Hollowed Ruins (Dunder, Andifferous, Winter, Sturmmann, and Phil the Time Wizard)

[Dunder]

Dunder's wing was now in an incredibly intense, dull pain. He bit his lip and looked around at their faces as they said they had mixed feelings about moving foward and no pony was at least tieing down his wing. Also, his kiss to Midnight's cheek didn't have the intended effects of cheering everypony up. It probably helped, which was at least something.

He just nodded to Muggo' when the green stallion told him to hold his wing down. He cringed as he slowly pulled his wing down against his body and kept it there. He was scared that he would have permanent damage to his wing. Of course, he needed to stay strong and brave. He help a pokerface and hardly cringed when he held his danging wing to his body.

He started to trot off, he looked back to them as he spoke. "Same formation and same spacing. We need to move fast, maybe we'll find a cave or something." He said as he looked up to the sky.

[Andifferous]

Dusty was a bit surprised that nobody else was doing any sort of first aid to help Dunder's injury. True he didn't know much himself, but all the same wing injuries weren't to be taken lightly. Just holding the injured wing to his side wasn't going to cut it, so the young pegasus shrugged off his vest. After giving it a couple of firm shakes to get any loose dust or dirt off of it he gave it over to Dunder.

"Here, put it on over your wings, it'll at least help hold it in place. Sorry I didn't bring any bandages or anything like that." he said. "I'll admit I don't know much first aid, but its gotta better than nothing. Should probably get you to a doctor as soon as possible though." he said, blinking a few times. Part of him wished he had a mirror, his left eye felt like it was developing into a real beauty of a shiner.

[RarityDash]

Midnight nodded. Dusty's solution was a practical one. With his vest on, Dunder's wing would at least have some protection until the time came when they were able to come up with a more permanent solution. He didn't say a lot, but the gray pegasus might be more capable than Midnight had initially assumed. Now there was no debate. They pressed forward at once.

"Yes. Let's move," Midnight said to the leader as she found her place back in the middle of the formation and continued to move in line with the others.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' assumed his position at the back of the column once they started the move out. He made a mental checklist of what medical supplies he'd brought...and he hadn't brought much. Some basic items like bandages and some basic medicine, but probably nothing that could fix a broken wing. He stayed quiet at the back of the group for a moment until the darkening morale got to be a bit much, so he started to hum a little, trying to keep the spirits of the group up.

"Well come gather all around me, there is somethin' you should know..." the humming had eventually become quiet singing, which was partially lost in the crunching of gravel and dirt under their hooves. "There is no place quite like this place, if we get it on the go..."

[Winter]

"Haha, great thinking Dusty!" Winter exclaimed, glad that someone knew what they were doing. He looked around again, wary of falling rocks, before trotting with the others onward. As he walked along, he couldn't help but feel a little scared. Sure, he had had little scrapes in the Everfree where he had to fly away, but this was different. Dunder had tried flying and he still got hurt. Plus, there were always the other ponies around that he felt a little responsible for... He couldn't just abandon them. A humming behind him caught his attention. He gave a quick look behind him to see where it came from, and saw it was Muggo', the only pony behind him. Oddly, the song lightened his mood. He quickly looked back ahead of him and tried his best to give no indication that he heard, he didn't want Muggo' to feel embarrassed that anypony heard him. On the inside, though, the song really helped him. Muggo's voice was rich and soothing, great for travel in a scary place like this.

[Dunder]

Dunder watched as Dusty handed over his vest. Dunder couldn't think of anything else about Dusty but his eye. His eye looked swollen and turning black around the fleshy part of the eye. Dunder forgot about his wing. "Hold on." He put his hoof in front of Dusty's chest to stop him. He sat down and pulled a dagger out of the one of the saddlebags. He pulled the dagger out of the sheath, "If you like your eye..." Dunder said as he looked at Dusty and wrapped a hoof around his head. "I'd suggest not moving. He quickly cut a "J" shape on the swollen area, alleviating the area of pressure. "There. Feel better?" Dunder asked as he smiled and pat his head. He picked up the saddlebag after putting the dagger away. He quickly picked up the vest and held his wing down, gritting his teeth as he slipped it on. It hurt from the pressure, but at least it wasn't moving. "Thank you...." Dunder said as he trotted off.

