Riddle Me This
At first the tunnel was like any other dark tunnel. It was narrow, cold, and not lacking the aroma of fresh dirt. As the Elements of Harmony trotted on, however, the passage gradually became wider, more symmetrical and the rocky steps became smoother and better carved. Fluttershy was the first to see the light at the end of the otherwise dark tunnel. She ran toward the light.
“Wait Fluttershy!” Twilight yelled to the now jubilant pegasus. “We don’t know if what’s causing that light is dangerous!”
Fluttershy didn’t register what Twilight had said, seeing as how she was focused solely on getting out of the dark. When she finally reached the fear smashing illumination she gasped. Her friends heard and rushed to her side to make sure she was all right. When they got there they each gasped in turn. The cavern they were now in was coated in brass and gold. All around them were dark gray statures carved from the cave itself. Each was a unique species, all holding a lit white candle and in a similar gown with the chiseled hood raised. They filled the extremely massive cavern, leaving only a golden walkway in the middle as space to move around. The walkway led strait across from the ponies to a large circular slab made of simple wood. It stood in heavy contrast to the materials surrounding it. The group of six walked along the brilliant path, past the solemn statues.
“This is incredible.” Fluttershy said, wide eyed at the surrounding statues and gold.
“Indeed, just look at all the trouble the hardworking fellow at the entrance put into this.” Rarity concurred.
Rainbow Dash gave her friend a look of confusion as she hovered along next her. “What makes you so sure that bug thing made these?”
“Well my dear, I haven’t seen any evidence to suggest there are any others on this strange island; and he was formed of rock .” Rarity said.
Applejack snickered, “Yeah RD, ya’ll should listen to ‘er about boulders and such. After all, she dated Tom after Discord introduced ‘me.”
RD laughed at that while Rarity turned a shade of red rivaling the mark on the earth pony’s hindquarters.
“Applejack, be a dear and kindly stuff a sock in it if you would.”
“Ewww. Why would you have socks with you in public miss marshmallow? You’re crazy,” Pinkie chimed in.
The others had taken to completely ignoring their pink friend until she got the cactus juice from earlier out of her system.
Twilight was still at the back of the party, taking her time in order to get a better look at the different statues. She deduced the gowns to be type of religious uniform with the candles likely representing something. What exactly, she couldn’t say without in-depth study (something she wanted to do in order to learn more about the plethora of different species). She recognized a few – griffin, tulgar, minotaur, raavasta, there was even a human statue!
Oh the things I could learn if I just studied these a little. No, focus Twilight! You’re not here on an archeology expedition!
She rejoined her friends who had stopped in front of the circular wooden portal and were giving it a ponderous look. “What’s up gals?” she asked.
Fluttershy pointed up to the door. “L-look there.”
Twilight stared where the pegasus was pointing and finally noticed what was literally writing on the wall.
‘Like a Riddle, I Unwind.’
‘Like a Green Tide, I Reach Out.’
'Like a Thief in the Tomb, I Seize.’
‘What am I?’
“Well it’s obviously a riddle. So my guess is we have to solve it to get through,” Twilight said.
“Let me take a crack at it.” Applejack spoke. She took a gander at answer. “Is it a pony?” They reach out for stuff and take ‘em when they reach ‘em. Plus I know ah like to unwind after a hard days work.”
Not only did the wooden circle that served as a door way not budge, it also did something very unexpected. In red magic letters the word ‘WRONG’ appeared. Before Applejack or the others could respond in any fashion, a whip shaped shadow shot out from the surrounding darkness. It coiled around her legs and pulled her away into the hidden recesses of the brass and golden cavern.
“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHhhh…” the orange mare cried as she was pulled into the shadows.
“Don’t worry AJ, I’m coming!” Rainbow proclaimed.
She zipped in the direction she had seen her friend get taken. She searched with the sharp eyes of a bird of prey. The other four waited anxiously. The land bound mares due to the statues being way to close together to allow anything bigger than a snake or mouse to slip past; and Fluttershy who was far too frightened to move from her spot. Rainbow Dash returned alone after a few minutes, her eyes starting to water up. Her silence was all her friends needed to hear. Their eyes started filling with held back tears as well. Even the out of sorts Pinkie Pie was in serious need of a tissue. Twilight forced herself to break the silence threatening to group sob.
Her voice cracked with restrained sadness. “Don’t worry girls. *sniff* I bet if we just solve the riddle on that door we’ll get AJ back since the two must be connected in someway.”
