[mountains near Canterlot] That Sinking Feeling...[Open]

[Frain Breeze]

[OOC: Phil the Time Wizard and Tacobob should reply first. Anyone can join after the first round of posts]

It was a bright morning in the mountainous regions surrounding Canterlot. Lady Lanceguard was leading a small group of other ponies through the mountain wilderness to find a suitable area for jousting practice. They were all ponies she'd only met earlier that day, all interested in the same thing- Jousting. Some came to take on Lanceguard herself, and others just wanted to see the show. Shortly after crossing a narrow river, they came to an abrupt clearing in the vegetation, a wide area with nothing but grass. The field was mostly flat, perhaps with a slight dip toward the center. A keen eye would notice that all the trees immediately surrounding this clearing were tilted inward toward the center, but it wasn't particularly obvious to the average pony.

Lanceguard surveyed the area, then turned to group behind her, "I think we've found our spot!" The unicorn set down her saddlebags, retrieving a round-tipped horn cover and face mask from within. She fastened the gear in place, looking toward the group. "Who shall be first to challenge Equestria's current jousting champion?" she spoke loudly, with a cocky grin.

She gave her mane a flip, and began walking toward the center of the field. However, something felt... odd... about walking in this field. The ground felt somewhat spongy beneath her hooves, but she couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong. She shrugged it off, unwilling to let just a weird feeling get in the way of a good match.

[RarityDash]

Steel Dagger grumbled a little as he trudged along with some group of ponies he didn't know. He was an officer, a lieutenant, an elite. What was he doing here wasting his time for? He kept telling himself that as he stared ahead. Jousting certainly wasn't something that was of interest to him. It was a silly, outdated sport only played by pompous diehards and old timers. In the Honor Guard, Dagger worked in intelligence. Infiltration, sneaking around, catching ponies off guard, making clever use of magic to conceal that he was ever there in the first place; that was his bag, not some silly game where ponies threw each other around by the horn.

And yet one of Dagger's superiors, one of the said pompous diehards who still favored this sport, had strongly urged that he get involved in this silly training group as a way to improve his ability in hoof-to-hoof combat. This was of course stupid. Dagger didn't avoid close combat because he couldn't win a fight, he did it because fighting itself was just really not very smart when there were usually much easier ways to win if you used your brain a little. And yet, even stupid superiors were superiors, and if Dagger was going to keep climbing the ladder he had to suck up to his superiors.

The joust training group reached a field in the mountains and the mare at the lead turned to face them. Apparently she was some big shot professional champion. Ha. What, like of the ten ponies who still played this game she was the best? Who cares! She was kind of cute though. Dagger smirked. If he played this right, it still might turn out kind of fun. He stepped forward, unafraid.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind getting physical with a cute mare like you for a while," he said with a grin as he stepped toward you. "Perhaps it might prove fun for us both..." He punctuated his words with a quiet laugh.

[tacobob]

A red Pegasus slowly followed the two other ponies onto the field. After spending what felt like an eternity cooped up in one of the 'Royal Equestrian Army’ offices, to be able to walk on the surprisingly spongy like ground and breath in the fresh, wonderful air was a godsend. Fire Walker had spent the better part of the day filling out the necessary paperwork for her furlough. While she was no longer considered to be an active, on duty member of the R.E.A, she still had many responsibilities to fulfill. Along with the once a year training groups the Pegasus was required to attend, she would still need to be on her hooves at all time. She still could be called back to serve at anytime, and she had to report herself into the front offices of each town she visited. She needed to report that she, while off leave,was still a member, not active, but a member nonetheless of the R.E.A and was armed. She also had to be respectful of the culture and ponies of whatever town or city she were to be visiting, as she was a representative of princess’ finest.

