My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Heart of Friendship

by ShadowDurza

Chapter 2: Quest of the Gatemaster

“WHO GOES?” The giant metal construct took another step forward. The ponies retreated, but maintained a prepared posture.

Gustoff rolled his eyes. “Can it with the theatrics, Harv! We found something that needs to go all the way to the High Director!”

Suddenly, the lights in the construct’s visor faded. A series of tappings came from the construct’s head and began traveling downward. Eventually, it ceased at the bottom of the construct’s left back leg, which let out a mechanical hiss. The construct’s foot began to open like a hatch, and out came another human. This one had a very dark complexion with black dreadlocks and a short beard with two amber eyes. He wore a baggy full-body suit with armor similar to Augustus’s, only it also covered the inner parts of his limbs as well. “Oh, come on guys! You know fooling around with the Colossus is the only fun I ever have since I got promoted!”

The human walked right up to Gustoff and sighed. He bent to the side to take a good look at the ponies. “I don’t know if it’s worth bothering the HD if you’ve discovered a few new kinds of-”

Applejack interrupted him with a loud snort. “Honestly, if somepony calls us beasts of burden again, I’m gonna start bucking some heads!”

The human blinked a couple of times and bent back to look at Gustoff. “Okay, I see your point.”

Gustoff stepped aside to allow Twilight to approach the human. “Twilight Sparkle, this is Harvey Ferrum: The Core Metro Gatemaster, our boss and the highest authority beyond the city’s walls. Harvey Ferrum, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle: As far as I know, the highest authority on the surface.”

On that note, Harvey’s posture straightened, and he began gesturing with his digits. “WAIT. The surface? As in, the surface?”

Augustus approached Harvey. “I was a skeptic at first too, boss. But the more I talked with these folk, the clearer the picture they painted. I’m no aunty-polo-jist, but our cultures have too many similar parts for it to be a coincidence.”

After that speech, Harvey made direct eye contact with Twilight. “If you’ve managed to get through to the only guy whose head is harder than mine, then you must have one heck of a tale to tell.”

Twilight straightened her neck to make direct eye contact with Harvey. “For thousands of moons, our civilization has revolved around friendship, and recently it’s come to include friendship with any kind of creature. However, our recent archeological evidence suggests that we weren’t always on our own. This may come as a surprise to you, but your ancestors once inhabited the surface as well. Our ancestors worked with your ancestors to thrive in the pre-civilized world, creating the world’s first friendship.”

Harvey scratched his chin with a dreamy look in his eyes. “That all sounds nice. Like, really nice. But I sense a bit of a conundrum. If the surface is as great as the legends say it is, and our ancestors happened to be such good friends, what are we all doing down here?”

“Actually, we were hoping you’d know. As the council of friendship, our duty is to teach friendship, spread friendship, and on occasion, resolve friendship problems. And as it happens, the only thing we know for sure is that it involves a friendship problem between our ancestors and yours. The problem was so severe, that it drove your ancestors underground. As the council of friendship, we feel that it’s our duty to resolve this long-overdue issue and, if you would like, return your people to the surface.”

Harvey furrows his brow. “Considering what most of us go through on a daily basis, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that would refuse such an offer. But that would be the last on a very long list of steps for that plan. If the first was getting down here, then the second would be getting through the gates, and that’s not as simple as opening and closing them.”

Twilight frowns. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Life down here in the Heart of the World is hard. Our survival is preserved only through strict adherence to laws written by the painful trial and error of our ancestors.” He raised his gaze to the two Guses. “The Law of the Gates states that they can only be opened two times for one purpose: To let people out, and let the same people back in, along with whatever they may bring back with them.”

Gustoff raised an eyebrow as he slung his staff over his shoulder. “What’re you talking about, Boss?”

Augustus lodged his ax-sword into the ground. “Yeah. Gatekeepers like us go in and out to maintain the perimeter all the time. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Harvey crossed his arms. “The problem this time, boys, is that when you two went out, you didn’t go alone.”

Augustus pressed one of his digits to his temple and scrunched his face. Then, he smiled as he pointed it upward. “Oh, yeah!” Then, he suddenly frowned. “Oh, no.”

Gustoff raised an eyebrow at Augustus. “Huh?”

Augustus raised his arms in a pleading motion. “You know. mister tall, dark, and… completely wacko?”

Gustoff clapped his left appendage against his face. “Oh, sweet immortals above…”

Twilight swayed her head around to look at all of them. “What’s wrong? Who are you talking about?”