Dunder could hear Muggo' singing. He could only keep his eyes locked on the ground below him as he trotted along the narrow path. It was eerily quiet... all except for Muggo's singing. Making him on edge, but at the same time relaxed. He just wanted to get out of there, but he found their escape.

They turned the corner on the thin path to see a large round, symmetrical entrance to a cavern hidden inside of a mountain. The top of it had a hole, letting sunlight in and lighting it. The room was all geometrical, the cave entrance was a large symmetrical triangle about 10 ponies tall, and the hole was about 10 ponies across. There was also a large square hold inside , but the sun hit in such a fashion that it was pitch black inside. In the back, there was a small rounded dugout in the back rounded wall of the cavern. There was what appeared to be some logs around an old firespot. There was also some bags laying around inside.

[Andifferous]

"Ow!" Dusty griped as that knife did it's work. "Was it really that bad?" He said, "I mean, thanks though."

He followed along behind Dunder as the party moved on, keeping a watchful eye out now for anything that might come up. His ears perked a bit at the sound of Muggo's humming, It seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place the tune. Idly he made a mental note to ask him about it later on.

Following Dunder around the corner, Dusty's eyes went wide, and he let out a low whistle at the sight of that cave entrance."Well. How about that." he said, walking up to the entrance and looking around inside, curiosity allowing him to forget just about everything else around him. His eyes wandered around the room slowly, taking in every facet of the geometric interior.

"Oh hey, stuff." he said, spying the old bags. "maybe there's some medical gear?" He took a step into the cave, headed for the apparently abandoned camp.

[RarityDash]

Midnight was surprised by Dunder's means of treating Dusty's eye, but it did speak to a certain boldness and skill, which was good to see after his mishap. She gave a nod and continued onward.

She was surprised with what they came across then. It was a cave, but much of it didn't look natural. The door was perfectly symmetrical and the opening in the roof was all too convenient. It was as if it had been made to house those trekking through these cliffs. What's more, it had a spot for a fire, logs to sit upon and even bags of supplies. This had been inhabited, perhaps even recently.

"This seems too good to be true," Midnight said aloud, looking around. "I'd stay on guard. Somepony just may be lurking nearby..."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale was a little distracted, still looking around while he sang. "Well there'll be music all around ya, ya should see the way it feels...come on off we go now, heel an' toe now, to the jigs and reels..." he continued, trailing off on the beginning of the chorus when he saw the cave. "Oh-oh-oh....Oh." the last 'Oh' being a surprised sound from the Earth pony, instead of the slightly rising musical 'oh-oh-oh'. "Well then." he said, looking over the cave. He agreed with Midnight, there was something not right at all about this cave. "Don't touch the bags." he cautioned Dusty. Even if they weren't traps, there could be some dangerous critter, like a snake or spider, underneath them.

"Or if ya do, check under 'em first." he said, trotting around to the firepit. He wanted to see how recent the camp was.

He nudged his hoof along the ground, looking for...anything. Some still smoking embers, sniffing the air for the smell of recent smoke. After a moment he looked up at the dugout in the back.

"Woo. Now that there's makin' me nervous."

[Winter]

Winter cringed as Dunder cut open the swollen pocket around Dusty's eye. He knew could not have found the courage or skill to do that and felt that much prouder of Dunder for it. It was nice to know they had a leader that both knew what he was doing and was willing to help out those in need before himself. He walked along with the others, lost in Muggo's song and not watching where he was going. When they reached the camp and everypony started to stop walking, Winter was still lost in a dream land, waking up just in time to stop himself from running into Midnight. Relieved that he didn't, he looked around the camp, trying to figure out what to check out first. The bags seemed interesting... He put a hoof forward to walk towards them when he heard Muggo's warning and quickly pulled it back. "Alright, well I really want to check out the bags. Dusty, let's be careful and figure these out, okay?" He said as he took a tentative step towards the bags. He lifted one carefully with his hoof, not knowing what to expect.

