And They Went Beneath The Earth
Chapter Seven: And They Went Beneath The Earth
~BlackRoseRaven
The Orange trail was easier than Last Call had remembered it being: exhausting, because it was like constantly climbing up a wide stone staircase thanks to the jaggedness of the path, but there were still flickering lamps working here and there along the trail as they ascended the mountain: a good thing, because it had been less than five minutes and Last Call already couldn't see anything but a sea of twisting shadows behind them, which he supposed were likely the treetops.
The mountain still loomed before them, though, and cliffs rose and fell around them: it was like some great force had come either up or down this mountain, carving through the stone where it cared to and simply following the path of least resistance in other places.
Last Call paused and glanced back over his shoulder: Silent Wish was keeping up with him well enough, her poncho flapping around her, really doing quite little to hide her wings... but then again, Pink was pointedly ignoring her, her eyes shifting anxiously back and forth from the filly to the rest of the dark world around them. She clearly had seen or knew something was different about Silent Wish, but she was too anxious, too nervous, too deep in denial to say anything about it.
Schmisse, meanwhile, was plodding along at the back of the line. He was in pain, Last Call thought, but he was doing quite an admirable job of hiding it. The only tell was the faint limp and the double-step he took now and then, although it was clear that the uphill climb was wearing on him much more than the others.
They were making good time, though, and ahead, Last Call could see a guide marker, bright lamps flickering on either side of it: if he remembered correctly, that meant they were roughly halfway up the trail to the first rest stop. But as he glanced back, he thought that Schmisse-
Schmisse met his eyes moodily, then he said distastefully: “Perhaps it would be better if you kept your eyes front instead of worrying about me.”
“I'm not.” Last Call said shortly, before he shook his head, turning his attention back forwards as he muttered: “You know, it wouldn't kill you to try and not be an ass, Schmisse.”
“Why do all you Equestrians have such trouble speaking my name? Perhaps that is why bruder hid his behind your tongue, so the constant annoyance did not drive him to break skulls.” Schmisse said dryly, and Last Call sighed before the stallion added: “Not that he ever needed the excuse, of course.”
“Your brother. Swell guy.” Last Call agreed wryly, before he shook his head, hesitating for a few moments before he asked: “So are you... visiting?”
“Yes.” Schmisse said simply, and Last Call couldn't help but glance back with a cocked eyebrow, but Schmisse only snorted in response, saying distastefully: “We are forced to travel together because of circumstance. Nothing more. I will not humour your token friendship.”
“Fine, be an asshole, then.” Last Call said sourly, and they walked on in silence, the only noises coming from Pink mumbling a little under her breath and their hooves crunching through the dirt and gravel.
Last Call stopped in front of the guidepost, and he grimaced a little as he rubbed at his face for a few moments. He looked back at the others: Schmisse had a hell of a poker face, but couldn't hide that faint trembling in his limbs, and Pink looked downtrodden and afraid, and Silent Wish had her head low. Last Call bit his lip, then decided that since they had made him de facto leader anyway... “Let's stop for a minute. I'm tired and I want to take a look at this.”
Schmisse grunted, but he didn't argue at least, as he sat down. Pink looked worriedly behind them, but then she only nodded uneasily, nervously tugging at her satchel, as Silent Wish turned her eyes towards the large guide board, studying the sign for a few moments before she asked: “Does this route go all the way to the top of the mountain?”
“Yeah. There are two trails that do, if I remember right... Orange and Purple.” Last Call said, pointing out the markings on the map. “They both go up to the summit. Orange is the easier of the two and the safer. Purple is faster, but it's a lot steeper and there are bridges that I'd rather not get caught on.”
Silent Wish nodded slowly, and Schmisse looked meditatively across the board before he asked: “And the tunnels?”
“We're about halfway to the fork. There's a small ranger station set up there, and the first of the tunnels. I thought there were more caves, but...” Last Call looked past, studying the jagged wall of the mountain before he shook his head and murmured: “I guess not.”
“Who knows when those caves exist? Before or after this time, perhaps.” Silent Wish said, and Pink frowned uncertainly, looking uneasily at the filly.
Last Call smiled awkwardly, shrugging a bit before he asked: “So uh... well, I remember the public tunnels are marked clearly. There was a tour that used to go up to the summit.”
“What is at the summit?” asked Schmisse, and Last Call looked at him for a moment before he turned his eyes to the guide map, thinking to himself.
