Journey of the Breeze
by Jason Hawke
First published
After being shipwrecked and stranded on an unknown island, a human stumbled across a land filled with tiny creatures known as "Breezies". Now, with the aid of one of them, the two must learn how to send the human back to his home.
The ponies in this story are "Level TWO" anthro, so expect the breezies to have a similar shape, only extremely tiny!
Character tags are subject to change, as the story progresses!
The life of a journalist can be full of action and adventure! Such is the case for the energetic man who goes by the nickname "Bolt"... a nickname he gave himself that implies, "The only thing about him that was seen was a Bolt of light." Only his closest friends know his real name... and in the land of Equestria, that would only be one person.
...Or rather, a breezie named "Summer Breeze".
After leaving "Breezie Valley", however, the two of them find that there's a lot more dangers in Equestria than meets the eye.
Episode ONE | Caved In!
In the center of a dark, dimly-lit cave...
"Just a bit longer, Bolt! We're almost there!" Those were the words of a small, red-coated breezie with an even brighter mane color, and a pair of red-glowing antennas attached to the sides of her scalp. Her mane was long, curly, and her tail was similar in shape. Her wings were similar to a butterfly's in shape and size, but the coloration resembled her mane and coat colors, and were see-through.
Below her, running at a fast speed, was a tall, light-skinned, long brown-haired human with a thick, inch-long beard. He was wearing, what looked like, a ragged, torn suit, a pair of formal shoes that were tied to his feet with black laces, and a camera that dangled from his neck... though he was carrying it tucked in his left hand, while his right hand was balled up, and flailing back and forth, as he continued to blur through the cave, while the breezie held onto his hair for dear life, since she was technically the size of his pinkie fingernail... maybe even smaller. To him, she seemed more like a fairy, due to the glow that her antennas gave out.
"You... sure... about... that?!" The human, now known as "Bolt", asked the breezie between breaths, while looking behind his back. Though he couldn't see anything, the sound of a blood-curdling roar echoed through the cave, which only made the frightened human gain more speed.
"Well... I don't know, entirely... but you better move faster, or the Ursa Major will get us!" That statement made the human nod his head and attempt to run faster. As he did, however, he didn't notice the loose rock that was on a collision course for his right foot.
"EEK!" Bolt shouted, before tumbling onto the ground, and rolling a couple times.
"BOLT!" The breezie shouted, before flying to his face, and tapping on his forehead with her right forehoof. "Bolt, get up! We don't have much time, until... until... uh-oh..." As soon as she turned around, she noticed a pair of golden eyes shining through the darkness. Then, from outside of that darkness came a massive purple paw with a starry pattern etched through its fur. Its pattern of stars shined through the darkness, giving its outlining a bear-like pattern, though its pearly white fangs seemed more similar to a sabre-tooth tiger, instead.
It growled as it inched closer to the unconscious photojournalist and the frightened breezie. Then, it opened its mouth and snarled; allowing the odor of the countless creatures it has eaten in its years to fill the area... much to the breezie's disgust. "Ugh... GET A BREATH MINT!" As she expected, though, her voice was lost in the room, due to her tiny size.
Finally, when the Ursa Major was ready to strike, Bolt quickly opened his eyes, lifted his camera, and shouted, "SMILE!" before pressing the button on the top-right corner of his camera. Then, for a split second, the entire room was engulfed in a blinding flash which startled both the Ursa and the breezie; with the breezie also startled by the sudden loudness of Bolt's voice.
Knowing that he startled the breezie, though, he quickly caught her in his right hand, tucked her in his suit's jacket pocket, and scooped himself off the ground with his legs already kicking back into gear... all while the Ursa Major stumbled backwards, roaring in both fury and pain.
"You alright, Summer Breeze?!" Bolt asked the breezie, who only flew out of his pocket and back into his hair with a glare on her face.
"YOU IDIOT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO THAT?! UGH... NOW MY EYES NEED TO ADJUST TO THE DARKNESS AGAIN!"
Bolt merely smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. "My bad?"
"Oh, you're bad, alright! Bad enough that I'm going to report that one to Seabreeze when we're back in Breezie Valley!"
Before anyone could say another word, the sound of quaking paw-steps cut their conversation short, while a hall that appeared to be too short for the Ursa Major to go through appeared from the darkness... along with several other small tunnels. "Ugh! Of all the times to have to make choices, WHY NOW?!" Bolt complained, while Summer sighed and began to shine brighter. (Upon closer inspection, her antennas were starting to glow brighter, which would mean that the breezie was increasing her senses to find the slightest hint of plant life.)
Finally, after three seconds of extra shining, Summer pointed to the fourth tunnel of the five directly in front of them and shouted, "THERE! I CAN SMELL A PLANT!"
With a nod, Bolt replied, "Thanks! Now, let's get out of here!" Without a moment's hesitation, the two of them took the path, while the Ursa Major blindly ran into the wall with its claw stretched through the first few meters of the tunnel; inching dangerously close to Bolt and Summer. As soon as it closed its claws, however, it turned out empty. Both Bolt and Summer were too deep for it to reach.
Seeing that as their time to rest, Bolt panted heavily before falling to the ground, and leaning against the cave wall, while Summer's natural glow illuminated the area around them.
"Well... at least... we're safe... for now..." Bolt whispered through deep breaths.
Summer nodded her head before replying, "Yeah... good thing this cave has so many smaller tunnels, huh?"
Bolt merely nodded his head before turning to his right; the direction where they were headed to. "Yeah..."
Seeing nothing better to do, Summer relaxed next to Bolt and asked, "So... now that we're free from the Ursa Major, you wanna check your camera for any good pics you took already?"
Bolt nodded his head before flipping through the camera's options. Thanks to the magic of this continent known as "Equestria", the camera's battery was always at full charge. He wasn't sure how it was able to do that, but he figured some things are better left unknown.
Flipping through the menu, he chuckled when he saw the first picture he ever took... a selfie in the beach where he landed in.
I was always wondering why I took that picture... perhaps I just wasn't fully aware of the situation I was in.
Summer flew closer to the camera to examine the pictures that Bolt took. "So... you actually smiled when you got here?"
Summer Breeze happened to find me three days after I took that shot... and trust me when I say this... I was FAR from happy. Huh... now that I think about it... when we were trapped in that cave, that was the first time she's ever seen that picture... or any of the other pictures I took prior to meeting her. It was almost like I didn't even think that we would make it out of there... and from the looks of the situation we were in, I doubt if anyone would've thought that, also.
Bolt turned to her and nodded his head with a smile. "Yeah... something about the whole scenario just seemed like a vivid dream to me at that time." Then he flipped to the next photo... one with a wolf-like creature made of wood. "I found that thing trying to chase me, so I took this picture. Like the Ursa Major, the camera was able to blind it! And of course, since flashes of cameras seem rare to find in the woods, it ran off whining like a little dog."
Summer's eyes widened at the sight of the picture. "No way! That's a timberwolf, Bolt! Those things are extremely dangerous!"
Just the way how she stared at that picture told me right away that those "timberwolves", as she called them, are bad news. Thanks to that advice, I knew to keep my camera close by, should one suddenly make an appearance. Of course, considering the fact that she's a BREEZIE, I wouldn't be surprised if a little rabbit could be a major threat to her.
"Anyways, moving on!" Bolt said, before flipping to the next picture. This one was a simple picture of the sunset that he took while on top of a tree. Needless to say, Summer really liked that one.
"Oh... so you like sunsets, huh?" She asked, while Bolt nodded his head. "There's a saying, you know? When the sun sets, the breezes of the cool night begins... sending the rest of the pollen that the breezies have scattered across the lands even further; reaching beyond where even the greatest of breezies could reach... and only one of us were ever able to go beyond that distance... thus, the way how he got his name!"
"Seabreeze, right?" Bolt asked, which caused Summer to gasp audibly.
"How did you know?! Only the breezies have known that secret for so long!"
Her shock made me hold back a laugh. It's true, not many creatures besides breezies would truly know their secrets... but I could tell right away that their leader, "Seabreeze" must've gotten his name for a reason. And since breezies can't stand water, it's clear that "beyond where even the greatest of breezies could reach" must've meant the sea, or the ocean. With that in mind, I explained that fact to her... needless to say, she was VERY ticked off.
"W-well... well... DARN IT!" She growled, while Bolt continued to laugh at his partner's frustration. "Anyways, go to the next picture! I wanna see more!"
Bolt nodded his head before flipping through the camera to the next picture. That one, of course, caused Bolt's laughter to die down instantly. Summer's frustrations were lost the minute she saw the creature on the camera... a lion with bat-like wings, and a scorpion-like tail. "A manticore?! You actually went face-to-face with a MANTICORE?!"
Bolt nodded his head once more, before sighing. "Yeah... though the flash only blinded it temporarily when it tried to pounce on me... I was lucky I escaped it, to be honest." Then he shuddered at the next thought. "And the surprise that I had when I noticed that it had wings... my first idea was to climb a tree, but... that didn't turn out well, to say the least."
"Hey! That was a year ago, okay? At least things are better now, right? I mean, sure we're still in the same continent where all of that happened, but..." She then stepped on the button that flipped to the next picture on his camera... which happened to be a close-up of Summer Breeze, herself. "If I didn't get the others to bring you into Breezie Valley, then you would've died from that wound! Seeing how you survived that must mean that there's something special in you! And now, since you have a heads-up on what to do, plus a partner that knows what she's doing, there's nothing to worry about! Alright?"
It was strange how they brought me into their "little valley", by the way. First, a large group of them flew around my unconscious body; all glowing in different colors. The next thing I knew, the world around me started to get bigger and louder... or so I thought. Turns out, they had some sort of powder that a zebra gave them that can shrink certain creatures to enter and exit their valley once... the effects, however, would wear off if that creature were to leave Breezie Valley. So, for a year, I camped in their valley with them; learning more about the "way of the breezies" and what-not. Then, I learned about the inhabitants of these lands. Apparently, they resemble the breezies in shape, but their size is "enormous", as the breezies pointed out. What puzzled me the most, however, was what they were... ponies.
After seeing a picture of one, however, I knew right away that they weren't like the ponies that I'm used to seeing... which seemed bizarre, since I could've sworn I was on the same world! In fact, the debris of the ship that I was on prior to waking up on that beach was scattered around, which obviously meant I was shipwrecked, and not sucked into some other planet.
Anyways, I'm getting off-topic here. These "ponies", as they pointed out, would more than likely stand up to about my knees in height, which must mean that I'm like a giant to everything here... even that "manticore" was like a lion, but was the size of something shorter, like an adolescent cheetah.
Bolt nodded his head with a smile. "Thanks, Summer. You seem to know how to make these kinds of crazy scenarios seem more brighter... metaphorically speaking, of course."
Summer chuckled before replying, "And... you just killed the mood there. Anyways, next!"
Letting out a chuckle, Bolt flipped to the next picture... a clear open area, with the spot where the massive valley he lived in for a year was visible... a simple little hole in a tree. "How that entire valley is inside that small little tree is still beyond me!" Bolt stated in an amused tone.
Summer, however, shrugged it off, stating, "Eh, it might be small to you, but to me, it's like a simple doorway for ponies, in comparison!"
"Makes sense." Bolt agreed.
Knowing that THAT was where I've been for a year was amazing, to say the least... almost like a cartoon, or something. So we spent the next five minutes going through photos... though the rest were mostly about the different flora and fauna that we came across. One piece of flora, in particular, was the strangest of all... a blue flower named "Poison Joke". When I got some of it on me, I ended up turning into a timberwolf! It was strange how Summer knew who I was, though. Apparently, I had a blue flower embedded in my forehead, which must've given it off. That, plus my eyes were glowing as green as the irises around the pupils of my eyes.
"Well, I'd say that's been enough photo-viewing for now. So... let's try to find a way out of this cave now!" Bolt stated... to which, Summer agreed to.
"Oh, finally we get to continue! And here, I was starting to think that you'd keep sitting around until we starve to death!"
Bolt merely chuckled before replying, "And like you have room to talk? In case you didn't notice, I have to eat an entire town's worth of food to you as a simple little snack!"
Summer merely sighed before flying back into Bolt's hair. "Yeah, yeah! Anyways, let's go! I'll keep an eye on our backs, in case that Ursa Major tries to show its cosmic face again!"
"Kay."
With that, the two of us continued on our trek through the dark tunnels. As it turned out, however, the "plant" that she happened to sense was nothing more than a piece of poison joke that grew beneath the cave floors. I, of course, was frustrated... then shocked at her next request.
"I'm not joking! You have to rub your hands on it... then, you'll be transformed into your timberwolf form again!" Summer pleaded to Bolt, only for him to turn his head away, with his arms crossed.
"Forget it! I'd rather keep my humanity, thank you very much!"
"Just temporarily, until we get out! Then we can go find the ingredients to get you back to normal afterwards!"
Bolt thought for a moment, before sighing. "You won't quit bugging me about it until I do it, will you?"
With a triumphant nod, Summer replied, "And you can count on a breezie to bug you! After all, we and the bugs are so much alike!"
With an unamused nod, Bolt knelt to the blue flower, but turned to Summer a quick second later. "You owe me for this, y'know!"
"Yeah, yeah! Hurry up, already! I'm getting hungry over here!"
After taking a deep breath, Bolt looked away, as he quickly swept his hand over the poison joke. Then, he waited for a moment... then a minute... then two. "Ugh, what's taking so long?!" Bolt complained.
"I... think you have to go to sleep for it to work!" Summer pointed out, only for Bolt to sigh.
"Well, wake me when I change, then."
And so, I curled up on the ground and started to just rest there for a while. Since it's easy for me to go to sleep, even in the sunlight, Summer's natural glow wasn't a disturbance. Plus, all the running that I've been doing DID make it easier for me to go to sleep. Only one problem, though... literally FIVE minutes after I was asleep, Summer started yelling in my ears.
"BOLT! IT WORKED! YOU'RE A TIMBERWOLF AGAIN!"
"Gr... WOOF! WOOF!" Bolt replied, only to yelp at the sudden barking noise that he heard.
"Settle down there, boy! Now, then... I need you to smell the grass around the poison joke, so you can find the nearest patch of grass! Perhaps if you can find that, then you can find the way to the exit!"
Bolt nodded his head before lowering his snout to the patch of green around the blue flower. Since he was already under the effects of poison joke, it didn't bother him if he bumped into it as he pawed the ground around the grass to get a better scent of it. Then he sniffed in a circular motion, before barking towards a certain direction... which happened to be the direction they came from.
Summer groaned before asking, "You mean to tell me... we have to go BACK?!"
Bolt merely nodded his head with, what would appear to be, an amused grin on his now wooden face. "WOOF! At least I know my senses are better than yours now!"
"Oh, don't give me that look! I know you think you're better at sensing things than I am, but don't forget who's idea this was!"
Letting out another amused bark, Bolt quickly lifted the camera off the ground and wrapped it around his neck. Then, since he didn't have any saliva (due to being completely made of wood now), he held the camera's strap firmly with his teeth; carefully so he doesn't damage anything, or risk getting a splinter when he has his hands again.
When Summer had a good enough grip on one of Bolt's wooden patches of fur, he ran on all fours at a significantly faster motion than when he was human... much to his joy, and Summer's fear/annoyance. "H-HEY, SLOW DOWN, ALREADY! I HAVE A WEAK STOMACH WHEN IT COMES TO FAST MOTION!"
Listening to his "passenger", Bolt slowed his speed until Summer stopped complaining. Then, at a steady pace, the two continued down the long, narrow passageway, until they were at the opening to the even more huge hallway that they were chased in. After noticing where they were, Bolt slowed his pace to a simple tiptoe (or tip-paw in his case).
The second they stepped out of the hallway, however, the sound of the Ursa Major letting out a huge roar filled the room. Then, in the blink of an eye, they noticed the Ursa Major appearing from deep inside the distant shadows; rushing towards them at an alarming rate. Quickly, Bolt began trying to lift the camera up... only to figure out that he couldn't get a good grip of it with his paws. Turning towards Summer, he deadpanned at her while she shrugged her shoulders and smiled sheepishly.
"Um... my bad?"
With a sigh, Bolt quickly bit the camera's strap once more, while Summer got an even tighter grip on him, and in an instant, the timberwolf began rushing through the cave in a blurring speed... towards the Ursa Major, though.
"WHOA! WHAT THE TARTARUS ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!" Summer screamed, only to notice the underside of the Ursa Major overhead... then behind them.
Bolt grinned mischievously as the Ursa turned around confusedly... only for him to make a sharp left-turn around its left paw, then into another tunnel... much to its displeasure. Then, it tried to reach into the tunnel, only to find nothing yet again. It gave out another large roar, before punching the wall... something that neither of the two brave adventurers were expecting. After that, a frightening situation from Summer's worst nightmares began to happen... the cave's ceiling was starting to collapse.
Sparing no second to stand idle, Bolt quickly shook Summer off of him, which caused her to fling off of his back, and into the air. Naturally, though, she used her wings to stop herself in midair. Before she could even ask what his problem was, he quickly moved his head behind her, and pushed forward; using the blue flower attached to his forehead as a type of handle for her to hold onto. In an instant, she understood what was going on, as the two of them were now surrounded by a blurry world around them; courtesy of the speed that Bolt was running.
What felt like eternity ended up being mere seconds, as I rushed through the seemingly endless hallway, with the ceiling behind me falling to the ground. Adrenaline was filling my veins... well... you know what I mean. I was pumped up, and following my senses, hoping that whatever I smelled didn't lead to a dead end. What I ended up finding, however, was something even MORE unexpected, though.
"GREAT! A DEAD END! WHAT NOW, YOU STUPID DOG?!" Summer complained, only for Bolt to huff, before looking down. Sure enough, a hole was on the ground... a hole that led downwards like a huge tunnel slide. "Oh, no you don't! M-maybe if we're lucky we can- AAH!" Bolt didn't even give Summer enough time to speak, before nose-diving into the tunnel, as several rocks from the cave-in started following them down the huge tunnel.
"BOLT! IF WE GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE, I'M GONNA BUCKING KILL YOU!" Summer swore, while Bolt merely howled in entertainment at the amount of fun he was having, despite the danger they were in.
I thought to myself... "If I'm gonna die, why not enjoy it while it lasts?" Of course, Summer never fulfilled her promise there... otherwise, I wouldn't be telling you this story! *Chuckles*
As seconds turned to minutes of non-stop sliding, twisting, and turning, a fork-in-the-road appeared from out of nowhere; which caught Summer by surprise. Bolt, on the other hand (or paw, in his case), still had the scent of the grass he smelled, and turned right; towards the path his senses told him to take.
"BOLT! I SENSED GRASS ON THE LEFT SIDE, YOU IDIOT!" Summer screamed.
"WOOF! Well, I smelled more THIS way, moron!"
"I DON'T EVEN WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU JUST SAID!"
Suddenly, the rays of hope began to come into view... lights. "OH, SWEET CELESTIA, LIGHT! QUICK, SPEED UP!" Summer shouted.
Bolt barked once more before arching his front paws forward in a diving motion; giving him a slight bit more speed.
And for the record, it was a HUGE advantage that my fur was made of wood. If I were sliding like that in my tux, I doubt if I would've even made it out of there in the flesh... maybe a skeleton would pop out, instead... which speaking of...
As soon as they were out, Summer shouted, "FREEDOM!" while Bolt howled; more than likely saying the same thing. All of that changed when they realized just how high they were flying. "Oh, no! BOLT!" Summer shouted once she realized that she was flying, while her partner was falling from high in the sky in a bone-shattering speed.
She tried to feebly attempt to stop him from falling... but it was too late. The second he landed, his entire body scattered across the ground with a loud snapping noise... and a whine of extreme agony.
Summer landed in the center of the rubble with tears filling her eyes. "N-no... BOLT! ANSWER ME, YOU IDIOT!"
There was no answer. Out of frustration and sorrow, she turned around; only to notice the camera dangling loosely on a tree ahead of them. Sniffling a few times, she flew up to it and began tapping on the buttons. "Bolt... I have your camera! I'll... I'll go take it to Breezie Valley, and have them make a house out of it!" She had a hopeful smile as she teased Bolt in high hopes that it would work... it didn't. Letting out a saddened sigh, she lowered her head. "I... I guess you really are gone, then..." A tear fell from her eye... and shortly following that, the camera started falling from the tree.
In the blink of an eye, the green glows of Bolt's eyes re-appeared, and in a split second, the pieces of his body jumped to his head. After that, he leaped forward, and managed to catch the camera before it could even reach the ground.
Seeing her partner alive, Summer cheered, "BOLT! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
Bolt, however, started growling at her; much to her amusement. "What? At least your camera's still working, right?"
With a sigh, Bolt lowered the camera to the ground and started fiddling with the buttons; flipping through the pictures, until he found one with poison joke in its contents. Then, after giving the blue flower several taps, Summer realized what he was trying to say. "Oh, right! Hey, don't you worry, buddy! I have the list of ingredients right here in this... oh, poop..."
Bolt stopped tapping the picture and growled at the sudden change of Summer's reaction. Grinning nervously, Summer replied, "Um... about that... I... may have left the scroll with the ingredients... in the cave."
At once, Bolt's eyes shot open, as he started moving his forepaws around as if trying to say something... but regardless of how much his lips moved, simple canine whines were all that came out.
"Hey! Listen to me, Bolt... LISTEN TO ME!" Summer shouted, before flying up to the space in-between Bolt's eyes; immediately stopping his wining. "Don't think that I don't have a plan, alright?!" Then she flew to where he could see her completely. "Now, look! I've heard rumors of that zebra that helped you live with us apparently living close to a town called 'Ponyville'... and it's only a few days' walk from here to there! And since the 'Summer Sun Celebration' is just a week away, maybe we can find her somewhere in the jungle, collecting goods for the drinks there!" She gave him a warm smile before flying next to his right ear. "Trust me, Bolt... if anyone can fix you back up, it's her! Alright?"
With a nod, Bolt huffed before the two of them began heading towards the town called "Ponyville".
And that... marked the beginning of my long journey...
JOURNEY OF THE
~~BREEZEBY: JUSTIN DANIELS
Author's Notes:
"Ending Credits" theme for this story is "Angels and Airwaves - The Adventure"! The link is the phrase "TO BE CONTINUED"! Feel free to give it a listen!
The lyrics are, in a way, somewhat inspirational to the feel of this story! Feel free to read them "HERE" if you're interested in reading what they say, or would even like to sing-along with it!
Well, here's my next story on the long list of "Work-In-Progress" stories! If you like this one, please feel free to let me know via the "Like" button, and feel free to "Favorite" it if you'd like to keep up-to-date with when the next chapters are released!
Also, in case you're wondering, more updates on my other stories will come, and due to the excessive amounts of real-life issues going on in my life, I may be updating more often! (After all, writing is one of the best ways for me to take my mind off of the troubles of the real world, and who better to turn to than my loving fans/friends of FIMFiction?
"
As spoken in the description's little note at the top, the tags are subject to change as the story progresses! With that in mind, I hope you enjoy this new adventure, as my other story "Journey to Equestria: Homeward Bound" continues to flourish and grow!
Episode TWO | Beneath Froggy Bottom Bogg...
Author's Notes:
I know what you're thinking! "HOLY CRAP! 21,906 WORDS?!"
If that's too much for you, rest assured that this chapter was, what I'll go on ahead and call, a "Dungeon Chapter", meaning it will cover an entirely huge situation that requires Bolt and Summer to remain in a certain area for a long period of time.
Don't worry, though, if it isn't! Even the regular chapters will still be (hopefully) lengthy enough to feed you all plenty 'till the next chapter!
(Please message me if you happen to find any errors, and I'll be sure to correct them as quickly as I can! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!)
JOURNEY OF THE
~~BREEZEBY: JUSTIN DANIELS
After what felt like several days in the darkness of the Everfree Forest, Summer and I managed to make it to an open area where the sun was able to actually shine. At first, we thought that it was the way out of the Everfree Forest, so we were cautious... mostly because I was a timberwolf... and despite having a flower attached to my forehead, I doubted if anyone (or anyPONY as Summer seems to say) would consider me anything less than a threat.
Speaking of flowers, the flower on my forehead didn't really have much of a stem on it. In fact, it was just four blue petals attached to a yellow cork-like center, which was then attached directly to my forehead without even a leaf in-between. I didn't want to risk unintentionally harming myself, so I didn't bother to mess with it, despite how... feminine it made me look.
Anyways, so the two of us stumbled across an opening. What we found in there... I dare not say.
At the entrance of Froggy Bottom Bogg...
Slowly, Bolt walked through the center of the sudden clear area of the trees. Below his paws, he noticed a dirt trail, which must've meant that he was close to civilization, at least. Cautiously, though, he knew better than to go near the road while in his "timberwolf form", as he (but mostly Summer) called it. After all, he would've towered over the ponies by at least two times their height while he was a timberwolf. With that in mind, he hid behind a bush as he entered the clearing, with the road not too far to his right.
The road, though clearly paved manually, was off-centered by a long shot, which only made Bolt wonder even more if that road was even up-to-date, or even led to civilization anymore, or if it might've been the remnants of a long lost civilization.
"So, Bolt... any signs of life nearby?" Summer asked Bolt; now revealing herself to have been resting behind his right ear.
Bolt merely made a whining noise, due to the fact that he lacked the knowledge of his senses.
"Oh, right... to get better at your senses, you have to first know the smell of what to look for... and as of right now, that would be poison joke and grass... perhaps even breezies, since I'm so close to you." Then she let out a sigh. "Well... just keep your eyes peeled... alright?"
Bolt merely nodded his head while the two of them cautiously searched around the bog.
While it didn't seem like this place could possibly contain any life in it, it was clear that this place wasn't, in any way, a safe place to stay in for long. In fact, most of the time I was out there, I could tell that Summer was having trouble breathing, due to the huge amount of musk and pollution in the area. So, I motioned for her to stay close to my flower; hoping that it could at least give her the oxygen she needed to survive.
Turns out, it was the ONLY way how she was able to even breath in there. If we were to split for even a second, she would have difficulties breathing.
"Really, Bolt... I'm fine!" Summer complained before coughing a few times while she rested on Bolt's forehead.
In response, Bolt growled at her, which made her sigh in defeat. "Alright, fine! So a breezie can't breathe in all this muck! It doesn't mean that I have to stay on your forehead forever though, does it?!"
Bolt, in turn, slowly nodded his head (slowly so she doesn't blow off of his forehead). Then he tried sniffing around the area in hopes of learning about the environment even better to avoid getting lost. Due to the heavy pollution in the air, however, even his senses were suffering... which made him whine once more.
"Hey, Bolt... is it just me, or is the sun starting to set too soon?" Summer finally asked. Bolt looked at the ground and, sure enough, the formerly bright area started to darken.