[Dunder]

Dunder walked into the cavern and looked around at the walls. They were all smoothly rounded... this, of course, was no way natural. He quickly galloped over to Muggo' and them when they were about to touch the bags. He didn't oppose their curiosity, he supposed that Muggo's warning was enough. He bit his lower lip when Winter lifted the bag. It didn't seem like it was trapped, but he was doubting his grasp of the situation since the rock incident.

Two small silver pieces of metal on a chain and a golden ring slipped out of the bag. Other than that, the tattered bag was empty. Dunder trotted over and lifted the dog tags. They were caked in dust and covered in scratches. He looked at the shape, and the chain, the text pressed into the metal was unreadable. "You know what these are? I think they are griffon military dog tags..." Dunder said as he looked at them, "But where are the soldiers?" He muttered.

He picked up the ring, "I think this is a wedding ring." Dunder said. He quickly put it on top the the bag. "Somepony can take it if they want, but we need to carry on." Dunder said as he trotted out of the dugout. "This probably has something to do with the ruins we are looking for. Though, it doesn't match the picture." Dunder said as he pulled it out of Dusty's vest.

[Andifferous]

Dusty hadn't intended to do much more than poke at the bags before Muggo gave his warning. Still it seemed like Winter had similar thoughts to him.

"Dog tags and a wedding ring?" he said, after Dunder had emptied the old bag. "Those don't seem like something one would leave behind." he mused thoughtfully. He looked over the items curiously, biting his lip a little bit when Dunder opened a pocket in Dusty's vest to pull out the maps. Still he kept quiet, thoughts returning to the discarded bag.

"Hey Dunder, can I borrow your knife?" he asked. Upon receiving the blade, he proceeded to cut the bag into a handful of crude strips. "Bandages." he said. "Could probably stand to be cleaned though." the scruffy, dirty looking pony said, not catching the irony in what he said.

[RarityDash]

Midnight stared at the dog tags. As a former soldier she was all too familiar with such things. They were there to identify a soldier when she couldn't identify herself. They weren't something one left behind carelessly. Yet judging from the sorry state of the tags and the bags, they were likely serving their purpose. Midnight doubted that the griffons the tags belonged to would be able to answer for them. They were gone, perhaps for years even.

The wedding ring was another sad artifact. It struck a bitter chord with the mare as she beheld it. She couldn't help but think of the owner talon upon which the other ring lie, the one left behind just as she had been all those years ago. That was the sacrifice of a soldier, for whatever it was worth.

She watched as Dusty cut the old bags into makeshift bandages. Not a terrible idea, but...

"I'm not sure those will work. They're dry, brittle and dirty. Even if we managed to clean them, with its age, the fabric would be abrasive and ill suited to the task," she said with a nod. "Besides, I would be quite surprised if not a one of us came prepared with some manner of bandages in their saddlebag."

That gave the earth pony an idea of sorts. Much as knowing their abilities was a boon to their survival, so too was knowing their belongings. Adventurers of different experiences would be keen to pack different things with them before setting out.

"In fact, while we're here in this stable clear, I suggest we take an inventory of our belongings to further maximize our effectiveness at dealing with any situation as it arises," Midnight started as she sat upon one of the logs and removed her overstuffed saddlebag.

Opening it, she spilled out the contents, revealing a thick, carefully folded, brown traveling cloak; two short, curved blades with ring attachments to be fixed around the hooves; an assortment of fruit, mostly apples; a small metal canteen of water; a quite basic first aid case containing an antiseptic for wounds and medicines with which to treat the most common ailments sustained in the field; and finally a heart-shaped golden locket. It was everything Midnight needed to survive on her own.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale saw the dogtags and felt a twinge of sadness, which deepened at seeing the wedding ring. Who were these unknown griffons, he found himself wondering. Did the woman who's claw that ring was destined for know what happened? He trotted over and examined the dogtags, then out of respect, went to one of the logs. He rolled one a little bit away from the rest and stood it upright in the dirt. He turned his head to take the knife from off his saddlebag and, holding it between his teeth, carved the initials of the griffon on it. The next bit took a bit more time, but he managed to cut a small gouge in the log, which made a perfect place to rest the chain of the dogtag, so it hung from the old log. With a click the knife returned to it's sheath. "I dunno, if he died here, but least the b'y's got a marker." he said. Sure, griffons may be antagonistic to ponies at times, but still. The dead deserved respect.

