//------------------------------// // No Turning Back Now // Story: Dying Embers // by MrSpartan //------------------------------// Author's Note: Pictures below provided by demonic101 from deviant art. Also I have a new cover image for myself that shows Illitheous in his skeletal form that I think you'll all enjoy. I know I do. CHEERS. The cave the group had seen hadn’t seemed so far away before they started, but the sand dunes quickly became a problem. Going up and down them repeatedly felt like climbing several fights of stairs over and over again. Rainbow Dash would have flown ahead but she didn’t want to leave her friends alone in this weird desert island place. It practically shouted at her, “forbidden secrets,” and RD didn’t trust it anymore then she trusted having a manticore over for dinner. She also would have flown higher in order to get a better look at her surroundings, but whenever she flew over some sort of invisible line she started to feel afraid, like she would tumble up into the pitch dark sky forever. Just below her, Pinkies usual hyper attitude had fallen quite a bit. “Ugh, I’m thirstyyyy…are we there yet?” Twilight groaned. “Pinkie I told you to stop hopping the whole way, and besides, I conjured up some water for you two minutes ago. You can wait till we get there!” she said. Pinkie Pie was predictably unsatisfied with the answer. “But I’m booored and nothing is happening and my legs hurt and the story won’t move fast enough! Are we there yet?” the pink pony complained. Twi and the others, with the exception of Dash, who was purposefully flying out of earshot frowned. “I need to conserve my mana reserves Pinkie, in case we need magic to get out of trouble. Condensing moisture from the air into enough to drink is tough enough in the fields of Equestria, let alone in this strange desert. You’ll just have to go without,” Twilight scolded like a mother. “Okey dokey,” Pinkie Pie said somberly. They continued in silence for about three minutes. “I’m thirsty. Are we there yet?” Pinkie complained. “Celestia give me strength,” Twilight whispered under her breath. AJ looked up from the dunes and spotted a plant she knew would solve their complainy pinky pony predicament. She pointed an orange hoof at it. “Pinkie lookie there!” The pink earth pony somehow popped out from under the farmer’s hat. “OH, OH, OH! ARE WE THERE NOW!?!” asked Pinkie Pie excitedly. Applejack went cross-eyed as she tried to look up at the pony on her head. “Uh, not yet, but ah found just the thing fer yer thirstiness. See this here plant?” “Uh huh.” “Well this one time with Big Mac ah saw him break one open to get at the water these here plants keep tucked away. An this ‘un don’t even have needles like the one mah brother used. It’s perfect!” Applejack smiled with her eyes closed, quite happy with her own clever solution. Fluttershy politely interjected “You know Applejack; it could be d-dangerous for her to be eating that. Not all plants are alike and some can be p-poisonous.” “Ah know not all plants are the same. I’m an apple farmer fer a reason ya know.” The element of honesty said, slightly hurt that Fluttershy of all ponies was doubting her. Pinkie wasn’t privy to her friends exchange as she was busy breaking open the spineless blue cactus. Rarity and Twilight put forth their two bits also. RD only hovered lower to see what the others had stopped to talk about. “Actually AJ, I’m inclined to agree with Flutters on this one. There are many look-a-like plants that are very unhealthy to ingest according to my books back home,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And I can scarcely believe a plant such a tacky shade of blue could be good for anypony,” said Rarity. The others heard the Element of laughter mutter, “Mmmm that hits the spot.” “NO!” Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy yelped in unison. It was too little too late. Pinkie had all ready swallowed the pulpy juice. She seemed fine though. “See notin’ to fret over.” The farm pony triumphantly stated. “Yeah girls I’m fine. This stuff is really thirst quenching too.” The party pony said while holding half a cactus filled with watery juices out in one pink hoof like a cup. She smiled wide. Her eyes then opened and the others noticed her pupils dilating like crazy. She traded her signature smile for a neutral wide eyed expression. She shook her head left to right so fast it was a pink blur. Then she stood on her back legs and waved a forehoof in small a circle at the cactus cup in the other. “Drink Cactus Juice!” she proclaimed. “It’ll quench ya,” she instantly was doing the worm as she continued, “Nothiiiiiiiiiiing’s quenchier!” Now she was on her back hooves again. “It’s the quenchiest!” The five other mares stared