Backing up out of a mix of fear and confusion, Bolt accidentally backed directly into a small cavern that, surprisingly, wasn't filled with the muck like everywhere else... though the walls inside the said cavern were still dripping with the muck, only extremely slowly.
As soon as he landed inside, he landed with a loud thud mixed with yet another canine-like whine... but after checking his forehead, he sighed with relief when he heard Summer say, "I'm fine, Bolt! Are you okay, though?!"
Bolt slowly stood back up, before barking happily. "Good... then maybe we should-" Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a multitude of colossal roars outside the cavern caused both of them to jump up in shock.
"Um... maybe we should go deeper into this cavern!" Bolt didn't even respond, as he was already too busy running at top speed with his camera tucked in his teeth. Summer was holding onto his forehead for dear life, while he had his head angled downwards to help keep her from floating off... due to the environment they were in, they couldn't risk being apart for too long, after all... and as she learned before they even passed two minutes into the bog, her wings were too weak to fly when in that kind of environment. With that in mind, her falling down could result in a severe injury for her.
"WHOA! BOLT, NOT SO FAST!" Summer shouted. Bolt immediately slowed his pace to her liking, but didn't even bother to stop moving.
Finally, when they were deep enough in the cavern to the point where the only visible light was the dim glow from Summer Breeze, Bolt slowed his running into a cautious walk, while he and Summer looked around the cavern, hoping to figure out just where they were.
"Great... from one cave, to another! Can this day get any worse?!"
Bolt tilted his head in an attempted shrug, before nearly tripping and falling down an eerie hole in the ground. After a few frantic pushes of his forehooves, however, he successfully managed to regain his balance before he could fall. "Whoa! Easy there, Bolt... don't wanna die this early in our adventure, at least!"
Bolt merely made whining noises while still trying to talk.
"You do realize that I don't speak timberwolf... right?" Bolt merely sighed at that statement. "I mean... sure, in Equestria, Princess Celestia's chosen subjects like the breezies and ponies can live forever, but... well, I was mostly talking about you." Bolt growled at that statement. "Yeah, you do have a point... I still would've died from all this smog in the air. Still, though... eh, forget it."
Somehow, I doubted that she actually understood what I said... or rather, TRIED to say at that point. Still, though... her guess wasn't too far off.
"Hey... walk over there real quick!" Summer pointed Bolt towards their right... which happened to be blocked by a nearby wall. Not wanting to argue with her, Bolt followed her directions. Shortly before he could take more than a couple steps, however, his right foreleg bumped into a hard stone object on the ground... causing him to trip and fall.
"Ooh! What's that?" Summer asked before motioning for Bolt to stand back up. At first he felt like complaining... but then, when he saw what it was that he tripped over, he tilted his head in confusion. The object happened to be a pair of half-circles with a metal clockwork contraption between each half-circle... a lever, of some sort. As for what it was meant for, none of them could truly tell for sure... not yet, at least.
"Hm... I wonder what that lever's for... wanna try to pull it?" Summer asked before turning to Bolt.
Bolt merely deadpanned at her before raising his front forepaws in the air and making more canine whining noises. "Chill out, already! It was just a simple question... oh, wait..." Then she lightly chuckled. "I see what it is!" A mischievous smile formed on her face. "Bolt, the fearless photojournalist, is actually afraid of finding the truth to something, huh?" Bolt shook his head, before pointing at his forelegs with his nose.
"Oh... you just can't because you don't have your 'hands' anymore, huh?" Bolt nodded his head. "Can't you try... I don't know... biting the thing, and pulling it with your jaw?"
Bolt moved closer to the rusty handle, gave it a few sniffs, then turned his nose away from it, before shaking his head "no".
"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're afraid of getting a little bit of rust on you!" Bolt shook his head once more. "No? Then what's the problem, then?"
With a sigh, Bolt began drawing a small picture of a tree in the dirt with a mountain at its right. After that, he drew a "plus" between them. Then he drew an "equal" sign after the mountain, and followed it with a picture of a crossed-out tree.
When his drawing was finished, he pointed at it with his nose, while Summer sighed. "So... because it's metal, you're afraid it'll be a problem for your fangs?" Bolt nodded his head once more, which made Summer sigh. "Well... would you be more motivated if you had a better view of this whole room, first? Make sure that there aren't any potential traps?"
Bolt pondered that thought for a moment, before nodding his head. "Fine, then... but where are we gonna find a light bright enough to fill up this whole room?"
After thinking for a moment, the two of them sighed. "We'd need a way to light a fire... but since you're made of wood, that could be a huge risk on your life! We'd need some sort of light that's not... made of fire..."
At once, the two of them looked at each other, before lowering their heads, in unison, at the camera that still hung loosely over Bolt's neck. "Of course! Your camera!"
Bolt sighed before groaning and letting out more whines. "What's wrong this time, now?!" Summer asked with an annoyed tone.
Taking a deep breath, Bolt covered his snout with his left paw while fanning towards his snout with his right paw. "You... think something stinks?" Bolt deadpanned at her, until her eyes widened at the realization. "No... there's still too much smog in the sky... darn it! Now things are starting to get too complicated!"
Bolt nodded his head and whined, before sitting down... on top of a conveniently placed button. As soon as he sat down on it, the walls around them began to make loud noises which caused Bolt to yelp, jump back on his paws, and run towards where he hoped was the center of the room. While running, though, he soon found several cracks of the walls in the distance opening up; revealing unlit torches that hung on posts. Finally, the room stopped shaking... and while it did, the torches instantly lit up across the entire room they were in... mysteriously on their own.
As soon as the light hit the smog in the air, things went from startling to downright strange... the smog immediately moved away from the light of the torches in unison... then fell to the ground, and sunk below where the hole in the floor was, which gave it an ominous green "endless fall" type of look. The rest of the smog, however, flowed over the walls in a thick layer that, without a doubt, could bring serious trouble breathing in if someone were to even try to inhale it for even a second.
When Bolt and Summer were following the sight of the smog below the hole, the two of them decided to look straight ahead when more torches lit up on a wall in the opposite end of the hole. What was on the wall practically gave them a clue as to what they stumbled into... an ancient-looking drawbridge that led to, what appeared to be, the entrance of an ancient-looking castle.
"This... this must be the remains of 'Celebration Castle'! And... that would mean that we're getting close to the ancient 'horse' race's burial grounds, in 'Ancient Ponyville'!"
Bolt whined out of confusion, only for Summer to clarify what she was talking about.
"Yeah... you'd be surprised what kinds of names that they came up with for their places! Of course, they didn't have 'Ancient' in their name, though... it's just that after the horses went extinct, Ponyville became nothing more than a ghost town. If it weren't for a select few survivors who were altered by a protection spell cast by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, then the ponies we know about today wouldn't even be here.
Oh, and before you ask, yes... they considered themselves ponies all those millenniums ago. Nowadays, though, to distinguish the differences between our small ponies and their huge ponies, we've decided to call them 'horses', to define their stronger nature and surprisingly tall height. In fact, they were about as tall as you are, Bolt!"
Bolt raised an eyebrow at her while she lightly chuckled.
"That is... they were as tall as you were, when you were human."
The two of them continued to look around the area, hoping to find out whether the lever could be a trap or not. Seeing no threats, Bolt decided to give pulling it a try with his jaw... needless to say, he didn't even get it to budge... much to his frustration.
"WOOF! WOOF! GR... MOVE, YOU STUPID LEVER! GR..." Bolt barked, as he continued to try pulling the lever. Then he tried to push it with his shoulders from the other end... which also yielded no results.
"It's too rusty, Bolt... we're gonna have to find some oil to grease it up, first!" Summer interjected. Bolt whined, but nodded his head nonetheless, before turning around towards where they came from. Towards the left corner of the entrance (towards Bolt's right), however, his eyes caught a glimpse of a door that was blocked by the smog in the sky. "Hey! There's a door there!"
Bolt nodded his head before heading towards it. "Now, the greater mystery is how we're gonna get in there..."
While Summer continued trying to think of an idea, Bolt already had a hunch, as seen by the torches. Sitting the camera on the ground, he pressed his right paw on the button on the top-right corner; causing the camera to let out a large flash of light, which scattered the smog around the door in a circular pattern. "Good thinking, Bolt!" Summer stated while Bolt balanced the camera back on his neck and walked towards the door. As soon as he was just a few steps away, however, the mist re-approached the door, and blocked it back up in the matter of seconds. "Looks like we have limited time to work with... maybe if you stepped back a little further, the light could spread more of the smog out of the way? Could buy us more time, then."
Bolt nodded his head before stepping further back from where he first took a picture. Then, after placing the camera on the ground once more, he tapped on the button once again; sending more of the smog away from the wall in the process. After that he quickly lifted the camera and ran to the door... only to encounter yet another problem that caused him to delay for too long, as the smog once again covered the entrance.
Summer noticed the problem as well. "Now that I think about it... how are you going to open it?"
Bolt sighed once more before shrugging. "Well... may as well delete those pictures then, huh? Might want to conserve film."
With a nod, Bolt lowered the camera to the ground once more before flipping the switch from "camera" mode to "gallery" mode. The second he saw the pictures, however, he stopped his paw from deleting the latest picture that revealed the whole wall.
"What is it, Bolt?" Summer asked, before taking a closer look at the picture. Then her eyes widened at the picture before the two of them turned towards the right of the sealed door. "Is that an open room right beside the door?! Maybe there's something in there!" she asked.
Bolt didn't bother giving an answer. Instead, he merely flicked the switch back to "camera" mode, angled the camera towards the right side of the blocked door, and pressed the button. When the flash revealed the wall, the two nodded their heads in confirmation before Bolt lifted the camera and made a mad dash for the door-less frame. The second Bolt made it inside, the smog covered the entrance while Bolt backed away from it cautiously. Then... nothing happened.
"Strange... I would think the smog would be filling this room now, but... it seems like it's intentions are to keep this room secret!" Summer stated, while Bolt nodded his head. "I wonder why, though..."
Before anything else could be said, the sudden sound of a hissing noise caused the two to freeze in place before slowly turning around. There, in the center of the room, was a short, brown coated pegasus mare with a black and gray striped mane and tail that appeared unkept and loose. On her head was, what appeared to be, a tan pith helmet with an olive colored band around it, and over her chest was an olivine colored vest. On her flank was a picture of a compass rose.
Summer told me about what that mark on the mysterious pony's flank was back when I started studying the inhabitants of Equestria. Apparently, when a pony finds his or her special talent, they get what's called a "Cutie Mark"... a picture that represents their talent to the world. It's said that everypony gets one at one point in their life.
Breezies, on the other hand, don't. Instead, they have their names earned by their greatest achievements in life. Summer Breeze obtained HER name by, as her name might suggest, giving the most pollen to the most flowers in the hottest summer in one "breeze", as their waves of work are referred to.
When the two of them noticed the pegasus pony in the center of the room, they were shocked to notice that she was on the ground, unconscious. Surrounding her was, what appeared to be, a group of five plants with crab-like legs and glowing blue mouths. All five of them were standing on thin vines; a single one on each to give them a snake-like appearance, while the plants themselves appeared more like crabs. Each time they made a hissing noise, a blue powder flew directly on top of the unconscious mare.
"OH, NO! Bolt, we have to help her!" Summer ordered. Bolt nodded his head in agreement. Then, with an intense glare on his face, he instinctively started to growl at the plants ferociously... instantly getting their attention in the process, and causing them to turn towards him. As soon as they noticed him, they began to make hissing noises once more. Then, in unison, the five of them dashed towards Bolt and Summer at an alarming speed.
Before the creatures could reach Bolt, he quickly jumped to the right, while swatting one with the wooden claws from his right paw. Then he noticed the vine of the swatted creature to begin pulsating, as it floated around the air, dazed. Blindly, it blew some of the blue mist into another one next to it, which instantly made it fall to the ground asleep.
"Sleeping gas, huh? Better avoid touching that stuff, then." Bolt thought to himself as he continued circling the three creatures that were still after him.
"Be careful, Bolt! These creatures are called 'Plunder Lobes'... and their saliva, when extracted from their bodies, turn into a form of sleeping gas. Their weaknesses are fire and sharp objects!" Summer clarified, to which Bolt nodded his head in response.
As soon as the dazed plunder lobe was back to normal, it hissed once more before joining its four conscious friends in the chase. Bolt knew that he had to think fast, so he quickly made a sudden stop, took a sharp u-turn, and watched as their vines all began to pulsate. Then, right when they started to release their sleeping gas, Bolt quickly leaped in the air... directly over the plunder lobes. Then, when he landed, he continued to run quickly while the four followers turned around and began rushing towards him once again.
Quickly he continued to follow their vines until he was at the hole where they were coming from. Then he picked the vine that the unconscious one was attached to and wrapped it around the others in a feeble, slightly loose knot. After that, he ran closer to the unconscious one's center and lifted it up, while the others began inching dangerously closer.
With no time to spare, Bolt dashed towards the opposite end of the hole, carrying the unconscious one in his mouth; carefully, so as not to bite into it, and risk drinking some of the creature's dangerous saliva. Then, when he made it to where it was as stretched as it can get, Bolt turned around and noticed the other four plunder lobes were starting to choke. With all his might, Bolt wrapped the unconscious plunder lobe around his shoulders, tucked it below his chin, and started pulling the knot he made tighter. In the matter of seconds, the other four plunder lobes fell to the ground and lost consciousness. In the matter of minutes, they will wither up and die by the lack of carbon dioxide.
As soon as the battle was over, Bolt and Summer turned towards the unconscious mare and slowly approached her (or in this case, Bolt approached her while Summer sat on his forehead to keep the smog from choking her). While Bolt moved towards the mare, however, Summer seemed to have her mind on different things.
"I don't understand! What are PLUNDER LOBES doing here?! I thought the Tree of Harmony was supposed to keep all 'Plunder' things out of the Everfree Forest!" She then looked up worriedly. "I hope nothing bad has happened to it... it's an important source of our survival, after all!"
While Bolt was listening to Summer, he was also focused on the unconscious mare in front of him. Slowly he continued to approach her until she was merely inches away from him. Then he began making attempts to check for a pulse by gently placing his forepaws on the legs above her forehooves. At first, he doubted if he would have any success, seeing how she was a pony, and didn't entirely know where her arteries were. Those thoughts changed when he felt something pulsating inside her "wrists".
With a relieved sigh, Bolt looked up at Summer and barked happily. "Well, at least she isn't dead, right? Still, though... we can't just leave her in here!" Bolt nodded his head in agreement before turning back towards the mare... only to realize that her eyes were wide open, and were now focused on the timberwolf that was right there in front of her.
Then... she slowly sat up and began rubbing her forehead with her right forehoof. "Ugh... what the hay happened?" she asked in a slightly tomboyish voice. "And... why aren't you, like, trying to eat me, exactly?"
Summer lightly chuckled before replying, "There's... a lot more about this timberwolf than meets the eye."
Summer's voice caused the mare to gasp, jump up, look around, and ask, "Whoa! Who said that?!"
"Oh, right... I did!" Summer stated before flying a couple inches over Bolt's flower on his forehead. Just the sight of her made the mare's jaw drop.
"Okay... a breezie and a timberwolf actually working together?! Now I've seen it all... but hey, this might make a good addition to my book series!"
"Wait... you're a writer? What books do you make... and while I'm at it, what's a writer doing in this place, exactly?" Summer asked, while Bolt merely rolled his eyes... though since his eyes were nothing more than glowing orbs in his wooden skull, it was impossible for anypony to notice.
The mare tilted her head in confusion. "Wait a second... you don't recognize me?"
Both Bolt and Summer shook their heads while Summer replied, "Sorry, but nope... doesn't ring a bell!"
"Well..." The mare shook her head before glaring at the two mysterious individuals. "I can't tell you my real name, so I'll just go by the name that a... fellow author gave me in her books." Then she stretched her right forehoof out and said, "My name's 'Daring Do'... and the author that writes her books about me is named 'A.K. Yearling'."
Bolt nodded his head and barked a couple times, before stopping himself and whining in frustration. Summer giggled at that while Daring took a couple steps back out of confusion and worry... which Summer noticed right away.
"Oh, right... you don't know yet. Don't worry, he's not used to his new form yet." Summer stated to help calm Daring's nerves. Unfortunately, though, it only led to more confusion.
"New... form? What are you talking about?"
"Anyways, my name is Summer Breeze! My friend here is Bolt... and yes, I did say 'new form'. What I meant by that is... well... (How do I say this without sounding like a lunatic?) My friend here isn't really a timberwolf. It's just an effect that poison joke has on him."
That statement caused Daring Do's expression to lighten up. "Oh... yeah, I know how that feels, and believe me... it ain't funny in the slightest!" Then she scratched the back of her head before asking, "So... does anyone mind explaining to me what happened?"
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Of course! You see, my friend here is a journalist from a foreign land, and needs to find a way home... but to do that, we need to find a zebra that goes by the name 'Zecora'. Without her cure for poison joke, Bolt here won't be able to turn h-... into his normal form again."
Daring nodded her head. "I see... at least that explains why there's a camera around his neck... but how did that make the two of you end up down here, exactly?"
"Well... we were in Froggy Bottom Bogg, and ended up falling into a tunnel. Before we could get out, the sound of several giant roars kinda startled us... to the point where we ran deeper inside."
Again Daring nodded her head. "Makes sense when you put it that way." Then she cleared her throat. "Since you gave me your story, I suppose I should give you mine then, huh?" Bolt and Summer looked at each other before turning back to Daring Do and shrugging while nodding their heads.
"If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, you don't have to." Summer replied. That statement seemed to surprise Daring Do.
"Wait... you ain't worried about my background?!" Bolt and Summer shook their heads in response. "Well, now... that's a first. Usually when I have something to say, I would have tons of fans swarming me with questions." Then she smiled. "You're both alright." After taking a deep breath, she added, "I guess I won't have to go into details, then. Trust me, that alone is a huge weight off my shoulders..."
And so, she told us about what she did for a living... and even told us that she was actually "A.K. Yearling"... but that she required it to be a secret for her safety. As a journalist, I would usually be on the OTHER end of that kind of juicy gossip material, but... to be honest, whenever it came to the life and death of ANYONE, then I'd let morality win that round, and keep it to myself. Sure, maybe she'll eventually lighten up and allow others to know her secrets... but THAT one is HER story to cover... not mine.
As for why she was in Celebration Castle Ruins... apparently she was seeking an artifact said to have been hidden deep inside this cave... a magic artifact that seemed to catch the attention of many unicorns around the area in the surface. Along the way, though, she ended up getting ambushed by the plunder lobes.
When she got to that point, we explained OUR end of the story. Turns out, she usually works alone, but since we're not "adoring fans", she was willing to make an exception, if we were willing to help her in this place. The biggest reason was because I had my camera, and could move the smog around the area with its light.
After the three of us left that room, she seemed surprised when she had a better look of the place... but more specifically, WHAT the place across the area was.
"Whoa! That's the entrance to the Main Palace! No doubt that's the way to get to the source of the disturbance!" Daring stated as she stared at the large open gate across the giant gaping hole. "Hey, listen... I don't want to seem rude and all, but... since it was my mission, do you both think maybe you could let me fly up there, while the two of you check around this half of the place?"
Bolt and Summer looked at each other before shrugging. Then they nodded their heads. "Sure thing! Just let us know if you find anything or not... okay?"
Daring smiled and nodded her head. "Alright. Oh, and... thanks. It's not every day I meet someone who understands the concept of 'personal space'."
Bolt nodded his head and barked, while Summer clarified with what she believed he meant. "Not to worry! In fact, Bolt told me he was always a 'freelancer'... always working alone, and all that. Usually, I'm his common sense around the area. Everything work-related, though, he does on his own... and I'll admit, he's quite good at what he does!"
Daring nodded her head once more. "That's great to know. Then if you both find anything or not, we'll all meet here again. Deal?"
They both nodded their heads. "Deal!" With that, Daring Do stretched her wings out and quickly flew across the huge hole in the ground. Then, when she landed inside the gates, she hummed to herself before picking an unlit torch up off the walls and flying it to one of the lit ones. Finally, after having a torch at hand, she flew back across the hole and cautiously walked through the dark room... only for the double doors of that room to slam shut.
"Huh?! What the hay is th-AAH!" Daring's voice echoed through the room... followed by silence.
"DARING DO!" Summer shouted in horror, while Bolt glared across the room and began to growl and bark. "Bolt, we have to go rescue her! Perhaps she's just been put to sleep again!"
Bolt nodded his head and began to attempt pushing the lever again... only to fail once more. "Gr... WOOF!" Bolt barked out of frustration, before turning to his right. Then he took another picture in high hopes that there was another door on the other wall... but there wasn't.
Summer, however, didn't give up hope. "Let's check the room we found her in, Bolt! Maybe she forgot something in there when she was put to sleep!" Bolt nodded his head and turned back towards the wall on the left side of the room. Then he, once again, placed the camera on the ground a good distance from the wall and took a picture. Then he rushed in at full speed... only this time, Summer didn't complain.
For a single minute, Bolt skimmed through the room in high hopes of finding anything that could be useful. As if by a stroke of luck, he noticed a small jar in the corner of one of the walls, but hidden by the smog. After close inspection, Bolt and Summer realized just what was in that jar... butter. "Perhaps she had to take a lunch break? She might've been camping in this room... but now the question is how she was able to get past that smog wall without it affecting her?" Then her eyes widened in realization. "You don't think maybe this smog... might've gotten into this place after she got here... do you?"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders as he gently placed the camera on the ground while the jar of butter was gently placed in his mouth, and the strap to the camera was wrapped around his neck slightly tighter than usual. Then, after the camera's flash went off, he quickly dashed past the doorway and into the main room, where he placed the jar of butter on the ground next to the lever, and attempted to butter the bar's rusted gears down... but he quickly figured out that it was impossible to even open the jar with paws.
"Ugh! Without you being human, there's literally no way to open that jar!" Summer complained before sighing. "Well... let's go back in there! Maybe we can find... what're you doing, Bolt?"
Bolt groaned before moving towards the wall where the entrance was located, and looked around it. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't covered in smog... which must've been a sign of some sort. After looking closely at the wall, he noticed several strange patterns written on it. He turned to Summer, who also noticed the symbols, and smiled. "Bolt! These are magic inscriptions... and lucky for you, I happen to know the language that it's written in!" She then squinted her eyes and started reading the words on the wall.
"By order of King Solaris and Queen Cosmos, all royal subjects are to read the inscription below to find their special talents, should they come of age, and still lack their Cutie Marks."
"Spirits beyond, hear my plea! From deep within my soul, my talents be free! Allow me a vision of my greatest task... for the presence of my cutie mark is all that I ask!"
Summer tilted her head in confusion before asking, "Huh... sounds kinda corny, don't you think?" When she looked down, however, her eyes widened when she saw Bolt wobbling back and forth with a fatigued expression on his face. "Bolt?! BOLT!" The next thing he knew, the world around him started to fade into nothingness.
When Bolt woke up, he found himself in a pure white room. After rubbing his head, however, he froze in place and noticed something odd... he was human again. "What the... what's going on?!" he asked nobody in particular.
After standing back up on his feet, he looked around worriedly. "Summer? Summer, where are you?!" Now he was beginning to worry.
He took a few steps forward, but was stopped when a deep, low-pitched male's voice spoke from behind him. "Fate must have chosen you for a reason, young human."
Instantly, Bolt felt an uneasy hint of nervousness at the sudden voice. He froze in place and didn't bother to look back. "W-who are you?"
The voice replied, "I can assure you, I am no threat... I am merely here to offer you guidance on your quest."
"Quest? Um... oh, right! Saving Daring Do, correct?" Bolt asked in a slightly more calmer manner.
The voice, however, replied, "You won't just be saving Daring Do alone, Bolt. Countless millennia have passed since the day a human came through the portal between our worlds... and like you, she was chosen to be the one to face my brother."
"Your... brother?" Bolt asked confusedly before finally deciding to turn around. What he saw next, however, he didn't expect.
Standing in front of him was a gargoyle with pure white fur and wings. He was taller than Bolt by twice his size, and had muscles that could possibly make a minotaur jealous. His eyes glowed blue, and he was wearing a golden crown on his scalp.
"Please, allow me to introduce myself... I am King Scorpan... ruler of the Spiritual Kingdom. My brother, Lord Tirek, was in control before me... though when he ruled, he did so without mercy."
Bolt tilted his head once more in confusion. "So, wait... you want me... an ordinary photojournalist... to fight a king?!"
Scorpan shook his head in response. "I never said you were an ordinary photojournalist, Bolt... there is a hidden power inside you... one that you have already discovered for yourself, in fact."
Bolt sighed before scratching the back of his head. "Man... if I didn't know any better, I'd say you... might've gotten the wrong guy here. I'm just an ordinary guy, who lives an ordinary life, caught in an unusual... world, apparently, who wants to go back to his ordinary home, in his own ordinary world, thank you very much!"
Scorpan merely stared at him with a stern look on his face, but Bolt's history of photography has made him immune to any form of stares out there. "You can stare at me all you want, but I'm practically immune to that stuff, now."
A few long, minute-like seconds passed, until Scorpan finally spoke up. "Did it not occur to you that the poison joke turned you into a timberwolf twice in a row?"
Bolt hummed for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Not really. Why, is that unusual?"
Scorpan nodded his head. "Indeed. Normally, a special potion is required for an effect of poison joke to repeat itself... but to you, turning you into a timberwolf is the only thing it can do... and even so, poison joke has never had that effect happen to anyone before." He walked closer to Bolt, then concluded, "You have been chosen to be the hero who will stand against my brother once he becomes a threat to the world."
Bolt stood there silently, before he began to chuckle lightly... then stronger... and in before he knew it, he was in a fit of laughter. Scorpan, however, stood there unchanged by Bolt's sudden laughter.
"So wait..." Bolt began between breaths, "you mean to tell me that... I have been chosen to be a hero... by a little blue flower?!" He continued to laugh, until Scorpan cleared his throat to speak.
"No."
Bolt's laughter died down, but his amused smile was still on his face. "No? Then what chose me to be this hero that you speak of? A daisy? Tulip?"
"The Tree of Harmony did."
"Oh... so a tree then, huh? Well, why didn't you say so? Maybe it needs me to water its roots, huh? Or does it need a friendly little 'trimming'?"
Scorpan sighed before turning his back towards Bolt. "If you wish to return home, then you will have to defeat my brother, first."
"Dude, don't you understand when I say that I can't, beat, your, bro-" Before he could finish speaking, however, Scorpan instantly warped directly in front of him and lifted Bolt in the air with magic... much to his shock.