“The ruins of an old tower, the observatory or whatever it was, the ranger station, and an outlook. The mountain seems pointed from below, but that's because there's a thin cliff wall sort of sticking up in the air. When you're actually on the summit, you realize it has almost a flat top... she used to tell me about how they think in ancient times, some kind of... statue or totem was carved out of the mountaintop by the natives here...”
“She?” asked Pink, and Last Call smiled briefly as he looked away.
“My wife.” he said, and there was silence for a few moments before he said finally: “I don't know what's waiting for us. I'm surprised, to be honest, that we haven't run into anything yet. I... back at the camp, I saw these snake-like bug things. Wallowers, they were called.”
“Oh, so they were polite enough to tell you their names?” Schmisse asked dryly, and Last Call smiled wryly in response as Silent Wish looked awkwardly away.
“No, but... more than them, I was...” Last Call hesitated, then he said in a quieter voice: “There was something else. There were a few something-elses, actually, like... some floating thing in a mask, but also this... Vorpal. The locals follow this uh, religion or something called Kiss... Kiz...”
“The Kiz. Kzkttrrrkt.” Silent Wish said, glancing up. “And it's not a religion. Religions have rules, gods... rules to be obeyed. The Kiz, these beings from beyond the stars, are only curious, and hungry. That is what the Doctor told me, anyway.”
Schmisse lowered his head musingly, and Pink scowled a little as she looked apprehensively over her shoulder, muttering: “I... I just saw mad ponies, that's all. An asshole and some things moving in the darkness that might have been monsters but... maybe they were just-”
“Yeah. I was there for a while. Then the Vorpal touched me and I couldn't pretend anymore, no matter how hard I tried, how much I still want to say... maybe this is all a bad dream, or... maybe this is the prank to end all pranks or some psychopath's elaborate trap.” Last Call shook his head, and then he cleared his throat before he said finally: “It makes it easier if you talk about them. Acknowledge them. It seems crazy but... really, it's running away from the crazy. Proving you still know what's real and what's not, even if what's real is uh... crazy.”
Last Call laughed awkwardly as Pink only scowled at him, before she winced and looked up as Schmisse said matter-of-factly: “Demons. Grotesque wolf-beasts, with jaws too large for their heads. I think they smelled the blood on dear bruder.”
“Those Wretched. They're drawn by violence.” Silent Wish murmured, before she looked awkwardly away when Schmisse eyed her thoughtfully.
But it was Pink who spoke up, narrowing her eyes slightly as she said moodily: “You sure seem to know a lot about these things, kiddo. And don't think I haven't noticed you're not... that you're... different, too.”
“No different than you, Pink, from your insane ramblings.” Schmisse countered, and Pink scowled horribly at him as Last Call frowned. But Schmisse only shrugged dismissively, continuing: “If Last Call's friend has useful information, then let her keep her secrets. Just as you can keep yours as long as you continue to be useful.”
“So being an asshole, it's a family thing, right?” Last Call asked, and Schmisse smiled at him dryly.
“I doubt a coward like you is half as mouthy with my bruder. From what I understand, you ran away from him, even after he put his hooves on your wife.” Schmisse said, and Last Call snarled at him as he flushed with anger.
But then Last Call forced himself to take a breath before he said quietly: “Believe me, Schmisse. If your brother even touched my wife, it would be the last thing he ever did.”
Schmisse studied him for a few moments, and then he chuckled quietly before he remarked: “Well, at least you seem to believe that.”
Last Call looked sourly at Schmisse for a few moments, and then he said finally: “I can't tell where you stand with Toad. Do you like him or do you hate him?”
“He is my bruder. No more, and no less. I respect what he is capable of.” Schmisse answered, and Last Call smiled wryly at the shrewdness of Schmisse's words.
He leaned to the side slightly, noting the unicorn's cutie mark: symbols that he didn't recognize. And while he didn't know what they meant, he all the same understood them perfectly, as he said almost abruptly: “I write music. Play instruments, write songs, the whole nine yards.”
Schmisse studied him for a few moments, and then he said almost grudgingly: “My talent is for composition. I headed a museum, studied cryptography.”
Pink blinked at this, frowning and asking uncertainly: “What does art have to do with dead things?”
“No, no.” Schmisse shook his head, his accent becoming a little thicker as he searched for the right word. “Patterns, data... arrangements. I created them and I studied how to... unlock them.”