Harvey gave Twilight a lopsided frown. “Well… anything we can’t adequately cultivate in the city, and that’s a long list mind you, we send out warriors to retrieve in the system of caves connected to this cavern. Only really strong warriors are qualified because of the many, many dangers infesting them.” Harvey gestured to the Guses. “When these two started their latest tour of duty as Gatekeepers, one such warrior went out and hasn’t been seen since. We can’t open the gates again until he comes back.”

Gustoff groaned. “Oh, come on boss! It’s been six days! Even if that looney’s okay, there’s no telling which cave he might be in!”

Harvey pointed out into the cavern. “I know how you can find him. Just find and follow the path of senseless violence.”

***

Augustus threw his other hand in the air. “Of course! It just had to be this cave!” Gustoff gestured with his fingers. “Considering who we’re after, I’d be surprised if it were any other.”

After searching outward towards the rim of the cavern while being schooled on one another’s nomenclature, the humans and ponies stumbled upon the body of a monster even bigger than the one they faced when the ponies first entered the cavern. Going from there, they stumbled upon a monster that was smaller but, as Rainbow Dash put it, pointier. Then, after following the direction of the path made by a monster who’s mouth reeked of poison, they came upon the entrance of a cave with claw marks gouged into the stone surrounding it.

Rainbow Dash flew down and put her wing around Fluttershy. “What’s the matter? You've been quieter than usual. And don’t think I haven’t seen you gagging whenever we found a monster.”

Fluttershy held her head low and averted her eyes. “Well... I know that in the wild, it’s all about survival of the fittest… And I shouldn’t try to hold the natures of even predators up to my species’s standards. But all of this seems a bit… brutal. And… excessive…?”

Gustoff took notice and walked over to the pegasi. “Well, I hope you’re not sick of life in the cavern already, because we’re going to where the only thing separating life and death is a razor’s edge of a walkway.”

Augustus came following. “It’s true. Most warriors train for years before they try to brave the Fungus Forest!”

Rarity jerked her head towards the conversation. “Wait! ‘Fungus’? As in, mold?”

She stood on her back legs and dramatically fainted onto Applejack’s back. “Honestly, I can’t even imagine what kind of trees could grow down here, much less a forest.”

Gustoff scratched his chin. “Well, I’ve only ever seen forests in illustrations, but the mushrooms that grow in there are big enough to look like one. But enough bellyaching, we’ve got a lost warrior to find!”

Twilight raised her eyebrow. “But wait, you guys didn’t even tell us what he looks like! How do you expect us to find him?”

Augustus scoffed. “Don’t worry. Odds are, he’ll find us first. And when he does, all you’ll have to do is scream ‘Don’t hurt me Wilda!’”

With Gustoff and his flaming staff leading the way, the party trekked into the cave. However, the flame proved unnecessary as the cave proper was illuminated by bioluminescent lichen clinging to stalactites high above. Spaced out through the cave were wide-brimmed capped mushrooms as tall as any tree. Between them, the cave floor was occupied by a bed of long-stalked, multi-capped mushrooms as tall as untended field grass.

Pinkie Pie, eyes bright with wonder, zipped about gazing at each new wondrous fungus. “Ooo! With mushrooms this big, you could make the world’s laaargest pizza!”

Augustus laughed a mirthless chuckle. “That wouldn’t be any kind of pizza I’d want! Only a handful of species that grow here are edible. One bite of these canopy stools or bush enoki, and you’ll be bedridden for weeks, if you’re lucky.” Pinkie Pie slowly closed her mouth as she retracted her head away from one of the bigger mushroom’s stalk.

Rainbow Dash swung her head side to side as she slowly flew through the cave. “Okay, you guys seemed to really not want to come in here. Should we be wearing masks or something?”

Gustoff scoffed. “Thankfully, there aren’t any species around here with poisonous spores. But that doesn’t mean there’s no danger at all. Powerful ambush predators like to make their nests here. Enough space to see potential enemies, enough vantages to stalk them unseen. They’re probably watching us right now, trying to decide if eating us is worth the trouble.”

Just then, a beast shot out of nowhere and slashed Augustus in the back. The ponies scattered as the beast jumped and landed in the middle of them.

Gustoff turned to point his staff at the creature. “Apparently, they don’t think we’re much trouble at all.”

The beast looked like a tiger-sized cross between a bat and a wolverine with glowing red eyes. Gustoff took the initiative and slammed the end of his staff on the ground. However, the beast leapt out of the way as a ring of fire lit up where it used to stand. It tensed its body and scanned the party. It turned its head to Fluttershy and charged. Right as it leapt to bring down a claw, Rainbow Dash sweeped in and knocked her out of the way. However, she tumbled to the ground. “Arg! My wing!” Rainbow Dash winced as she attempted to straighten her oddly-bent wing.