After the paperwork and the lectures, some of the officers and her family threw her a little party. The armor she was currently wearing was one of her gifts. While she could not wear her proper military garb, the light metal meshed suit of armor was more than a suitable replacement. Once the party was wrapped up, her captain suggested she should tag along with Lady Lanceguard and Steel Dagger. As it would be wise to give the armor a field test, to make sure it was properly fitted. If needed, she could return to the blacksmith and have it adjusted. As she cantered along, she felt the gryphon forged armor would be more than suitable. She glanced at the two unicorns as they walked along the field. She never met Lanceguard, but had heard things about her, usually never very positive. Many felt she was wasting her time trying to return such an barbaric and archaic form of sport, best left to the history books. While the Pegasus lacked the necessary unicorn horn to do any actual jousting, she could at least observe, and maybe even learn a thing or two from the two older unicorns. Steel Dagger on the other hoof was a mystery to her. She knew he was an officer of some sorts, but what did he do? And what’s the deal with his cutie mark?

Still, this ground really is spongy! She could just bounce on this! But adults do not get to ‘bounce’ especially in front of the sterner souls like Steel Dagger and Lady Lanceguard. Instead, she found a comfortable spot near the jousting area and found a seat. She took off her helm and placed it by her side and let the wind blow through her mane.

[Frain Breeze]

"Cute? I appreciate the compliment, sir, but I do believe your attention should be on my horn rather than on my fa- AHH!" Lanceguard stumbled as her front hoof suddenly plunged deep into the ground, all the way up to her shoulder. Bewildered, she slowly pulled her leg up and put her hoof back on the grass, then peered into the hole. She could only see down a foot or so, and after that was pitch black. The sound of running water could faintly be heard from below, but what she heard next disturbed her. It was a splash. More specifically, a delay and then a splash. That must have been the dirt she pushed through. How far down did this thing go?

Lanceguard stared quietly at the abyss for a moment, then stood upright and looked nervously to the other ponies. She cleared her throat and spoke "Everypony, we need to get out of here." She kept her voice as calm as possible. Who knew what a bunch of panicking ponies could do to an already unstable area like this?

The unicorn began a slow, careful walk back toward the group, but her ears soon perked up as she heard a noise from behind her. Lanceguard turned her head to see the area around that small hole was now collapsing. The very place she had been standing a moment ago was now a rapidly expanding crater, its center falling deep into the ground. "RUN!" she yelled, galloping toward the group. So much for not panicking.

[tacobob]

"The hay?", Fire Walker quickly snatched up her helm and threw it back on the moment she spotted trouble. While an rapidly expanding sinkhole might pose a problem if she were grounded like the others, she was no unicorn! The Pegasus pony unfurled her wings and quickly took to the sky. But this would not do! She had to make sure Steel Dagger and Lady Lanceguard made it so safety as well! She quickly flew down, making sure to fly over the others and within reach, in the event that they required assistance to get away from fast opening swallet. She might not be strong enough to carry one of the unicorns, but she could at least keep the path clear for them.

[RarityDash]

Dagger's eyes went wide at the sudden development. This stupid field the jouster mare had lead them too was a blasted sinkhole! He and the mare were right there in the center of it too. While some in the group could get away with no issue, and the pegasus along with them could take to the sky, the two unicorns were in a desperate bid to reach safe ground before everything collapsed.

The Honor Guard officer broke into a gallop, intent to get away with his finely honed skills, but alas, a false step ended with his right back leg smashing through the ground. The few seconds it took to break it back out sealed his fate, as the ever widening crater caught up to his location. He started to fall into the abyss. Making a last second jump, the unicorn tried to get a firm grasp on the edge of the crater, but that dirt was still infirm and collapsed instantly under his hooves.

Helpless, he began to fall rapidly downward toward the murky water below. He cursed loudly, wondering just why he had decided to go along with this. After a long fall, Dagger hit the water with a loud, painful splash.

[tacobob]

"Oh no!", things really were not going the Pegasus pony's way as Steel Dagger quickly vanished from sight and into the dark pit. The other unicorn did not need to be encouraged to keep moving, so Fire Walker quickly dove into the darkness, hoping she could at least slow the officer's fall. This was not to be as Dagger hit the water before she could even get close enough."Sir?", she called out to him as she slowly glided through the darkness. She hoped he was able to swim, but what if the impact of the officer hitting the water knocked more than the wind out of the unicorn?