Schmisse seemed to get flustered when he thought that he had spoken incorrectly, Last Call noted: he couldn't tell if that was pride or ego, but it was nice to see that even Schmisse was neither infallible nor emotionless. “You worked with codes, right? Deciphering, solving old languages and puzzles and things like that.”
“Yes.” Schmisse looked relieved for a moment, and his accent all but vanished as he resumed his usual haughty poker face, scowling over at Pink. “And you, I suppose, are a fan of parties?”
“No.” Pink said shortly, scowling as she looked quickly away, before she shook her head and muttered; “I don't want to talk about my past.”
“None of us do, except our friend here. I hope you know how rude it is to ask so much of us while revealing so little yourself.” Schmisse added, and Last Call shifted a little: well, Schmisse had him there...
“I did just tell you that I'm a musician.” Last Call said, noting mentally at the same time that offering that bit of information had actually gotten the unicorn to say a little something about himself in return. “Well, what do you want to know? I don't think anything is really relevant about-”
“Todesfall told me your wife transferred out here because you got in a fight. Is that true?” asked Schmisse, and Last Call grimaced and shifted with a scowl, his eyes roving along the ground.
He wanted to say something like 'I don't remember' or talk about how much better her prospects had been out here... but that would be a lie, wouldn't it? And he had spent this entire time lying to himself already, but he supposed that even with as thin and damaged as reality had become... some facts just don't change. “It was... complicated. I was drunk.”
“That does not strike me as complicated. Only stupid.” Schmisse remarked, and Last Call looked at him sourly. “If you have a problem with drinking, you should not drink.”
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.” Last Call grumbled, and then he added grouchily: “And I do not have a problem with drinking, I-”
“You clearly do not have a problem going around starting fights, so something caused it. I would say drinking. So I would assume from that you have a problem with drinking.” Schmisse said, calm and inexorable... and maybe a little maliciously-amused, although not in a vicious way. More in an... an asshole way. I don't know why I keep being surprised by the fact that he's an asshole.
Last Call only scowled, before Schmisse asked: “Are you used to ponies doing everything for you? Helping you? Perhaps that is how dear bruder was able to take advantage of you in the first place. Because you were easier for him to manipulate than your wife, correct?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Last Call asked moodily, and Schmisse smiled wryly.
“Todesfall has a... vulgar affection for mares. Do you think it was by coincidence that your wife was offered a job out here?” Schmisse shrugged, saying dismissively even as Last Call felt a chill run up his spine: “The only real question is whether or not bruder planned this from the start, or merely seized the opportunity your drunkenness presented. Your wife is-”
“My wife is fine. Nothing happened to her. And Todesfall... he hasn't had his chance and he never will get it, either.” Last Call said in a low voice, and there was silence for a few moments before Schmisse made a strange gesture, then simply nodded.
“Entschuldigung.” Schmisse said, then he let his head drop back, gazing up at the dark, starry sky for a few moments before he said abruptly: “It may not make sense to you, but for his many strengths, Todesfall is very weak. Cunning, ruthless, strong in body and magic, but prone to delusion and grandeur. That is my bruder. I am sure the only reason he has not poisoned nor suffocated me yet is because I am in charge of managing his affairs. A last act of humiliation from our parents: the infamous Nebelwerfer, to be watched over until he dies by his little brother.”
Schmisse chuckled a little, then he absently rubbed at one of his forelegs before he said finally: “We should get moving. We do not want him to catch up to us, any more than we want the monsters to find us. I leave it to you to decide where we go, Last Call. I will watch our back.”
“He didn't leave us to find help, did he? He left hoping that we'd die.” Pink murmured, answering her own question, and Schmisse simply shrugged.
Silent Wish shook her head, then she murmured as she turned: “The strongest, the people who thrive most in life are often the first broken by the Kiz. The inflexible, the ones who can't bend when reality does...”
“They break.” Last Call finished, and then he shook his head before he looked away from the guide board, gazing up into the darkness as he muttered: “But Schmisse is right. We should get moving. We can... talk more on the way.”
He shook his head briefly as he began up the mountain path again, stepping – reluctantly, as always – out of the circle of light and heading slowly up the trail. The others followed, and while their pace was slower than before, they moved a little bit better as a group, even Pink not staring as much at Silent Wish as Schmisse regularly checked behind them.
