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

[Dunder]

"Well... these are the ruins..." I think... Dunder added in his head as he spoke to Midnight. He honestly didn't know if the ruins were actually a part of the staircase, or if they were made separately and he had actually led them to a trap or dead end. There had to be something missing.

"There has to be another way off of this ridge..." Dunder said. "I mean... they couldn't have come out of the tunnel we just came though. They were must be a secret entrance somewhere.. or something." Dunder stood up on all fours, "Everypony look for something. There has to be some entrance around here."

He turned back to look over the cliff, "And be careful... whatever those things were might still be up here." He said sternly. He didn't want anymore ponies getting hurt. He already had too many injuries on his hooves.

[Andifferous]

Dusty nodded a bit, taking a deep breath before starting to look around the ledge, occasionally glancing back in the direction he had seen that red glint earlier. He started poking at any rocks that stood out, or lifting ones that were loose, searching for any sort of opening or trigger.

He wasn't entirely sure what he would find, and if their attackers were able to fly this might be a pointless search.

[RarityDash]

Midnight gave a solemn nod. "Yes. It's apparent these caves are not entirely natural. They likely are the ruins we seek, or at least connected to them," she said as she considered what Dunder said.

"I which case our leader is right. Nothing can be assumed about this place. We may be dealing with a winged creature as Muggo' proposes, but the possibility there is simply an unseen passage nearby is just as real," she said with a steady nod as she started to look around for said passage.

It was dark and hard to discern much. Midnight kept her hooves busy tapping at certain walls, looking for a mechanism of some sort, but so far it was to no avail. She stood on edge, wondering which of the five of them would be lucky--or perhaps unlucky--enough to actually find something.

[Snowshoe]

While Dusty looked around under rocks and poking at others, and Midnight looked through the cave for a side passage, Muggo' looked around close to the exit of the cave, looking for...anything. He tapped his hoof against the rock looking for hollow points or hidden switches, or loose stones that might hide a lever or something behind them. He didn't know if, or what, they'd find, if anything, but he was tense, just in case. He didn't want to get hurt even worse than he was already, especially if it had gotten those griffons. He knew, from experience, that griffons were quite tough, and if they could get wiped out...they would be facing something big.

[Winter]

Winter took a few steps back from the group, leaning against the wall of the cliff. He decided to think about what anything hiding up here would do to escape. Maybe if he leaned back far enough he could see something that would be missed up close! Winter went onto one hoof and put the other against the cliff face as he leaned up against it. Suddenly, a loud crack caught broke his concentration on the ground around him and his weight propelled him into open space behind him. The rugged wall he had leaned against had broken beneath him! As he fell backwards, he opened both wings and caught the air, spinning his flank up and his head down. It kept him from falling down back first, but he slammed his head downwards onto the newly made ridge where the wall had been. The pain in his jaw made him flap his wings hard in reaction and propelled him forward again as he fell down, slamming him face first into the wall. "Mrhmphmam...." He yelled through the pain as he fell down below, into the seemingly endless, dark hole.

[Dunder]

Dunder looked back, over his shoulder, when he heard the large breaking noise and the last bit of Winter as he fell. Dunder bolted over and looked down the dark hole. "Winter?!" He called down the hole. "DAMNGIT! He was one of our last good fighters..." Dunder growled angrilly as he looked back at Dusty, "Go, take the torch with you to scout. If he's not hurt too bad, then try to carry him back up, he can't weigh too much." Dunder said before looking back down the hole.

He turned to face the earth ponies, "Midnight and I will hold the rope while Muggo' rappels down the hole. Midnight, then I'll hold the rope for you." Dunder walked over to Muggo' and retrieved the rope from his bag, "We need to act fast to secure the area, we don't know what could be down there. And with a wounded pony, it could be worse." He said to both of them.

[Andifferous]

That odd cracking sound made Dusty's ears perk straight up, and he turned around just in time to see his fellow pegasus disappear into the dark hole.

At Dunder's order, Dusty was off in an instant, scooping up the torch and jumping into the hole. This was probably the worst possible way to discover such an entrance, especially since from the yelling Winter was probably injured. The gray pegasus descended with his wings half folded, hopefully he'd be able to catch up to Winter faster this way. Hopefully the light from the torch would allow him to get a clear idea of just how far it was yet for him to fall.

[RarityDash]

Midnight gave a gasp at the sudden sounds of cave wall giving way, following by the youngest pegasus tumbling back into the dark abyss behind it. For the third time they had to deal with a falling pony, it seemed. Not good luck. At this rate all of them would have injuries by night fall.

This time Dunder seemed more alert and ready to jump into action. His plan seemed like a sound way to go about it. She nodded to him at once and got in position, grabbing ahold of the rope tightly.