"Then he will reach your world next! And when he does, you will not be ready, and everything, everyone you know, and everyone you love... will die!" Scorpan viciously spoke in a much darker tone than how he sounded before. "And if you don't believe me, see it for yourself!"
In the snap of his right fingers, the entire area around the two of them turned into a large suburban neighborhood... but in the neighborhood, countless houses were on fire, and even more countless numbers of people were running through the smoke that surrounded the streets. It didn't take long for Bolt to realize just where he was standing in.
"Home? What... what's happening?!" Bolt asked confusedly, before the sound of colossal footsteps echoed through the landscape... and with each step, the ground below him shook furiously. When he turned slightly to the left (towards the direction of where the sounds came from), his eyes widened when he saw, what looked like, a pitch black human-like figure with two massive horns on his head and two hooves for feet... a centaur, as the books and myths have claimed. Both of his eyes glowed blood red through the fog, while his entire body was pitch black in the darkness. He was facing his lower-left side when Bolt noticed him, but shortly after that, his two blood-red eyes instantly focused on Bolt, while a menacing, fang-filled smile formed below the two eyes.
"You will be an excellent trophy for me... Bolt..." Bolt's eyes widened at the mentioning of his name. "It doesn't matter what choice you would've made, Bolt... you were never ready to begin with..." And just like that, a pair of red beams of light energy shot towards Bolt in a speed he couldn't even perceive. The second it was in his eyesight, he jumped back in panic, right as the illusion faded away.
At that moment, Bolt was shaken up beyond words. His knees were tucked in his arms, and his hands were shaking. His eyes were wide open, and his heart was racing. "Th- the... the hell was THAT thing?!"
Scorpan sighed before stretching his right hand out for Bolt to take to help him up. "That... was what my brother will become, if he succeeds in destroying this world."
"So... what you're saying is... I have to face THAT guy?!" Bolt shook his head before adding, "No way... that's NOT what I signed up for!"
Before Bolt could say anything else, though, Scorpan lowered to his level and said, "Look at me, Bolt." Slowly, Bolt looked upwards, only to find that Scorpan was no longer glaring at him... but rather, he looked sympathetic. "I know what humanity is capable of... and trust me when I say this... the first human that we brought to this world was no different than you when she first started on her journey!"
"Really? So... she was a photojournalist, then?"
"No... she was a simple farmer with no trust in her own capabilities." That statement caused Bolt's eyes to widen.
"So... it was a freakin' girl?!" Then a sudden realization made Bolt lightly chuckle. "Figures a little girl would be more than willing to help her little pony friends, though... now that I think about it."
Scorpan shook his head. "She was in as much denial as you are, Bolt... but with the special training that she learned through her adventure, she was able to stop my brother, and seal him away for thousands of years. Only once did he ever return... but the princesses of this world were able to send him back to Tartarus. Now, though, I can feel his powers growing with each passing day... and unfortunately, I fear that he may already be out of his prison."
"WHAT?!"
"But thanks to the power of the 'Elements of Harmony', however, most of his powers were drained from him; crippling most of his abilities, and shaping him into a weak and elderly figure... that is why I say that you have a chance to face him."
Bolt thought for a moment before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Well... if I'm gonna die... might as well die swinging then, huh?"
"You don't fully accept, do you?"
"No, I don't... but hey, it's not like I really have a choice in the matter, do I?" Scorpan shook his head. "Then... might as well... 'go with the breeze', as Summer would put it... wait a minute! Where is Summer?!"
Scorpan weakly smiled and chuckled. "Do not fear, Bolt... she is still with you in the real world."
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "'Real world'?! So wait, is this just an illusion?!"
Scorpan nodded his head. "Indeed it is. Now, then... I can't leave my kingdom behind, but the least I can do is awaken some of your hidden powers for you."
"Yeah, sure... whatever you say!" Bolt stated in a somewhat joking manner. "I don't really understand half of what you're talking about, but... sure thing! Do... whatever you just said!"
"Bolt... when you wake up, I want you to remove the flower from your forehead, and keep it with you."
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "What? Um... why?"
"Just trust me... you are now immune to poison joke... and the cure for it, as well."
"WHAT?!" Bolt's eyes shot up at that statement. "THEN HOW AM I GOING TO-"
"When you remove the flower from your forehead, you will return to your human form... and when you place it back on your forehead, you will regain your timberwolf form."
"...Oh..."
With a chuckle, Scorpan's eyes began to glow brightly. "When you return to the real world, I want you to check inside the sealed door... what you find in the room will be very useful in your journey."
Bolt nodded his head. "Alright, then... beam me up, Scotty!" Bolt stated before raising his right hand, and parting his middle and ring finger in a "V" formation.
Scorpan lightly chuckled at Bolt's joke before replying, "Very well, then... we shall keep in touch." With that, the entire world around them started to fade away, until the only thing Bolt could see was a stone wall in a dark, dimly-lit room.
"BOLT!" Summer shouted at the top of her lungs, which caused Bolt to shake his head widely and look up at his forehead.
"*Whine* Yes, Summer?" Bolt stated, before his ears perked up at the sudden realization that he was a timberwolf again.
"Bolt, what the hay was that all about?!"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion, which made Summer lower her face into her right hoof. "When I finished reading that phrase, you just stared at the wall for, like, thirty seconds! Almost like you were daydreaming about something!" Then she turned towards the smoggy left wall again. "Now, then... help me figure out just how we're gonna get that door open, already!"
After closing his eyes to think back on what just happened, Bolt suddenly remembered what Scorpan told him about the flower on his forehead. Slowly Bolt lowered his head to the floor and placed his paws on the side petals while Summer flew directly over his head, and stared at him in confusion. "Bolt? What the hay are you doing?!"
Without giving her a response, Bolt slowly lifted his head up with the flower caught between his paws... needless to say, he felt excruciating pain as he did so. "BOLT! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!"
The next thing they knew, Bolt's back arched up while he howled in pain at the first removal of the flower. Then, in the matter of seconds, he was engulfed in a bright blue glow, which caused Summer to gasp and fly backwards a couple feet. At once, the sound of cracking wood began to fill the room, and in the matter of seconds, the glow around Bolt began to get bigger and brighter. Then... the glow instantly vanished.
Summer slowly opened her eyes after being nearly blinded by the glow. Then, her eyes went extra wide when she realized that Bolt was a human again. "Bolt! You're... you're a human again!"
Bolt gasped for air while he sat there on his knees with the flower in his hands. "Holy crap... I can talk again!"
Summer's look of shock turned to a smile. "Thank goodness! Now I don't have to go on guessing what you have to say anymore! So... what happened, exactly?"
Bolt took a deep breath before looking back at Summer. "Do you really want to know?" Summer nodded her head eagerly, which made Bolt sigh in defeat. "Alright, then..."
I told her about the vision I had... and that I was supposed to be the new replacement of a little girl long ago that "saved the world, or something like that".
At first, she thought I was just fantasizing things... but then, when I told her about Scorpan and Tirek, she gave me a look that practically said, "Oh, crap... this is serious, isn't it?!"
"I don't know whether to believe you or not, but... if you know about Scorpan and Tirek, then that alone says that something fishy is going on!"
"How so, exactly?" Bolt asked, to which Summer sighed.
"Because there has never even been a book about those two in centuries! In fact, that kind of information happens to be held secret by either Zebra Shamans, Royal Unicorns, or Princess Celestia and Princess Luna themselves! Anyone else, though... well... they wouldn't even know a little about them!"
Bolt nodded his head. "So I take it breezies happen to know about them?" Summer shook her head, which caught Bolt by surprise. "No? Then... how do you know about them?!"
"I..." Summer began, before closing her eyes and looking away. "I'd rather not talk about it, to be honest... I'm sorry."
Bolt nodded his head and sighed. "I understand." Then he smiled and gently placed his right pointing finger underneath her so she could relax. "I won't bug you about it, then."
Summer smiled at him in response before gently falling onto his finger and sitting on it. "Thanks, Bolt..." Then she let out a large gasp. "Even so, if Tirek is coming back, we have to warn the princesses!"
Bolt nodded his head in agreement. "Good idea! Maybe we should check it out once we get out of this place!"
Summer nodded her head in agreement. "Then let's hurry up and save Daring Do!"
With that, Bolt gently placed her in his hair once again before placing the flower in his pocket. "Um, Bolt? Why are you keeping that thing?!"
"I'm immune to poison joke, now... so I'll need it in order to turn back into a timberwolf, should I need to."
Summer tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, so... you actually want to become a timberwolf again?" Then she grinned mischievously. "And here I thought you hated being a timberwolf!"
Bolt glared at her before retorting, "Hey! I still do hate being a timberwolf! I was just told by Scorpan to keep it, that's all!"
Summer rolled her eyes while she held onto her smile. "Whatever you say... doggy!"
"Oh, hardy har har!" Bolt groaned before lifting his camera up towards the smoggy wall at the left. "Anyways, I was told there's something in this room reserved specifically for me!"
"Oh, really? Well, then... go on ahead! I ain't stopping you!"
Bolt nodded his head before quickly lifting the camera up. ("Holy crap, it feels good to have hands again!") he thought to himself before taking the snapshot once again. Then he quickly ran up to the door and gripped the horizontal handle in the center of it. After that he lifted it up a small way, until it automatically lifted itself up even further. "Huh... quite an interesting mechanism there!" Bolt thought loudly.
Summer nodded her head. "Yeah... I wonder why we didn't try that be- oh, right."
This time, it was Bolt who grinned mischievously at Summer. "What's wrong? Already used to me being a human again?"
Summer glared at him before kicking her right hoof on his scalp... which didn't really hurt him, but rather, cause him to itch a little. "No! I just thought maybe a timberwolf could figure out something that simple!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders as they stopped in the center of the room they were in. Then, the door quickly fell shut, which sent an echo through the entire room, and caused Bolt to turn towards it in shock. "What the... how did it..."
"Uh, Bolt? What's... that thing?!" Summer asked before pointing towards the center of the room. When Bolt turned back around, he squinted his eyes to get a better look.
Standing in the center of the room was, what appeared to be, a golden chest. Wrapped around it, though, was a mess of black roots that sunk below the chest that belonged to a black cabbage-like plant with thorns that stuck at each side. It appeared to be pulsating... but nothing else.
"I... don't know what it is, but... it appears to be a lock made entirely out of a plunder seed!" Summer stated.
Bolt nodded his head and replied, "Might as well call it a 'Plunder Lock', then. Now, we just need to find some sort of 'Plunder Key' to open it!"
Summer shook her head and replied, "I don't think the plunder seeds would even have a key to open this kind of thing! No, we need to find something else to unlock it... or rather, we need to find something that can kill it!"
Bolt nodded his head before slowly stepping closer to it. When he was just a few meters away from it, however, the cabbage opened up, revealing a slightly disturbing core inside of it... an eyeball.
"GOOD GOSH, WHAT THE HELL?!" Bolt shouted before taking a few steps back... which only made it close its 'eye' once again.
Summer, however, was holding her mouth in disgust. "Ugh... did that thing eat somepony to even get that?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before lifting his camera up. "I'm not sure, but... maybe I should take a picture of it, so we can have a reference on what this thing might be capable of!"
Summer nodded her head. "Gross, but... I see what you mean! Ugh... I just hope that's not the case!"
When Bolt stepped closer to the Plunder Lock once more, it opened its eye once more. The eye didn't seem to be moving, until Bolt was just a single meter away from it. Then he gasped when it turned its eye towards him. Quickly he took the snapshot and backed away, screaming, "HOLY CRAP THAT EYE'S A PART OF IT!.
As soon as the flash went off, however, the Plunder Lock closed its eye while the roots below it started to shake and rise up to the plant itself. Bolt tilted his head in confusion, then raised both eyebrows when the plant turned gray and combusted into ash. "Wow... now that's strange..."
Summer nodded her head in agreement. "It seems like they're extremely sensitive to light!"
"Well... might as well go see what's in the box, now... right?" Bolt asked, to which Summer nodded her head in response.
Slowly Bolt walked up to the chest while keeping his eyes on the floor to make sure nothing would pop out of the holes that the plunder lock had its roots in. After seeing that it was safe, he knelt down and unhitched the locking mechanism on the chest. Surprisingly, as he felt the metal of the chest, he discovered that, unlike everything inside the ruins, it wasn't covered in rust... almost like it was either new, or taken good care of.
After the lock was unhitched, Bolt lifted the upper half of the chest up and allowed it to unfold. Surprisingly, when he looked inside, all he could see was a belt with a foot-long pouch on the side of it.
"A bag... well, it beats using my pockets, at least!" With that, he lifted it out of the chest and examined it carefully. "Huh... is there something inside this bag?"
Summer shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Possibly... why don't you check it out?"
With a nod, Bolt unlatched the buckle on the pouch and lifted the flap. As he did, however, he found nothing but pitch-black darkness inside it. "Huh... that's strange..." Then he rotated it upside-down to empty any contents inside it. What fell out, however, he did not see coming.
On the floor below where he dumped the pouch was a light brown tunic, a pair of hardened leather gauntlets with metal braces around them, a dark brown full-body suit made of cloth, a steel longsword with a metal sheath that had a long gash on the side to allow the sword to be drawn quicker, a round wooden shield with a metal rim that surrounded the body, and a pair of surprisingly thick brown socks.
"Wow... so I get a new outfit and a few weapons... not too shabby, if it weren't for the fact that I come from an age that uses things like guns and stuff like that!" Bolt thought out loud. Summer tilted her head in confusion at his statement, though.
"What's a gun, exactly?"
"Eh, it's nothing. Anyways, what are these for, exactly?" Bolt asked while lifting the pair of thick socks off the ground. They were almost as long as his legs, but the shape they were in seemed odd... mostly because they were meant for hooves, though.
"Those are boots, of course! You put your hooves... err... feet in them, and roll the upper halves down to fold them to your preferred size!"
"Well... I guess it would be better to wear this than this suit. It's meant for business, not adventures." Then he slipped his jacket off and placed it in the pouch, before turning towards Summer. "Um... do you mind? I'd... like a little privacy here."
Summer thought for a moment before replying, "What's wrong with undressing?"
"Well... I'm a male, and my anatomy... isn't quite the same as a pony's." Bolt replied as he realized that ponies didn't necessarily wear clothes very often. With all that fur that they had, it was clear that they didn't really have much use for them, anyways.
"Um... okay?" Summer replied before turning away. "Well... let me know when you're done, okay?"
Bolt nodded his head. "Okay."
With that said and done, I quickly changed into the outfit that I was "assigned" to wear. Surprisingly, though, they didn't seem to show any signs of wear and tear! It was even MORE surprising when I noticed that they fit me perfectly!
And when I got to the "boots", they felt surprisingly comfortable. Strangely, though, it was almost like I was modeling clay when I got to my feet... after I folded the tops of the boots, that is. When they were in the centers of my shins, I pressed down on my ankles, only to find the boots stay in shape. If I didn't know any better, I'd say most of this equipment was magic in some way... and knowing that it's very real in THIS world... the chances are quite high.
After Bolt finished clamping the belt with the bag on his waist and the belt with the sword diagonally across his chest, he placed the shield on the sheath and smiled when he found that both were magnetic, and capable of attaching together firmly enough to where the shield would have to be pulled in order for it to become unattached. Then he walked out of the shadowy corner of the room and said, "Alright, Summer! I'm done changing, now!"
Summer nodded her head and flew back up towards him. "Well, aren't you strapping! The historical look kinda suits you!"
Bolt chuckled before replying, "Hey, you'd be surprised how comfortable this actually is! I could wear this forever, if I had the choice!"
Then Summer nodded her head before flying back into Bolt's hair. "Well, be careful where you swing that sword! And... now that I think about it, how did that thing fit in that pouch, exactly?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh... maybe it's some kind of magic pouch? I bet it can carry a ton of stuff!"
"Well, don't get any ideas! Just keep important stuff in it, alright?"
Bolt nodded his head before placing his camera inside it and closing it back up. "Alright!" Then he walked back towards the entrance... only to find that the smog was covering his path again. "Ugh..." Then he reached back into the pouch... but gasped when he saw his camera floating in the darkness. "Whoa... guess it is magic!"
"The tools that you want will float in the darkness of the bag, as long as you have it inside." Scorpan's voice echoed through Bolt's mind... which caused him to jump up in shock.
"Whoa! What was that?!" Bolt asked in shock.
Summer tilted her head before counter-asking, "What was what, Bolt?"
Bolt thought for a moment before sighing. "Eh... never mind. It was... just in my mind, that's all."
"What was in your mind?"
"Um... well, remember how I told you about that 'Scorpan' guy?"
Summer's eyes widened at that statement. "Wait! You mean he's watching us?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh... I guess so. Anyways, he told me that this bag will pretty much make whatever I want float up in the darkness of the bag, as long as I have it inside the bag."
Summer nodded her head. "Ah... makes sense! Anyways, what are you waiting for? Get your camera out, and let's go!"
With a nod, Bolt did as requested. With a click, he ran past the smog and placed his camera back inside the bag. Then he walked up to the rusty lever and picked up the jar of butter that still rested beside it. Thankfully, though, most of the butter was liquid at that point, so all he had to do was pour it over the corners of the handle without getting his gauntlets buttery. "Wouldn't want to have butterfingers, after all!" Bolt stated as he poured the butter over the handle carefully.
Summer tilted her head in confusion before asking, "What do you mean by... butterfingers, exactly?" That statement caused Bolt to sigh and place his left palm over his face.
"Eh... it's a human expression... something you might not understand."
After shrugging it off, Summer continued to sit in his hair and watch as he poured the slippery liquid over the hinges. Finally, when he had the lever as slick as he could get it, he placed both hands on the tip of the lever and gave it a firm pull.
Due to the amount of rust on the lever, it creaked loudly, and met a lot of resistance... but thanks to the butter, however, it was able to move enough to activate.
What happened next, however, was unexpected. Instead of lower some kind of bridge to the room past the massive hole, a number of torches began to light in the hole beneath the smog... causing the smog to rise up to the ceiling. When they looked down the hole, they noticed that it was actually a room with a set of stairs that lowered to the ground level of that room.
"Well... this just keeps getting better and better, huh?" Bolt asked Summer. She, in turn, nodded her head before flying off of Bolt's scalp.
With a breath of relief, she said, "At least the smog is no longer too dangerous for me to breathe in!"
Bolt chuckled before replying, "Yep!" Then Bolt started walking down the large set of stairs while admiring the scenery. Summer remained close by him, but flew beside his right shoulder, since his sword was hanging over it. (She also flew slightly below the sword, so that if he ever needed to draw it, his right arm would practically arch over her, so she wouldn't have to dodge the sword's blade.)
"Gotta say... despite the odd name that this place has, their architects must've been paid a lot of money! And their builders must've been the best of the best!" Summer mentioned, to which Bolt nodded in response.
"Yeah... but I hope security wasn't a big deal to them, though! Maybe this could be a simple walk in the park for us!" As soon as he finished saying that, though, a black root started to grow in the center of the room... which caught Bolt and Summer off guard the second Bolt stepped foot on the stone flooring. Without sparing a second, Summer flew into his hair while he reached for his sword and shield, and drew them. "Looks like I spoke too soon!"
As he said that, the tip of the root grew thicker, until it shaped itself into a plunder lobe. "Alright then, sleepyhead... let's do this!"
The plunder lobe hissed before spraying its saliva after Bolt. Before it could reach him, however, he quickly jumped to the side and raised his shield over his head while it attempted to turn the stream up to him. Thanks to his enchanted outfit, the sleeping gas had no effect on him, so long as it didn't touch his skin... and his face was, literally, the only part of him that was exposed.
As the mist hit his shield, he took that opportunity to move closer while keeping the shield and stream in line. Then, when it ran out of saliva to spit at him, he lowered his shield and dashed closer to it for the kill. With one swift motion, he swung his sword horizontally towards the lower half of the plant; slicing through the plant's vine upon contact.
When its head flew off, it and its vine started to turn gray, before dissipating into ashes. "Huh... like the plunder lock, this one seemed to turn to dust as well!"
Summer nodded her head. "I guess when they die, nothing is left but ashes... I wonder why..."
Bolt shrugged before replying, "Eh... maybe it's just the magic leaving the plants' bodies?"
"It's possible... but not important right now. We need to find a way up there!" Summer stated before pointing up at the room across the entrance.
Bolt nodded his head. "Yeah... but first, we need to know where to go to figure that out..." After giving the surrounding area a quick skim, he found a door below the stone stairway that they originally walked down from. After walking closer to it, he noticed that it was shaped the same way the door next to the entrance was... rectangular, metal in the center, and had a horizontal handle that they had to lift to open.
When they entered the room, they noticed yet another chest in the center of the room... and a door on the opposite end. The room itself was round, and had several holes on the ground that surrounded the walls. Bolt didn't notice them at first, though. Instead, he slowly walked up to the chest while staring at it confusedly. That chest wasn't made of gold, but still looked unusually well-kept.
Then, when he was about a meter away from the chest, a swarm of roots grew from the holes, wrapped the walls, and collided in the center of the room before lowering over the chest, and engulfing it in the black roots... much to Bolt's and Summer's shock.
Mere seconds after the chest was completely covered in the mess of knots, four cabbage-like plants sprouted in a cross-like pattern across the thick mess of roots. "Well, now... this plunder lock seems different, actually..." Bolt spoke out before drawing his sword and shield from his sheath and stood in a defensive stance, with his shield in front, and his sword behind him, but angled slightly up.
When the cabbage plants opened up, however, he quickly learned that they weren't filled with eyes. Instead, they were mouths filled with razor-sharp thorns for fangs... and the second they opened, a long root that must've been their tongues stretched out and wrapped around Bolt's right leg, before lifting him in the air, while the two on both sides disarmed him of his sword and shield with their long, whip-like tongues.
"BOLT!" Summer shouted before flying off of his scalp to avoid getting harmed in the dirt. Then, as if by a stroke of luck, Bolt's flower slipped from his pouch and landed on its front half, as the plants began to drag him towards the one that had his foot. "Bolt, your flower!"
Bolt nodded his head before turning himself around with his loose foot and shoulders, and slammed his forehead on the flower; slightly leaving a painful-looking gash on his head. The gash, of course, wasn't visible for long as the flower, once fully attached to his forehead, started to glow, followed by his whole body. Then, in a split second, he was transformed back into a timberwolf.
Due to the unexpected change of size, Bolt quickly managed to slip out of the root and jump back to his feet (or paws, in this case). Then he ran back towards where Summer was flying and barked; telling her to hop on his forehead. She did so without hesitation, as the two began running in circles, dodging the monster's attempted lunges, and scanning the creature itself for weak points. Finally, they noticed that the roots were coming from the holes that surrounded the entire room.
"Bolt! We need to cut through these roots... and we need to cut through them quickly!" Summer stated.
Bolt nodded his head in response before rushing towards where the plant's vine tossed his sword. Then, after lifting it up quickly with his teeth, he firmly gripped it while having it hover towards his right side, close to over his right shoulder. With sword in mouth, he continued to make a mad dash, before inching closer to his right, until the sword was within reach of the roots. Sparing no second to lose, he closed in and started to cut through the roots while the monster's cabbage-like plants continued to flail their tongues towards him in a failed attempt at stopping him. The second he reached the last vine, he quickly sliced through it... causing the mess of knots to quickly turn gray, before dissipating into ash.
With a breath of relief, Bolt lowered his forehead, gripped the flower with both paws, and ripped it out of his forehead yet again. This time, though, it didn't appear to have much resistance... and it was painless, as well!
"Wow... glad to know I won't be hurting every time I use this thing!" Bolt said as he lifted the flower up and placed it in his pouch once again. Then he lifted his sword and shield off the ground before walking up to the chest and humming to himself. "Now, then... what could've been so useful that a bunch of crazy "ivy-like" plunder plants had to try to eat me over?" As he asked nopony that in particular, he lowered to the height of the chest before unlocking its mechanism and opening the chest.
What he found inside was a meter-long metal rod with a pitch black spherical object hanging on one end. The rod was sitting next to a small bottle with an odd group of symbols written on it.
Summer looked at it closely before translating it for him. "Huh... 'Rock Oil'? Then... this must be some kind of fire-less torch that they used long ago!" Then she smiled. "Let me think... aha! This device is called a 'Light Wand'! I can remember, now... they used these to avoid risking the safety of the ancient breezies once they were discovered!"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "No doubt this will be useful! I'd hate to risk your safety with a normal one, after all!"
Summer seemed to blush at that statement, but due to her size (and the fact that her coat was naturally red), Bolt was unable to notice. "Oh... well... thank you!" Then she cleared her throat. "Anyways... to refill it, you have to lift the black pearl from the tip and pour the rock oil through the hole in the top."
Bolt nodded his head and did as instructed. "Alright... the oil's in... now what?" He asked before placing the jar that the rock oil was once in inside his pouch.
"Now, you simply have to give the pearl a firm tap, and it should start to glow! Do it again to turn it off to save rock oil!"
Once again, Bolt did as instructed. After balling his fist up, he tapped on it similar to how he would knock on a door. The second the first knock came, the black pearl suddenly started to glow with a bright white shine.
"GOOD GOSH, THAT'S BRIGHT!" Bolt shouted as he shielded his eyes. "Well... at least it works, right?"
Summer nodded her head as she shielded her eyes. "Yeah!"
Then Bolt tapped the pearl once more, and the atmosphere changed back into darkness. "So... now that we have a torch, we should conserve the rock oil inside it, so we don't end up getting trapped in the center of a dark room, huh?"
Summer nodded her head once more. "Good thinking! Anyways, it looks like we can go to the next room, now!"
With a nod, Bolt walked towards the door in the opposite end of where they came from and opened the door the same way all other doors opened... by pulling the horizontal handle up.
When they were merely two steps inside the next room, their eyes went wide. As far as the eye could see was nothing but a thick layer of smog. The only way how they were able to step foot inside the room was the torch directly over the door that was, somehow, already lit. Not having to think much on what to do next, Bolt tapped the pearl of the Light Wand, and the second it lit up, a chunk of the smog cleared away from the light it produced.
Quickly, yet cautiously, Bolt walked through the smog with the torch held high, while Summer rested on his hair to keep from falling behind. As they continued through the room, though, they found a group of three torches in the center of a purple carpet inside the room.
"Maybe there's a switch somewhere in here that can light those torches!" Summer stated, to which Bolt nodded his head.
"Possibly... let's check..." When he looked around a little more, he smiled when he saw just what he was looking for on the wall in the distance... a lever. When he was about to step forward, however, Summer stopped him immediately.
"WAIT!"
Bolt's right foot hovered over the stone floor directly off of the carpet when he looked up and asked, "Huh? What's wrong, Summer?"
"Look at the ground, Bolt... something seems... off about it!"