Not wanting to take anymore chances, the red coated equine took a plunge of her own into the water, making sure not to land too close where the stallion had fallen. As she sunk into the murky water below, she tried to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She tried to call out, but was only able to blurt out a few bits of bubbly nonsense. She prayed that Lanceguard was able to escape the rushing pit, and would be able to send out for help.

OOC: Fire Walker is busy looking for Steel Dagger in the murky water. At the moment, she does not notice the rather nasty pool of blood that is slowly forming around her left wing. Ouch.

[Frain Breeze]

Lanceguard ran as hard as she could, changing her direction toward the nearest tree in hopes that its root system would keep the ground there stable. The ground beneath her gave way before her theory could be tested, dropping her underground just like Steel Dagger. With little other choice, Lanceguard straightened her body upright, landing rear hooves first in the water. The impact was enormous, and she felt her hooves momentarily touch bottom before her momentum ceased.

The water was thick with mud and soil, and with her heavy caparison, it seemed as if the entire world was trying to hold her down. Lanceguard swam as hard as she could for the surface, right on the verge of drowning by the time she reached it. She gasped for air and began instinctively paddling forward, her hooves occasionally finding a rock or chunk of earth to push off from. The unicorn soon found the water's muddy shore, pulling her front half out of the water.

Lanceguard lay there, exhausted and panting. After a moment to collect herself, she brought herself back to her hooves and called out- "This is Lanceguard! Can anypony hear me? Who is hurt?" The back of her mind wanted to add "is anypony dead?", but she refused to entertain that thought. She rapidly turned her head in each direction, desperately looking for any of the ponies from her group. The cave-in was over by now, and sunlight from above could shine into the pit. However, the thick dust in the air would keep visibility rather limited until it settled.

[RarityDash]

Dagger fought against the muddy water, swimming to the surface quickly and trying to maneuver through the relative darkness to dry land. With considerable effort he finally managed to do just that, and pulled himself, still panting, up and out of the mire. He looked around, but could only see so much for the dust. he did however both the jouster and an armored pegasus mare from the group call out.

"Gah..." he started under his breath, sighing. "That certainly wasn't how I was hoping this day to go..."

"No serious injuries here!" he called back to them. Sure, there's probably be some bruising from the fall and there was definitely some soreness, but there didn't seem to be anything more critical wrong with him.He'd be fine.

[tacobob]

"I'm still here!", Fire blurted out as she emerged from the dark water, "I should be able to just fly out of here, but my wings don't seem to be working. Could be all the weight, or oh dear.", she finally noticed her left wing, "Must have hit something along the way and did not notice it. Oh smeg.", seeing that there was in fact dry land, the Pegasus quickly swam her way towards the other two ponies. Once her hooves hit land, she quickly shook off the excess water.

Once she wasn't as soggy as she were before, the pegasus wasted no time getting out a bandage from her pack, "Thank Celestia I'm with two unicorns! You two are probably already in the process of working out a spell to either teleport out of here. Or even maybe a 'levitate' spell could work. Heck, even a simple binding spell would fix my wing and I'd be able to fly out of here and get help.", she managed to stop the bleeding from her wing. With all that had happened so far, the former guard was still in pretty good spirits.

[Frain Breeze]

"Oh, thank goodness.." Lanceguard gave a sigh of relief as soon as she heard both of the others. She approached, giving a worried glance to Fire's wing. At least the pegasus seemed competent at first aid, as her next comment kind of hurt. "Oof... I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but while my family has a lot of skilled magic users, I wouldn't exactly count myself as one of them," Lanceguard spoke, removing her face mask and horn guard. She lifted the false tip off of her horn and tilted her head down, showing that about of quarter of her horn was missing from an old injury.

Lanceguard turned toward Steel Dagger. "Unless you know some impressive magic, we need to find a physical means of escape. Let's start checking the walls, perhaps there's a spot we could climb or a tunnel that leads to a cliff face outside. If all else fails, we could rework my chainmail into a long chain and use that to get out, but I'm sure we can find a real exit before it comes to that. I'm certainly not looking to spend all week down here, and I'm sure neither are you."

[RarityDash]

"I don't know," Dagger said, laughing at the jouster's words. "I can think of worse places to be than all alone in a dark and desperate place with two cute mares..."