He looked back as Midnight set down her bags and suggested they set out their items. He did the same. In his bags were two canteens of water, a first aid kit of his own that was slightly better off than Midnight's containing bandages as well as the antiseptic and medicine. "Here." he added, kicking that over to Dusty. In addition to that, he had some flint and steel, a coil of thick rope, a few day's worth of trail rations in small burlap pouches, a sharpening stone for his knife, the bedroll on top of the bags, the knife itself, a simple compass, and a small, battered journal and pencil.

[Winter]

When the ring and dogtags fell out of the bag, Winter took a jump back in surprise. So there had been creatures here before them... Griffons, even. Griffon *soldiers.* A shiver ran down his spine. His mind couldn't help but wonder what had caused this. Griffons were pretty tough, so for dog tags to be here... Eyeing the marker Muggo' had made, Winter felt pride in his companion. It was nice to know he was with respectful ponies. He looked over to the ring still on top of the bag where Dunder had placed it. "I think it would be best if I took that along with me, then. Somepony has to make sure it gets back to the poor griffon that lost someone important. I'll ask any griffon I know or meet about it, or stop the random traveler and ask them. Mark my words." He said, reverently picking it up and placing it in his own bag.

In response to Midnight's suggestion, Winter gladly set down his bag and opened it. Inside was his flight goggles, a gift from the Wonderbolt Lightning Streak; some berries, gifted by the sweet Everfree and marked safe by Winter, who frequented the area; a wood and iron flask, made by a hippogriff in Cloudsdale; and the wedding ring, freshly placed.

[Dunder]

Dunder watched as Muggo' made the improvised headstone. He put his hoof on his head, then his shoulder, then on both of his shoulders before kissing his hoof. Suddenly it hit him... "What if they are still alive?" He said as he looked at the rest of them. It was a possibility. "What if whatever attacked us was holding them captive?" He asked. His heart started beating faster, "What if we could return home a husband with the ring?" He asked in a grave tone.

He ripped off his saddlebags and they poured out their contents. A custom made buckler, a dagger, flint, a whetstone, matches and strike pad, a pen and some parchments, a flask, a canteen, some bandages and some medical cement, a small bottle of antiseptic, and some beans and rice in a wrapped tin.

He glanced around at the walls, "These obviously have something to do with the ruins. But where does the drawing come in?" He asked.

[Andifferous]

Dusty looked at the gear everyone had brought along, feeling a tad embarrassed. He didn't have nearly as much with him. After getting Dunder to hold still, he pulled what he carried out of his vest pockets; the maps, an old brass compass, and enough food to last a day or two if he was careful about it. Out of everyone here he was definitely under-packed.

His attention was drawn to the first aid kit however, which he quickly popped open. "Here, Dunder lets bind that wing properly." he said, "My eye can wait till its done.

[RarityDash]

Midnight assessed the others' inventories quickly. Muggo' was perhaps best prepared. This surprised Midnight little as he struck her as a very practical stallion, and one with a lot of experience. With his rope, compass. flint and steel he was better prepared than Midnight, though as somepony who purposefully liked to pack light, she had expected as much. Not to mention his bedroll, better medical kit, more water and more practical food; he was almost over-prepared. It was hard to believe he was not an adventurer by trade looking at this. Dunder was likewise quite prepared with a number of similarly useful resources, which spoke well to him as a leader. The other two were less prepared. Winter seemed to have only some goggles, berries and a flask. Dusty had the maps and a compass as well as small amount of food. This too didn't surprise her. All in all, the preparedness of each of them was about what she would have assumed based on their introductions.