Bolt did as suggested while stepping his right foot back on the carpet. Then he lowered to the ground level and, sure enough, there was a strange looking pattern on the ground... pictures of birds, lions, bears, and mice. "Huh... that does look kinda sketchy. Thanks, Summer."
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Any time! Now, then... there's something strange about this. It... seems to be some kind of pattern... but it doesn't appear to be in any kind of order!"
Bolt tilted his head while closely eying the pictures of each creature. "Looks like animals are drawn on them... but what does it mean? There's a bird, a lion, a bear, and a mouse."
"Why's there a mouse, though? It... doesn't seem to go with the other creatures!"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "Then that's the block we need to step on!"
With that, Bolt slowly and cautiously inched closer towards the pictures of the mice and lowered his foot. Before he did, though, he pulled it back and hummed to himself. "But... just to be safe, we should double-check." Quickly he placed his right hand in his pouch and pulled the empty jar of butter out. Then he inched it closer to the block and placed it down.
Merely three seconds after he placed the jar on the block, however, a large fire rose from it; roasting the glass jar to the point of blowing up. Luckily for Bolt, though, that he quickly pulled his shield from the sheath and blocked the projectiles of glass from doing any harm to him.
"Three seconds to stand on it... looks like I've gotta be quick, then!"
After five seconds of nonstop flaming, the fire instantly died down, leaving shards of broken glass on the puzzle.
Bolt hummed to himself for a moment before reaching into his pouch and pulling out the empty vial of rock oil. Then he placed it on the same mouse that the glass shards was on and applied pressure on the block for one second. Then he lifted it back up and jerked his hand away to see if the fire would return... it did.
"Crap... so not only do I need to act fast, but... I have to get to the lever, pull it down, and get back in under three seconds!"
Summer gulped at that sudden realization. "And if that lever's rusty, then it could take even longer to merely pull it down!"
Bolt shook his head and sighed. "There's gotta be a way!" Then he tilted his head at the pictures once more. "Wait... what about if it isn't asking for the weakest animal?"
Summer tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?" Then the sudden realization hit her. "You think that maybe the mice was there as a distraction?"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "Well, yeah! To be fair, that one could be what makes this whole puzzle a trap!" Then he slowly moved the oil jar towards a block with a lion engraved on it and gently applied pressure on it. Seeing that nothing happened in three seconds, he left the oil jar on top of it and pulled his hand back. Then they sat there for thirty seconds, while the block didn't even do a thing, except sit there. "IT WORKED!" Bolt cheered as he threw his right fist in the air.
Summer chuckled before shaking her head. "Oh, boy... the horses of that day were far more clever than the ponies of today took them for!"
Bolt snickered before shrugging his shoulders. "Would've fooled me, if I didn't have all this stuff with me to double-check with!" Then he lifted his oil jar back up and stood... but three seconds after he lifted it from the lion, it was engulfed in flames... for ten seconds.
"OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Bolt shouted before kicking the ground with his right boot. Summer, however, gulped at the sight of the fire.
"If this smog wasn't in the air... I would've probably sat back, but... since my life is also in the danger zone, I'd just like to tell you, Bolt... DON'T YOU DARE BUCK THIS UP!" Summer shouted in Bolt's left ear... which made him flinch and rub his ear.
"I'll... try not to!" Bolt stuttered, before humming to himself. "Well... this just got even more interesting, to say the least..."
After about a minute of examining the patterns, however, Bolt smiled confidently. "Ah, I see!"
Summer tilted her head in confusion. "See what, exactly?"
Bolt pointed at the patterns once more, before saying, "I have all the time in the world to plan out my next jump with the lions, but only three seconds to jump off of a mouse... maybe I have to use the lions as a way up there... and the mice as a way back?"
Summer thought for a moment, before adding, "Or... maybe we could just stand on a lion long enough for the ones before it to go out?"
With a shrug, Bolt replied, "Only one way to find out."
After taking a few deep breaths, Bolt slowly placed his right foot on the lion that he originally put the oil jar on and slowly moved his left foot onto it. Then he sighed in relief while looking around the block to anticipate his next few moves. "Kay, then..." After crouching down cautiously, he leaped to the next one and landed on one foot while the other foot hovered in the air. His arms flailed slightly, but thankfully, he was able to catch his balance. Three seconds later, the lion behind him started to project flames. He stood there for ten seconds to check the flame's progress... but twenty seconds on, and it still continued to blow. "Well... crap..."
Summer's eyes widened at that realization. "As long as someone's on a lion block, the others will continue to flame up!"
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "Well... looks like we're gonna have to use the mice to escape!"
Then he looked around the block he was on for the next lion... and mouse for when he has to make a run for it. After spotting the lion, however, he groaned. "It's between two mice! How's that gonna work out for me, exactly?!"
Summer shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Maybe a couple mice wouldn't hurt for while you're on your way up there!"
Bolt nodded his head and replied, "Fair enough..." Then, in a pair of cautious leaps, he managed to make it to the next lion, right as the mouse behind him projected fire for five seconds. "Well... at least the mice don't continue to fire up while I'm on a lion!" Bolt stated.
Summer nodded her head in agreement. "Indeed... so... can we hurry up, now?! I'm starting to burn up here!"
Bolt nodded his head; now remembering how extra sensitive Breezies are around fire. "Alright... here goes nothing!" With that, Bolt scanned the area around the next mouse, but sighed when the next lion would happen to move away from the lever. "I freakin' HATE horses, now..." Bolt whispered, to which Summer lightly chuckled at.
"Hey, at least you'll be a master of Hopscotch when you're done with this!"
Bolt nodded his head once more. "Or a pile of burnt-down ashes."
"...That, too." Summer said, now feeling even more uneasy.
Then, Bolt decided to make the move. After narrowly dodging the fire of the next mouse, he was now one step further from the lever on the wall... then two when he made it to the next one. Finally, he was just two blocks away from where he started. Thankfully, though, the next lion was at his left, and appeared to zig-zag in a snake-like pattern towards the lever.
After a minute of cautions jumping, he was finally just two blocks away... only, there was one problem. "THERE AREN'T ANY MICE OR LIONS UP THERE! Bolt shouted.
Summer began to look closer, and smiled. "Maybe not, but there's a few blank stones there!"
Bolt sighed before replying, "Well... even so, there's no way that I can jump that far!"
Summer hummed to herself before a grin formed on her face. "Maybe not... while you're human, at least!"
That statement caused Bolt to gulp. "Yeah, but... my timberwolf form is, like, made of timber! That means that the fire might do extra damage to me!"
With a shrug, Summer replied, "Well, technically, this fire would kill you either way, so... what's the difference?"
Bolt thought for a moment, until a slightly amused, slightly nervous grin formed on his face. "I... guess you have a point, there..."
With a sigh, he reached into his pouch and pulled out the flower. Before changing, though, he placed the Light Wand in his mouth and gripped it between his teeth. "This does not taste good, just-so-you-know!" He mumbled while fiddling with the flower. Then, after taking a deep breath, he slapped it on his forehead, causing him to glow for a second (which also sent a large number of smog back for a few extra seconds) and the next thing he knew, he was a timberwolf again.
"That still makes you look like a girl, y'know." Summer teased, which only made Bolt growl at her. "Kidding! Anyways, get ready to make a jump for it!"
Bolt nodded his head before wrapping his wooden tongue around the Light Wand... he had an idea.
After crouching down in a low angle (cautiously so as not to step on anything else), Bolt made a quick leap in the air... right below the lever. Then, before he could fall down, he bit onto the lever and held onto the lower half for dear life, with the sides of the Light Wand poking out of the sides of his mouth.
"Wow... nice catch!" Summer stated. Bolt groaned before tilting his head to allow his stomach to rest on top of the bar.
After carefully balancing himself on the bar, he slowly inched his forearms to his forehead and pressed onto the petals. Then, with a quick tug, he was back in his human form again.
"Great! You made it to the lever, Bolt!" Summer stated, but then a frustrated expression formed on her face. "Only one problem, though... IT'S BUCKING RUSTY AS TARTARUS!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before slowly lowering his feet onto one of the blank stones that rested in front of the lever. He sighed in relief when he found that, as Summer and he hoped, they were not rigged like the ones with the animals on them.
"Well... now what?!" Bolt asked, until a realization hit him. "Wait a minute... this light has oil in it!"
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Yeah, but just one problem there... it happens to be our only protection against this smog! Without it, we'd be suffocated in seconds!"
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "Well... maybe if we're fast enough, we can keep that from happening!" Then, an idea formed in Bolt's mind. "I've got it! My camera! It has a "simultaneous capture" feature in it! Perhaps I can use it to keep the smog out of the way while I tend to the oil!"
Summer nodded her head and smiled. "Well hurry, then!"
Quickly Bolt reached into his pouch and pulled his camera out. Then, after toggling through the settings with the Light Wand in his mouth (which still tasted terrible), he set the camera's "simultaneous capture" mode to "ten frames per second", and his number of photos to its maximum... thirty. "I have three seconds to open the wand, pour a little oil back in the jar, and turn the wand back on... simple, right?"
Summer groaned before replying, "We're gonna die, aren't we?"
"... Don't worry! I've played many video games like this situation before! I know what I'm doing!"
"And in those 'video games', did you happen to win the first time around?"
Bolt froze for a moment before smiling sheepishly and shrugging. "Um... try second or third attempt?"
Summer deadpanned at him, and remained silent for a good ten seconds. "We're most likely gonna die, aren't we?"
"Yes... yes, we are." Bolt nodded, before frowning. "That is... if my plan doesn't work."
With a sigh, Summer flew back into his hair and said, "Well, it's been nice working with you!"
"Likewise!" Bolt agreed before gently placing the camera down on the next empty stone block. He had the timer set for ten seconds... and when he stood back up, he already had the oil jar in his right hand, and the Light Wand in his left.
Ten seconds on, and at once, the entire room started to cover in constant flashes of light. At that time, Bolt quickly lifted the pearl from the wand, right as one second passed. Then he started filling the jar up once again, leaving a little for the torch to come back on, right as two seconds passed. At the third second, he placed the pearl back on the Light Wand. The next thing he knew, the smog was starting to quickly close in on them. When it was merely a meter around them again, Bolt quickly slapped the black pearl, instantly lighting the area up once again.
There was silence... then a loud cheer, as Bolt shouted, "NAILED IT!"
Summer, on the other hand, was just breathing heavily; thankful to still be alive. "Surprisingly, well done, Bolt!"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled triumphantly. "What can I say? I guess the games I've played really did pay off!" Then he picked his camera back up and placed it in his pouch again, before turning towards the lever that hovered over a small group of bear and eagle blocks; all of which between the two empty blocks. Carefully, he placed his right hand on the tip of the lever and dripped a little of the oil on the cogs inside the lever's holder. After that, he sealed the oil jar back up and placed it in his pouch before grabbing the lever, and pulling down... only to find that it still wasn't budging.
"Dang it!" Bolt growled before swinging his left leg over the lever, and pressing his entire body's weight on it. Firmly, he gripped it with both hands, while he held the Light Wand in his mouth. "Go... down... you... piece... of..." Before he could finish his sentence, however, a tiny bit of the oil that missed the contraption somehow found its way in Bolt's left boot's path... and at the same time that his boot made contact with it, the lever began to lower.
"CRAP!" Bolt shouted as the lever instantly lowered down... and broke off. The second Bolt landed on the bear and bird blocks, they lowered down... and fell into a dark pit, while Bolt frantically ditched the broken lever and gripped on the blank block.
"BOLT!" Summer shouted as she flew up and tried to help him up... which was, without a doubt, pointless. "HANG IN THERE, BOLT!"
"Oh, hardy har har!" Bolt sarcastically stated through clenched teeth, as he held onto the Light Wand with his teeth and the block with his hands for dear life. Then, ever-so-slowly, he managed to pull himself back up to the block and smiled. "Well... it went down, alright! Down in that... hey, wait a minute!" Bolt lowered the wand to where he could see walls... along with distant floors where the blocks landed on. "There's a room down there!"
Before Summer could even respond, however, the sound of rusty gears turning filled the room, and appeared to be coming from the center, where the three unlit torches stood. Then, after the cogs stopped turning, the three torches lit up; sending the smog across the room, and onto the walls.
After that, the sound of something unlatching over the torches echoed through the room, which caught Bolt's and Summer's attention, and made them look up.
In-between the dangerous puzzle and the center of the room, a wooden chest surrounded by a golden aura slowly fell to the ground, as if it were under a weak levitation spell. Then, when it landed, the golden aura faded away.
Seeing no reason to carry the torch around, Bolt bopped the pearl to turn it off, and placed it in his pouch again. As he did that, however, he noticed the blocks that fell levitated back to where they came from and turned around; now with a blank side on the top of the surface. Shortly following them, the rest of the blocks turned around, until they were all blank sides facing up.
"Okay... this place... is nuts..." Bolt stated before cautiously stepping on one of the new blank blocks. Seeing that it wasn't going to fall, he casually walked up to the chest and opened it. What he found inside, however, was far from what he thought it would be.
A golden-looking rod with a blue diamond handle, a green and red button in the center, and four golden crescent extensions on one end of it, with a half-spherical golden disc in-between them. Inside that disc was, what looked like, a green orb that was sunk inside it. On the other end of the handle, a black diamond stuck out with the sharp end sticking out the most.
Bolt eyed it carefully before pressing the green button. When he did, the green orb in-between the four extensions glowed and shot out of the disc (but was caught by the extensions), the black diamond below the handle dimly glowed white, and the device itself made a loud noise that resembled a blade clanking onto a metal surface... and an odd "magic" type of noise.
Out of curiosity, Bolt stuck his hand on the green orb and tried to feel it... but as soon as his hand was just mere inches away from it, his hand ended up getting caught onto it like a vacuum.
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL?!" Bolt shouted before pressing the red button. Instead of turning it off, though, a golden strand extended from the disc's bottom, and fell to the ground. Curiously, Bolt pressed the green button again, and at once, the disc went back to its normal state, and the diamond stopped glowing. The odd golden strand, however, was still there... and the disc falling to the ground only made it stretch out even more. Then Bolt pressed the red button again, and at once, the strand quickly pulled itself back into the handle... though how it was able to fit in there was beyond explanation. Bolt decided to scratch it off as simply "magic" of some sort.
Even though his hand was just caught in the device, a huge grin was on his face.
"Holy crap..."
For a test, he pressed the green button again, which made the device repeat its former action. Then he stretched it behind his back and took aim at nothing in particular, before swinging the rod forward. As he did, however, he quickly pressed the red button, which sent the disc nearly halfway down the room, before it latched onto the ground. After that, Bolt quickly jumped up and raised both feet forward in the air before pressing the red button again. In the blink of an eye, he was pulled towards the disc, and slid on the opposite end of the room, before the strand pulled him back towards the disc like a piece of rubber would bounce; the distance growing less and less.
After that, Bolt pressed the green button again (releasing the item's grip), before turning towards the wall. Then, like before, he pressed the green button, swung the item forward, pressed the red button, and watched it latch onto the wall, before repeating the new "flying technique". This time, however, when he landed, he didn't bounce at all. His feet were planted on the wall, and his hand, thanks to the "sticky magic" of the item, was unable to release the item's handle... at least, not until he pressed the green button again. When he did, he fell on his back... dropping the item midair.
For a few seconds, he sat there speechlessly... but with the huge smile still plastered on his face. Then, in a higher-than-manly voice, he screamed, "THIS THING IS AWESOME!"
Summer (who was hanging onto his hair for dear life the whole time), however, was visibly shaken and green-faced, before stuttering, "E-easy for YOU to say!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before picking his new "favorite toy" back up, and humming to himself. "We're gonna have to pick a name for this device!"
Summer, on the other hand, shrugged before replying, "Actually, I've seen that thing before... never was a fan of it."
Bolt hummed, before smiling. "Alright, then! What is it?"
"It's called a 'Grip Whip'. It was used in the ancient days for ponies who weren't pegasi to scale walls... though they usually carried two to do so. Thanks to their usage in wars, though, blacksmiths from all over Equestria, along with the neighboring kingdoms, have stopped producing them thousands of years ago."
Bolt chuckled at that name. "Grip Whip, huh? Well, then... I might need to look into getting another one at some point!"
Summer shook her head before replying, "Like I said, they've been obsolete long ago... so if you plan on finding another one, we'll have to go 'dungeon diving' in another place... unless we find another one in here."
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh... we can worry about that later. Right now, I think we have our ticket to Daring Do's location, now!"
Summer's eyes widened at that realization. "Oh my gosh! You're right!" Then, with a determined smile on her face, she pointed her right hoof towards the door that led to where they came from. "Let's go save Daring Do!"
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "Yeah... just be on guard, though. You heard her when she screamed, didn't you? She didn't say who... she said what."
Summer's look of confidence quickly turned to uneasiness, as the fact that they were more than likely not going to face anything normal suddenly came to play. "I... I'll keep my eyes peeled!"
Bolt smiled at her before adding, "If things get out of ha-err... hoof, then you might want to fly into the pouch... I won't hold it against you."
Summer shook her head before replying, "And risk getting trapped in there for Celestia-knows-how-long?! No thanks! We die, we die together!" Then she smiled nervously. "Just know, though... if we die... I'm going to haunt you forever!"
Bolt chuckled and nodded his head. "I'll keep that in mind!" With that, the two began to walk back to the entrance of that 'dungeon'.
"Well... this is it!" Bolt said after taking a few deep breaths. The Grip Whip was latched onto the ceiling between the "Throne Room" (as the layout seemed) and the edge of the stairway. "Ready?"
Summer nodded her head and gulped. "R-ready!"
"Alright, then... three... two... one... GO!" At the word "GO", Bolt jumped from the ledge and, thanks to the magic grip of the Grip Whip, managed to swing across with ease. When he was at the proper range, he pressed the green button, but firmly gripped the handle (to avoid dropping it, due to the lack of magic energy), and flew into the air; landing right in front of the door with a roll. "Thank you 'Parkour Classes'!" Bolt mumbled to himself, before pressing the red button. After putting the Grip Whip away, he placed both hands on the double doors and slowly opened it. Then, after lighting his Light Wand and gripping it with his left hand, he slowly walked inside... right as the doors closed themselves shut.
When the doors closed themselves shut, Bolt and Summer looked back, and noticed large, thick roots blocking the path back... which made them gulp before turning back towards the center of the room. "Well... no turning back now, huh?" Bolt asked.
Summer shook her head slowly before replying, "N-nope..."
Slowly, Bolt walked deeper into the dark, circular throne room with his torch at hand. "Daring... Daring Do?" Bolt slowly asked. The nervousness of his voice was clearly visible.
Bolt continued looking both directions, until the sound of muffled crying filled the room... and appeared to be coming from the top of the huge dome-shaped walls. Looking up, Bolt and Summer breathed a sigh of relief when they found the one they were looking for... safe, and unharmed. "Daring Do! You're okay!" Summer cheered before flying up to their friend... only to stop midway when the sound of a loud growl echoed through the room. Looking down, she gasped when she saw a massive hole that went through well over half of the entire floor... and inside it was an extremely thick layer of smog. Without hesitation, she instantly flew back to Bolt, who was now eying the smog-filled hole with extreme caution.
Suddenly, a black cabbage-like plant rose from the center of the hole... about the size of a pony... attached to a thin black vine. It then angled towards Bolt before opening... vertically. As it did, an eyeball appeared from the center of it.
Another pair of black cabbage-like plants rose from the center of it; both of which, when opened, appeared to be a pair of mouths similar to the ones that blocked the chest with the Light Wand in it. They, too, were attached to equally thin vines.
Bolt glared at the eyeball and drew his sword defensively... but then, the three vines started to rise higher... and as they rose, the entire room began to shake... which caused Bolt to stumble to the ground, and stare in shock.
Slowly, a massive, black, "unbloomed rose"-shaped plant started to rise from the center of the hole... filling the gap with each passing second. After mere seconds, Bolt stood back up, but his hands began to shake, while Summer's eyes and jaw were now wide open, and her entire body quivered in fear.
Then, in an "X"-shaped pattern, the colossal peddles of the rose opened; revealing countless layers of blue thorns that seemed to go all the way through its throat. As they opened, however, the creature let out an unbearably high-pitched roar that caused the walls to vibrate around the entire area. In the center of the behemoth's throat, three vines (as thick as a healthy pine tree) stretched out, and moved with the sound waves of the beast's roar.
"Um... excuse the language, but... HOLY SH-" Bolt began, before Summer interrupted him.
"B-Bolt... BUCKING RUN, ALREADY!" Summer screamed, as Venus's tongue(s) extended even longer, before lifting them up higher; more than likely an attempt to slam the floor down.
Bolt took a couple steps back before nodding his head. "Y-yeah, running is good! RUNNING'S A GOOD IDEA!"
As soon as the massive roots swung downwards, Bolt quickly rolled to the left. As he did, the floor he was on just a split-second ago was now the victim of a massive tree-sized root. Thinking quickly, Bolt noticed the plants with mouths didn't even have tongues... but they were still looking down at him, as their vines began to pulsate. "BOLT! INCOMING PROJECTILES!" Summer shouted, to which Bolt nodded to and stuck the Light Wand into the ground, before drawing his shield, and covering his head.
What he didn't expect, however, was a thick puff of green-colored fog to leave its mouth and float towards him and Summer.
"Smog?! So the smog is coming from THIS thing?!" Bolt asked nopony in particular.
"Looks like it!" Summer replied.
Bolt quickly placed his shield back on his sheath and lifted the Light Wand back up from the ground. Then, when the smog was close enough, he waved the wand at the smog; instantly causing it to disappear.
Venus lifted its tongue back up and turned its head towards where Bolt was once more, before lifting all three roots up. Summer noticed it right away. "BOLT, USE YOUR GRIP WHIP, NOW!"
Bolt nodded his head before sheathing his sword and pulling the Grip Whip from his pouch. Then, in a quick swing, he slid across the floor, and was now on the other end of the half-circle by the time Venus's tongues landed. Needless to say, he still felt the impact of the blow from the other side.
"There has to be a weakness, Bolt! Use your head!" Summer shouted. Bolt, in turn, nodded his head, and quickly scanned the surrounding environment.
As he did, he noticed that Daring Do was trapped in a cage that was hanging over, what used to be, a windowsill. She was tangled up in a large number of black vines, and her snout was closed shut by another vine. She had tears on her cheeks, as she struggled to get free.
"BOLT! WATCH OUT!" Summer shouted, which caught Bolt's attention just in time for him to notice that Venus was now sliding all three of its tongues across the floor... too high for him to easily jump over.
Lucky for him, however, he had the cure for that problem already in his right hand. With a quick thrust, he sent the Grip Whip onto the wall and narrowly dodged a hit that would've, without a doubt, flattened him on the wall then and there.
He glared at Venus and shouted, "HEY! THAT WAS TOO CLOSE, YOU JACKASS!"
Venus, in turn, didn't respond with anything more than another roar. As it did, however, it looked at him with its yellow eye in a crescent shape; it was angry that it missed its target.
Seeing its eye, however, gave Bolt an idea. His idea, of course, gave him that bold, daring smile that Summer always dreaded seeing when she was involved in it as well. "Bolt... what are you thinking?!
Without even waiting for an answer, Bolt pressed the red button, which allowed him to fall towards the ground again... but he kept the disc attached to the wall, though.
With the daring grin still on his face, Bolt started to tug on the Grip Whip... only for his grin to drop instantly. In a nervous tone, he shouted, "OH, CRAP! THE BUTTON'S STUCK!"
That caused Summer to practically scream in a pony's talking volume, "WHAT?!"
Venus, on the other hand, took that as an advantage. With its middle tongue in the air, it made another roar... but as it did, Bolt's grin instantly came back to him. "Gotcha!"
With the click of the red button, Bolt was lifted back into the air... right as the vine landed on the ground. Then, once the handle was back on the disc, Bolt released it and landed back on the ground; piercing the Light Wand in Venus's tongue, and sealing it on the ground... much to its disapproval.
It screeched loudly as its other two tongues started flailing rapidly at the ground in an attempt to break free. What it didn't expect, though, was for Bolt to use the Grip Whip on one of the loose tongues when it was on the ground, and jam the diamond onto the ground. As he did, the magic effect somehow transferred from the handle to the diamond, because he was able to release it that time, even with the grip switched to "on". Then, once he was sure it was secured, he pressed the red button, which yanked its tongue to the ground next to the other one. Finally, with more precision, its third tongue swung between the gap; set on a collision course for Bolt, who was standing in the middle. At the last second, however, he stepped out of the way and drew his sword. Then, with all his might, he pierced its third tongue into the ground, which now shaped its tongues like an extra large drawbridge.
Without sparing a second, Bolt quickly ran up its tongues (which caused Summer to scream out of fear of how "insane" and "crazy" this idea is) and reached into his pouch, while Venus's eye was wide open, and filled with tears of agony, as it saw Bolt running up its tongues. Then, out of his pouch, Bolt pulled his "best" weapon that he was most familiar with... his camera.
"SMILE!" Bolt shouted as he made it mere meters away from Venus's eye. Then, at the click of a button, the camera flashed into its eye; causing it to roar and shake furiously, while Bolt took that as his cue to run back down its tongues.
When he made it to the ground again, Venus's first two tongues that were pierced by the Light Wand and sword were freed (with a pair of new piercing holes as a bonus). Its third tongue, which was still attached to the Grip Whip, was ripped completely out, as purple and green liquid spewed from Venus's mouth at the loss of the organ.
As Bolt picked his Light Wand and sword back up, Venus roared extra loudly... causing the vines that surrounded Daring Do to release their grip from her in her cage. Then, in a circle around Bolt, a group of six plunder lobes rose from the ground, while Bolt drew his shield from his sheath, and stuck the Light Wand in the ground.
Suddenly, from over Venus's head, Daring Do's voice echoed through the room. "BOLT! SUMMER! I'LL KEEP THIS GUY DISTRACTED WHILE YOU BOTH TAKE CARE OF THOSE!" For a split second, Bolt noticed Daring Do was no longer trapped in her cage, but rather, was now flying over Venus, who's eye was now focused on her, instead of them. Venus made several attempts to swat her out of the sky with its tongues... but due to the pain it was in, she was able to dodge each attack with immaculate ease.
Bolt nodded his head before raising his shield defensively at the plunder lobes that were now making their ominous hissing noises. Then, once two of them lunged at him, they blew their sleep gas at him... but thanks to his awareness, he quickly rolled under them as they both tried to go around his shield. While under them, he made a quick horizontal thrust; sending their buds flying in the air, and turning to ash.
Another one of the four quickly made an attempt at tripping him to render his defenses useless, but after Summer pointed it out to him, Bolt quickly sliced the vine that was wrapping around his right ankle clean in half; making the second-closest one turn to ash in the process. Two more were left.