Soon, they were back on a trail lit only by the light of the stars, the mountain wall seeming to roil with living shadows, like it was breathing, and the sea of darkness below ever twisting and turning, as if the forest had given away to water and sand. But Last Call tried to focus only on the path ahead, nervously chewing on his lip, following not just the path, but the guardrail that ran along the edge of the trail with his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was follow what felt like a steady road right into a space in the barrier or over it, after all...
And yet it felt tempting to. Wouldn't it be nice, to just jump into the dark sea? Wouldn't it be good to give up? There was so much pressure, and maybe... maybe the mare was already dead. So he should just give up. He wasn't going to save her anyway, was he? Sure, if he found her... then what?
Give up, it whispered.
Silent Wish touched his side silently, and Last Call blinked as he realized he'd come to a stop, and the others were all looking at him. He felt clammy and cold, the stallion breathing slowly before he swallowed a bit and shakily pointed ahead, blurting out: “There.”
It distracted the others long enough for Last Call to recompose himself, as he looked in dumb surprise himself at the faint flicker of lamplight ahead. That was the fork they were looking for, and seeing it made things a little more bearable: they had made progress without running into any horrific monstrosities. That was all they could really ask for, Last Call thought.
They reached the fork after a few moments, and Last Call frowned uneasily as his eyes noted the ranger cabin he'd hoped to stop at had been burnt to the ground. He could smell something acrid and awful: some kind of fuel, he guessed, that had been used to start the incineration.
He studied it for a few seconds, before frowning in surprise as Pink muttered: “I don't like these rock formations.”
He turned towards her: the mare was studying the entrance to the mine, past the gaudy timbers and silly signs meant to attract children and child-minded adults, Pink nervously picking at one of the jagged rocks near the fake rail tracks that led into the tunnels. “Brittle. I don't trust these tunnels. And I don't know a lot, but I do know rocks.”
“What concerns you? Stability?” Schmisse asked, but Pink only scowled and shook her head.
“Not a collapse. I'm sure that if these tunnels were open to the public, they'd be shored up. But the footing is questionable. If we go off the public route, we're likely to find a lot of jagged rocks and narrow passages. I bet there's more than one place even in the public tunnels that narrows dangerously, too. If this mountain shifts while we're in a narrow section...”
“I've never heard of a mountain shifting.” Last Call said, trying to hide his apprehension, but Pink only gave him a sour smile.
“Well, you never grew up on a rock farm, either, I'm guessing.” Pink replied dryly, before she shook her head and turned her moody eyes towards the ranger cabin, adding quietly: “I also don't want to run across whoever did that.”
Last Call bit his lip, his eyes drawing over the ruins of the ranger cabin before he half-turned towards the other trails, but Schmisse almost immediately said: “We will be exposed if we take these paths upward. I can see from here that Orange Trail leads us into a gorge, not upward, and the other path must wrap around the mountain. I do not wish to be dragged off a cliff, Last Call, or worse, spotted by whatever is likely watching from above. The tunnels offer us secrecy, at least.”
“Unless there's somepony hiding out in them already who doesn't want to be found, or worse, an ambush at the end of them.” argued Pink. “I'd rather have a chance to escape than wander into a deathtrap.”
“I would rather have a chance to fight and die on my hooves than a chance to trip over them and fall to my death, sparing my enemies the work.” Schmisse retorted.
Last Call grimaced as he looked between them, before he looked towards Silent Wish, but the filly only shook her head before she said quietly: “I can't make the choice for you. Remember, the real threat will never be what you can see or predict, though...”
“Great choice. Die from being thrown off a cliff or die from getting squished under rocks. Or die in an avalanche, either way.” Last Call mumbled, and then he rubbed slowly at his face, wishing he had a drink: a little liquid courage would be welcome right now. “I think getting crushed is faster. Let's go through the tunnels, stick to the public paths as much as we can. Pink, I need your help.”
Pink glanced up, and while she clearly disagreed, she nodded grudgingly after a moment as she turned towards the entrance to the mines, grumbling: “Fine. Just... if something comes at me, you better do something, Last Call.”
“He'll run away, I'm sure.” Schmisse said dryly, and Last Call scowled as he walked up beside Pink, slightly taking the lead but letting her be the guide.
They headed into the tunnel, and Last Call was relieved to note that most of the lights mounted along the walls were still working. They were strung up by thick cable, while a few larger lamps stood sentinel here and there, casting a much brighter glow in the bubbles of space here and there through the tunnel.
