hallway just behind it. Rita stared inside the dark hall, and smelled dust. “I think it’s in here, come on, Rainbow.” *** The two of them walked into the dark room and after discovering a staircase leading down Rita decided it was time to do something about the lighting. She summoned a small flame to her left hand and held it stretched her arm out to illuminate the hall. The staircase wasn’t very long, nor very steep. She could spy a metal door at the bottom of the staircase. “Whoa, how did you do that?” Rainbow Dash asked. Rita looked at Rainbow Dash and let out a sigh before saying, “I’m an inventor, and a scientist. I can make some pretty cool stuff when I am feeling creative.” Rainbow Dash followed Rita as she made her way down the stairs carefully. At the bottom of the stairs Rita opened the door and took a look inside. The inside of this secret chamber was lined with weapons, all sorts of weapons were in here, and all of them were very unique looking. Rita stepped in cautiously and said, “Do not touch anything yet, I’m sure that there are traps in here.” Rita made her way around the room, examining all the weapons one after another. One of these had to be what she had wanted, just one of them. Finally Rita’s eyes rested upon a set of daggers. The daggers were curved and serrated. One of the daggers were made of gold, with red rubies lining the handle, the other one was blue and had amethyst stones built into its hilt. There was a name plaque on the daggers, but Rita could only make out the words “sun and moon”. “Hey, Rainbow Dash, what does this plaque say?” Rita asked. Rainbow Dash flew over and took a look at it before saying, “It says ‘Daggers of the Sun and the Moon.’ What are these, Celestia and Luna’s daggers or something?” Rita didn’t care who used to own them, because they just got a new owner. Rita said, “Get back, Rainbow Dash.” When Rainbow Dash moved out of the way Rita brought up a leg and kicked the glass holding her brand new weapons. Her foot hit the glass but bounced off and knocking Rita onto the floor. She landed on her butt, hard. “Ha, what was that supposed to be?” Rainbow Dash said. Rita stood up rubbing her sore hindquarters while saying, “Why is it always the butt?” Rita decided to disregard caution and tossed a fireball at the glass. After the small explosion, Rita found herself treated to a melted glass container. Rita carefully grabbed the daggers and pulled them out. She had brought a bag wither her, one that was made to hang around the neck and leg, so Rita just wore it like a normal book bag, or purse. Rita placed the daggers inside it. “Alright Rainbow Dash, take your pick. What weapon in here do you want?” Rita said. Rainbow Dash already had a diamond sword in her mouth and mumbled something at her. Rita let out a sigh and said, “Okay, let’s get going before the traps come after us.” The two of them ran upstairs and back into the library. They ran towards the door leading out of the library and stopped as Rita realized that something was missing from this room. She looked behind herself and it didn’t take any longer then a second to notice that the pony statue was missing. Well, this was going to be a wonderful day now wasn’t it. Rita said, “I’m sorry Fluttershy, guess I might be breaking that promise after all. Maybe I can bring home a cute animal for you to cuddle or something to make up for this.” *** The two of them watched with careful eyes for any signs of where the statue had gotten off to. Rita stood in a combat ready stance, her new daggers pulled out, one in each hand. She held them in reverse positions, a defensive stance. Rainbow Dash stood in a position with her back arched low, ready to pounce. Rita could see the fear on Rainbow’s face however. After a few long and quiet moments Rita heard something moving just behind them. She turned just in time to see the statue charging her, its horn lowered. Rita rolled to the side and the statue continued its path forward for another few feet before it began turning for a second charge. Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and shouted, “What the hay, what is that?” Rita summoned a fireball and tossed it at the statue while shouting back, “It’s a damned golem!” The fireball exploded harmlessly against the golem’s stony surface. This was going to suck big time. The golem charged again, and Rita ran toward it. Just before colliding with it Rita jumped into the air, ran across the monsters back and jumped off again landing behind it. Rita continued her run towards the windows on the opposite side of the room. She had only one plan to get rid of this thing. Rita tossed another fireball at the window and watched it shatter. Rita stood at the front of the broken window and looked behind, the golem was indeed chasing her. Rita stood and readied herself to jump. The golem got close and Rita jumped as high as she could into the air, and the golem passed underneath her. Rita landed safely as the golem ran outside the window and fell the very long distance down to the earth below. Rita wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked outside the window. The statue had shattered on its impact with the hard stone tiles of the courtyard below. Rita nodded at Rainbow Dash and the two of them quickly went downstairs to check out the wreckage. *** Downstairs Rita saw the remains of the statue, the purple gems set in its eyes were scattered about. She picked through the shattered pieces for a few minutes before discovering something that worried her. Another green gem, this time it wasn’t cracked though, and held a soft green glow from deep within its surface. Rita marveled at the stone for several moments before asking, “Rainbow Dash, do you know what kind of stone this is?” “Nope, I don’t do rocks,” Rainbow Dash said. Rita closed her eyes and concentrated on the stone. She could feel a great power coming from within it, and then the power quickly vanished. Rita opened her eyes and the stone had become cracked, and no longer glowed. Rita pocketed the stone and said, “Well…I think I need to ask Twilight a few questions then.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth but stopped short of actually speaking as her eyes grew wide, her pupils becoming mere pinpricks. Rainbow Dash was staring at something in the sky, and Rita turned to see it. A stone dragon, with glowing purple eyes was flying overhead. Rita instantly grabbed Rainbow Dash by the foreleg and dragged her into hiding before she continued watching. The dragon circled the castle a few times gaining more height, before it turned and flew off in a seemingly random direction. Rita couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared at this thing before it finally vanished out of sight. She had just seen, what she believed could only be, a dragon golem…things were going to get serious wherever that thing was heading.