"Sound reasoning. Let's hurry," Midnight said before clamping tightly down on the rope. Muggo was big, but with both her and Dunder's strength to hold him, he should be able to descend.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' hobbled over to the hole as fast as he could when he saw Winter about to fall. Had his leg not been injured he would have made it in time, but his limping gait meant he was just too short. He let out a rather crass curse that he'd heard one of the sailors in his bar use. It was uncommon for him to do that, but at this point, only Midnight was uninjured. And, sadly, he was about to thrust her into the unknown when he saw a flaw in Dunder's plan.

"Good under normal circumstances, b'y, but..." he shook out his leg, still lashed to the thin log as a splint while the sprain, or whatever injury he had, healed up. " 'sides, I'm a heavy b'y. Probably best to tie yerself or Midnight to the rope, an' let me hold ya steady as an anchor." he offered. He could still stand and hold a rope like it was nothing, but crawling down a pit on an injured leg was probably a terrible idea.

[Winter]

(What an unlucky pegasus )

Winter twitched a little on the floor of the large cavern. As he slowly came to, the room was nearly pitch black. His vision was erupting in large white stars and swirls, so he could barely tell up from down. He swayed as he stood up from the ground, reaching a hoof out in front of him to feel around. Empty air greeted him as he fell forward again onto the gravelly ground. "Mmmoph," shot out of his mouth as he landed heavily. Trying to get up again, he placed his left hoof steadily onto the ground and pushed from there. The world swirled and exploded around him. He looked up and could barely make out the torch Dusty was holding as he flew down towards him, but dismissed it as more explosions caused by head. Winter took a slow and steady step forward to test his balance. He shakily shifted his balance onto that foot and was content to feel his leg stay steady beneath him. Sure that he was going to be okay and feeling exhausted, he decided to lie back down on the ground and wait for the rest of the group. He closed his eyes and watched the light show his brain was displaying for him.

[Dunder]

Dunder watched Dusty leave. Good luck.... I hope you find not too bad news... He thought as Dusty descended into the darkness to find Winter. He did hope the pegasus was okay... anypony getting hurt that wasn't himself was too much.

When Muggo' spoke, Dunder nodded. Though, he hoped he wouldn't have to explain himself, he needed to. "Midnight and I can carry your weight, if winter is wounded, I'm not sure if Dusty can carry you himself. And Winter is already going to be hurt," Dunder hoped he was okay, but no more than just 'hurt.' "so we can't rely on that. And we need to move fast, though not too fast. Your hurt leg will just have to... bear it... or something as you go down." Dunder put a hoof on Muggo's shoulder, "Please, I need you to be strong.. for all of us. I'll make it up to you later, now don't argue and just go." Dunder said as he trotted off to the ridge Winter had made. He felt horrible, having to order an injured pony, but it had to be done.

He uncoiled the rope and threw some of it down, "Midnight, in front of me." Dunder said as he held the rope at the back. He started to wrap it around his fetlock for good leverage.

[Andifferous]

Dusty could make out winter down below, laying on a gravel patch just under a ledge in the dark depths. He flared out his wings fully to slow his descent, landing next to the injured pegasus. He started to speak before remembering there was a torch in his mouth; quickly he dug the base of it into the gravel so it would stand upright.

"Still with us Winter?" he asked, looking over the pegasus. "Hey stay with it now." He said, nudging his injured comrade, urging him to try and stay conscious. Gently he coaxed Winter to stand up, holding most of the pony's weight.

"Dunder!" He shouted back up the tunnel above. "I think he's got a concussion!" He called. "I can't really tell how hurt he is otherwise!"

[RarityDash]

"Dunder's right," Midnight said, looking back toward Muggo'. "Chances are we won't be coming back up here. If you don't go down first there won't be a chance to get you down at all."

About then Dusty called up to them, informing them that Winter has suffered a concussion. That settled it. Forcing a wounded pony to strain themselves wasn't a decision to be made lightly, but they needed Muggo' with them more than ever if it was going to continue to be so dangerous out here.

"Especially with one of our two remaining fliers concussed..." She got in place in front of Dunder. "The only other option is leaving you behind."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale nodded. He didn't even need Dunder to practically beg him to go, he understood completely. He had a point. "Ya don't need to tell me twice, b'y. I get what ya sayin'." he said, trotting to the edge of the cave. He turned back and gave a pseudo-salute to Midnight, who'd just mentioned that he could stay up there. "Not a chance under Celestia's shinin' sun an' Luna's glowin' moon." he said, grabbing the rope between two curled fetlocks and slowly back down. He clenched his teeth as his injured leg slid on some gravel into nothingness, then bounced against the edge. Ow.