One of the two quickly went underground while the closest one's vine started to pulsate. Before it could release its gas, however, Bolt quickly bashed it with his shield before sheathing his sword, grabbing it with his right hand by the "throat", and blocking its mouth with his shield. Then he turned to Daring Do and shouted, "DARING! UP HERE!"
With a nod, Daring flew towards him while Venus's tongues flailed towards her. As they inched closer, the end of the plunder lobe's vine started to bulge. Then, as soon as Daring Do was within range, she flew behind (and above) Bolt while he, in turn, released the tip of the plunder lobe; allowing the sleep gas to spray rapidly onto Venus's tongue that was thrusting towards them in an attempt to potentially impale its target. While it was able to put its tongue to sleep, it was still moving towards them. Bolt, however, anticipated the attack, and managed to side-step out of the way before piercing its tongue with his sword yet again.
"Bolt! Catch!" Daring shouted from behind him, and slightly towards his left.
When he looked towards Daring's voice, she tossed him his Whip Grip just in time for him to react. As she did, he noticed the tongue that it was attached to was no longer there... but a trail of ash was, instead.
"Thanks!" Bolt said, before turning to Venus again, who was about to lunge at him with its other tongue. (Due to the fact that Venus's other tongue was practically numbed by the gas, it didn't feel any pain.)
As quickly as he could, Bolt slung the disc of the Whip Grip towards Venus's tongue... but due to its awareness, however, it managed to dodge his attack, as it latched onto a distant wall. "Crap!" Bolt said, as he saw its tongue wrap around the strand of the Whip Grip, and lift it up... and with it, Bolt.
"LIKE HELL, YOU ARE!" Bolt shouted before turning the diamond tip towards the other end, and pressing the red button. As he did, he started flying upwards; much to Venus's surprise. Then, before it could even react, the diamond tip caught onto its tongue, and before they knew it, its tongue was stuck on the wall. Due to the lack of "magic grip" support, however, Bolt had to wrap his other hand around Venus's tongue to avoid falling. Then, when Venus started struggling, Bolt took that as his chance to climb up and rush down its tongue (very cautiously, so as to avoid falling).
He grinned when he saw that it closed its eye to avoid a blinding light from his camera again, and reached over his right shoulder... only to frown when a very important detail pointed itself out before he attempted his second attack... his sword was holding the numb tongue on the the ground level.
Then, he had an alternative idea. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled one of his newest weapons out... his flower. Planting it on his forehead, he shape-shifted into his wolf form again; causing the flash to fool Venus into thinking he just used his camera. With the flash out of the way, Venus opened its eye again... only to realize that it now had a growling timberwolf right in front of it, and in the air, with its fangs as clear as daylight.
When he reached its eye, he bit deeply into it; causing Venus to roar in even more agony, before it managed to sling Bolt off of its eye, and towards the entrance once again. What it didn't expect, however, was for Bolt to be carrying an "attachment" with him on a vine.
Now lacking an eye, Venus managed to rip its pinned-to-the-wall tongue off, while Bolt managed to stand back up, remove his flower, and retrieve his sword once again.
Without an eye, it flailed its last tongue around blindly; sending chunks of rocks flying in the air... much to Summer's shock. "BOLT! IT'S GOING TO COLLAPSE THIS ENTIRE PLACE ON US! WE HAVE TO LEAVE!"
"We would... if the thing's vines weren't in the way!" Daring groaned before kicking one of the thick vines that surrounded the exit with her left hoof.
Bolt, of course, looked around the ceiling and soon spotted, what appeared to be, their ticket out of there. "Daring, can you retrieve my Grip Whip again?"
Daring nodded her head before flying towards the top of the dangling tongue that still managed to hang onto the wall, despite the constant quaking of the room. ("The man's got a plan, so why bother asking questions?!" she thought to herself as she flew up to the device. Then, as quickly as she could, she retrieved it and flew back to Bolt and Summer. "CATCH!" she shouted before tossing the Grip Whip towards Bolt.
Again, Bolt managed to catch it... and a glimpse of the vine that was on a collision course for the "source of noise". "WATCH OUT!" Bolt shouted... but it was too late.
As soon as Daring turned around, the last thing she saw before blacking out was a thick vine headed her way. Bolt took immediate action at that point. Slinging the disc towards the wall where Daring was going to land, he managed to reach it just in time to catch her with his left arm. Then he quickly released the grip; only to grip further forward, until he was at the ground level again. "Alright, Summer! We've only got one chance at this! Ready?!"
Summer gulped before nodding her head. "R-ready!"
"Good... three..." Before he could count down, he noticed that Venus was now about to hit the new source of the sound. "Two-one-GO!" Bolt finished before side-stepping just in time to dodge the tongue. Then, when it raised its tongue, Bolt quickly latched onto it with the Grip Whip, and was quickly raised up. This time, however, it was intentional.
When he was going fast enough, he retracted the line and removed the grip; sending him flying towards the ceiling. When he was within reach, he used the Grip Whip to latch onto it and turn towards his said "ticket out of there"... a huge silver chandelier with several sharp points angled downward. Then, with a kick of his legs, he launched himself towards the chandelier, and latched onto it when he was close enough. While swinging, though, he would unattach from it and attach himself closer to the chain around it. Finally, when he was on the chain, he swapped hands with the Grip Whip (while Daring Do was cradled in his left arm), and re-drew his sword. Then he repeatedly hacked at the chain that held the chandelier in place several times.
"Go... down... you... piece... of... CRAP!" As soon as he finished his sentence, he used as much force as his arm could swing... which was just enough to cause the chain to snap; sending the chandelier falling, points first, at Venus, while it looked up at the source of the noise. When it gave one more roar, the chandelier quickly landed in its throat; causing massive numbers of purple and green liquid to sprinkle in the air, while Venus flailed around, once more, in a final attempt to free itself from the chandelier. It bumped into the walls around it before stiffening up, curling down, and fading to gray from the bottom to the very tip of the chandelier. Then, once the grayness reached the end of its petals, it turned to ash, while the smog in the entire room disappeared... revealing nothing but an empty room underneath... or so it seemed from the ceiling.
After making it to the ground level once more, Daring Do's eyes slowly started to open. "Ugh... what happened?!"
Bolt smiled and placed her back down on the ground. "You were knocked out by that monster's tongue." Then a sudden realization hit him. "Wait a minute... how did you know that I'm Bolt?!"
Daring chuckled before pointing at his scalp. "I saw Summer there shining in the distance while I was caged up. I had a feeling you were the timberwolf I saw earlier... then when you changed into it again... wait a minute... how did you do THAT, exactly?!"
Before Bolt could answer her, however, a bright glowing light caught their attention from down below. Curiously, Bolt walked to the ledge and used his Grip Whip to lower himself to a safe level, while Daring Do merely flew down there. The source of the glow, however, caused Summer to gasp in shock... and worry.
Floating in the center of the lower room was a large, glowing white acorn that appeared to be made of crystal. "That's... that's a 'Harmonic Acorn'! But... what is it doing here, though?! Shouldn't all twelve of them stay on the Tree of Harmony at all times?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before pulling his camera out, taking a picture of it, placing his camera back in his pouch, picking the acorn up, and placing it in his pouch. "Whatever the case, we might have to take it back manually, huh?"
Summer nodded her head before replying, "Y-yeah..." She had an uneasy expression on her face. "I just... I just hope nothing bad is happening there!"
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "I hope so, too." Then, after making it back to the ground level, the three of them started heading back to the exit.
When they made it closer to the entrance, Daring Do stopped, and sighed. "Sorry, guys... but I might have to split from the group now. Despite the extra sleep I was... unintentionally given... I need to take a breather."
Bolt tilted his head in confusion before asking, "You sure? I mean... it's still a good ways away!"
Daring chuckled before replying, "Yeah, I'm sure. Besides... I kinda have to keep a low profile, if you know what I mean. Besides that, I happened to memorize the layout of this place, so I'm in no danger of getting lost!"
Bolt thought for a moment, before nodding his head. "I understand. Well, I hope to see you again soon! Take care of yourself!"
Daring nodded her head and smiled. "Thanks, I will... and likewise!"
With that, Bolt and Summer turned around and began to leave... but not before being stopped by Daring Do, who quickly flew up to Bolt's chest and wrapped him in a hug. "Um... Daring?"
"Don't ruin the moment, Bolt!" Summer whispered in his ear.
"S-sorry, Bolt... but... thank you for saving me back there... you were... kinda awesome back there, y'know." With a smile, she pulled back and flew towards a wall, where she sat down, and started to relax. "Don't ask for seconds, by the way. I ain't normally a hugger!"
Bolt chuckled before nodding his head and waving. "Well... you're welcome! And... I'm glad I could help! Have a safe trip back to... wherever you're headed next!"
After Daring returned a wave, Bolt turned back around and started heading out of the cave. "I think she likes you, Bolt! Ooh-la-la!"
"Don't ruin the moment, Summer." Bolt whispered back.
"Ooh... touché!" Summer giggled, as the light to the exit came into view.
"Now, then! All we need to do is take this acorn back to the Tree of Harmony, so that we can f-AAH!" Summer screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw the first sign of things not being right... the sun and moon were in the sky at the same time.
Bolt tilted his head in confusion at the unusual sight before pointing at it. "Is... is that supposed to happen?!"
Summer shook her head and replied, "N-no... NO! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE PRINCESSES!"
Bolt gasped at that statement before looking around. "That... isn't good, indeed! We've got to-" Before he could finish his sentence, however, he stopped talking at the sound of hooves clopping through a nearby road. Not wanting to be seen, Bolt quickly ducked for cover, as he heard the sound of, what appeared to be, females talking.
"Um... Applejack... are you sure it was a good idea to leave Twilight in Ponyville?" A seemingly soft, quiet female's voice asked one of the other companions that she was with.
A much more western female's voice, supposedly 'Applejack's', replied, "Ah'm certain, Fluttershy! Besides, if we lose Twilight, then we won't have any more princesses, and all o' Equestria would be lost! Would ya really want ta risk Equestria fer our own selves?!"
Then their voices became distant mumbles, as the clopping hooves faded away. Summer, at this point, looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "L-LOST?! W-what do you... w-what do you think h-happened to them?!" Summer whispered.
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "I have no idea... but one thing's for certain." He pulled the flower from his bag and added, "This 'Twilight' person just might!"
With a quick attachment-of-the-flower, and a brief transformation, Bolt ran to the road and pawed at the ground where the hoofprints were still fresh; getting the scent of the mares (as proven by the sight of hoof prints) that just passed by. Then, with the scent memorized, he turned his head, and was now on his way towards wherever the passersby came from.
And that... is where my next task began.
Episode THREE | "Friendly" Introductions.
JOURNEY OF THE
~~BREEZEBY: JUSTIN DANIELS
For around five minutes, I continued following the scent of the group of mares. Summer, of course, kept an eye on my tail to make sure we weren't spotted and being spied on, or even pursued... knowing that I was pretty much a "predator" in THEIR eyes, I had to play it safe and remain undetected. As we got closer to where the town must've been, however, we knew right away that something was off.
"Strange... from what I could tell, Ponyville was considerably safer than almost any other towns out there... despite being right next to the Everfree Forest, that is." Summer mumbled to herself.
Bolt merely nodded his head as he continued following the scent of where the mares came from. As he continued to move down the path, however, a bad feeling started to build up in his mind... almost like he was being chased by-
"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" A feminine voice shouted from Bolt's far-right corner. Before he could even turn to react, however, he was knocked back by a surprisingly powerful ball of energy. When he landed, he made a dog-like yelp before jumping back to his paws to face his pursuer... a lavender-coated unicorn with a dark bluish-purple mane and tail that was decorated with pink stripes. On her forehead was, what appeared to be, a golden crown with a jewel in the center that highly resembled her cutie mark; a pink six-sided star.
Bolt started to crouch down to remove the flower from his forehead... but before he could even reach it, however, he was surrounded by a pink aura and lifted closer to the lavender unicorn by magic. As he got closer to her, however, he noticed something on her back, hanging onto her shoulders... a purple-scaled lizard-like creature with a pair of green fin-like attachments on the sides of his head, a green Mohawk-shaped set of spikes on his scalp, and a soft green belly. Then, another sight caught him off guard... a pair of lavender wings were attached to her back; she was an alicorn!
"I don't know what you were trying to do in Ponyville, but I will not sit by, and let a MONSTER into Ponyville!" She shouted, right as Summer started to try saying something.
Unfortunately, though, the second she opened her mouth to speak, the alicorn used her magic to keep any attachments of Bolt's wooden frame in place (and one attachment would also happen to be Summer, herself) and, with all her might, threw the two very far from the road... it took them a minute to land, and when they did, Bolt was in pieces once more, and Summer was hovering over his forehead, grumbling.
"Darn it! What the hay was her problem?!" Summer complained before sighing and looking down... only for a realization to hit her. "Ah... right. I guess she was just afraid of you because you are a timberwolf, and all that... and from the looks of it, she was headed towards where those mares went!"
Bolt whined a few times as his parts began flying back to his head. "Oh, pull yourself together, Bolt... literally! We have to follow them! If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were headed towards the Tree of Harmony! Maybe the princesses are somewhere over there as we speak!"
After he was whole once more, Bolt sighed before barking a couple times. Then, after checking the line of dirt that he was dragged into, he followed the opposite direction of where the crater was headed... back to where he came from.
When he was back on the road, Bolt sniffed the ground for the scent of the lavender alicorn that "kindly" told him not to go to Ponyville. As he sniffed, however, another scent caught his nose... the familiar scent of two things; a plunder lobe, and the smog from Venus's lair. From the smell of it, the evil plant was in the same direction that the lavender alicorn went. That, of course, wouldn't end well.
"WOOF! WOOF!"
"What's wrong, Bolt?!" Summer asked as she flew in front of Bolt. Bolt, in turn, sat on his hind legs and lifted his forepaws in the air and clapped them together. Then he tilted his head towards his right and placed both paws under his right cheek, before closing his eyes and making snoring sounds. "You... want to take a nap?"
Bolt shook his head and sighed, before pawing the ground and pretending to drop a seed in it. "You're too sleepy to plant a... wait..." Then her eyes widened at the realization. "You smell plunder lobes nearby?!"
With a stern expression, Bolt nodded his head and barked twice. "Then let's hurry! If we're not too late, we might be able to catch it before it reaches that alicorn and her friends!" Bolt nodded his head while Summer jumped back on his scalp. Then the two of them were back on the trail towards where the mares and their uninvited guest were heading.
"Are we there yet, Twilight?" the short lizard-like creature asked the alicorn that he was sitting on the shoulders of. Both he and the alicorn (who's name is now known as "Twilight") were standing in a large opening in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Miles behind them, the road ended abruptly; making their path unclear.
Twilight sighed before turning towards him, as she started looking around in circles with a worried expression on her face. "I don't know where we are, Spike... we're lost!" She closed her eyes and sat below a tree, as a tear fell from her left eye. "I should never have left my friends behind!"
Spike frowned at her sad expression and gently patted her left shoulder. "We can't just give up, Twilight! There's got to be a way to find them!" He scanned the area quickly, before spotting a tree nearby with enough branches for him to climb on top of. "Maybe if I climb that three over there, I can spot 'em!"
Without even waiting for an answer, he was already climbing the tree he had in mind. Before even a minute could pass, he was already at the very tip of the tree with his left hand over his eyes to block out the sunlight (and moonlight).
Suddenly, his eyes caught the sight of a distant flash of light, which caused his eyes to widen, before he leaned closer towards it (carefully, so as to avoid falling down). What he saw next made him gasp in horror.
A swarm of purple-skinned biped creatures with the horns of minotaurs, legs of goats, and long thin arms, appeared from five different portals; each of which leading to separate areas around Equestria. The biped creatures stood twice as tall as a pony, so they definitely weren't minotaurs. Around their waists, they wore barbaric sashes made of (what made Spike have to force his lunch back inside his stomach) cowhide, and around their chests, they wore harnesses with spiked iron pauldrons over their shoulders.
While there were twelve of them, five of them carried the unconscious bodies of five very familiar mares to Spike; a cyan pegasus mare with a rainbow-colored mane and tail, an orange earth mare with a blonde mane and tail, a pure white unicorn mare with a purple mane and tail, a light pink earth mare with a darker pink mane and tail, and a bright yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane and tail. In the order that he saw them (the order given), he quietly mumbled their names with a mixture of terror and sadness in his eyes. "Rainbow Dash... Applejack... Rarity... Pinkie Pie... Fluttershy... oh, no!" Tears fell from his eyes as he saw each of his friends' unconscious forms taken, by the monsters, through the portals. Each of the portals closed the second they made it past them... however, there were still eight of those monsters that didn't go through the portal. Instead, they were headed towards a large crack in the ground; towards a set of stairs that led to the bottom of it.
As quickly as he could, Spike rushed down the tree to where Twilight was, before crying out, "TWILIGHT! OUR FRIENDS... OUR FRIENDS ARE GONE!"
At once, Twilight's ears perked up at his statement before she jumped back on her lower hooves and shouted, "WHAT?! SPIKE, WHERE DID THEY GO?!"
Before Spike could reply, however, a loud hissing noise caught Twilight off guard. The next thing she knew, she turned towards the noise, and was quickly blasted in the face by a blue smoke... causing her to cough several times before slowly closing her eyes, and collapsing on the floor.
"TWILIGHT!" Spike screamed before rushing towards his unconscious friend... but before he could even get close enough to her, the source of the blue smoke quickly appeared from below the ground and whipped him into a nearby tree.
Dazed (but still conscious) and frightened, Spike saw the newly discovered plunder lobe slither his way. As he looked, he also noticed that his feet were now caught in thinner vines as black as the ones that attacked Ponyville. With that in mind, he did the one thing he knew how to do the best in that situation... he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! PLEASE HELP!" As if by a stroke of luck, a shadow quickly rose over him, and in a blurring motion, the plunder lobe was focused on the source of the shadow. What it was, however, was far from expected.
As Bolt continued down the path, he spotted the purple dragon (as Summer clarified for him as a heads-up... along with his fire-breathing capabilities) climbing a distant tree and quickly hid in a bush until he was no longer in Spike's range. Then, at the base of a nearby tree in the clear open area, he spotted none other than the lavender alicorn crying... which gave Bolt a chill of sadness. Even though he was a journalist, and was responsible for grief due to the lack of privacy (especially for the celebrities of his world), he didn't like seeing it in person.
Then, he slowly and carefully inched closer to her while remaining in the shadows... until he could hear her talking. "Why are you such a failure, Twilight?! You always have to buck something up because of your social awkwardness, but this time... it just had to be your friendship!"
"At least we know that she's Princess Twilight Sparkle, now. I've heard about her recent coronation, but... never actually got to meet her in person like this." Summer whispered to Bolt, who nodded his head in return. "From the sound of it, however, it seems that even she is having trouble of her own." Again Bolt nodded his head, before crouching down lower when he saw the purple dragon practically fall down the tree while catching branches with his claws in-between. The look on his facial expression, however, practically screamed "trouble".
The next thing we knew, the prior events acted up. Thankfully, when the plunder lobe whipped Spike (as Twilight happened to point out through their panic) towards the tree, the said tree happened to be the one right in front of the bush I was hiding in.
"SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! PLEASE HELP!" That was Bolt's cue to make his move. As quickly as his wooden paws could move, he was able to catch the plunder lobe off guard before quickly gripping it by the vine and dragging it towards the nearest tree to his left (far enough away from Twilight and Spike for its sleeping gas to reach them). While dragging it, he made sure to keep as little space between its spore and its body, so that it didn't have the opportunity to turn around and hit him with the sleep gas.
When he made it to the tree, he quickly ran around it and leaped over the vine that started to snag against him, then leaped over the vine that was coming from the left side of the tree; forming a knot in the process. Then he quickly ran down the vine's path to the point where he was too far away for the smoke gas to reach him.
As the action went on, Spike continued to stare. As he did, he didn't even notice Twilight weakly standing next to him; both of them staring wide-eyed at the surprisingly clever timberwolf that, for some odd reason, was fighting the plunder lobe.
Then Bolt turned towards them and lowered his head, which triggered Twilight's inner-prey instincts to kick in. Quickly she scooped Spike up and turned to leave... but at the sudden appearance of a bright flash of light, she stopped in place, and slowly turned around. What she saw next shocked her and Spike beyond belief.
There, towering over them by at least four times their height, was none other than a human that was shaped similarly to the ones that they saw beyond the Magic Mirror... only at the same time, this one seemed to be more... different. For starters, the outfit that he wore slightly resembled the ones that they wore in the "Medieval Ages", as she read about in the history books in their world.
With a fierce battle cry, Bolt drew his sword, held it with both hands over his head, and lopped the vine in two; instantly killing the plunder lobe, and causing it to quickly fade to gray, before dissipating into ashes. Then he slid his sword back in the sheath on his back before turning towards Twilight and Spike.
"Are you both okay?" he asked them... only to be answered by silent stares.
They continued to stare at him for a whole minute, until the distant sound of twigs breaking caused them to quickly turn their heads towards the source. No doubt, there would be trouble nearby. "Don't worry... we're here to help!" Summer told them when she quickly flew up in-between Twilight and Spike. "We need to get to the Tree of Harmony, so we can return one of its acorns! I think if we do that, then these vines should go away... within the Everfree Forest, at least!"
As the sounds grew louder, Twilight and Spike nodded their heads in unison. Before they could get up all the way, however, a passing javelin quickly flew past Twilight's left cheek, and landed in the grass; causing her to gasp in shock, before wrapping Spike in her left wing, and pulling him between her and the tree to keep him safe.
In the matter of seconds, two of the thin bipedal monsters appeared from both sides of the tree; each of which holding thick, long, wooden clubs in their right hands, and thin wooden bucklers in their left. Thankfully for Twilight, Spike, and Summer, however, they weren't focused on them. Instead, they had their glowing red eyes focused on Bolt, who quickly drew his sword again (along with his shield, though) at the sight of the javelin. Then the two monsters let out a war cry before charging towards Bolt at the same time.
Instinctively, Bolt managed to side-step the left one's downward thrust with its club... but when he tried to slice its neck, the other one quickly used it's shield to deflect the blow, while the left one raised its shield up and shoved Bolt in the chest; sending him back a meter.
Then the right goblin attempted to bash Bolt with a horizontal swing, but he managed to quickly block it with his shield. Quickly, though, he turned towards the left one and, sure enough, it was about to bash him in the side with his defenses down. Thanks to his quick notice, he was able to roll to the right quick enough to dodge the attack, before attempting an uppercut on the right goblin. Unfortunately, though, it managed to block his sword with its shield and push forward; causing him to lose his balance and fall on his back.
Quickly, the right goblin managed to jab his sword out of his hand, while the left one managed to sit on his legs. (Despite their short size, they were unusually heavier than they looked!) Then the right goblin gripped Bolt's right hand while his left hand was free... but after punching the right one in the face, he soon found out that they were wearing helmets... the hard way. Then the goblin on his legs lifted its club in the air and made another war cry, before swinging it towards Bolt's head.
Before it could reach him, however, he managed to punch his left shoulder forward; barely managing to make him dodge the club by an inch. Then he quickly wrapped his left arm over the club, reached into his pouch, and pulled out his camera before shouting, "SMILE!" Then, at the click of a button, the camera's flash caught the goblins by surprise; causing the right one to release Bolt's hand and shield its eyes, while the left one released its club and covered its eyes... but even though it was temporarily blinded, it still sat on his legs; rendering movement impossible.
Thinking fast, Bolt quickly put his camera away and pulled out his favorite "toy" from his previous adventure... the Grip Whip. With a quick flick of the wrist, he managed to send it over the right goblin's shoulder and onto a patch of grass a good distance away from it, before lifting his shield in-between himself and the right goblin, and pressing the red button once more.
Finally, Bolt managed to make a strike. The second the Grip Whip pulled him, he sent both goblins flying in the air, and onto the ground beside him; giving him enough time to run back to where he was before and re-claim his sword. Then he placed his shield on his sheath and held his Grip Whip in his left hand, and his sword in his right, and eyed the goblins who, at this point, had their shields in front of their bodies in a defensive position. (They had tower shields, so it was practically impossible for a sword to reach them in time.)
With a smug grin on his face, Bolt quickly slung the disc halfway between himself and the left goblin before jumping in the air with both feet in front, and pressing the red button once again; sending him flying foot-first into the left goblin's shield... which then bashed it in the head harder than enough to daze it. This, in turn, caused it to drop its shield and club, while Bolt quickly sliced at it with his sword.
Though he managed to wound it heavily, however, it was still standing. Before Bolt could hit it a second time, the right one quickly attempted a downward thrust... which Bolt side-stepped out of and sheathed his sword again. Then he gripped the right goblin by its left horn and slung the Grip Whip at a distant tree. After that, he dragged it with him to the tree... but when he landed, it was the goblin that hit the tree... with its back. Now it was the right goblin that was dazed.
Before Bolt could even strike the right goblin, however, the left one dashed towards him at a quick rate with its club held in both hands. With all its might, it attempted to bash Bolt in the head horizontally... but since Bolt anticipated it, the only thing it managed to hit was the tree... and its friend, who was sent to the ground two meters away. Sparing no second, Bolt stood back up (since he had to duck to avoid getting hit), drew his sword out, and pierced the right goblin in the heart; causing it to screech in pain before fading to gray... and like the plunder plants, it turned to ashes... which aroused Bolt's suspicions on the ash itself even more.
Not having a moment to think, Bolt turned to the enraged goblin that, due to Bolt's deep thinking, managed to pick its shield back up again, and hold it defensively once more. Bolt, however, had another plan of attack. With his Grip Whip, he swung it towards the goblin that, out of self-defense, swung its club at the disc to deflect it. Instead, though, it merely stuck onto it, and even gave Bolt's "Air Glide" technique a boost once he pressed the red button. Out of confusion, though, the goblin lowered its defense just to look at the club... which proved to be its last, as Bolt swept right past it in time to deflect the club from its hand, whip behind it, and jab his sword into its chest, right as he glided by. With a final shriek, both goblins were finally dead, and turned to ash.
After breathing heavily, Bolt sheathed his sword again and put his Grip Whip away, before turning back to Twilight, Spike, and Summer, who were all three staring wide-eyed at him. (He even noticed that Twilight's wings were, for some odd reason, fully extended, rather than folded like before.) "What?"
Summer was the first to fly up to him and speak. "Bolt! How in Equestria did you learn to even fight like that?!"
Bolt chuckled before scratching the back of his hair. "Well... long story short, I don't know! Most of it was just ideas that I got from all the video games that I've played!"