The stallion then smirked shook his head and sighed as he looked up. "But yeah, when it comes to magic I'm something of an ace. Beta class on the UMAT, a veritable master of a number of spells which I have been trained to use with precise accuracy."

He gave a wry laugh before continuing. "However, my magical skill set is not well suited to this situation. My specialties include telekinetic use of assorted weaponry, cloaking spells and illusions, none of which will get us out of here. I'm quick and accurate with teleportation, but it's far from my specialty. Don't expect me to be able to teleport far enough to get out of here. Even if I could, I can't teleport at all with others tagging along."

"So yeah, sorry to disappoint ladies, but I'm not going to be your easy ticket out of here," the unicorn said with a shrug. "We're gonna have to look around and see what we can find down here."

[tacobob]

"Oh dear.", Fire Walker did not care to hear what the two unicorns had to say about their magical usefulness or lack of and even cringed a little when she noticed the mare's damaged horn, "I enjoy sport as much as the next pony, but to continue to joust, even after such a grave injury takes a good deal of commitment. Have you ever considered having that horn fixed? I broke two teeth a few months ago, and it just took a simple potion to restore them back to proper health.", she added before returning her bandage roll back to her pack. She glanced up, "And even if we took all our armor and somehow managed to bind them into one long rope, I doubt it would reach that high."

She glanced around the naturally formed room they were now in, "Does anypony know you two are in this area? I told my father we would be at the training grounds, which I had assumed we were going. So he wouldn't bother to look if he felt it necessary to do so. Probably thought I went off to a proper party. Less cake and root-beer and more nightclub and beer-beer."

She let out another sigh before turning her head and attention away from the hole, "And Sir, would you be able to throw up a light spell? Maybe a 'Fairey Fire' or 'Candlelight' spell? I would prefer not to stumble around in this darkness any longer. Knowing my luck, I might fall into another pit.", she asked Steel Dagger.

Fire Walker was apparently trying to put on a face of order and reason, but it was very obvious to both of the other ponies, the young mare was rather nervous about her current situation. Her rambling nature and questioning made it more obvious.

[Frain Breeze]

Lanceguard's expression lit up as Dagger started going on about his magical prowess, only to quickly change to an eyeroll once he concluded his spells wouldn't be of any help. "Back to square one then."

Her ears perked up and she turned toward Fire Walker, responding to the pegasus' comment about her horn "I probably would have considered it if I didn't get two new ones after breaking the one on my head." She turned and stuck out her hip, showing the crossed-horns cutie mark design on the flank of her caparison. "As for anypony knowing we're here, I know I told a few of my jousting partners we would be looking for a new spot, so they at least know we're in this general area. But like I said, we should work on finding a real way out of here."

Lanceguard took a few steps away from the others and looked around. The dust was starting to settle, and the walls of the cave were beginning to come into view. For the most part, the cave was just what anypony would expect from the underground- jagged rocks, irregular mounds of dirt, and the occasional body of water. But something caught her eye. Amidst the natural features of the pit was a flat stone platform protruding from the wall near the cave's bottom. Perhaps it was the roof or floor of some ancient structure lost to time? She was shocked, and began approaching for a closer look. "Guys? I do believe I've found something..."

(OOC: I don't have a specific direction in mind here, so don't be afraid to add your own elements to the ruins. The only thing I really have "set in stone" right now is that the ruins are an old city or castle that was covered by a landslide ages ago)

[tacobob]

"I did not realize you could just simply replace your horn, that seems rather.", the Pegasus paused to think of the right word, "Extreme. That would be like replacing an leg or even my wings, but I guess with the constant advances in medical care, I would not be surprised.", she stopped the moment Lanceguard pointed out her new discovery. "Curiouser and curiouser!", Fire Walker could only mutter as she studied the stone, "I wonder if this area is inhabited? I heard tales of dogs who walked on two legs and dug for precious jewels. They would foal-napp ponies and force them to search and dig for their prizes. Wonder if we're standing on the roof? I'm almost afraid to see.", but the pony's bravery got the best of her, and she walked along the stone.

"Wait.. Is that an opening of some sorts? Dagger? Please, could you manage a light for us?"