in silence at her until Twilight lifted the cactus cup with her magic and poured its remaining contents into the sand. “Oookay, I think you’ve had enough,” the purple mare stated. Rarity shot Applejack a look that said, ‘Told you so.” Applejack covered her reddening face with her hat. Pinkie broke their unspoken conversation by crushing her friends in a hug while saying “Alrighty my multicolored pony pals! Let’s go do the thing at the place!” Rarity and Applejacks eyes bulged slightly out of their heads from her bear trap of a hug. “Uh, Pinkie dear, your, choking, us,” Rarity squeezed out hoarsely through the unintended chokehold. She and Applejack fell to the white sand as the party pony released them a little too fast. Pinkie Pie put her hooves to her head and GASPED. “I would NEVER hurt anypony Rarity! Those cupcake stories are all LIES! OMG R U OK?!? CPR!!!” "Pinkie Pie put her hooves to her head and GASPED “Bwaaaaah! Pinkie no! Stop, I’m fine! I can already breathe!” The white and purple unicorn shouted. She was frantically pushing her confused pink friend away while stretching her neck and head as far away as possible to avoid the puckering pink lips of doom. Pinkie quit trying to give Rarity CPR and just said, “Oh, okay.” This simple sentence made her friends jaws almost drop. “Wait, what did you just say?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I said okay…or DID I?” Pinkie Pie answered. “Not okey dokey?” the Rainbow maned pony asked to be extra sure she had heard her friend correctly. “No not okey-OH MY GOSH!!!” the mare looked like she had just seen a ghost she couldn’t laugh at. “What?!” her compadres asked in concern. “MY FINGERS ARE MISSING!” she responded. The others face-hoofed all at once. Twilight turned to Applejack one more time. She emphasized her words with two solid taps to AJ’s sternum, “Never…Again,” The lavender and purple unicorn steamed off past the cowpony. The others followed, except for Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The latter was still looking slack jawed at her digit less stubs. The farmpony waved the delirious party pony to follow the others. “Come on, Pinkie.” Pinkie’s insanely dilated eyes focused on her as she complied, “Sure thing Ashleigh Ball!” _ _ _ _ _ After a good twenty more minutes of travel, the Element bearers of Harmony finally arrived, legs tired and with a stranger-than-usual-acting Pinkie Pie. At least she hadn’t complained anymore or passed out from the cactus juice. “Ok everypony, whatever it is we need to stop Illitheous and his band must be inside.” Twilight said. As it turned out, the land mark they had seen wasn’t exactly a cave. It was, indeed, made of obsidian rock, but it was carved like a downward entrance into a gothic medieval church. Statues looking down from the tops of columns that were placed across from each other made it feel like they were being silently judged. Each statue had large feathered wings on their backs and roughly looked like strangely robed…humans, maybe? It wasn’t easy to tell what they were supposed to be. Each of their carved faces was completely smooth and featureless, with the exception of eyes one couldn’t look into for long without averting their gaze. The statues all carried either a scythe or a sword. The increasingly uneasy equestrians moved past the forbidding columns with their statues to the somehow even more intimidating entrance. Its obsidian walls were a stark contrast to the white sand. Near the entrance were stalagmites and stalactites that made it appear to be a fanged maw eager to snatch them up in single massive bite. The party moved the through the sizable gaps and neared the dark tunnel that would take them further in the recesses of the underground structure. "Statues looking down from the tops of columns..." Then, a massive slab of crystal fell, blocking the mares’ path. Another slab, one of metal now, fell in front of the crystalline one. Two more slabs fell forth. The first of iron ore and the last of shale, all landed with an echoing crash. “Great. How are we supposed to get past this?” Rainbow Dash asked aggressively. “Why don’t we ask the statue bug?” Pinkie Pie suggested in a very dazed tone of voice. Fluttershy yelped, “Eeep!” “What is it Fluttershy?” Dash asked. “Up on the roof of the cave, something’s there,” spoke Fluttershy while holding up a trembling hoof. Indeed there was. With the sound of cracking stone an insectoid creature worked its rocky joints and moved from its perfectly blended hiding spot. Dust and sand fell from its joints each time it moved one of its six limbs. It looked similar to a pony-sized cockroach made of obsidian. It had two main body segments. It used the lower segment at a horizontal angle that four of its legs