Summer just stared at him some more before shrugging her shoulders and smiling at him. "Well, good job, nonetheless!" Then she flew up to his right ear and whispered, "Remind me not to get on your bad side... okay?"
Bolt chuckled before replying, "Don't worry, Summer! I would never do that to my friends, no matter how mad I get!"
With a sigh of relief, Summer nodded her head before flying back into his hair. Then Bolt turned his attention to Twilight and Spike. "I'm guessing you must be Princess Twilight Sparkle... correct?"
Twilight's wings quickly folded back down before she slowly stood up again... only to fall on the ground once more, due to the effects of the sleeping gas still slightly in effect. "U-um... y-y-yes?" She managed to stutter.
Bolt sighed with relief before smiling. "Thank goodness! Listen, we need to find the Tree of Harmony, so we can return this acorn back to it." Bolt said, as he reached his right hand into his pouch and pulled the said glowing diamond acorn out of it. Just the sight of it caused Twilight's eyes to widen, and her jaw to drop.
"W-WHERE did you get that?!" Then she paused for a moment before adding, "And while I'm at it... how do you know about the Tree of Harmony?!"
Bolt held his left hand up defensively before replying, "Easy there, Twilight... I just found it in a cave beneath Froggy Bottom Bogg, and Summer Breeze, the breezie in my hair, told me that it's supposed to be on the Tree of Harmony, along with the other eleven... so, I figured I'd take it up there, and see how much is missing... and hopefully figure out what's going on around here."
Twilight slowly nodded her head before replying, "W-well... I... th... thank you, Mr... um..."
Bolt chuckled before replying, "Please, just call me 'Bolt'. Only my closest friends know my true name... and even that isn't what I prefer to be called."
With another nod, Twilight replied, "W-well... thank you, Bolt..." She then slowly stood back up and began to limp forward. "W-well... Spike, which way is the Tree of Harmony? We... we need to get there quickly!"
Spike hummed for a moment before pointing towards the direction of the large crack in the ground in the distance. "I think it was in that direction... inside a large crack in the ground. Be careful, though! That's... that's where four more of those goblin things were!"
Bolt nodded his head before looking at Twilight... who was still limping. "You're too fatigued to walk. Here, let me help you." He slowly walked up to her, but she shook her head and backed up.
"N-no, I'm fine! I... I'd rather not be carried like a bride, thank-you-very-much!"
Bolt hummed for a moment, before a different idea came to his mind. "Very well, then... what if I became a timberwolf again? Would you sit on my back then?"
Twilight thought for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "N-no, really! I'm... I'm fine!"
Bolt shook his head once more, before turning towards Spike. "Are you okay with that, then, Spike?" Spike's jaw dropped at the mentioning of his name, but was soon closed once more when Bolt clarified how he knew his name.
With a nod, Spike agreed. "Sure! Oh, but... you might as well take Twilight, too. Though she may not look it, she needs help here... she's just too stubborn to admit it."
Bolt chuckled before nodding his head. "Fair enough. If you have any questions, then, feel free to talk to Summer. She usually rides on my forehead while I'm a timberwolf, or on my hair when I'm a human."
Spike nodded his head while Twilight groaned in frustrated defeat, as she fell on her stomach and began to breathe heavily. Then, without even sparing a second, Bolt had the flower in his right hand... which Twilight instantly recognized right away.
"H-hey, wait a minute! You're... you're that timberwolf that was headed towards Ponyville!" Twilight stated, which caused Bolt to pause mid-swing, and smile.
"You catch on quick, don't you?" he asked before placing the flower on his forehead. Then, in the matter of seconds, he glowed, and shifted back into his timberwolf form... much to Twilight's and Spike's surprise.
Bolt then barked a couple times with a smile, his tail wagging, and his tongue sticking out, and drooping down over the right corner of his lips. Summer sighed before floating up a few inches and saying, "I think he means 'hop on'... right?"
Bolt nodded his head before walking closer to Twilight and lowering to his own stomach. Slowly, and cautiously, Twilight crawled to his back, and began petting the loose twigs of his "fur" down enough for her to get comfortable on. Then, with Spike's help, she was able to bring her right leg over Bolt's right side, while she wrapped her forehooves over his neck, and held on tightly. Spike, in turn, crawled further up his back; tucked between Bolt's neck and Twilight's arms.
"Well, then... lead the way!" Summer chanted, to which Spike nodded in response, and pointed his right claw towards the direction they needed to go. After checking the grip Twilight and Spike had, they were off towards the direction the crack in the ground was said to have been spotted; carefully keeping their eyes peeled for the other goblins with each passing step.
The trip turned out to be thirty minutes. During that time, Summer explained the situation that we were in, and Spike told us about Twilight's friends' abduction. Needless to say, she was in tears the minute she heard the news.
It was at THAT point that I realized what my next big goal had to be... I HAD to save them. Sure, I may not know them... but according to Spike and Twilight, they aren't only important to THEM, but to the ENTIRE WORLD, as well; the "Harmony Bearers".
When Bolt managed to climb down the last step of the stairway, his eyes widened at the sight before him... and following his eyes, Twilight and Spike's as well. Summer, on the other hand, was in tears.
The once glowing "Tree of Harmony" was colored pitch black... and on both ends of it were two more of the black cabbage-like plants... only this time, they weren't pulsating... they were moving with a few lumps forming at each movement; something, or someone was inside them.
Twilight, now feeling better from the sleeping gas, leaped from Bolt's shoulders and ran up to the one on her right, and asked, "H-hello? I-is... is anypony in there?!"
In a muffled voice, a female's voice replied in, what appeared to be, a slightly motherly tone... though filled with worry. "Twilight?! Twilight, is that really you?!" The sound of the voice caused Twilight's eyes and mouth to open widely.
"PRINCESS CELESTIA! IT'S YOU!" Her statement, in turn, caused Spike and Summer to gasp and hop off of Bolt before running (and flying for Summer) towards the right plant.
Bolt, on the other hand, wasn't focused on them. Instead, he lowered his head to the ground and removed the flower; once more turning human again. Then he reached into his pouch and pulled the acorn out.
The second he did, however, it started to glow brightly, and cause the (now visible) black roots to start moving towards him.
After letting out a gasp, he quickly ran towards the Tree of Harmony, which started to glow a feint white (or grayish) color. With each passing step, however, it started to glow even brighter; slowing the roots' progression towards Bolt by a landslide. Then, when the tree was within reach, he quickly placed the acorn on one of its branches; causing the entire room to get engulfed in a bright light.
As soon as five seconds passed, a massive "pulse" of light projected from the Tree of Harmony... instantly causing the two cabbage plants to dissipate into ash before they could even fully gray out. When they did, their contents appeared clear as crystal... a pair of surprisingly tall alicorn mares. (Instead of standing up to just below Bolt's knees, these mares actually stood up to his chest!)
The alicorn that stood in front of Twilight, Spike, and Summer, was a pure white-coated one with a light pink, green, and blue-striped mane and tail that flowed freely, regardless of the amount of wind that blew. For a Cutie Mark, she had a large picture of the sun on her flanks.
The other alicorn, however, was slightly shorter than the white one. (Instead of standing up to Bolt's chest, this one stood up to his stomach.) She had a similarly shaped mane and tail, but her coat was a dark blue shade, and her mane and tail were a slightly brighter color that shined with, what appeared to be, stars that sparkled in her mane. The two of them, when freed, smiled at Twilight and Spike while the blue one started walking up to them... but froze in place the minute she noticed Bolt.
"W-what... what does this mean, dearest sister?! Why doth there be a human before the Tree of Harmony?!" The blue alicorn asked in a much more regal voice.
Summer cleared her throat; catching the attention of both princesses, while Bolt walked up to where the majority of the crowd was. The blue alicorn took note of that and joined in the crowd; standing at her sister's right side.
"Princess Celestia... Princess Luna... first off, I'd l-like to say that it is truly an honor!" Summer stuttered; to which the alicorn sisters smiled and nodded their heads... but then, the one Summer called "Princess Celestia" looked at Twilight... and right away, she noticed Twilight's saddened expression.
"Twilight? What's... what's going on?! And... where are your friends?!"
Twilight sniffled a few times before she finally managed to open her mouth to speak. What she said next, however, caused a look of shock to form on the princesses' faces. "T-t-t-they were... t-they were foal-napped!"
"WHAT?! WHO DID THIS, WHERE DID THEY GO?! WHY WOULD ANYPONY ABDUCT THEM?!" Celestia screamed in, what Summer would later clarify as, "The Royal Canterlot Voice".
Her usage of the voice caused the entire room around them to shake, and Bolt, Summer, Spike, and even "Princess Luna" to cover their ears in pain.
After taking a few deep breaths, Celestia closed her eyes and turned towards Bolt. Then, after opening her eyes again, she asked, "Excuse me, Mr., um..."
"B-Bolt?" Bolt answered in a high-enough pitch to sound like he was asking a question.
Celestia nodded her head before continuing. "Thank you. Now, then... Bolt... if you have an answer as to why the Harmony Bearers were abducted, then... please let me know now, so we can have a lead on where to look!"
"With all due respect, Your Highness, I don't think sending a group of scouts up there would be a good idea!" Summer called out, only to be silenced by a glare from Princess Celestia... a glare that caused her to shrink down to Bolt's hair again.
"I agree with her as well, Princess Celestia." Bolt added, which resulted in a glare pointed towards him. This time, however, her glare wasn't effective... much to her shock... but she managed to hide that detail, due to the amount of frustration she felt about their suggestion and (quick) denial of her plan to save her subjects.
"And just why not?!"
Bolt cleared his throat and replied in a casual tone, "Because that would be suicide! You don't know who you'd be sending them up against, would you?!"
"And I suppose you know?!"
"As a matter of fact, I do!"
"Then who is it?!"
Bolt cleared his throat before replying in a much more darker tone, "Tirek... he's back."
There was a lot of silence at that statement. Bolt and Summer never really told Twilight and Spike that detail, because they had a feeling they wouldn't even know who he was to begin with. Celestia and Luna, however, were now staring at him with complete and utter terror, as the realization hit them. Indeed, the last time a human ever showed up, it was to face him... and by the looks of things, it was evident that he wasn't lying to them.
"Then... if he has the bearers already... h-he... he has the upper hand, now!" Celestia stated in a panic-filled tone. "And... and if the ponies know about the existence of a human, then... t-then the Royal Unicorns will know about the rising darkness, and spread the news of the end of the world! EVERYPONY WILL GO INTO SHOCK, AND EQUESTRIA WILL FALL INTO A STATE OF PANIC!"
Summer shook her head and glared. "No! He hasn't won yet, though! We still have Twilight! And not just that, but... we can still keep Bolt's presence hidden, as well!"
Celestia tilted her head in confusion, as her panicky expression turned to one of confusion. "Oh? How so?"
"Simple! Bolt... show them!" Summer stated, to which Bolt nodded his head to and reached into his pouch. Then, when he pulled the flower out, he placed it on his forehead; revealing to the princesses his "transformation". Needless to say, they were both surprised.
"WOOF!" Bolt barked happily, as he smiled at them... while they continued to stare at him curiously.
"Well, Luna... it looks like we haven't seen everything that magic is capable of yet, after all..." Celestia stated while she and Luna continued to stare at the timberwolf in front of them with the flower on his forehead.
Luna nodded her head in agreement, while Twilight flapped her wings and flew on top of Bolt's back. "If I stay on him like this while in a town or city... it should be evident that he's tame, and not wild!"
Then Celestia and Luna weakly smiled at that idea. "That's... actually very clever, Twilight! There's just one thing missing, though." Celestia stated, before looking at Bolt cautiously. "Are you okay with this?"
Bolt nodded his head before barking happily; he was willing to go through with it. This, of course, made Celestia smile.
"Good... then Scorpan's trust was well-placed." After that, she looked towards the stairway and had another look of unease. "Listen well, Bolt... Luna and I will go on ahead to Canterlot, and begin finding the whereabouts of the Harmony Bearers. In the meantime, I'm leaving Twilight Sparkle in your hooves... paws... hands... whatever! You are to listen closely to what she has to say... and do exactly what she tells you to do... as long as it doesn't endanger her! Can I count on you to keep her safe?"
Bolt nodded his head before barking once more. "Good. Thank you. Oh, and Summer?"
Summer flew up from Bolt's forehead before asking, "Yes, Your Majesty?!"
"I know that it isn't normal for a breezie to go too far from home, but... I've been watching you, and can tell that you are the brightest of the other breezies... can I count on you to remain with Bolt, rather than return home any time soon?"
Summer nodded her head with a serious look of determination on her face. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Celestia nodded her head with a smile, before turning towards the stairway. "Thank you. Now, then... I will teleport you all to the entrance of Ponyville. When you get there... you'll have to explain to the relatives of the Harmony Bearers the... situation that they're in. Do not speak of Tirek to them, though! Understood?"
In unison, the group nodded their heads. Then, in the blink of an eye, Bolt, Summer, Spike, Twilight, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna were engulfed in a flash of light, and were now standing in-between the edge of the Everfree Forest and Ponyville.
Celestia turned to Twilight and Spike before frowning slightly. "Spike... I'm sorry to say this, but... since you're still a baby dragon, you will have to come with Luna and I back to Canterlot... at least, until one of the Harmony Bearers are returned to Ponyville. I... hope you understand."
Spike's eyes widened at that statement before he looked between Celestia and Twilight, who also had a saddened look on her face... but her expression practically said, "You know she's right."
With a sigh, Spike nodded his head and replied, "Alright then, Princess Celestia..." Then he turned towards Bolt and Summer and sighed. "Please, Bolt... please, Summer... keep Twilight safe for me! She's... she's the only true family that I have."
Bolt and Summer nodded their heads while Summer replied, "We promise, Spike... you have our word."
With a thankful nod, Spike was lifted into the air by a golden aura, and landed cradled in Princess Celestia's left arm. Then, with one more "Good luck" statement, Celestia, Luna, and Spike were gone in the flash of a light... leaving Bolt, Summer, and Twilight there... ready to begin their new adventure.
"Well... let's go. There's... someone who needs to know about this right away. Please, though... be on your guard, Bolt. He... wasn't always on our side, after all." Twilight stated, to which Bolt nodded his head to, before following the dirt path into Ponyville.
Now, with troubled looks on ALL of our faces, we headed towards our first destination... a lone cottage that rested just beyond a bridge over a small, thin river of water.
Episode FOUR | Chaos With A Change of Plans!
JOURNEY OF THE
~~BREEZEBY: JUSTIN DANIELS
And so, we were on our way towards "Fluttershy's Cottage". As we walked up to where the bridge was, we saw a creature that, to be honest, looked... different, to say the least. I couldn't really figure out HOW to describe him other than having the head of a pony and the body of all sorts of other things, but... Twilight told me that he was, according to the figure himself, a "draconequus".
More specifically, he was the "Spirit of Chaos", himself... Discord. Just the mere MENTIONING of his name nearly gave Summer a heart attack; something tells me he didn't have a good reputation with the breezies... or anyone ELSE, for that matter. With that in mind, I knew I had to proceed cautiously.
As we got closer to where he was, however, I noticed that something was wrong. He... didn't look happy at all, despite his supposed reputation of always LAUGHING when things were chaotic. In fact, he appeared to have... TEARS in his eyes. In one of his hooves... claws... whatever things... he had a letter in it. I knew, right then and there, that he was reading a letter that had troubling news in it.
As soon as Bolt walked past the bridge over the thin river of water, he looked around and noticed countless woodland critters roaming around the fields freely. Then, when they saw him, they froze in place, before slowly walking closer towards him... which gave him an uneasy feeling to say the least.
"Are you a friend of Fluttershy's?" Bolt heard a high-pitched male voice ask.
He turned his head towards the right (where he heard the voice coming from), but only found the distant animals staring at him. "I'm sorry, but... who said that?"
"Down here!" the voice replied. Then Bolt suddenly felt something firm but soft bumping onto his right foreleg. As he turned around to see what the source of the voice was, Twilight decided to fly up to Discord and explain the terrible news to him.
As soon as I saw who it was that was talking to me, I figured out ANOTHER new ability that my strange powers gave me... I could communicate with animals!
There, standing next to Bolt's right foreleg, was a tiny little bunny about the size of his paw. The bunny had fur as white as snow, and his arms appeared to be crossed over his chest while he sat there calmly; tapping his right foot on the dirt. Despite being so small, however, he didn't seem to show any fear in his facial expression. If anything, it was more annoyance.
"Well?" the bunny asked once again, before tilting his head to the right.
Bolt, in turn, tilted his head in confusion before nodding his head. "Um... yes?"
The bunny's annoyed expression, for some odd reason, instantly turned to one of relief as he wiped a hint of sweat from his forehead that must've gathered beneath his fur to hide his inner nervousness. "Thank goodness! Sorry for the 'tough guy' act... I heard that timberwolves usually tend to respond more positively towards tougher creatures. Couldn't make the kind of risk to just assume the best, y'know?" Bolt nodded his head in agreement with the bunny's statement. Then the bunny smiled before waving his right paw in a greeting manner. "My name's Angel! I'm Fluttershy's pet... though she tends to consider me as more of a 'friend', than a pet. Nice to meet you!"
Bolt chuckled before bowing his head properly in response. "It's quite alright. I'm not really a... that kind of timberwolf, if you know what I mean. Oh, and my name's Bolt! The honor is all mine, Angel!"
Angel chuckled before nodding his head. "Yeah, I figured you were a lot more friendlier than the average timberwolf... the flower on your forehead kinda hinted that, but I know better than to assume anything... and with the 'Everfree Invasion' just now being resolved, it didn't end without a price. Now, about half of the Everfree Forest is on the lookout!" Then a smile formed on his face. "Good thing Fluttershy should be coming home soon, right? I mean, if Twilight is back, then the others should be close by!"
That was when things started going downhill... fast. Bolt had an uneasy expression on his face; he turned his gaze away from the bunny before letting out a sigh. "Um... about that..."
At once, Angel's eyes widened in shock while his ears drooped down. "Oh, no... d-don't tell me something happened to her... please!"
Before Bolt could even reply, the sound of a heavy object colliding with the earth at a fast speed was heard from the direction of the house. When Bolt looked to his left, he saw that Discord was on the ground... crying. His right arm (the stronger one that looked like it came from a lion) was on the ground, balled up in a fist that was rested in the center of a small crater. Twilight was flying behind him, gently patting the back of his shoulders before motioning for Bolt to go up to her. As he walked up to her, Angel followed him with a new look of terror and sadness on his face.
"Discord... this is Bolt. He's the..."
Discord looked at Bolt and sighed before standing back up. "I know what he is, Twilight... I had a feeling a new human would rise up to face Tirek once again."
Bolt tilted his head and barked a few times... which Discord surprised him by replying with a nod.
"Indeed I do know who Tirek is. After all... I used to work with him... but that was before I saw him hurting people."
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Wait... but isn't hurting people something that you did?!"
Discord glared at her before spitting, "Of course not! What do you take me for, a bucking psychopath like HIM?!"
Twilight flinched at his sudden use of "profanity" and flew back a couple feet. Discord, on the other hand, sighed before shaking his head. "S-sorry... I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just... I've been mistaken for a psychopath for so long, now, that I... started growing tired of it." Then he sat on the ground before adding, "Yes, I am the Spirit of Chaos, but... never once have I harmed anypony in the process! In reality, I've always been more of a... 'prankster that caused things to get out of hoof', rather than a tyrannical king like Tirek."
With an understanding nod and an apologetic frown, Twilight gently brushed the back of his mane comfortingly. "I'm sorry, Discord... I didn't mean to pick on old wounds like that."
Discord let out a weak chuckle before replying, "It's alright, Twilight... I forgive you." Then he turned to Bolt and added, "Now, onward to more important matters! Bolt... I've received a letter from Princess Celestia telling me that she felt a disturbing force in their old castle, located deep inside the Everfree Forest. I would've gone to investigate it myself when Fluttershy came back, but... according to Twilight, she's been foal-napped; leaving me to tend to her animal friends up here. The situation, however, is urgent, and needs to be tended to as quickly as possible!" Then he turned towards Ponyville and hummed to himself. "I will tell the others about the Bearers' abductions... but I'll keep you and Tirek a secret, so that any possible smarties won't cause any more panic than there already will be."
Twilight hummed to herself for a moment before nodding her head. "I... I might have to ask Princess Celestia, first!"
Discord nodded his head in understanding before replying, "Very well, then! Allow me!" Then, as if he were pulling a cap off of a bottle, Discord removed the one fang from his upper lip and held it in his lion's paw with his fingers spread out. When he did so, the fang started to glow a light blue color, and in the matter of seconds, the voice of Princess Celestia started coming out of it.
"Discord! Have you made it to the castle, yet?"
Discord shook his head and replied, "Actually, Celly, I have a proposition to make."
With an audible groan, Celestia replied, "Discord! We don't have time for that! This situation is urgent, and requires-"
"Yeah, yeah! Listen, Celly! I-"
"Stop calling me 'Celly', and I'll listen!"
Discord gave an annoyed sigh before rolling his eyes and saying, "Alright, then... 'Celestia'... Twilight and her human friend, Bolt here, have arrived at Fluttershy's Cottage... and they told me that she and the others were abducted. Is that correct?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the "call". "I don't like dramatic pauses, Celestia."
"Yes... it's true..."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was worried about how you would react, Discord."
"And you thought I wouldn't worry if she were gone for more than a day in the bucking Everfree Forest, huh?"
"... I haven't thought about that, to be honest..."
"Of course you didn't. Why do you think you co-rule this place with your sister Lulu, after all?"
"I'm also right here, Discord." Luna's voice echoed.
"Volume, Lulu." Discord chuckled.
"S... sorry."
"Anyways, we're getting off topic here! Celestia; you planned on sending Twilight, Bolt, and their little breezie friend Summer out into the world to help save our friends, right?"
"That is correct."
"So, here's what I had in mind! Instead of sending me to investigate that magic force in your old castle... why not send them up there, so that I can tend to Fluttershy's animals, and ensure order remains in Ponyville while they're out?"
"And just why should we trust you to keep order, exactly? You and order don't really mix well, as far as I know."
"You'd be surprised, Celly. I wasn't always the Spirit of Chaos, y'know! I'm sure you remember those days, don't you?"
There was a moment of silence, until Luna's voice stated, "Sister, art thou... blushing?!"
"N-no!"
After a long moment of silence, Celestia sighed. "Alright, then... if Twilight is willing, then I will allow it. First, though, I want to hear her approval!"
Discord nodded his head before inching the fang closer to Twilight. This, of course, was Twilight's cue to speak. "Princess Celestia... I accept!"
Bolt barked a couple times in acceptance, also.
Summer flew closer to the fang and threw in her couple of bits. "I'm with Bolt and Twilight, so... I'm okay with it!"
Celestia's voice replied, "Alright then, you three. Discord, I want you to-"
"Keep Tirek and Bolt secret from Ponyville, but let them know about our friends' recent abduction? Already know what to do, Celestia."
"Good. Oh, but Discord! One more thing, please."
"But of course, Celly! What is it that you ask of me?"
There was a moment of silence, before Discord sighed. "Celestia." This made her continue speaking.
"I would feel much easier if Twilight and Bolt could borrow your fang as a means of communication. Since it's a part of you, I'm aware that you can communicate with them without it... so please?"
Discord nodded his head before replying, "Alright... done! Anyways, keep me posted on the progress... alright?"
"Alright... good luck to all of you. Remember; the world is at stake, here!"
With a nod, Discord snapped his eagle-like left claw, and in a puff of smoke, his fang disappeared. "It's in your pouch now, Bolt. When you're in the Everfree Forest, I'd suggest staying human as often as you can. That way, you can easily reach it when you want."
Bolt barked a couple times and nodded his head. Then Discord turned to Twilight.
"Twilight... while he's in human form, however, you're going to need to find a way to keep yourself from being easily spotted! Just the sight of an alicorn will practically give your position away for the enemies to attack you. And trust me when I say this... if a pony were to see you with a human, then they might suspect that the princesses are hiding something from the public... something bad. That... will be the kind of chaos that even I wouldn't want to happen."
With a nod, Twilight hummed for a moment. "Well... I could use an invisibility spell, but... that wouldn't do anything about my hooves... and I'm still getting used to my wings, so I know flying isn't an option!" Then, she looked down and started to rub her chin... until her eyes focused on Summer, who sat on Bolt's forehead in thought as well. That gave her an idea. "Of course! I could transform myself into a breezie!"
Bolt and Summer tilted their heads in confusion while Discord shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds like a winner to me! Now, then; off you lot go! And don't worry, Twilight... I'll be sure to let them know that you're on the case!"
With a nod, Twilight replied, "Alright... and don't you worry, Discord... I promise, we'll find Fluttershy, and bring her back!" Then she looked down at Bolt and motioned for him to turn back. "Let's go, Bolt... I can still remember where the Castle of the Two Sisters is!"
Bolt barked a couple times and turned to leave. As he did, however, he turned back to Discord and barked a couple times. "Don't worry, Discord... I'll be sure to let you know when we find her the SECOND we do." Then the trio headed into the edge of the Everfree Forest again, while Discord smiled warmly at them.
"Thank you..." Then he turned around and headed towards Ponyville; completely unaware of the hole in the ground where Angel once stood.
When they were a safe enough distance, Twilight flew off of Bolt's shoulders while he lowered to the ground and removed the flower from his forehead. Then, when he was human again, he turned to Twilight and hummed. "So... you can turn yourself into a breezie?!"
Twilight nodded her head before lowering herself to the ground. "Yes. I learned it a few days before I even became an alicorn... never thought I'd have to actually use it, though. Anyways, please stand back for a second."
Bolt nodded his head and did as she asked. Then, after closing her eyes for a long moment, her horn started to glow pink. After a few more seconds, she was completely wrapped in a pink aura of light. Then, when the light died down, she was no longer visible.
Bolt lowered to one knee and noticed a small glow coming from the center of where Twilight once stood. Looking closer towards the source of light, he smiled when he saw that her spell worked. "Well done, Twilight! Now, then... I guess you can stay on my scalp with Summer... perhaps the two of you can talk to each other up there!"
Summer chuckled before nodding her head and lowering to the ground. "Sounds good! Oh, and don't worry... the smell is easy to adapt to! Just... try to avoid the very back of his head, if anything!"
Twilight nodded her head before replying in a much higher-pitched tone similar to Summer's, "Alright... thanks for the warning!" Then, in the matter of seconds, the two of them flew on top of Bolt's scalp and held onto a pair of hair strands. "Alright, Bolt! Just follow the path, and I'll tell you where to go as you progress!"
Bolt nodded his head and replied, "Alright, then!"