As she started to repack her own implements, she nodded. They served her well. The cloak had seen considerable action, protecting her from the elements, shielding her from cold whenever she slept, covering her cutie mark when she went somewhere she didn't want to be judged for it. It was heavy and slowed her down a little, so she saw no point in wearing it now, but when night fell and the temperature dropped she would put it on. Her weapons were crafted for her by griffon specialists in Rockwington, and were quite quick and sharp. Since leaving the force and more traditional armaments behind, they had seen a lot of use on various jobs. The apples and other fruits were from a few scattered trees near her house. Hopesong had helped gather them. Fruit wasn't exactly Midnight's favorite treat; most of it was a little sweet for her taste, but it was easy to come by for her. The canteen she had had since her REA days, so even it held memories, unlike the medical kit, which while important was the least sentimental piece to her. Finally there was her locket. It was a silly thing for a mare like her to have at all times; not caring for jewelry she never even wore it, but in many ways it was her greatest treasure. It contained on one side a photo of Wind Chaser-- the only one she had-- and on the other side a picture of Hopesong as a newborn foal. She smiled as she placed it back in her bag.

"We're well equipped. We all had sense enough to bring food and most of us brought water. Should mean we'll be able to survive comfortably out here for a while," Midnight said with a nod.

She watched as Dusty started to bandage their leader. "All the same, I suggest we move out once we've treated our wounds. We still have hours of daylight yet. We shouldn't waste it."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale noticed that, compared to his compatriots, he had relatively over-packed on his gear. Still, he'd heard stories all the time in his bar...things adventurers had needed, or wished they'd had, and when he packed, he'd made sure to remember as much of it as he could. Hence, his over-stuffed saddlebags. Still, at least that meant they had stuff and wouldn't get in trouble if they needed things that nopony had brought.

He glanced up in time to see Midnight smiling at the locket she was putting in her bag, and it made him smile a little.

He looked up at Dunder, shrugging a shoulder. "I didn't see the birth date on the tag...looks old though, b'y." he commented, trotting over to the hole in the middle of the room. "Somethin's tyin' me tail 'round bad with this. There's somethin' not natural about this hole, like somepony made it." Muggo' said, running a hoof along the edge of the hole nearest to him.

[Winter]

"So, Dunder, sir, I guess that means we are really going to explore this place deep, huh?" His face took on a look of sadness. "Look, Dunder.... These things are really old and scratched up... If we do find the owner of this ring, he or she probably will be too." Suddenly his ears perked up and a smile spread across his face again. "It always is a possibility, though, so I am more than up for it. Best to check the whole place... But how do we proceed?" Winter looked around, studying all the bags around him and watched Midnight start repacking her bag. He looked down to his own and couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had a keepsake, food, and water.... Nothing particularly helpful. He sighed and turned to watch Muggo'. He seemed a bit occupied with a hole in the ground... Winter stood up high and craned his neck to get a better look. Muggo' was right... It was definitely not a natural one!

[Dunder]

Dunder Blust was just about finishing putting his things back in his saddlebag. He noticed the locket while Midnight put it away, "A locket? And it's heart shaped. I suppose it has your boyfriend, possibly husband's picture in it?" He asked and laughed a little. He felt a little awkward if she had one. He had kissed her cheek and it was not thought all the way though.

Dunder sat still when Dusty was preparing to treat his wounded wing. He took in a deep breath before taking off the vest, cringing the whole time. His broken wing hung for a moment before he held it close to his body for Dusty to start.

Dunder looked over at Muggo, he was getting close to the edge. Though, he didn't think much of it. The old stallion was fine, he knew what he was doing, definitely. Dunder looked back at Dusty, away from Muggo' before he began the procedure.

Suddenly, he saw something from the corner of his eye. Where Muggo' was standing was gone, Muggo' wasn't there either. Dunder's heart rolled into his stomach. He glanced around at the other ponies for Muggo', nothing. He couldn't...no... he wouldn't believe it. No...not now... not the first casualty. Dunder thought as his head darted around for the search of Muggo' in vein and while he trotted slowly over to the hole.