They walked across rock that had been softened by dirt and sawdust that crunched beneath their hooves, following tracks that meshed too tightly to the ground to actually be used. They passed displays every now and then that talked about different cultures and mining, and small offshoots and nooks and crannies, until they eventually reached a place that Last Call had forgotten completely about, and made Pink stare and even Schmisse cock his head curiously. “What the hell am I looking at?”
Last Call smiled wryly over at Pink, then he looked back at the wooden face of a building that seemed like it had been jammed into the tunnel: it was all plain pinewood boarding, unvarnished and unpainted, with shuttered windows and a pair of heavy double doors that were... chained shut. Fantastic. “I forgot they had a museum exhibit in here. But my wife was always in charge of managing the trails and everything, she rarely came up this far because... I never wanted to walk with her.”
He quieted for a few moments, then cleared his throat and shook his head, continuing: “It looks like it's been sealed off, but there should be a way around to an employee access. If somepony came through here, then-”
“Nonsense.” Schmisse said distastefully, and Last Call frowned as the stallion strode over and grasped the lock in telekinesis, tilting it up and studying it intently before he glanced back over his shoulder, opening his satchel to produce what Last Call thought at first was a folding knife.
But instead, Schmisse unfolded a thin metal arm from the utility blade and withdrew a metal pick from the side of the utility tool, the stallion working quickly for a moment before looking pleased with himself as the lock popped open. He simply tossed this aside, then half turned as he tucked the tool back in his satchel, saying dismissively: “Foal's play. There is always another answer to any puzzle, so long as-”
Something smashed into the doors, and now free of the lock, they were able to snap open, the chain flying loose as one of the doors crashed into Schmisse and knocked him over. A shape came barrelling out of the doors as Pink yelled and ducked, and Last Call reacted on instinct, leaping forward and swinging a hoof out.
The pony shape collapsed backward in the opening with a thunk, blinking stupidly before he blurted out: “Call!”
“Furor?” Last Call asked disbelievingly, and then he looked up before swearing in horror as he saw the horrific things staggering eagerly across the museum floor towards them, grabbing Furor and half-flinging him out of the way before he hurriedly shoved the doors shut and threw his weight against them.
The monsters smashed into the other side of the doors, and Last Call gasped as he was almost thrown backwards, but Furor, Schmisse, and Pink all joined him a moment later, the four of them struggling to keep the doors sealed. Schmisse snarled as he grabbed the loose chain, twining it back through the handles of the door before he looked back and forth for the lock, but Silent Wish was the first to find it, running in and clamping it into place through the links, letting the rest of the ponies finally stagger back from the doors as the monsters battered uselessly against the other side of it.
Furor breathed roughly in and out, his cheek black and bruised, pulsating strangely as his whole body shivered. He gritted his teeth, then grasped at his head before he looked slowly up at Last Call, who smiled awkwardly as he held out a hoof and said finally: “Sorry.”
“I've... had worse. Thank you.” Furor said after a moment, bumping his hoof against Call's before he straightened a little. He frowned uneasily at Schmisse, studied Pink with confusion, then finally frowned at Silent Wish, clearly noting the discrepancies in her form even through her poncho, but then he simply sighed before saying: “Guess it's been a long night for everyone. Who are your friends?”
“Silent Wish is the filly, Pink is... well, Pink, and Schmisse here is Toad's brother. Toad is apparently wandering around here, too, and I saw Happenstance back at the logging camp, but... what the hell are you doing here, Furor?” Last Call asked, frowning at the stallion. “You don't have any reason to-”
“Oh, I don't at all. But Happenstance insisted.” Furor said tiredly, shaking his head slowly before he winced as something smashed against the doors again insistently. “I think we should get out of here, though. Those things... that's not going to hold them for forever.”
“It was bright in there. Whatever those monsters are, they are adjusting to the light, unlike the ones we saw in the forest.” Schmisse noted, and Last Call grimaced at this before he bit his lip.
“Let's head back to one of the junctions. We'll have to go off the path to avoid the museum, but we should be able to loop around through the other tunnels all the same.” Last Call said after a moment, and Furor smiled wryly at this.
“Like the blind leading the deaf.” he said dryly, and Last Call scowled at the unicorn. “Sorry, sorry. Natural instinct. Just... what are you doing here though, Call?”