Her friends might have disputed the purple unicorn’s logic if it wasn’t the only hope they had of rescuing Applejack. They all squinted in thought at the thick door in thought.
“Why are we staring at this door?” Pinkie asked.
The others groaned in unison.
“Because we need to solve the riddle, save Ponyville and get Applejack back, ok?! Try to focus past the dang cactus juice! This is serious!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Pinkie’s eyes were half as dilated as before but still made it look like she wasn’t ‘all there’ yet. She set cyan saucer plates on the door in a confused way. Then she closed them and smiled.
“The answer is 42”
Rainbow Dash hovered next to Pinkie with a hoof on her hip and a questioning eyebrow rose. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight held equally doubtful expressions. “How, exactly, is the answer to the riddle 42?” Rarity asked, pointing a hoof at the enchanted obstacle.
“Because, the answer to everything ever will eventually lead to 42!” The pink mare said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“But it makes no sense Pinkie!” said Twilight.
“42.”
“But--”
“42!”
‘WRONG’ Door
The same rope shaped shadow shot out with a whoosh of air, wrapping around Pinkie Pie’s legs like it had with the other earth pony. She only had enough time to say one thing before succumbing to the same fate, whatever that was.
“Jeez, can’t this place take a jooooooke!!”
“PINKIE!!!” the others yelled.
Predictably, there was no response. Another silence lapsed by. Fluttershy’s eyes shed tears. Twilight hugged her despairing friend. “It’ll be ok. We just need to get the right answer to the riddle and they’ll be fine. I promise.” Twilight Sparkle broke the hug to look her timid friend in the eye.
Fluttershy wiped her tears away and tried to steel her emotions as best she could. “Ok. I’ll be brave. For my friends.”
With a sad smile purple unicorn spoke “That’s the spirit. Now come on everypony. Lets figure out this riddle and put this whole mess behind us.”
Just then the fashionista, who was duck facing at the riddle carved into the door, spoke to herself ponderously. “Seize, unwind, and reach out, hmmm. Oh girls. I may have the answer we need. Though I’m not sure if I should attempt it.”
The purple, yellow, and blue mares exchanged nervous looks but did not object.
“All right.” The white unicorn gulped. “Is the answer” she hesitated. “Time?”
Once again the big, red letters materialized and read ‘WRONG’.
Flutters spotted movement and actually yelled “RARITY TO YOUR LEFT!”
The fashionista noticed the movement too thanks to the meek pegasus’s warning. On an instinctive urge, she jumped in surprised. Unfortunately it didn’t help her evade the creeping tentacle for more then a half second as it still coiled itself around her back legs. Rarity, front hooves still free, held onto the nearest statue for dear life while being tugged by the hidden thing.
“Not THIS time!” Rainbow shouted.
She clutched Rarity’s mane in her teeth. Twi grabbed onto the element of loyalty’s tail and Fluttershy onto Twilight’s tail.
“Oh dear. OW! Be careful!” Rarity complained as her hooves slowly began to scrape across the statue of a robed four eyed muscular creature.
“Mrum trinin!” Dash said through a mouthful of now-not-so-perfectly-styled hair. Even with three other ponies pulling the stringy, mostly hidden item was slowly winning the tug of war. Rarity’s hooves continued to scratch across the gray stone as she was beginning to lose her tenuous grip.
She gasped. “Oh no! I think I'm slipping!”
Sensing it’s opening, the shadow made a powerful tug during the tiring unicorn’s distraction. She flew threw the stagnant cavern air with a shriek. “NO!” the others yelped in dismay, hurtling in the opposite direction. The Elements Bearers of Magic and Kindness were staring in sad shock. Dash did too before her sorrow turned to anger. She exploded with fury at the door.
Hovering right in front of it she berated it with insults. “STUPID DOOR! I OUGHTA TURN YOU INTO FIRE WOOD! GIVE BACK OUR FRIENDS RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME I’ll-“
More magic red letters appeared on the circular obstruction. ‘HORSE PLEASE, I’M A DOOR’ *THWIP* Rainbow was forced away as not one, but many of the things coiled around her so fast they were a blur.
“Cheaterrrrrrrrrr!” Dash screamed.
Her words faded into the light and shadows of the cave.
_
_
_
_
_
About half an hour had passed with neither Fluttershy nor Twilight Sparkle being certain enough on an answer.
“Um, Twilight, can we please take a little break? My head is starting to hurt and we still haven’t come up with the answer.”