were connected to. The “upper body” segment was positioned vertically with the remaining two appendages that had sharp pincers at the ends. Its head was long, most likely to make space for the four corresponding sets of small mandibles that served as its mouth. It didn’t have any antennae to speak of, but it did possess two glowing white eyes. As the earthen insectoid finished climbing its way from the ceiling to the cave floor, the three pair of pony variations prepared for the attack that was surely coming. Instead, it asked a question. “Who have we here kkkk.” It clicked it’s mandibles from top to bottom after speaking, then it cocked its head far to the left like a confused dog. “Six brightly colored steeds with large eyes kkkk. It was expecting a group a little more…rugged looking to come. Perhaps one with a more, adventurous flair about them kkkk. Tell this humble one why you have journeyed to this forgotten place kkkk.” The group of friends looked at each other silently pondering who should answer. Then their eyes set on Twilight Sparkle to make their case. She wiped away the unsure look she had on her face and cleared her throat. “Uh, sir, we are the Element Bearers of Harmony from the land of Equestria. Our home is in great danger and our ruler, Princess Celestia, sent us here on the last hope that somewhere here is an artifact that will aid us. This is the only landmark we’ve seen since we arrived, so we’re led to believe somewhere here is what we need to save our home. Would you be so kind as to let us through?” Twilight finished with the biggest, most sincere grin she could muster. It came off a bit more like she was hiding something. The stone entity’s face was unreadable; its exoskeleton made facial expression impossible. “No,” it said. “WHAT?!” five of the mares exclaimed. Pinkie instead whined, “But whyyyyyyy?” “If this one let just any enter because of a saddening tale, it would be a very poor guardian indeed. Leave this sacred place kkkk. Return from whence you came or seek out another of the infinite wonders that fill the realms…if you are so inclined kkkk.” The creature turned its carapace on them and was about to climb up the wall to its previous hiding spot on the roof of the cave. The element of magic yelled for it to stop. “Wait!” she said extending a hoof. The guardian turned itself around. “Yes kkkk?” “Please, you have to let us in. Innocent lives are in trouble and we can’t do anything to help without your assistance. We tried everything we could think of, including negotiation and magic, but nothing worked. Without the artifact inside this place we have no hope…please.” the young unicorn pleaded, her eyes watering in desperation and sadness. Every word was true. The unreadable insectoid looked down, its glowing white eyes drilling a hole in the stone. It looked back up. “What kind of monster would it be, if it were to leave so many without hope kkkk. Without hope there is no purpose and without purpose, life has no value. This one senses the truth behind your words kkkk. You may pass.” The ponies smiled at those words, but the rocky guardian made certain it finished. “But be warned there are yet more barriers besides this one, all potentially deadly kkkk. If you manage to reach the end, be sure to touch nothing but the Adament of Order or risk defiling this sacred ground kkkk.” It turned around once again to face the outermost stone slab. Its entire body shined a radiant white. All the slabs disappeared back into the sockets they slammed out of, clearing the path. The radiant glow dimmed slowly until the rocky sentry was back to its original black obsidian appearance. It skittered to the side to allow Twilight and her friends to enter. They each offered a sign of gratitude while cantering by. Rarity bowed, Applejack winked, Fluttershy whispered “thank you”, Rainbow Dash smirked and nodded at the guardian and Pinkie Pie unsteadily wobbled by, still dizzy from the cactus juice. Twi had only moved until she was less then a foot apart from the insectoid sentinel. It cocked its head to the side, now in a recognizable sign of confusion. “Why do you stare at this humble one?” it asked. The following hug the unicorn gave took the creature entirely by surprise. “Thank you… for giving us a chance,” Twilight said mid-embrace. The guardian’s upper body appendages gingerly shifted from it’s sides to return the hug. “This one feels stange, like bubbles are rising in it’s core kkkk. You should go on.” The rocky thing said. Twilight broke the hug. “Right.” She headed down before turning one last time to the bug eyed guardian. “Oh, and that bubbly feeling you have? I’m pretty sure its happiness.” The obsidian guard watched her go. Happyness, mortals are the strangest things.