He could take much more than that, even though it'd been a sharp pain. It would take a LOT to take this earth pony out of business. Muggo' continued backwards until his rear hooves were on the wall, and he slowly walked down the side, holding onto the rope in his fetlocks for dear life, though he knew the drop wasn't that far. "Mind yer heads, me fat starn's comin' down!" he called down with a chuckle. He was about halfway down when his uninjured leg slipped into a crack on the wall. "Celestia t'underin'...hold tight, me hoof's stuck." he called out. He didn't wrench it out, remembering his adventure to the griffon lands. He slowly worked his hoof out, though it took a lot longer than he wanted. Almost a full minute. The moment it was out, he continued down, until he reached the bottom.

He realized it was the bottom when he felt a sharp pain up his injured leg. It had been the one to hit the ground first and he'd accidentally put weight on it. He quickly got on his right rear hoof and eased himself down. "An' Muggo' sticks the landin'!" he called up.

[Winter]

As Dusty nudged Winter and forced him up onto his feet, Winter's eyes flashed open and stared Dusty in the eye. "Mhmph... Blusty? Errrr, nah, Dundy!? Fahh... Dusty!" He finally remembered the pegasus' name. "Whatrcha doing down here? Where'st here?" He looked aroudn a second and rubbed a hoof on his sore jaw. "Whah's mah mouf hurt? Wha' happened?"

[Dunder]

The words Dusty said had stung Dunder more than getting his wing broken 10 times over. Not to mention the added pain of having to send down his wounded friend into the dark abyss.

Dunder strained himself to keep the large stallion up, this friggin' stallion was heavy! "DANGIT MUGGO' I'M SIGNING YOU UP FOR A DIET WHEN WE GET HOME!" He cried out, his eyes closed as he strained to support the weight. He kept wrapping the rope around his fetlock. When Muggo' finally reached the bottom, Dunder collapses, panting. He took in a deep breath with a wheeze before looking at Midnight, "Your turn..." He said as he prepared again, "And don't worry, I'm fine." He said, his eyes showed determination.

[Andifferous]

"Dusty, thats right." Dusty said in relief as Winter began to speak. "Just take it easy. You uh, found a secret passage and decided to explore it with your face, from what I could tell." he said. helping support the other pegasus. "Right now we're at the bottom of this hole you found, passage goes straight down. Others are on the way." He said, hearing Muggo and Dunder shouting back and forth. It was another moment or two before Muggo' touched down, and Dusty waved him over.

"Think you might have a bit of a concussion too Winter. Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked, "Good to stand at least?"

[RarityDash]

Midnight gave her leader a rigid nod. "Right. At once!" she started in an equally rigid voice, stepping ahead.

She grabbed a hold of the rope tightly and moved to the edge of the hole. Preparing herself fully, she then started to effortlessly rappel down the wall. Such activity had been a part of her military training and had been used in the field, and on many an adventure since leaving the REA. She reached the bottom quickly and gracefully, finding her hooves as she met the others.

Now just Dunder had to get down. She wondered what his plan for that was. She supposed calling Dusty back up to assist him made the most sense. Nodding, she turned to Winter. All things considered, her didn't look all that damaged. Considering he was their speed flier, if he was taken off his wings he'd lost that and almost become a liability. it was good to see he was relatively in a relatively whole shape considering his fall.

[Snowshoe]

"S'just me pure stallion muscle, Dunder! Don't act like yer not impressed, b'y!" Muggo' called back up. He trotted over to where he could see Dusty, Winter, and the torch. "So he got a good bump I hear?" he asked, looking over Winter. He seemed physically fine. Behind him, he heard the sounds of quick hooftaps against the stone as who he assumed was Midnight easily repelled down the passageway. He turned and grinned. "Now ya just showin' off." he teased, smiling at her. "Dunder, b'y, if ya jump I promise I'll catch ya!" he joked up to the lit square of the passage entrance.

"Just kiddin', b'y, don't jump. But what's yer plan for gettin' yer own fat starn down here?"

[Winter]

"EH... Not that I know'f, Dustry." He responded. He sounded like his mouth was full of sand. "I'ma glad mah face knows his way 'round... Where is'e, anywars? I was lookin' for'im..." He looked around the room, wide eyed. "Where's everypony, for that maddah? ... Why doth my mouf hurt?" He stated, rubbing it tenderly with his hoof. He felt a few sore and painful spots along the bottom and pulled his head back away in pain. "A'ight, thath's not fun.... Whad're we doin' down here, again?"

[Dunder]

Dunder was going to call Dusty up to carry him down, but it was too slow. With Winter hurt, everything was too slow to get down there. Dunder trotted back to a pretty far rock, cutting the rope distance down drastically. Dunder secured the rope around the rock before following the rope. He looked down to the others, the dim torch didn't light enough to see the rope, but it didn't matter, he needed to get down there.