And just like that, our NEW task was set before us. Whatever lies ahead... I can only hope for the best, but anticipate the worst.
Author's Notes:
Okay, then! Expect the next chapter to take a good bit of time to complete! (In other words, INCOMING DUNGEON CHAPTER!)
In the mean time, I'll be working some more on a friend's story before I even start with that chapter, though! Please, though, I encourage you all to continue with the comments, and I'll be notified via the "Magic Bell in the top-left corner of the website"!
Any thoughts? Any ideas you'd like to share? Any suggestions? Any compliments - comments you'd like to make? Feel free to let me know, and I'll guarantee to read through them when I can!
As always, stay sharp, My Little Bronies! And remember! "When a friend is counting on you for something, if you exceed that person's expectations, you may even be able to count on that person in your next (or next two) time(s) of need! And with that in mind, never give up on that person, and give 'em a good praising for trying... even if they fail! If you do, then perhaps they will be forgiving of your mistakes much more easier!"
Episode FIVE | The Castle of the Two Sisters!
JOURNEY OF THE
~~BREEZEBY: JUSTIN DANIELS
And so, we boldly and valiantly traveled through the Everfree Forest in search of the place supposedly known as "The Castle of the Two Sisters". We traveled high and low, and dared NOT let any problems stand in our way... for we knew that the fate of the world was in our hands... and hooves, of course. With that as our motivation, we carried on with out task, and walked forward with VERY little trouble to interfere with-
"Ugh... are we THERE, yet?! We've been walking for HOURS now... and be we, I mean ME!" Bolt complained as he breathed heavily with each step he took.
Twilight shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Look, relax already! I'm still trying to remember the steps that the others and I took when we went there, alright?!" Then she rubbed her right hoof over her snout before humming to herself. "Now, then... if I remember correctly, we should be getting close to Froggy Bottom Bogg now!"
Bolt suddenly stopped moving with an annoyed expression on his face. "Hey! Why'd you stop?"
"Um... Twilight... you do realize that Froggy Bottom Bogg was, like, the other turn that we made about an hour ago... right?!" Bolt's face was starting to twitch occasionally as he said that.
Twilight, of course, glared at him before replying, "No! I could've sworn that we had to make a left turn to get there!"
"Well if that were the case, then you must've broken from the trail and took a u-turn without realizing it, because the Bogg, I can assure you, was at the right turn from the first fork in the road!"
"And just how would you know that, exactly?!"
Bolt was about to respond... but before he could even say another word, however, he soon found the ground behind him start to rise above his head. When he turned around, he realized what was happening; he was falling down a huge crack in the road... a gorge.
While Twilight and Summer gripped onto his hair tightly while screaming, Bolt quickly dug into his bag and pulled out his Grip Whip. Then, mere seconds after he pulled it from his bag, he swung the disc into the corner of the gorge and raised his feet forward; allowing him to swing onto the corner of the gorge painlessly. (As it turns out, the boots that he wore allowed his feet to withstand greater lengths of falls without causing any harm to his body... as long as the falls weren't too big, and as long as it was his feet that would land on the surface... but since his gloves are made of the same material, they also have the same effects, as well.)
"Good timing, Bolt! I was kinda worried you would've forgotten that you have that!" Summer cheered, while Twilight stared wide-eyed at the Grip Whip.
"H-hey... now that I have a greater look at it... isn't this a Grip Whip?!"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "Yeah... but how do you know what it is?"
Twilight rolled her eyes and replied, "Well, duh! It's a device that the ancient horses used long ago! It's one of the earliest lessons on Equestrian history that a filly would learn... but to see one up close... and here I thought they were obsolete!"
Summer shook her head and smiled while bolt used the Grip Whip to climb his way back up the gorge. (And due to the fact that he had one, the process would include drawing the line back in, gripping a rock with his left hand, sling back upwards, draw line back in once more, and repeat.)
"They are obsolete, Twilight! What Bolt was trying to tell you is that, when we first met, that was exactly where we came from... and by when we first met, I mean when you kinda... threw us about... half a mile away or more, give-or-take..."
It took a moment for those words to sink into Twilight's mind. When it did, all she could do was smile sheepishly through a blush and reply, "Um... sorry?"
Summer merely chuckled before replying, "Hey, it's quite alright, Twilight! At least you showed Bolt the true power of an alicorn! Maybe with that knowledge, he'll be more considerate when it comes to your personal space... so at least that's a bonus!"
Bolt smirked (catching their attention), before replying, "Summer, don't tell me you've forgotten what my job is, did you? I'm a photojournalist! Getting inside people's personal space is what I do on a daily basis! If anything, Twilight here can expect a long interview and a lot of pictures to make up for the extra time that I could be using to figure out a way to get better at fighting, so I can face that 'Tirek' guy!" Then he chuckled. "And perhaps you can get me famous in a magazine once this is all over! You are a princess, after all... and maybe I could use those pictures for blackmail to keep you from saying 'no', as well!" Suddenly he felt, what appeared to be, a mosquito bite on his scalp, which nearly caused him to lose his balance. "OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
Summer looked at Twilight and noticed that she was rolling her eyes upwards and whistling idly. Next to where she stood was a small (for them, but microscopic for Bolt) hole in Bolt's scalp. The hole appeared to be as wide as Twilight's horn, which gave Summer a clue as to what happened while she was focused on Bolt. Needless to say, however, she was mischievous natured, and merely smiled with Twilight before shrugging her shoulders. "Looks like it was a mosquito, Bolt! Better keep your nose in your own business, so that it doesn't try... poking its own nose into your scalp again!"
Bolt groaned before mumbling to himself, "I'm starting to regret this decision already..." *POKE* "OW! I KNOW THAT IT'S YOU, TWILIGHT!" While he didn't notice it, Summer and Twilight bumped hooves with evil grins on their faces before bursting out laughing. "THAT BETTER NOT LEAVE A MARK, DARN IT!"
As soon as Bolt was back on the ground level, he sighed with relief, before turning back around to examine the other side of the gorge. "Huh... looks like there's more of the forest on that side!"
Twilight looked towards the left and right before gasping at a distant object that she noticed on the far-left side; hanging just over the gorge... an old-looking rope bridge loosely hanging on a pair of old ropes. Unfortunately for Bolt, however, it appeared that the bridge was several miles away, and appeared to be the size of a baby inchworm in visual size comparison. "Bolt! I know where we are! We're in Ghastly Gorge!"
Summer's eyes shot open at that statement. "Ghastly Gorge?! Don't Quarray Eels live here, though?!"
As if on cue, the ground below them started to tremor. Then, before anyone else could say a word, a huge burgundy eel about the size of a ten-story tall building (but potentially taller) burst through the ground above them and hissed loudly. The burgundy eel had, what appeared to be, a purple mane on its "scalp", five-foot-long pink dots that ran from five feet away from its golden eyes in a straight pattern, and purple plates beneath its lower jawline. Dangling from each of its lips were fangs that started one foot high on the innermost corners of its mouth, and ended at three feet long in the outermost corners (in the center). As it hissed, its tongue appeared to be purple, and split at the tip; similar to the way how snakes' tongues are.
Bolt hesitantly reached his right arm up to his sword to draw it, but by the time his hand touched the handle, he felt the Quarray Eel's tongue wrap around his elbow; rendering it useless. Summer and Twilight screamed it terror as the eel... stood there... not doing anything.
Then, the unexpected happened; it let Bolt go and backed up... much to everyone's confusion. Before Bolt could even ask what was going on, the eel started to hiss and make odd noises... something neither Bolt nor Twilight could understand. Summer, on the other hand, flew in-between Bolt's eyes and said, "Bolt! It's asking you to change into your other form!"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion before looking up to the eel... who nodded its head in agreement. Not wanting to even bring up an argument, Bolt quickly reached into his pouch and pulled the flower out. Then, after placing it on his forehead, he was engulfed in the all-too-familiar glow, and in the matter of seconds, he was a timberwolf again.
"Can thou underssstand me now?" the eel asked in a... strangely feminine voice.
Bolt nodded his head before barking, "Um... yes, ma'am?"
The eel then smiled before nodding her head. "Thank goodnessss! I wasss afraid thou wouldn't be able to underssstand what I sssay!" Then she bowed her head respectfully. "I am Sssylvannia. It isss an honor to finally meet thee, o hero of the other world!"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "It's... an honor to meet you, Sylvannia. My name's Bolt... but I'm not sure what you mean by Hero of the Other World... I mean, I haven't even saved the world yet!"
Sylvannia lightly chuckled at his statement. "Oh, I am aware of thine predicament! 'Tis not the first time I hath seen thy race before, though... but I can assure thee, thou art indeed the next chosen hero... and for that I sssay 'why not claim thee the chosssen hero already, for it isss thy dessstiny, after all!'"
Bolt shrugged before replying, "Well... if that's what you feel comfortable calling me, then by all means! It's just... new to me, that's all."
Then Sylvannia looked at Summer and Twilight curiously. "I sssay, though... thou mussst be burdened to take care of thossse two on thy shoulders... dossst thou have a problem with them, or be they alliesss to thee?"
Bolt tilted his head head in confusion once more before the realization clicked in. "Hm? Oh, Summer and Twilight? Nah, they're cool! No trouble with them at all!"
Sylvannia nodded her head in understanding before turning to Summer. "Be wary, breezie... for I hath seen many days, and slain many foes that dared threaten the safety of the last few heroes... and I shall not hesitate to strike thee down, should thou threaten this one's safety!"
Summer gulped nervously before nodding her head. "R-right! Loud and clear!"
Twilight, instead, turned to Summer confusedly before asking, "Um... what did it say?"
Sylvannia deadpanned at Twilight before turning to Bolt. "Did thine other friend dare to question my gender?!"
Bolt shook his head before replying, "It wasn't intentional, Sylvannia. She just can't understand the difference between the sounds either of your species makes... no offense."
Sylvannia sighed with relief before replying, "None taken, as long as no blasphemy was intended. Anyways, I guess that thou must be on thy way to the source of the disturbance... do I speak the truth?"
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "Yes, ma'am... and we'd appreciate all the help we can get in arriving there... if you're okay with helping, that is."
Sylvannia nodded her head before smiling. "I do believe I can make arrangements, so long as thou hast the grip to handle my speed!"
Bolt thought for a moment before an idea came up. "I... might have a tool to help secure that, but... I'm not sure if it'll hurt you or not... and I have to be in my 'Human Form' in order for me to use it, so I'll need Summer here... the actual breezie... to translate your words for me."
Sylvannia nodded her head before replying, "Well, if it makes thee feel comfortable, then I shall inform thee that I shall not hold it against thee if thine tool does harm to me."
Bolt shook his head before replying, "Please don't hurt yourself for my sake, Sylvannia. I wouldn't be able to rest at night knowing that I had to hurt someone to save someone else."
Sylvannia chuckled before nodding her head. "Thou hast a caring heart... and my word... that I shall not harm myself for thine own good, then. I shall tell thy friend 'Summer' if I hurt." Then she lowered her head to the ground level. "When thou art ready, I shall take thee to thine destination... and worry not, for I hath been around long enough to understand thy other language; despite being unable to speak it."
Bolt nodded his head before smiling. "Thank you, Sylvannia." Then, after lowering his head and pulling the flower off of it, he was once more engulfed in a light, and shifted back into a human. "So... you can still understand me, then?"
Sylvannia nodded her head before hissing a couple times. Summer, in turn, translated, "She said yes."
Bolt smiled before nodding his head and reaching into his pouch. Then, after pulling his Grip Whip out of it, he pressed the green button and walked up to Sylvannia's lowered neck and wrapped his feet over it. After he was seated on it comfortably, he placed the Grip Whip's sticky side on the back of Sylvannia's neck and asked, "Does this hurt?"
Sylvannia made, what he would assume would be, a laughing noise before shaking her head "no". Bolt didn't even need a translation for that one. "Alright... thanks." Then he looked up and asked, "Are the two of you ready?"
Twilight, who was apparently left in the dust (or in this case, Bolt's scalp without the slightest clue on what to do), replied with a question. "Wait... what are we doing?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Hitching a ride, of course! Sylvannia here knows where we're heading, and offered to give us a lift!"
Hearing that statement caused Twilight to wrap her hooves around Bolt's hair strands... only to notice a problem right away. "Um... Bolt? I know that breezies have "sticky hooves", but... I don't think I have that trait, despite my transformation!"
Bolt hummed in response before smiling. "Well, then... looks like you'll have to shift back into a pony while we're on this ride, huh?"
Twilight smiled sheepishly before nodding her head. "Um... if she's okay with it, that is."
Bolt looked at Sylvannia; hoping for a response. Sylvannia appeared to be thinking for a moment, before nodding her head and hissing. Summer translated it for them, though. "She said 'it's okay, as long as you keep your horn away from her scales'... and something about unicorn magic being problematic for her safety. Then again, I can understand that one for anyone!"
Twilight smiled before closing her eyes and engulfing herself in a pink light. Then, once she was no longer glowing, she gently glided down to Bolt's chest and wrapped her wings around him to cautiously keep herself from falling off, while he, in turn, wrapped his left arm around her. This action caused her cheeks to suddenly turn pink... that, plus the position that she was in... with a male. Bolt, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice, as he was focused on Sylvannia. "I think we're ready, Sylvannia! Please go a little slower than usual for Summer's sake, though... and Twilight's too, of course!"
Sylvannia nodded her head before turning around. As she did, Bolt smiled at the thought of just how fast (and awesome) this ride was going to be.
As a child, I've always enjoyed Roller Coasters... but to this day, NONE of them could possibly compare to just what went on at that time. Some might even say that I could've been heard from miles away.
"WOO~! THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!" Bolt practically cheered at the top of his lungs while Twilight and Summer screamed for dear life, as they were all safely behind Sylvannia's scalp, and traveling at an incredibly blurry speed through an underground tunnel. Sylvannia, on the other hand, was happy to know that Bolt was actually enjoying her assistance. That alone was enough motivation for her to smile each and every passing second along the way.
Unfortunately, though, the fate world was at stake, so she had to make the trip as short as possible. With that in mind, her smile was also short-lived, as she started recognizing the soil patterns around her. "We shall be drawing nearer to thy destination in mere seconds, now..." she hissed, to which Summer translated for Bolt through his cheering.
He sighed before nodding his head. "Aw... but we just started!"
"Bolt! This is no time for fun and games! We have to stop Tirek's forces from doing any more damage!"
Bolt merely shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh, whoever says that saving the world has to be a boring task must've been a boring person, to be honest." That statement caused Twilight to glare at him and grumble beneath her breath.
A few minutes later, and Sylvannia came to a sudden stop; causing Twilight, Summer, and Bolt to suddenly jerk forward. Thanks to the Grip Whip, however, they were able to avoid getting tossed off. Then, after a moment of silence, Sylvannia began digging upwards. In the matter of seconds, they were all greeted by the moon's bright gaze.
Sylvannia then lowered her head to the ground level; allowing Bolt and the others to land, while Twilight turned herself back into a breezie and flew into Bolt's hair. Bolt smiled at Sylvannia and bowed his head politely. "Thank you, Sylvannia! We couldn't have made it without your help!"
Sylvannia smiled at them before nodding her head and hissing the words, "Any time, my friend... but I implore thee... please may thou turn back into thine other form once more?"
After Summer translated Sylvannia's words for him, he nodded his head and did as requested. "Bolt... please come closer to me."
With a slightly confused look on his face, Bolt did as instructed. Then, Sylvannia closed her eyes, and the pink circles around her body started glowing brightly; much to Bolt's, Summer's, and Twilight's surprise. After they glowed for a few more seconds, Sylvannia opened her (now glowing) golden eyes, and looked at a small patch of grass that grew from around the hole that her head was sticking out of.
As soon as her golden gaze focused on the patch of grass, the grass was surrounded by a golden aura, and in the matter of seconds, it shaped into a long, thin whistle made entirely of grass, yet felt sturdier than a rock.
After levitating the "Grass Whistle" in front of Bolt, Sylvannia smiled and said, "If ever thou finds a hole in the ground like the one I reside in now... merely blow this whistle inside it, and I shall return to thy aid again."
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you, Sylvannia! I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled!"
Sylvannia chuckled before turning her head towards the opposite end of the gorge... towards where the massive stone castle stood over the large rope bridge. "I am afraid I can not aid thee beyond that bridge, though. If thou hast any questions, feel free to ask, though... for I hath heard from the woodland critters of the lay of the land over there."
Bolt thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Actually, I do have a few questions, first. Most importantly, what should I expect to find in there?"
Sylvannia replied, "A very intelligible question, indeed! Several millenniums hath passed since the creation of this castle, yet so many changes hath been made in-between, so some of the woodland creatures hath limited knowledge even to this day. Thou must, however, be wary of traps that hath been added to it since the invasion began. Merely keep true to thy senses, and thou shalt do fine, though!" Then she sighed before continuing. "But while thy time inside is limited, I hath a small request for thee... 'tis a selfish one, though, so thou needeth not listen, if thou dost not want to."
Bolt shook his head before replying, "You have proven to be a good friend, Sylvannia... and as a friend, I will do my best to help. Please, tell me what you need me to do."
"Well... during the invasion, I hath fought to protect my kin and my eggs. Unfortunately, however, the forces that I faced were FAR too cunning for my knowledge... and since a fighter I am not, they hath managed to take all of my eggs, and store them in a chest in there. I know this because I saw them crossing that rope bridge with it. Though enraged, however, I knew better than to destroy it with my eggs in the monstrous creatures' grasps... for in doing so, then I would've most definitely killed my own eggs then." Several tears started to form on her eyes as she continued. "And what's worse, they even taunted me while doing so... for they knew of my weakness, and decided to put my sanity to the test... by tossing one of my eggs over the bridge... too far from where I could reach."
Summer's eyes and jaw were wide open at that statement. "A-and... they just laughed at that?!"
Twilight tilted her head in confusion before asking, "What happened?"
Summer translated what Sylvannia told us, while I decided to help the poor Quarray Eel by nuzzling her with my right cheek with a sympathetic look on my face. No doubt those things have given her Hell in the past few days... and because these things practically murdered an innocent, unborn baby, I no longer felt any regrets in ripping their throats out after hearing that.
And despite being the "Princess of Friendship", Twilight must've felt the same way when Summer finished telling her the story.
"Th-those... those MONSTERS!" Twilight shouted, before closing her eyes and weakly trying to fight back tears. "I... I don't even know why they would even do something like that... b-but..." Twilight looked at Sylvannia and slowly shifted her hurt expression into one of confidence. "Y-you have the word of a princess... that we will stop them! And... i-if they haven't done anything to the other eggs, then... we'll save them right away!"
Bolt nodded his head in agreement before barking his agreement. Summer, of course, nodded her head and agreed without hesitation.
Sylvannia weakly smiled before nodding her head. "Th... thank you... all of you." And with that, she dug back into the hole and was no longer in sight.
Bolt quickly turned back into a human and placed his flower back in his pouch, while lifting Sylvannia's Whistle from the ground, and gripping it firmly. "Well, Summer... Twilight... let's go." And with that, the three of them slowly crossed the long, wooden rope bridge that creaked and turned at every footstep Bolt took.
As soon as he was midway across the rope bridge, however, he squinted his eyes to get a better view of what was ahead. (Due to the darkness of the night, it was difficult for him to see.) What he saw caused all eyes to widen.
There, standing directly in the center of the other side, was a midnight goblin who held a long kitchen knife-shaped sword and a tall wooden tower shield. He grinned mischievously at the group before lifting his sword in the air... which caused Bolt's inner "GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE" instinct to kick in. At once, he started reaching into his pouch... but by the time he had his arm over the pouch, the goblin already managed to cut the rope at Bolt's left; sending the wooden planks downward, and in a vertical position. Worse for Bolt was the fact that he was reaching his right hand into the pouch that was over his left hip; he wasn't able to catch the rope that remained in time. As the three of them screamed in terror, everything went dark for Bolt... and then, unbelievably bright.
Slowly, Bolt stood back up after lying on a pure white surface. Looking around, all he could manage to see was a distant sky blue color in the horizon, with a pure white castle in the far distance. After taking a couple steps, he also noticed that the steps that he made slightly resembled the sound of marble being stepped on... but at the same time, it felt more like a cloud; walking on thin air.
"I see you have made progress, Bolt." Scorpan's voice echoed from behind him; causing Bolt to jump before turning around.
Then Bolt chuckled before replying, "I take it you've been watching me, huh?"
Scorpan nodded his head before replying, "Indeed, I have... and I also see that you've met Sylvannia."
Bolt's eyes widened at that statement. "Wait, you know her?!"
Scorpan chuckled before replying, "Indeed, I do. In fact, she was even a close ally of the former hero, herself!"
Bolt nodded his head before chuckling. "I kinda figured she was around during the ancient times... I mean, she even speaks like Princess Luna!"
"Indeed... but speaking of her is not why I summoned you here."
That statement caused Bolt to gasp. "W-wait... I didn't... die, did I?!"
Scorpan shook his head and smiled. "No... and don't worry about yours and your friends' safety while you are in this area. In this side of my kingdom, time means nothing. In Equestria, you and the rest of the world around you are frozen in time... until I send you back, that is."
Bolt sighed with relief. "So I'm not dead... alright, then! That's a load off my shoulders, at least!" Then he crossed his arms and tilted his head out of curiosity. "Though now that you mention it... why exactly did you summon me here?"
Suddenly, Scorpan's smile faded from his face. Then, after crossing his arms, he replied, "Simple... I have decided to train you."
"Um... train me? Train me in what?"
Before replying to Bolt's question, Scorpan raised his right hand up and snapped his fingers; causing Bolt's sword and sheath to appear on his back... but nothing else. "So... you're gonna train me in swordplay, huh?"
Scorpan nodded his head before folding his arms back over his chest. "That is correct. As you may already know, you will not stand a chance against my brother at your current state. That is why it is vital that you learn these lessons that I shall teach you."
Bolt nodded his head while a grin formed on his face. "Awesome! So you'll teach me how to defeat your brother, then?" Suddenly, a realization hit Bolt. "Hey, um... why don't you have a sword?"
Scorpan chuckled before replying, "Because I don't need one for this demonstration."
"Demonstration?"
There was a moment of silence, until Scorpan clarified his meaning. "I want you to strike at me."
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "Um... what?!"
Scorpan sighed before replying, "Do not fear for my safety, Bolt. Like my brother, I am immortal, and can't be easily harmed by ordinary weapons."
Bolt nodded his head before mumbling, "Well... if you're sure about this..." Then, with a quick burst of energy, Bolt attempted a horizontal slice towards Scorpan's left side.
As soon as his sword was within range, however, Scorpan immediately caught the innermost corners of the blade... with his right pointing finger and thumb. As he held onto the blade, however, his right hand was radiating a white mist... almost as if he were using magic. What's more, Bolt was unable to move the blade out of Scorpan's grip.
"Hm... a basic horizontal slice. You lack unpredictability. Your stance is far too defensive when you lack a shield, and your eyes are practically telling your opponent what your next move is." Then Scorpan glared at Bolt before adding, "You still have a lot to learn." As soon as he finished speaking, he released the tip of Bolt's sword and teleported a few more meters away from Bolt. "Now, then... strike once more! This time, however, I want you to surprise me! Do not hold back, for I am ready!"
With another nod, Bolt readied his sword. Instead of having it behind him this time, however, he held it in front, and with both hands. Then after letting out a battle cry, he dashed towards Scorpan and raised his sword overhead, while Scorpan raised his right hand over his own head in a defensive manner. Instead of swinging vertically, though, Bolt quickly angled his sword to his left, and swung right... only for the sword to get caught by Scorpan's left hand.
Instead of telling Bolt his flaws in tactics, though, Scorpan quickly moved closer to Bolt's right shoulder and grabbed his sword handle with his right hand, and in the matter of seconds, he had Bolt's sword. Then, in a blurring motion, Scorpan lifted his left leg up and kicked Bolt to the floor, causing him to stumble a few times. Before he could even sit up more than an inch, though, he soon found his sword now pointed at his chest. Needless to say, he was staring wide-eyed at Scorpan's undeniable skills... that, and the unimpressed expression he was giving him.
"Another feeble attempt, unfortunately. You can't expect an enemy to fight without having a backup plan, can you?"
Bolt groaned before shaking his head left and right. "No... no, I can't. So what would you suggest I do, then?"
Then Scorpan weakly smiled before bowing his head respectfully, while offering Bolt his sword back. "Trust me... the solution is far more easier than you think." He raised his right pointing finger up and said, "Lesson One: NEVER Strike First!"
Bolt accepted his sword again before nodding his head. "So I just let my opponent strike first? Then I do some sort of counter-attack?"
The answer Scorpan gave him, however, caused his eyes to widen. "No."
"No?! Then... who strikes first, exactly?!"
"Only a fool would strike first, for in doing so, they are fighting blindly. As such, you mustn't focus on defending yourself only, as well. Instead, you must examine your opponent's every move. Determine their weaknesses, and take note of their abilities. Then, when they are most vulnerable, that is the time to attack!" Bolt nodded his head with a serious expression on his face. This time, he had determination in his eyes.
"With that in mind, I will ask you once more... strike at me, for I am ready!"
Then, Bolt raised his sword defensively and stared at Scorpan for around thirty seconds... trying to find a weak spot. Seeing that he couldn't find any, Bolt decided to just go for it once more. Instead of letting out a war cry and running, however, Bolt decided to cautiously approach the waiting Scorpan. Finally, with all his might, he ran up to Scorpan and lunged his sword forward in an attempt to stab him... which only resulted in his sword getting caught once more.
"Again, not an effective strategy, Bolt. A thrusting attack is most effective when the opponent is cornered, and would have nowhere to move. Otherwise, it is the most easiest to dodge!"
Suddenly, a grin formed on Bolt's lips. "Who said I was thrusting?"
Before Scorpan could even respond to Bolt's comment, Bolt quickly lifted his right foot up and, with all his might, managed to kick Scorpan in his left kidney; breaking his grasp on Bolt's sword, and sending him to the ground, while Bolt ran up to him and held his sword up to his neck.
Silence fell in the whole place. Then, Scorpan smiled... and after that, chuckled. "Well done, Bolt! It would seem that you are, indeed, ready!"
Bolt's eyes sparked with hope. "Ready to defeat your brother already?!"
Scorpan's smile grew wider before he burst into laughter... much to Bolt's confusion. "Good heavens, no!" Then he continued to laugh, while Bolt's face turned red with annoyance.
"Then... what am I ready for, exactly?!"
Instantly, Scorpan's laughter died down, and his smile was instantly shaped back into a serious expression. Then, with the snap of a finger, Scorpan was standing up once more... only this time, a sheathed sword the size of a large claymore appeared out of thin air. Each and every part of it, however, appeared to be made of a pitch black metal on the outline, while the inside of the blade appeared to be pure white, and glowed as brightly as the floor beneath them.