When Fluttershy saw this, she grit her teeth and flew into the air. “STOP!”

Fluttershy dive bombed and stopped to glare right in the beast’s face. Gustoff tightly gripped his staff with both hands. “She’s gonna get herself- Wait, what?” Gustoff watched in amazement as the beast stood frozen in place like a cornered prey animal. “That’s just like Wilda’s- But she’s so… meek!”

Applejack was the first to take the initiative. She galloped up to the beast and bucked it right in the head. Then, while it was stunned on the ground, she took her rope and hogtied it. “Yee-haw! Fluttershy, that stare of yours never ceases to amaze me!”

Fluttershy looked away blushing, but then her attention was brought back to the beast. “Um… don’t thank me yet…”

The beast lay on the ground growling and thrashing, and as time passed it grew more and more agitated. Fluttershy and Applejack backed away as it eventually snapped Applejack’s rope and got back on its feet. It’s breath was much more labored and it’s eyes started glowing more intensely. It hissed at Applejack and charged her.

Gustoff snapped out of his confusion and created a wall of fire with a sweep of his staff, but the beast simply leaped through it. Twilight managed to fly in just in time to put up a barrier around herself and Applejack, but she appeared to struggle as the beast relentlessly struck at it.

“Oh dear, it’s enraged! I doubt even the stare would work now! I have to do something!” Suddenly, the beast stopped its assault as it detected something more enticing. It turned towards Fluttershy, who was turned around and waving her tail like a cat toy. “Yoo-hoo! Come and get me!” The beast snarled and charged at Fluttershy, who zoomed deeper into the cave. Every time the beast snapped at her or brandished its claws, she simply ascended slightly to avoid it. “Tend to the wounded! I’ll try to lose it in the cave!” Eventually, they disappeared into the cave’s darkness, the only traces being the sounds of pursuit.

Gustoff rushed over to Augustus. He leaned down and shook him. “Come on, buddy! This shouldn’t be enough to do you in! You’re as tough as bedrock, remember?”

After a few more moments, Augustus groaned and sat up. “Anyone get the number on that monorail…?”

Gustoff cracked a big smile and scooped up his friend in a big hug. “Ow, ow, ow! Watch my back, man! Oh, Ultima, it stings!”

Gustoff circled around to inspect the injury. “Huh, that armor of yours saved your skin! You’re lucky you got away with just a bruise!”

Augustus awkwardly stood up, wincing whenever he bent the wrong way. “Yeah, lucky…”

Meanwhile, Twilight and the others raced towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash winced as Twilight wrapped her wing in magic. “Are you alright Rainbow?”

“Yeah, but I probably won’t be flying for a while.” Twilight zapped a few nearby bush enoki with her horn, which transformed into a roll of bandage and a thin stick. She floated them towards Rainbow Dash, who cringed as Twilight pulled and set her wing. Then, she wrapped the injured wing in a splint, which Rainbow Dash flipped up and down.

Gustoff helped Augustus over to the ponies, gripping him below his opposite shoulder. “We have to get out of here! Now that there’s injured among us, the predators down here will be more ferocious than ever, and I’m a dud at healing magic!”

Rainbow dash flashed an angry frown at them. “No way! We don’t abandon our own!”

Augustus scowled at her. “Forget it! She’s done for now that she’s raced off by herself! There’s a long list of Gatekeepers that never made it out of this place alive!”

Rarity pouted and turned away in disgust. “Don’t write her off yet, darling! There’s more to Fluttershy than meets the eye.” Augustus groweld under his breath, but Gustoff turned to look him in the eye. He turned away and sighed a low sigh.

Gustoff hefted his staff. “Can any of you do barriers? We might be able to hold our ground if we layer them on top of one another.”

Twilight nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me! Everypony, get close to me! I’ll go first, then Rarity, then Gustoff.” They all clustered together around Twilight, who extended her wings as her horn began to glow. An ethereal dome appeared around the lot of them. Rarity closed her eyes as her horn began to glow. A segmented hemisphere of crystal grew to surround them. Gustoff twirled his staff before slamming it onto the ground. A low ring of fire appeared to encircle the lot of them that emitted haze which extended upward.

They all huddled together in their magical fortifications as many glowing eyes started appearing from the darkness.

Comments

[Sunkaiju]

11144279
I'm sensing a pattern here.

[ShadowDurza]

11171641
Oh yeah? How so?

[Sunkaiju]

11176204
Simple you update the 20th of each month.