“I'm looking for...” He frowned a little, then asked: “Have you seen her?”
Furor blinked in surprise at this, rearing up a little, and then he shook his head, his eyes shifting away uncomfortably as he muttered: “No, of course not-”
“Furor?” Last Call asked sharply, and then he bit his lip before he took a breath and softened his tone, asking quietly: “What is-”
All five ponies looked up at the sound of splintering wood, and Schmisse cut in shortly: “Those doors will not hold forever. We should move.”
Last Call grumbled under his breath, but then he gave a short nod before he turned back down the tunnel, leading them quickly away from the doors. Eventually, the sound faded, whether because the monsters lost interest when they distanced themselves or because the acoustics of the cave reflected sounds strangely, Last Call wasn't sure.
They stopped at an intersection some ways back the path, and Last Call rounded on Furor. Before he could speak, however, Silent Wish asked: “Did you get attacked too?”
“I... sort of.” Furor mumbled after a moment, shaking his head as he glanced away. “I didn't mingle much with Happenstance and his friends after he dragged me here, and after Toadsfall took them out on their little walk through the woods, I decided I'd go back home. I saw that creep, Lectern, though, outside the parks centre, and I decided I'd see what he was up to. I might not like Happenstance much, but... he is pretty much the only source of income for us both, and I don't want you starving, Call.”
Last Call smiled wryly despite himself, and then Furor continued, as Pink wandered around the junction, inspecting rock formations and offshoots: “Lectern took off like a rocket, though. I lost him somewhere down the Green trail. I wandered for a while, and then I felt...”
Furor seemed not to know how to phrase it, shifting a little before he shook his head and muttered: “Anyway, I ended up getting chased up the mountain. I tried to hide in the museum, but there were things crawling all over it. Angry things. I tried to leave, but the doors were locked and they chased me all over the place, until I finally panicked and... well, here we are.”
“Here we are.” Last Call said quietly: there were a lot of holes in Furor's story, but it sounded like he had been telling the truth about one thing, at least... “So you don't know where my wife is.”
Furor shook his head, and Last Call sighed a little before he muttered: “Alright. Let's just. Get through these tunnels, then, and hope that-”
The lights flickered violently, and in the flashes, Last Call saw something terrible and malignant: something that was everywhere around them and nowhere all at once, before everything went dark.
Pink hissed out a breath, and Last Call felt a hoof grasp his shoulder as Schmisse swore in his native language, before he growled: “Sound off!”
“Here!” Last Call said immediately, as Pink cursed in their general direction. “Silent, you can let go of my-”
“Uh. Sorry. That's me.” Furor mumbled, and Last Call gave a short laugh before he looked back and forth uselessly through the darkness. “Wait, the kid is... is that filly...”
“I can't see her.” Last Call said, knowing how stupid that sounded before he reached up and grasped at his flashlight, turning it on with a click. He scowled as he scanned the area around them, wondering uneasily if the filly had been forced away by whatever supernatural forces were manipulating them now as he scanned the area with the dim light.
The cavern seemed larger than he remembered it being, even if all the landmarks were the same, yet... twisted, he thought. The signs seemed to loom in on them, and the now-dead lights seemed to curl like bent trees towards them. The ceiling was so high up above their heads, yet every jag, every fang of rock, seemed like a tooth waiting to bite down on them from above.
“Is the kid gone? What happened to her?” Pink asked worriedly as she stumbled towards them, looking uneasily around as she added: “The rock formations have changed. I can't... I don't know what happened. Everything feels twisted.”
“You don't seem surprised.” Schmisse said, and while it wasn't accusatory, his tone was clearly suspicious, his cold eyes sizing Last Call up. “What do you know?”
“I know we're being watched. I know the only reason any of us are alive right now is because we're 'interesting' to the Kiz... to the Vorpal, or whatever the hell it is. Either you're interesting to them, or you're food.” Last Call said, scowling as he traced the light around before he grimaced as it halted on the passage they had just come down: the passage had visibly narrowed and become jagged on either side, meaning that they would likely slice themselves to ribbons trying to slip through there... so we have no choice. “We have to get out of these tunnels.”
“I told you this was a stupid idea.” Pink muttered.
Schmisse, however, only laughed shortly as he asked: “And how would this... mutation of reality be any different outside the mountain? Or perhaps you want us to be caught by that madpony?”