“You can if you want but I won’t rest until I crack the riddle and retrieve our friends.” Twilight answered.
Truth be told, the unicorn was sure she had almost solved it. The answer was on the tip of her toung. If only something would click the last invisible piece into place. The element of magic looked around, hoping something would give her that final hint. Fluttershy was rubbing her head with her eyes shut in an attempt to evict the throbbing it currently housed. The golden path way they were both on astonishingly remained unsmudged and unscratched even after the six of them had trecked across it. The various species of statue had since stopped looking fascinating to her and now seemed rather menacing with their candle lit bodies casting creepy shadows in the orange hue of fire and brass. Then there was the door. Larger then her by at least eight feet. Made of wood, likely something sturdy like oak or maybe Ironwood, and clearly heavily enchanted.
Wait a minute. She reread the riddle and focused on one line in particular. Like a green tide, I reach out. Like a GREEN tide. Why specify the tide as green? It seems so unnecessary on the surface. It’s a hint. Gotta be. But how does it pertain to the answer? Is it referencing something in here? There isn’t any wind and I don’t see anything that is or ever could have been green except maybe the wooden door…wooden door, wood, tree, plant. Twilight inhaled with bright smile.
Shy looked up in surprise. “What’s wrong Twilight?”
“Nothing at all! I have the answer!” the studious unicorn beamed.
Fluttershy was not entirely convinced. “Are you sure? Rarity said she might know it too but, well…” the winged pony trailed off.
The intelligent unicorn was confident however and would not be deterred. “I’m 100 percent sure about this Fluttershy. Well technically its more like 99.999 percent sure but statistically speaking-“
“Ok,” Shy muttered before changing her expression to a supportive smile. “You can do it Twilight. I know you can.”
“You do?” Twilight
“I do.” Fluttershy
With a nod Twi then turned to the door without a lick of doubt. “The answer is VINES!” She stated loudly and clearly.
Letters materialized on the door over the carved riddle. ‘WELL DONE’ they said. The door rumbled. Like a big wheel, it rolled to the side into a slot on the side until it was hidden as if it had never been there at all.
“Twilight, Fluttershy you did it!”
Hanging in the air were none other then the pair’s abducted friends. They were trapped in the constrictor like hold of thick vines. Sparkle could make them out now without them darting by so fast and the aid of the candle light. The vines lowered and released the four ponies without any hard feelings. Even Rainbow, who was wrapped up to mouth with only her lavender eyes peaking out, was lowered to the ground gently. One of the sentient vines even pattered her on the head to show there were no hard feelings.
Rainbow Dash turned her nose up at it, resisting the urge to bite it. “Humph.”
“Oh we’re so glad your ok.” Shy spoke.
After a group hug Twilight asked her friends the current question buzzing in her head like an angry bee. “So what happened to you guys? Are those vines the same things that grabbed you?”
“Sure are but they ain’t troublemakers. Just another one of the guardian types like that feller outside Ah reckon. They kept us hanging around until you came through with the riddle.” Applejack explained.
One of the vines curled to mimic Spike’s ‘thumbs up’, confirming what she said.
“Indeed. I believe they were just doing their duty. Though they DID manage to ruin my once glorious hooficure but I suppose it can’t be helped,” spoke Rarity.
“Yeah whatever. Can we go now? I’ve had enough of this place already,” the rainbow maned pegasus complained.
“Of course. Let’s go. Come on Pinkie Pie.” The magic wielding leader said.
The overly energetic mare stopped the game of patty cake she had been playing with two of the vines. “Aww ok. Bye Mister and Missus Vine. See ya around.”
The two vines (along with the other plants) waved good-bye as the earth pony bounced away.
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AW, I was hoping that they would be trapped there forever, so they can't possibly interfere with Humanity.
1463041 No such luck.
I laughed so hard when that door quoted, 'Horse please, I'm a door.'
Great job!
update yay i love this story
Wow just got done reading this and i have to say, bravo sir this is quite good.
There are one or two elements that seem cliche at first glance but i think overall, they lend a very 'television' feel to the whole thing.
I think you had the right idea with the comic, as good as this reads i think it would be far better as a comic or animation. Not that you have the ability to do that, but take it as a complement i find your story good enough for a more than one medium.
1566546 This is my first ever story and it didnt actually work for the ponies now did it?. Anyway there isnt another one those I'm pretty sure. What do you consider to count as something like that? Any artifact that grants enough power to defeat a foe? (If so then you probably hate quest for excaliber type stories.)