He started to rappel down the ridge Winter had made. Dunder started to get nervous the more and more he plunged into the dark. He made long strides to cover as much ground as possible, until he saw the rope started to end, almost over half of the way down. Dunder ooked down and up, then back down before jumping for it, he flapped his wings a few times before landing heavily on the ground.

It was eerily quiet elsewhere in the cave. "Alright, get Winter up, something doesn't feel right..." Dunder said as he looked around into the abyss. Suddenly, the rope that Dunder took down silently fell to the floor. Dunder could see it fall from the ridge, he knew there was no way the rope could just break and fall that smoothly. "Everypony, on your hooves and back to back." He ordered them all, there was no room for questions as a horn blew fro an unknown spot from inside the cave.

Suddenly, the cave was lit up as something else carrying a torch lit an oil trail around the base of the cave. An intricate system of oil filled trenches in the walls and around the floor lit everything up. Lined up around the walls were diamond dog soldiers holding long wooden spears, aimed at the ponies. From the hole Winter had made, four griffons flew in, no armor on them, only sheathed curved blades. They all flew in, almost like they were thinking as one as their movements were so natural, each one landed somewhere around the group of ponies.

One of them, a middle aged male, let out a laugh, "HAH! You guys are so cute. I can't believe you fell for that trap so easily!" He mocked them before laughing again.

Dunder was the first to speak, "What? It was a trap?!" He blurted out. It couldn't have been.... he might have just led 4 ponies into their doom... no way they would go down just like that.

[Andifferous]

Dusty grimaced a bit. "They'll be down in a minute Winter." he said, The other pegasus was definitely out of it.

He nodded to the others as they joined the two pegasi on the ground, "Does Dunder need a lift down?" he asked, before their leader landed a couple paces away. "guess not." he said. Then suddenly things began to happen, first the rope fell, then orders to get in formation. The next thing he knew the whole place was lit up, and absolutely filled with armed diamond dogs. The gryphons were the icing on the cake, and for a few moments he just looked around, taking all of this in.

"Well this is certainly something." he said, feeling definitely worried, but at the same time, more than a little excited, a voice in the back of his mind reminding him that this was the sort of adventure he fantasized about. Nevertheless, this was real and not some daydream, and thus far more dangerous.

[RarityDash]

As they were surrounded by armed forces of diamond dogs and griffons, Midnight at once stepped to the front of the group, her blades at the ready. If they advanced on the group, she would not fear to retaliate. However, she meant only to defend, not to aggress. They were far outnumbered. They stood no hope of winning a fair fight, not with everypony but her having sustained some manner of injury. She had confidence her skills were as sharp as they were during her military career, but even that would not make up for numbers.

"Let's think rationally now," Midnight addressed her attackers, her twin blades still at the ready . "These blades are griffon made so you know they're sharp. The pony using them was REA stock; a first lieutenant prized for her service who specialized in eliminating beast threats. I suggest you proceed with caution. Or do you want to test how many of you I could take out before you subdued us?"

"I suggest we be civil and avoid such ugliness," Midnight said, trying to keep herself cool and steady. "Explain your reasons for trapping us here. Maybe we can sort this all out without anyone needing to get hurt."

She tried to remain entirely in control, though inside she had her doubts. She couldn't let herself die in this place. That wasn't an option. Hopesong still needed her.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' waited while Dunder came down. Winter seemed alright, if still just a tad bit on the woozy side. Dunder was down at their side moments later, and things were looking up for once. Almost.

He heard the flop as the rope fell to the floor, then the horn. It made Muggo' Ale jump, though not as much as when the room was suddenly lit. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light and comprehend he was looking at lines of diamond dogs in armour and carrying spears. He tensed as soon as he could, setting himself firmly on his hooves and ignoring the ache in his leg.

With a turn of the head, Muggo' gripped the handle of the knife attached to his bag and pulled it quickly from its sheath, holding it tight between his teeth, the blade off to the left side. He trotted in front of Winter, who was not in any shape to fight, and stood strong, not saying a word for once. Mostly due to the knife in his teeth, and also because, well, this wasn't the time for joking.

This was serious. This was deadly.

[Winter]

As Dunder rappelled down the hole, Winter stared up at him at commented, "Look, a falling sthar! Make a wish, Dusthy!" He got ready to bound up to Dunder before a loud noise interrupted him. Winter turned suddenly very white as the horn sounded and the foreign entities began to enter the room. Just his luck, the time he had a tumble was the time a ton of baddies showed up. Something was weird about them, too, and even through his delirious stupor he could see it. Diamond dogs and griffons working together? On a trap? For them, of all ponies? What were the bags with the dog tags and wedding ring, then? Something wasn't right at all, and Winter was in no condition to figure it out, either. Glad to be surrounded by tough ponies, he kept quiet and rubbed his head a little more, trying to rub out the soreness.