Pink scowled, but to Last Call's surprise, Furor spoke up quickly, saying with more tact than Last Call had expected him to possess: “Neither of you are angry. You're both scared. Don't fight. We have to work together.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Pink nodded and Schmisse snorted, saying moodily: “Fine. Better to be in bad company than no company at all when there are enemies around.”
Last Call took out his guidebook, flipping through it to the caves before he muttered: “Assuming that the layout is roughly the same, we should be able to circle around to the side of the museum through this path. What we're going to deal with there, I don't know-”
“We are not soldiers or heroes, Last Call. We cannot go in, horns blazing – particularly when only one of us here has a horn – and simply blast our way through our foes. We must be stealthy. We are prey, not predators.” Schmisse said grouchily, and Last Call glowered at him for a moment before he nodded grudgingly.
“I know that. But I don't want to backtrack too far. If we get pushed back to the entrance, then what? Do we let things push us down the mountain and try to find a way around?” Last Call shook his head. “We... we have to push through. The more we let this... push us around, the less control we have over our own lives.”
It sounded ridiculous, but all the same, Schmisse remained silent and Pink lowered her eyes, nodding a little. Furor only sighed, then he said dryly: “I just hope you plan better than you talk, Call.”
“Shut up, Furor.” Last Call studied the guidebook for a moment, before he added quietly: “We might be able to bypass the museum, anyway, but we'll have to circle around to the side of it all the same. The employee entrances...”
“Locked. But who the hell knows now?” Furor asked dryly, before he grimaced as the flashlight dimmed and flickered. “Don't let that thing go out. It's so dark it feels like... like we're alone when there's no light.”
He fell silent as Last Call smacked the flashlight a few times, and Schmisse snorted and murmured: “We are all alone. Born alone, and die alone. Love lost.”
Last Call grimaced, then he muttered: “For now I'll keep it on, but if we hear anything I'll turn it off. Maybe we'll get lucky, and since those things have adjusted to the light, they'll be as blind as we are in the darkness.”
“Great. Monsters that are scared of the dark.” Pink grumbled, and then she sighed a little and said: “I'll stay ahead with you. Should we... is your filly friend okay, do you think?”
Last Call smiled briefly, then he said finally: “She'll be back. It's... don't worry about it.”
“I hope she is trustworthy. And that her reasons for helping you are true.” remarked Schmisse, and Last Call frowned slightly before he shook his head. For whatever reason, he did trust Silent Wish... and... well... I guess she has her reasons. There's all these ponies here, but... I guess...
No, it wasn't time to think about that. Instead, Last Call turned, directing the light towards the tunnel they had to take to begin leading the way forward. Pink fell in beside him and Furor hurried close behind, while Schmisse came last, only his eyes glinting in the darkness.
The tunnel they took was twisted and curving, occasionally ramping sharply downward: they often had to be especially careful in these places, as the slope was often thorned with sharp, biting rocks that would tear at them if they tried to slide straight down. In other places, they had to try and climb against jagged walls and over dangerous fractures: these wounds in the rock were never deep, but just wide enough for a hoof to slip into, and if any of them broke an ankle or a leg at this point...
Last Call shuddered a bit as he clambered up onto a shelf of rock, then turned around to help Furor up as Pink half-pulled Schmisse onto the rock wall. Schmisse gasped a little as one of his rear legs kicked, before he swore under his breath as he stumbled past Pink and leaned into a rock wall, clenching his eyes shut in visible pain.
Last Call began to open his mouth, and Schmisse snarled: “Sich verpissen.”
The stallion winced a bit, but Furor only snorted and rubbed moodily at his face as if he had a throbbing headache, muttering: “Then why don't you just give up and die, crybaby?”
Schmisse's eyes widened slightly as he stiffened, and in that moment, Last Call saw just how gaunt and gangly the unicorn really was, a moment before Schmisse gave a crooked smile as he shoved himself away from the wall, rasping: “Perhaps later. Stop slowing us down, frail little schmetterlingspuppe.”
“You Germarens have a word for everything.” Furor said sourly, but before he could start a fight, Last Call clicked his flashlight on and off pointedly, getting everyone's attention.
“Pink?” he asked, and Pink looked up, squinting and scowling down the dark tunnel, studying what she could from the dim glow of the flashlight.
