Firestopper and the Temple of Recluse

by Firestopper

Through the Puzzles

Firestopper half-heartedly hoped to be outside, but when he looked around at his surroundings, he realized that he was still in the main cavern. The entrance to the Temple was in front of him. He admired the architecture, stone with the old gods chiseled into them with precision. There were two golden pillars that sat on the platform in front of the door. Vines hung from the ceiling of the cavern and moss covered any cracks in the wall. Across the clearing, were two stallions talking to each other. They were bulkier than the first two that the red stallion had first encountered. The door behind them was still open, and Firestopper could see inside that the second puzzle had been completed. He clung to the shadows, staying out of view while nearing the entrance. He got close enough that if the guards were to leave their positions, he could bolt through the door and lock himself in. They looked to be more brawn than brains, so he had the feeling that they wouldn’t solve the puzzle to reopen the door. He remembered that he had tucked the keys under the cuff that wrapped around his right hoof. The adventurer pulled the keys out, examined them for a moment, and then lobbed them into the middle of the clearing. The Keys’s clattered to the ground, interrupting the stallions’ conversation. They both went to investigate the keys that seemingly fell from the ceiling.

The first stallion spoke, “Where did these come from?” He studied the keys and looked around, finding nothing. He picked them up and looked at the door in front of them. “These look like the keys to the dungeon.”

The second stallion nodded and replied, “We should try, it’s too suspicious that they’re out here. I could’ve sworn that Night Stalker had given Santeria those keys.” They heard the door shut behind them. He shouted, “The prisoner escaped! Damn it!”

Firestopper sighed in relief after he closed the door. He thought to himself “That couldn’t have gone any better” and chuckled. The room around him was so dimly lit that he couldn’t make out the designs on the ceiling. From what he could see, the room was a cube shape, the walls were at least fifteen feet tall. The floor was made of stone that had not aged well. There were a few marble pillars holding the ceiling up. “Recluse, you rich bastard,” he was amazed once more, but remembered that he wasn’t on a field trip to a museum. He pushed on to the next room closing the door behind him.

The next room was dicey, one wrong move and a pendulum would come swinging down. The floor had pressure plates scattered about, but only either a gymnast or Pegasus could get past with ease. He remembered that one of the stallions in the cavern had said something about Night Stalker, an earth pony that collected relics to use them for fame and glory. He was by no means a good pony. He used force to get what he wants. Firestopper could tell a few stories about his interactions with Night Stalker. Firestopper leapt from once space to another, landing awfully close to a pressure plate. Beads of sweat were finally starting to appear on his face, but he continued jumping to each open spot on the floor until he reached the end of the room. There was a button beside the door, he pressed it and the door opened.

As the door closed behind him, he realized that the mare’s warning rung true, “... the puzzles will keep you locked inside forever if not completed carefully and correctly...” Firestopper shuddered, realizing that it was starting to become a life or death situation. The room he was in had a small plaque with an old language etched into it. It roughly translated to “Heavens will guide you, but any others will stop you.” The adventurer repeated the clue in his head as he searched the room. He noticed that there were holes in the walls and realized that arrows could possibly come from them. There was a different symbol on each tile. He studied each tile until he found one that had a design that looked like a halo on it. He pressed on the tile, pushing it down into the wall and the door opened to the point where he could see into the next room but couldn’t climb through. He kept searching until he found another tile with an angel chiseled into it. After pressing the tile down, the door completely opened.

As the door closed, Firestopper realized that this puzzle was not going to be difficult. There were chains that could be pulled down that lined the entire room with a fire beside it . The plaque beside him said “The wrong levers bring horrible death, the right lever ensures progress. Let the fire eliminate any imposters.” He looked for any shadows or darkness in the room. The light covered all but one lever. He pulled the lever and the door opened.

The next room greeted Firestopper with a glass floor that was covering a deep hole. Night Stalker and his partner, Cold Sting were working on the last puzzle. Their eyes were fixed on him. Night Stalker approached Firestopper.

Night Stalker spoke quietly with a sinister tone, “If it isn’t the thorn in my flank Firestopper. You managed to get past my guards, but you won’t get past us.” He charged but Firestopper dodged. Cold Sting approached, initiating hoof to hoof combat. They traded blows, but Cold Sting wasn’t strong enough to fight Firestopper. Cold Sting had been knocked out in a few hits. Night Stalker snuck up behind Firestopper and locked him in a chokehold. Firestopper started to go limp and Night Stalker let go. The adventurer fell to the ground, gasping and coughing. Night Stalker stepped over to him and kicked him in the stomach. Blood was filling Firestopper’s mouth. He let it get to the point where it was overflowing and he spit it into a medium sized puddle on the floor. Night Stalker was walking towards him again, walking on his back legs. His tone was malicious and sharp as he spoke, “Now, die like the worthless shit you are!” He raised one leg to deliver the finishing stomp, but fell when Firestopper used some of the last energy he had to push the dark purple stallion’s leg outward. When he fell, the glass floor beneath them cracked. Night Stalker’s leg was broken and he couldn’t stand up. Firestopper struggled to get up, but he managed it. He stood over Night Stalker.

Firestopper spoke in an emotionless tone, “No, now you die.” He turned around and stomped the glass beside Night Stalker. It shattered and he fell to the bottom of the pit.