[RarityDash]

"Yeah, I'm on it, here's your light," Dagger started as he illuminated his horn, causing a ball of bright light to appear in the air just above the three of them. Light spells had their use in his job, so she used them quite proficiently.

The area now illuminated, Dagger looked ahead to see what the others had. A platform of carved stone lying there in the otherwise natural cave? Now this was a curiosity. Perhaps through dumb luck Dagger had actually stumbled upon something interesting. He moved toward the stone platform readily.

"They're called diamond dogs by the way," Dagger said in response to the pegasus. What was her name again? Fire Walker? The entire group had all given their names before leaving. "And they're hardly so exotic. Really, they have settlements all throughout Equestria."

He moved closer to look at the stone. There did seem to be some kind of opening in the platform. A staircase perhaps, even? Dagger's eyes widened. "Well, ladies, do you think we should investigate?"

[tacobob]

"My thanks.", The Pegasus briefly closed her eyes before the spell went off, as not to get blinded by the quickly summoned light. After a second, she opened her eyes slowly, "Much better Sir, and to answer your question, yes, we should. We might have stumbled onto a wonderful discovery of sorts.", she cantered over and glanced into the open area, "I think it might be stairs, I better loo-", she quickly disappeared into the darkness. Her disappearance was quickly followed by a loud thud.

"Not a staircase!", she called out, "Could have been a sunroof of sorts, or maybe a...ooh. Landed on some rocks. Some very bone shaped rocks. Actually, these are bones. Can't really tell. Could you please shine your light down on me? And for the record, I'm fine. Landed on my flank, thankfully it's well armored."

(An 'Iris-sempi' did a quick doodle of Fire Walker while she was stream'n earlier today)

[Frain Breeze]

Lanceguard tilted her head slightly, thinking to herself "Did she just take that comment about my horn literally?" She shrugged it off as the two other ponies began investigating the odd stone slab. "I'm not so sure diamond dogs would burrow this close to Canterlot. I remember reading about an ancient pony settlement that was covered by a landslide, but I can't quite recall if this would be the right area for tha-" her words we cut off as the pegasus stumbled into the pit, landing with a hard thud followed by the clattering of old bones. She peered over the edge, tense until she heard the mare say she was okay.

"We really should be more careful, miss. As much as I want to go exploring, we should at least leave some sign we were down here in case somepony from above comes looking for us." Lanceguard stepped away from the opening and looked around at the cave. "There's an old tree over there that fell in with the sinkhole. I'll see if my link-welding spell is enough to start a signal fire with it." Lanceguard looked toward the dark opening where Fire Walker fell in. "...and perhaps I can bring back a few branches to use as torches."

[tacobob]

"Sorry, sometimes my enthusiasm gets me more than a few bumps and bruises. I'll just sit still for the moment. Don't want to stumble into another pit.", the two ponies could hear the tell-tale sounds of bones rattling, "Haven't felt anything that feels like a pony skull, so I guess that's good. And I like your idea about the signal fire. While we're in a pretty isolated area, your fire might attract passing Pegasi."

(OOC: I'll let one of you determine what the bones are..Animal..Or pony..)

[RarityDash]

"The signal fire sounds like a good idea, but I'm not sure we'll need torches. I can adjust this light pretty effectively, after all," Dagger said, showing off by making his magic light grow brighter and dimmer repeatedly a few times. She then had it speed down into hole Firewalker had fallen through, illuminating the room for her.

Dagger moved to the edge to peer down. He could see the bones she had fallen into. They were the right size to be pony bones, but Dagger couldn't say for certain from where he stood, especially since the skull was missing. "I think I'm coming down after you," Dagger said, intrigued.

Using his magic, he then teleported to the bottom of the strange room, right in front of Firewalker. He could see some corridors leading off, deeper into whatever this underground structure was. He laughed. "I suppose we should wait for the lady jouster before we continue onward," he said, looking back up.