1591072 you mean chapter one or the whole story so far? Also there is a part later on that some readers apparently had issues with even though they do a simaler thing in the first ever episode and a bit again with Discord. So anyway stick around for after that chapter and I beleave you won't be dissapointed.
1622021 technically yes it is a cross over with all the other universes of fantasy in the sense that the verious races DID come from all manner of fantasy worlds. This version of equestria sits on the borders of several realities due to its strong magic nature and it was a prime target for those seeking peace and an escape from their own war torn relms. Then came the over crowding and old hostilities and now here we are.
This looks pretty buckin' Rad.
Favorite.
Intrigued by the story. I´ll keep my eye on it.
Those guardians sure know how to make the task difficult and entertaining (the "horse please" part made me smile). Characterization is really good (even pony guards have some good moments). Good flow for the story in general and plenty of nice descriptions.
Keep the good writing.
Darth Cygnus
The story is okay. Far too many grammar errors and weak transitions for my taste and I'm not really hooked by the plot. It isn't bad per se, just not my cup of tea.
A really great fic so far.
1672533 I can't please everyone right? At least you were honest without being a jerk about it.(oh would you look at that AJ icon) I'm suprised that you read all the way to the newest chapter if you didn't like it at all though. How did you feel about my characterization? Could you point out a few of the things you DID like about the story so I know a little more about where my writing strengths are?
1676159 the characterization is pretty good in my opinion, but pinkie pie is breaking the forth way too many times, even for pinkie pie, I understand this is a comedy, but that type of comedy has be used way too often.I like the plot and overall theme of the story, but I've seen alot of cliche endings from stories like this, I hope you don't fall into the category. I, honestly don't care for grammar errors, as I can pretty much understand what your saying. I understand this is a story and all, but it kind of seems like your rambling on in between paragraphs, and I must agree the transitions are pretty weak. But, I do like how the story seems to be going, and I've actually seen a movie, not quite like this, but around the comedic and overall strategy, and I must say the near end of the movie I honestly wanted to break something, because it went way to far into the irrational, I was about to give hope, but the ending of the movie was not what I expected, but It was a very good alternate ending, in my opinion that is. The movie i'm talking about is called Iron Sky. Anyways, keep up the good work.
1772821 Much of your questuon should be answered in the chapter Black sheep learns Truth so I'm guessing you haven't read it yet? Well to answer your question anyway Illitheous never had magical ability while among the living but apon his death he was offered a deal by a demon who saw "potential" in the angry warrior. As for the phylactory I don't want to just blatently say what the situation for that might be. I hope my readers are smart enough to figure that out on their own.
1823107 25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0biydDPE01qb80x7o1_500.jpg And I find YOURS desturbing as well. The element bearers were super charged with magic from the elements sinse they were actually loosing. Besides it still didn't work on Illitheous now though did it?
1864960 I'm well aware that most every old mythology had a sun god or goddess that was also a MAJOR god but in Celestia's case (also Luna) they only nudge the heavenly bodies along faster or slower rather then actually moving the whole thing. (atleast in this universe) She could halt the sun for a few years if she really needed to but it would tax her like Cadence in the Crystal Empire episodes. Also she did not CREATE the sun and she is neather all knowing or able to be everywhere at once if she needed to be so her power is limited enough to not be a major god (although she skirts the border of the classification). In the the realm of Dying Embers the Diety classification system is as follows from most powerful to least: ELDER GOD (only one in existance, created most things) MAJOR GOD (Zues, Odin, Ra, ect.) MINOR GOD (Celestia, Luna, Demons Lords, Arch-Angles) MAJOR SPIRIT (Windigo's, Nymphs,ect.) MINOR SPIRIT (Willow the Wisps, Poltergeists, many others)
Yes, if Tia used her full power she could pull the sun closer to equestria (but not crash the two) but as you said that would be a last resort and would likely kill averything that isn't absolutly fire proof like dragons or herself. That would include killing her sister you know. Also, while the Sun attack might very well put down Illitheous but it might not seeing as he has both an immunity to fire a few bars below Celestia's level and his regeneration powers. It's a bit hard to say.
Unsure why everyone is siding with the humans. . . To play devils advocate, I kind of agree with the ponies here. I like them. Frankly I agree with what Thundering Falls. at least I agree with his motives, if not his actions.
PM me when you update this.
‘HORSE PLEASE, I’M A DOOR’
i lost everything including the kitchen sink