“Safer formations ahead. It looks like it probably evens out. There's more signs that ponies have done work here, too... see how smooth that rock is there? And over there, that's not natural stone, that's layered over.” Pink said, pointing from the wall to a patch in the floor that was a slightly-different colour than the rest of the tunnel.
Last Call nodded slowly, and then he shone his flashlight ahead, leaning forwards and muttering: “I think I can see a wall somewhere down there. My light's hitting something solid, but I can't tell. This light isn't strong enough.”
Schmisse snorted at this, then he suddenly flicked his horn firmly, sending a flare of light streaking down the tunnel as Last Call blinked in surprise. The orb of light contacted with something and flashed brightly, illuminating the end of the tunnel for a moment and letting them clearly see the wooden wall of the museum before it faded, and Schmisse said grumpily: “There is your answer.”
Last Call hesitated, then he grabbed at his satchel and pulled out his guidebook. He flipped through it, then popped open one of the pamphlets that had been stuck inside, muttering: “Okay... we can either try our luck to cut through the museum and get back on the public route, or we can go around and see if our luck holds out with these tunnels.”
Pink snorted at this, opening her mouth, but then she licked her lips apprehensively as she looked back over her shoulder at the tunnel they had just clambered through, saying finally: “We're screwed, Last Call. We can't fight our way through monsters, but if we hit a dead end or a wall too jagged to climb, we're just as stuck. We'll just die slower.”
“I'm always for dying slower. I do not want to go back into that museum.” Furor muttered, shaking his head and shivering a little as he rubbed at his unblemished face.
Last Call scowled at the unicorn, then he said: “If you and Schmisse-”
“I'm no fighter. And you don't understand, anyway, it's... you don't understand.” Furor muttered, looking away.
Schmisse snorted, then he added distastefully: “I am not my bruder. I am not trained in combat magic. Perhaps I can resist one or two of the beasts, but I doubt I can fight a horde by myself. Furor, you were able to hide from them, though, were you not?”
“Yeah, for a little while. And it's going to be pitch black in there. The moment they see the flashlight, they'll home in on us. Without a flashlight? We'll probably walk right into one of them... assuming they can't see in the dark and won't come screaming at us the moment one of them sees us anyway.” Furor shivered, then he reached up and rubbed slowly at his face, muttering: “I can't be around those things again. They're just... rage.”
“You will do what you have to do, or we will leave you here. We are going to the mountaintop, one way or the other.” Schmisse said coldly, and Last Call grimaced as he looked uneasily away. “Well, which way do we go?”
“What? You seemed happy enough to be making the-”
“I am merely enforcing the system, not making decisions. You're the one who wants so badly to find his wife. So choose. Straight through, or dare more of this maze?” Schmisse asked forcefully, and Last Call grimaced as he looked uncertainly down.
He looked at Pink, and her gaze shifted away: if she thought the tunnels were hopeless, considering her expertise... but Horses of Heaven, he understood why she wouldn't want to go into that museum, either, considering the little they had seen of the things that had chased Furor out.
Furor looked miserable, caught between a rock and a hard place, but when he saw Last Call's eyes on him, he piped up weakly: “The tunnels are a chance. A chance, at least. The museum... isn't.”
Last Call looked at Schmisse, but he was unreadable, his eyes cold, his body clearly in pain, but of them all, Last Call thought Schmisse was the one most likely to plow ahead, in spite of the fact that... he seems like the most ready to die, too.
The stallion sighed, wished for a moment that Silent Wish was here, hoped briefly as he looked back and forth that somehow, she would appear... and then he simply lowered his head when she didn't. Perhaps reality wasn't thin enough here... perhaps it was too thin, and that was why she had been whisked away, and hadn't been seen since.
All he knew was that he had to make a decision.
And the wrong one could potentially kill them all.
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Choice A2.
If you could choose anyone to voice Last Call, who would it be?
I'd go for A2. Those tunnels could easily lead to a dead end.
A1
A1 for me.
Curious how none (of the readers) seem to want to make Call a 'bad guy', since I have yet to see a vote for the leave companions/be an asshole-option, or at least for the public votes.
7796357
Possibly because most people, given a choice, often put themselves in the character's shoes and thus choose based on what they would do.
7796357
Actually, I'm kind of surprised, too, which is why I allowed voting by message to see if that would result in more people wanting to see Call be a jerk out of the public eye.
But apparently people actually want Call to turn out okay.
I feel like the Grinch witnessing Christmas in Whoville.