[tacobob]

"I wonder if this is an 'Charnel House'.", Fire Walker asked as Steel Dagger made his way down, "Or.", her voice started to quiver, "I read stories, they might not be true, actually, I really hope they're not true, but back in ancient times, before Princess Celestia and before the pony tribes united and things were really bad and food was hard to come by, some villages resorted to cannibalism. Older or no longer useful members of society sacrificed themselves so that their friends and family might live for another week or so."

She cringed and tried to step away from the bones, only to walk into another pile, causing her to let out an rather unheroic squeak. "I do hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm actually rather scared. Please do not tell my father."

[Frain Breeze]

"Your magic certainly suits the job, but I like having a backup in case we get split up."

Lanceguard left the others for a moment, going to the old and dried up tree that fell in with the collapse. Only a small part of it fell into the water, so it would still be usable for a fire. She felt around the decaying branches until she found some suitably weak ones, breaking them away with a hard kick. "Torches... check." She tossed the loose branches aside for a moment, then touched her horn to the trunk. Focusing, she cast a spell she normally used for welding damaged pieces of her chainmail back together, using its heat to ignite the wood.

With the fire started and a few loose branches tucked under her caparison's straps, Lanceguard returned to the other ponies. The pegasus was babbling on about some old scare-story. "Miss?" she spoke, peering down to Fire Walker's location. "Please, relax. Those cannibal pony stories are nothing but a myth. I've read quite a lot on history, and I haven't encountered a single documented case. We'll be out of here soon enough, and it will be easier without our minds clouded by paranoia."

[RarityDash]

Dagger had to smirk at Fire Walker's behavior. He wasn't surprised. All guarsmares were the same; tough and fierce on the outside, but when you peel back those layers you get a soft interior. This pegasus was all too similar to Radiant. Okay, maybe she had a little more dignity and social competence than Dagger's darling little sister, but it seemed about the same idea. It suited Dagger fine; he wasn't the type to jump at shadows. Ponies called him a coward, but really he was just a pragmatist. If he was at a clear disadvantage, he backed down. He however would never let some creepy old ruin bother him. Doing so was just silly.

"Well, that's not necessarily true," Dagger said with a smirk, turning back toward Lanceguard. "In truth, Pre-Equestrian Unification history is scarce at best, especially from tribes that didn't survive. Ponykind was scattered then, and conditions were oppressive. Just because no records of such thing exist, doesn't mean it didn't happen. It was a dark and wild time where we were scattered and at the mercy of wendigos, other beasts and even each other. I think its entirely plausible that a tribe or two might have been reduced to such things for lack of other options."

Dagger chuckled and stepped ahead. "But you ladies don't worry yourself. I'm here to keep you safe."

[tacobob]

"Sorry.", Fire Walker gritted her teeth as she watched the two unicorns make themselves useful. "Almost feel like 'Daring Do' down here. Not that I feel heroic or anything, but they always had to come up with some silly excuse why she couldn't fly during the book. She either broke her wings, or had the father flu, or something. If not, she would be able to easily avoid traps and Ahuitzotl. Not that I still read those books or anything.", she let out a weak laugh and started to examine the bones the best she could. The Pegasus was not able to find a skull, but she did find something laying in the pile.

"Guys, sorry to be such a 'chatsesdale', but I think I found some sort of necklace in the pile. Can't make out the words. Must be some other language. There's a lovely gem attached to it, but I don't want to touch it. Might get hit with a mummy's curse or something. Not like there's a mummy down here, but would this be considered 'grave robbing'? I do know you're never supposed to read strange words you find in lost cities out-loud. Happened in 'Daring Do and the Army Of Darkness'. Some crazy researcher pony read some strange words out-loud and before you knew it, he was facing down a army of zombies."

[Frain Breeze]

Lanceguard smirked at Dagger's comment and replied jokingly, "You're here to keep us safe... from starving and eating each other? So, what, does that mean you'd want to be the first one eaten?"

The pegasus spoke up again, this time about some fictional adventure stories. Lanceguard looked down toward Fire Walker as she spoke, then glanced up at Steel Dagger, whispering, "I'm beginning to wonder if negative elevation affects' a pegasus' mind..." She shook her head and crouched at the edge of the opening, starting to carefully lower herself down. "Let's go, it sounds like we have a good bit of discovery to make down here."