He sat down heavily on the ground next to where the piece of dirt broke off under Muggo's weight. His wings hung like a weeping willow's branches down onto the floor. Dunder's heart pounded in his chest in fear that he just lost his friend. He laid down next to the whole, a tear slipping out of his eye before crying out desperately at the top of his lungs. "NO!!! MUGGO'!!!" He sounded like a crying colt, the way he screamed.

[Andifferous]

"Just hold still Dunder, I'll make this fast." he said, before gritting his teeth as he guided the injured wing into the proper folded position and bound it tight to Dunder's body. He did his best to make sure the bone was lined up properly under the bindings; at the very least it would help make the job of healing the wing much easier when they got to a doctor.

Muggo's sudden disappearance left Dusty in a state of shock, He hadn't even been paying much attention to the older stallion, and suddenly he was gone. "Oh Celestia..." he breathed, looking around. Impulsive at the best of times, it would be obvious to any of his friends what he was going to do next. Peering over the edge for a moment he took a step back, bracing to dive down after Muggo.

[RarityDash]

Midnight gave a solemn nod to Dunder. "It's my daughter," she said, smiling a little. This was half the truth at least, and the half that was easier for her to talk about.

She gave another nod as she closed her bag and watched Dusty finish treating Dunder. Dunder's comments about finding the griffons who left the tags were very earnest and true, if naïve. Muggo' was right in pointing out the indeterminate age and even the youthful Winter seemed to express a more realistic outlook as he pointed out the damage. Keeping hope alive was a good trait in a leader, but Midnigt had to admit that things looked grim for the griffons who had been here.

It was then, out of the corner of her eye, that Midnight noticed something shift and disappear. She quickly realized it was Muggo'. A hole was nearby. It was easy to piece together. Dunder's distraught reaction didn't make it easy to bear, however. She moved to peer in the hole, nodding.

"One of you two flight ready pegasi should fly down there," she said in a calm voice. "He's a sturdy stallion. It would have taken a considerable fall to break somepony like him. I wouldn't raise the alarm just yet."

[Snowshoe]

The ground had given way with such suddenness that Muggo' Ale hadn't even realized it happened. One moment, he was examining a hole at a fair distance away, running a hoof along the edge. The next he felt his stomach having a visit with his brain and he saw nothing but darkness.

Darkness that lasted an inordinate amount of time. He heard faint shouting which brought Muggo' back to the real world, and he blinked. All he could see was the square light above him, and four pony-shaped heads looking in. He heard a comment about his hardiness from...someone. There was a ringing in Muggo's ears and he couldn't figure out who was saying what.

"M'alright!" he called up with a groan. He was on his left side on some kind of ledge. He tried to get up, before an intense pain shot through his back leg. With a gasp and a grunt, he fell back onto his back.

"Scratch that. Dinged up me leg." he called back up. Part of him didn't dare to try and move further than this...not just from his sprained leg, but he had no idea how big the ledge was...and it was dark as all get out. He didn't want to find the edge the hard way. "Ya could always lower me rope down. Probably a safer bet than tossin' a pegasus here down with me. At the very least light a torch...Celestia t'underin' it's dark down here." he half-mumbled the last part, but figured it would carry up out of the hole anyways.

By this time his ears had cleared up, and so had his head. Muggo' felt that his head was bare, and gently tapped his hooves around him until his found his hat a foot or so away. He gently brought it over and rested it back on his head.

"Yeah, this'll make a fun story for the bar. Remember that one time Muggo' fell down a hole, b'y? That's a great one..." he complained a little, for having little else to do in a dark hole while he waited for his team to get him out.

[Winter]

Oh great, another pony hurt... Winter couldn't help but cringe. They were dropping like parasprites! "Muggo'!" Winter called down to him. "Stay still, I'll get your rope." He turned to the other ponies with him. "If y'all don't mind, I think I'm going to need a bit of help holding his weight... he is a big fella'!" Winter stated as he picked the rope out of Muggo's pack. He slowly lowered the rope, which he held in his mouth and let slip through slowly. He was pretty confident they could heave Muggo' out okay, provided the earth pony could hold the rope okay on his own.. If needed, Winter was more than willing to go down and give a bit of a push from below.