"It is time that I teach you your first move, now."
Bolt stood in a corner of a black ring, while Scorpan faced him; his pitch black sword drawn in his right hand. "Now, then! This attack will be most effective against armored foes who are heavily guarded in the front; especially the ones with shields!" When he finished saying that, he snapped his left fingers... and at once, a dark blue gel-like creature appeared in-between both Bolt and Scorpan. The figure was shaped exactly like a midnight goblin, and even held a wooden shield and club just like the two that Bolt already defeated.
"And now, I present to you... the 'Assassin's Strike'! Pay close attention!" Scorpan then turned his blue gaze towards the goblin and stood with his sword behind his back.
The goblin then made a war cry before charging towards him with its club raised high. As it did, Bolt noticed Scorpan quickly reverse his grip on his blade before awaiting the goblin's move. Then, right when it swung downwards, Scorpan quickly sidestepped to the left while it lowered its tower shield to block any incoming attacks. Instead of striking at it, however, Scorpan used his left hand to grip the top of its tower shield and leap over its shoulder. Then, before it even had time to react, he pierced through its chest with his reverse-gripped sword without even having to turn around to face it. It shrieked in agony before fading into a blue cloud.
Bolt stared wide-eyed at the display before him. "Um... okay, so... just how am I gonna-"
Before he could finish, Scorpan chuckled before replying, "Do not worry about your physical capabilities, Bolt! Your hidden power has made you already capable of doing these things... and much much more! You just have to find it within yourself... and only then, will you be ready to face my brother!"
Bolt nervously nodded his head before slowly stepping into the ring, while Scorpan stepped out of it. Then, in the matter of seconds, another one of the fake midnight goblins materialized from thin air on the opposite end of the ring.
"Remember, Bolt! While you're in here, you will feel pain... but you will not be able to die; regardless of the lethality of the hits you take!"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled at Scorpan's reassurance, before raising his sword defensively. "Now, then... are you ready, Bolt?"
After double-checking his stance once more, Bolt took a deep breath and replied, "Ready..."
"BEGIN!"
At Scorpan's sudden shout, Bolt instinctively jumped into action. With his left hand in front of him, and his sword reverse-gripped behind him in his right hand, he dashed towards the goblin... only for his face to meet a large club, followed by a shield. Then, when the club wanted a reunion, it appeared from the south. (Bolt was hit by a sideways swing, a shield bash, and then an uppercut.)
He then groaned in pain after flying out of the ring, while Scorpan sighed and shook his head. "You forgot to study your opponent, Bolt."
Bolt merely sighed through wheezes as the fake midnight goblin began laughing at him from the center of the ring. That action, of course, caused Bolt to glare and stand back up. Then he ran back into the ring with his sword reverse-gripped once more. This time, however, he managed to dodge the goblin's vertical swing and grab onto its shield.
Instead of jumping over the goblin's shoulder, though, he ended up getting lifted by the shield, and thrown the other side of the ring.
"OW, YOU JACKASS!" Bolt shouted when he stood back up. The goblin merely continued to taunt him; causing him to raise his sword in annoyance.
"Never fight angrily, Bolt! An angry opponent, though more than likely capable of dealing more damage, is also far more vulnerable to getting hit!" Scorpan called at from the other side.
Bolt groaned before nodding his head and taking deep breaths through his nose, and out his mouth. "Got it..." Then he stepped back in the ring and reverse-gripped his sword once more.
The goblin chuckled when it saw him reverse-grip his sword yet again, before it, in turn, placed its shield on the ground... much to Bolt's confusion.
"It put its shield away, because it read your movements, Bolt! Do not allow the enemy to see your intentions, or you will risk the situation backfiring on you."
Bolt nodded his head and raised his left thumb up... shortly before being knocked out of the ring once more. "HEY! I WAS TALKING, YOU FREAKING..." Bolt stopped himself before taking deep breaths once again. "Focus... right?"
Scorpan nodded his head.
"Thought so..."
The goblin picked its shield back up and motioned for Bolt to go towards it... which he obliged to quickly. Then, as Scorpan watched his trainee get tossed and pulverized in several more-than-lethal hits, he sighed. "You have a lot to learn, still..."
Bolt groaned at each push-up that he was forced to do as a result of failing his combat test.
I was never really sure WHY I had to do push-ups, since I was in spirit form, and wouldn't gain any more strength physically. Turns out, he was punishing me for not paying attention.
We spent what MUST'VE been days (which turned out to not even be a millisecond in reality) worth of work training, and going over the ONE freaking move that he was teaching me. He eventually allowed me to wield my shield at the same time as the sword; stating that I was going to need to get used to the stance I would be using, if I were to succeed.
Surprisingly, things went a LOT more smoother after he brought the shield up! I was at my thousandth push-up, and would've been sweating, if I even had the glands in my spirit.
"One... t-thousand... p-push-ups..." Bolt whispered through heavy breathing before falling flat on the ground once again, for what must've been the hundredth time.
Scorpan nodded his head and smiled. "Good... then are you ready to head into the ring?"
Bolt nodded his head quickly. (Turns out, if you tell Scorpan "no", then he will throw in some extra push-ups for one's break, before asking if he/she is ready again... directly after the push-ups. Bolt learned that one the hard way.)
"Good... then you may begin when ready!"
After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Bolt opened his eyes to meet the bored goblin who smirked at him with its shield held up between the two combatants. Then, Bolt stepped into the ring and tightened his grip on the sword. As the goblin continued to smirk, however, Bolt noticed that it did so behind the shield.
When he was ready, Bolt quickly lifted his sword up and made yet another mad dash towards the goblin, which only made Scorpan sigh and place his face in the palm of his right hand. The goblin grinned before tightening its grip on its shield and raising its club in the air... but before he could even get close enough to it, Bolt stopped and slowly backed towards where he came from, much to both Scorpan's and the goblin's surprise. Then, Scorpan weakly smiled at the next scene before him... Bolt started laughing at the goblin.
"Sure had you fooled, huh?!" Bolt said between chuckles; causing the goblin's grin to quickly lower, and a glare to form on its face. "What's wrong... you mad, bro?"
"Grr...." the goblin growled, which only intensified when Bolt looked up and towards his left while scratching his chin with his left pointing finger and thumb. (Up close, though, his eyes were still locked on the goblin's movement... lesson number twenty-five.)
"Or are you a woman?"
The goblin's growl became a vicious snarl while Bolt shrugged his shoulders.
"Eh, I can't really tell the difference. You're all ugly enough to just be classified as 'things', if you ask me."
With an enraged roar, the goblin dashed up to Bolt with its club over its head and its shield at its side. This action caused Bolt to grin wickedly at it, while preparing his shield for what comes next.
When in range, the goblin swung at Bolt with all its might... but what it didn't notice was Bolt quickly running closer to it and using his shield to deflect the short end of the club (the area closer to the handle); instantly disarming it. Hesitantly, the goblin tried to bash Bolt with its shield, but before it could get far enough in range, Bolt quickly put his weight on it (stopping the shield's movement), and lifted himself over its head, while reversing the grip of his sword while in the air. Then, when he landed it, he plunged behind his back while letting out a battle cry. In an instant, the goblin dissipated into a puff of smoke.
Bolt started breathing heavily... but not because of his victory. Looking down, he also noticed that he happened to plunge the sword into himself in the process.
With a slightly amused smile, Scorpan shrugged his shoulders before commenting, "Progress, at least."
I bet if there were more people caught in that place, then they would've been able to hear my screams of agony from the other side... if that place were a round planet, that is. And if they thought that it were heaven that they were in, I doubt if the words I used at that time would be allowed, also.
"O-one... t-thousand... five... h-hundred... push-ups..." Bolt wheezed before falling flat on his stomach again. ("Perhaps I should've mentioned to him that I have a slight allergy to pain!"
"Well, perhaps we should fix that allergy then, huh?" Scorpan chuckled, causing Bolt's eyes to widen.
"Wait... you can READ MY MIND?!"
"How do you think I was able to speak to you earlier?"
"... WELL, SON OF A B-"
"Don't forget why you're doing those push-ups this time!" Scorpan interrupted, causing Bolt to chew on his lips.
"Um... because I stabbed myself?"
Scorpan shook his head. "Your choices of wording when you did stab yourself."
Bolt just lied there for a moment... and by moment, it meant just a few seconds until Scorpan asked, "So... ready to try again?"
Bolt stammered back to his feet and nodded his head, before turning to the ring again. "You didn't reply fast enough. Another two-hundred and fifty!"
"OH, MOTHER F-"
"Five hundred, now."
"But I didn't even-"
"You thought of it... and stalling? Seven hundred and fifty!"
"But I'm not-"
"One thousand."
("Two... t-t-thousand... f-f-f-five... h-hundred... p-p-push... ups...") Bolt thought before falling to the ground breathing heavily. (Due to the high excursion his spiritual body was feeling, he lost the ability to talk for a while.)
Scorpan chuckled before looking at the human who was lying on the ground with his arms spread out tiredly. "So... are you ready to try again?"
Wordlessly, Bolt nodded his head and raised both thumbs up, before his arms flopped back down on the ground.
"Good. Then step inside the ring when you're ready." At the end of his statement, another goblin materialized in the ring.
On the bright side, AT LEAST I was in spirit form! My body would've died at attempt number one, more than likely! Though I often felt like I was ALREADY dead in there... and being in "spirit form" didn't help, either!
I was practically dead, and in Hell, disguised as Heaven.
Bolt took a few more deep breaths before opening his eyes and glaring at the goblin ahead of him. This goblin looked dumber than the rest in his eyes, so he had a feeling this one would react differently. With that in mind, he quickly ran up to it while it raised its sword up and lunged at him in a stabbing motion. Instead of stopping, however, Bolt quickly stepped right and managed to disarm the goblin with his shield before gripping onto its shoulder (since it didn't raise its shield in-between the two) and landed behind it. When he landed, Bolt switched his sword into a reverse-grip position and, while looking over his shoulder, managed to stab the goblin in the chest before straightening his stance and sheathing his sword... right as the goblin dissipated.
Scorpan slowly clapped his hands together with a bored expression. "Surprisingly, well done!"
Bolt chuckled before nodding his head. "Thanks! So, what's next?"
With a shrug, Scorpan replied, "Would you like the test now?"
"Wait... what test?!"
"Simple... would you like the test, or would you like to continue with the practice?"
"So, by test, you mean..."
"If you fail it, then I hold no responsibility for you, should you die in the process." Scorpan said as his sword materialized into his hand once more.
That statement caused Bolt's heart to skip a beat (metaphorically, of course). Then an uneasy expression soon followed. "Um... w-would it hurt for me to practice a little more?"
Scorpan's bored expression turned into a comforting smile. "Of course, Bolt... but remember! Practice does not make one perfect! It merely perfects one's abilities, and secures their futures."
With a nod, Bolt smiled. "Thank you." Then, in the snapping of a finger, another practice goblin was in the ring, and Bolt was ready to train until he was sure he could pass the test.
As I started getting more and more victories in the ring, eventually, Scorpan tried throwing me off by sending in ANOTHER goblin shortly after I finished dispersing one. Needless to say, I was caught by surprise... which won me a couple hundred more push-ups.
Finally... I felt like I was ready.
"Are you sure you are ready?" Scorpan asked as both he and Bolt stood in the opposite ends of the ring.
With a serious expression on his face, Bolt nodded his head. "Yes, sir!"
Scorpan stared into Bolt's eyes for what seemed like hours (and considering how little time meant to them in there, it very well could've been) he smiled before nodding his head. "Alright, then... prepare yourself!"
Bolt was about to raise his sword when Scorpan snapped his left finger; causing the sword, shield, and ring to disappear. Then, with a mighty swing, Scorpan sliced through the air... and as he did, Bolt could've sworn he heard the sound of fabric tearing. Needless to say, the swinging motion of the sword (plus the lack of one for himself) caused him to flinch and close his eyes. When he opened them again, though, they opened wider, as the sight of the bottom of the gorge came into view... a long, distant view.
Turning to Scorpan for answers, Bolt could only stand in silence as Scorpan's sword disappeared from his right hand, and he turned around. "Remember, Bolt... the test itself is the real deal... but you can't face reality, when in your own mind!"
Bolt's eyes widened at that statement. "W-wait... I'm in... my own mind?!"
Scorpan chuckled before nodding his head. "Does it not seem odd that you recognize the scenery before you?"
Turning around, Bolt's eyes widened when he noticed that the distant castle was no ordinary castle... it was a mirage of the castle deep inside Breezie Valley... and the area surrounding it was the village that surrounded it.
"Wow... now that is trippy!" Bolt commented, causing Scorpan to chuckle.
"Indeed... though now that I have taught you your first lesson, I want you to go forth to victory." Then he smiled and placed both of his hands on Bolt's shoulders. "I know that the burden you carry is a lot... but know that the world, despite not knowing it, is counting on you to save it... and with them, I am also counting on you."
Bolt nodded his head before lightly chuckling. "I... may still need a hand with that, though!"
Scorpan's smile only widened. "Do not worry, Bolt..." he lifted Bolt by the shoulders, which caused a slightly worried expression to form on his face. "Throughout your journey, I know you will." With that, Bolt was suddenly turned towards the portal, and without warning, tossed through it; causing time itself to quickly resume as if he were in a paused moment of a movie.
There was only one reminder that he was truly back in reality... the one thing that he could remember doing prior to all the training his spirit was put through... he was falling.
After falling for merely a few seconds, Bolt's mind finally caught back onto the situation at hand. Quickly reaching for his pouch, he attempted to grab his Whip Grip. Before he could reach it, however, everything around him grew dark, and the feint sound of quaking rocks was heard around him. Then, in the matter of seconds, the light returned around him, as he was gently placed back on the ground... or in his case, far more gently dropped onto the ground, rather than splattered across an immense number of rocks in the bottom of a grotto.
As soon as he landed, Bolt fell onto his butt as he breathed heavily. Then, after figuring out that he was still alive, he sighed in relief before falling on his back... only to discover the mysterious figure that saved him the trouble of either dying or climbing the grotto with his Grip Whip.
"Thanks, Sylvannia." Bolt mumbled, still feeling dazed by the recent turn of events.
Sylvannia hissed with a smile on her face before burrowing back in the ground.
Bolt then looked up and asked, "You girls okay?"
Twilight was the first to speak up... by transforming back into a pony, and speaking her mind with an annoyed look on her face, as she looked towards the goblin on the other side of the fallen bridge. "NO, I AM NOT OKAY! NOW HOW IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING TO CROSS?!"
"Um, Twilight?"
"AND FOR ALL WE KNOW, ONE OF OUR FRIENDS COULD BE IN THERE, AS WELL!"
"Well, technically your friends, but still, I think-"
"AND WHAT ABOUT THE HARMONIC ACORN?! SURELY THAT WOULD BE VITAL, ALSO!"
Instead of speaking, Bolt merely sighed and gently pinched Twilight's snout shut with his right hand. "Twilight... I think I've got a plan."
Twilight's ears perked up at that statement, and a smile formed on her face. "Oh... okay, then! What's your plan?"
Bolt deadpanned at her and pointed at something behind her. Turning around out of confusion, Twilight tilted her head when she found nothing... which made Bolt plant his forehead in his right palm and sigh.
"Your wings, Twilight... can't you fly?"
Twilight groaned before nodding her head. "Yes... but I know you can't! And for the record, I do not enjoy flying anywhere near a midnight goblin, thank-you-very-much!"
Bolt nodded his head before fiddling through his pouch... which caused Twilight to pause. "Please, do go on!" he sarcastically implored, before pulling out his flower.
Twilight didn't even get a chance to respond before Bolt already transformed back into a timberwolf. Then, without warning, Bolt lowered his snout between her hooves and raised up; causing her to yelp as she was flung on his back. Then, when Bolt started charging towards the grotto, Twilight instinctively squeezed tightly on his neck which, thanks to his sturdy wooden frame, didn't even slightly risk choking him.
Summer, on the other hand, quickly shouted at the top of her lungs from the center of Bolt's flower, "TWILIGHT! YOU MIGHT WANT TO FLAP THOSE WINGS, LIKE, NOW!"
Instinctively, Twilight did as requested. Then, with the speed Bolt was running, added with the support of Twilight's iron-like grip and flapping wings, they were able to glide over the goblin's head and land a safe enough distance for Bolt to remove his flower and for Twilight to turn herself back into a breezie.
Letting out a furious snarl, the goblin lifted its sword up and ran towards the human who, at this point, drew his sword and shield.
"Bolt! That one looks like it's more skilled than the last two... don't drop your guard!" Summer called out, to which Bolt nodded in response.
"Don't worry, I've got this! Hang on tight, by the way!" With a confident smile, Bolt stood there waiting for the goblin to reach him, while Twilight and Summer both looked at each other uneasily.
Then, as soon as the goblin was within reach, Bolt quickly lunged forward and deflected the goblin's sword out of its hand with his shield. After that, he gripped the goblin's right shoulder and rolled over it, before flipping his sword in a reverse-grip position. Then he turned around and, with a cautious but quick jab, Bolt pierced his sword into the heart of the midnight goblin; killing it quickly, causing it to turn gray, and then turning it into ashes.
With a smug smile, Bolt straightened his stance back up and sheathed his sword, while Twilight and Summer had a little trouble picking their jaws back up.
After finally regaining their senses, Summer was the first to speak this time. "Um, Bolt?" She turned to Twilight and added, "Excuse the language, Princess Twilight." Then she turned back to Bolt and, with all of her lung power, asked, "HOW THE BUCK DID YOU LEARN TO FIGHT LIKE THAT?!"
Before Bolt could answer, however, Twilight added her own few bits in as well. "None taken, Summer... and also," she cleared her throat and raised her voice as well, "WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU WERE FACING THE OTHER TWO?!"
With a sheepish smile, Bolt merely shrugged before replying, "Um... it... didn't cross my mind at the time?"
After a moment of awkward silence, Twilight sighed before replying, "You know what? I don't even want to know anymore... just please be careful as we go through! We don't want anything to sneak up on us!"
With a nod, Bolt replied, "Got it." Then, the three continued on their perilous trek through the darkness that claimed the Everfree Forest. Mere minutes after the ordeal, Bolt even decided to start using his Light Wand, after filling it with the leftovers of the last bit of oil from the jar that didn't get splashed through the handle of the fire trap.
One hour in, and Bolt continued to walk through, what looked like, the remnants of an old road, while Summer and Twilight both looked around nervously. The deeper the trio got, the more ominous the sights around them appeared.
Finally, when Bolt was about to complain about something (more than likely his feet hurting), he stopped in front of an ancient-looking stone sign that was covered in thin vines. Holding the wand closer to illuminate it, Bolt brushed the vines out of the way with his right hand while reading the words written on it.
"Welcome to Ponyville..." Twilight read out loud. "I... think we're close, now."
Bolt nodded his head and followed the old road. Along the way, he and the others skimmed their surroundings cautiously, only to stop when they bumped into an old, moss-covered fountain with, what appeared to be, the remains of a horse statue in the center. Surrounding the statue was a large, round, open road that might've been a town square once. Several roads surrounded it, with old, worn down houses leaning between roads.
Twilight gulped before turning to Summer. "I... don't think we've taken this route before..."
Summer nodded her head and replied, "I can probably see why... this place gives me the creeps!" Then she looked forward and weakly smiled. "But on the bright side... at least we're on the right path! Look!"
Following Summer's directions, both Twilight and Bolt looked forward, and gasped. There, a good distance away from the ruined town, was a ruined castle with dark blue bricks and a brighter blue roof covered in holes. Ancient blue and orange flags dangled loosely on the sides of the entrance; both of which having either a picture of the moon on it, or the sun, with an alicorn of the respective color facing opposite directions.
There wasn't a doubt about it... that was the Castle of the Two Sisters they were looking at. Slowly, but cautiously, they continued onward towards the castle in high hopes that they would be able to find the cause of the disturbance.
Outside the entrance to the house within the homestead of Sweet Apple Acres, Discord stood there silently; trying to find the right words to say. When he felt confident enough, he took a few deep breaths, before knocking on the front door.
After a small moment of waiting, a yellow-coated filly with a red mane and a pink bow tie answered the door... only to stop mid-swing and stare wide-eyed at the glum draconequus that stood there. "Um... h-hello Mister Discord... is... i-is there somethin' ah can help ya with?" the filly asked nervously.
Discord sighed before opening his eyes. "Apple Bloom... I need to talk to you all... about Applejack."
After delivering the message to Sweet Apple Acres, Discord couldn't help but cry as he walked away from the entrance to the door. Regardless of being the Spirit of Chaos, he couldn't, for the life of him, stand to see the family who was all embraced in a group hug with the tears streaming down their faces. Winona, the family's pet dog, even had a heartbroken expression on her face. As soon as she let out a pained yowl in the air, the color of the entire farm started to turn gray... including the family that resided within it. Discord knew the meaning of it... the family was deeply broken inside. With another sniffle, he turned towards Ponyville, and continued to spread the news to the rest of the inhabitants.
As he turned away from Sugarcube Corner, Discord felt the same amount of emotional pain when he turned away from the gray-looking building. Upon answering the questions of the curious ponies nearby, soon they turned into shades of gray, after hearing the news of their friends' disappearance. Regardless of telling them that Princess Twilight was on the case, none of the ponies seemed to believe him.
Discord told Sweetie Belle the news of her sister's abduction next, and asked her to pass the news on to her parents (along with the news of Twilight being on the case)... but he had a gut feeling that they, too, won't take his word for it. As he left, soon that building turned gray. He also dropped Opalescence, Rarity's pet cat, off as he left the house.
After leaving the simple wooden shack that Scootaloo and her parents lived in, he couldn't even bear the sound of the filly's cries. He didn't even turn around to see the looks on her parents' faces, but he knew, from the sound of it, that they were deeply hurt, also. After all... Rainbow Dash was one of their most honored guests, and their daughter's role model... and occasional babysitter, should they both need to go somewhere at the same time.
With the news spread, Discord slowly walked away from the once colorful town of Ponyville. He didn't even need to turn around to know that, at that time, every house was a dull shade of gray now... Ponyville's entire heart was broken.
After taking a deep breath, Bolt slowly opened the decrepit wooden doors and stepped inside the main entrance. Merely five steps in, however, the doors quickly slammed shut; causing him to quickly turn backwards and watch, as a group of plunder vines quickly blocked their exit.
"Well... looks like there's no turning back, now." Twilight muttered quietly.
Summer nodded her head and replied, "At least we know that there are more plunder plants inside... so we should keep our eyes on the ground and ceiling!"
With a nod, Bolt cautiously walked deeper into the castle. While doing so, he noticed that there were four old hallways that appeared to lead to nothing but darkness... at least, it appeared so. In the center, at the top of a pair of stairs that connected to an indoor balcony, a huge pair of double-doors rested, but appeared to be locked by a large group of chains that had a white diamond-shaped crystal in the center. On the first floor, the far-left hall appeared to be connected directly to a stairway that went down. The second one appeared to be just an ordinary hall that remained flat. The third one, which sat on the opposite end of the second, was the same, and the fourth one on the far-right was connected to a stairway that led up... but this one appeared to be protected by a magic shield that glowed an eerie red color. Considering the fact that they were searching for an acorn, Bolt chose the far-left hall, first.
After five minutes of walking down the seemingly endless stairs, Bolt was finally able to see the floor. With a relieved sigh, he quickened his pace and, before he knew it, he was in a small boxed-in room with a wooden door on the right. Like the one in the ruins of Celebration Castle, these ones required lifting. Instead of an iron bar in the center, however, it appeared to not have anything to grab a hold of.
"Well... crap." Bolt muttered.
Twilight sighed before flying forward and rubbing her lower lip in thought. "Hm... perhaps I can lift it with my magic! Hold on..." With her eyes closed, her horn started to glow brightly. Before they knew it, the entire door was engulfed in a pink glow, and lifted up; allowing them to pass. As Bolt walked past her, she flew back into his hair before releasing her grip when they were inside the room. Upon releasing her grip, the door quickly fell back down.
After looking around the room, Bolt sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. "Nothing but books in here... must've been the library."
Instead of getting an audible response, Bolt noticed Twilight flying off of his hair before turning back into a pony. As soon as he noticed her expression, he raised a confused eyebrow... she appeared to have an unhealthily large smile on her face. "Um... Twilight?"
Summer flew up to Twilight and asked, "Hey, Twilight! What's going on in that little head of yours?!"
Twilight's ears twitched, but she remained silent, as she stared back and forth at the numerous amount of books that filled each bookshelf.
Bolt sighed before crossing his arms and leaning on the nearest bookshelf. As he did, however, he felt a book slide and fall onto the floor. Upon landing, the book's pages flipped open; freeing Twilight from her "inner bookworm".
With the flick of her left ear, Twilight quickly jerked her head towards Bolt and gasped. "Bolt! These are Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's lost archives! Most of these books are thousands, if not tens of thousands of years old!" Then she "squeaked" at the page of the book that fell from the shelf... The Journal of Starswirl the Bearded: Entry Four was written at the top. "A-and THAT is a journal from the greatest unicorn to ever live! Bolt, do know what this means?!"
Bolt shrugged before guessing, "That... you like to read books?"
Twilight chuckled before shaking her head. "No... but I do love to read books! I mean, it's not like I would live in a library if I didn't!"
At that statement, Bolt raised a confused eyebrow. "You... live in a library?" Twilight nodded her head without losing the toothy smile or the sparks in her eyes. Then, with a sigh, Bolt rubbed the back of his head with his right hand and mumbled, "And here I thought Sunny had unusual habits..."
Sunny, having heard his statement, growled at him and retorted, "Hey! It's perfectly normal for a breezie to collect pollen samples!"
Bolt merely chuckled at her statement before shrugging his shoulders. "I bet you'd want to burn those samples if you knew what they are, though!"
"Oh, really? I already do know what they are, thank-you-very-much! They're what make new flowers grow, of course!"
"And would you happen to know where they come from?"
"Well... no, that's somepony else's job. Why, do you know where they come from?!"
Bolt nodded his head before lifting his right hand between his mouth and Summer's curious ear. Then, after he whispered the information to her, her entire face started turning redder.
"L-LIAR!" She stuttered before flying backwards.
After letting out a light chuckle, Bolt shrugged his shoulders and leaned on the bookshelf with his arms relaxed. "So, what will you do to your collection n-AAA!" Before Bolt could finish his sentence, the bookshelf quickly rolled in a circle, and the ground below him spun with it; sending him into an unknown hidden room... while Summer and Twilight remained in the library with shocked expressions on their faces.
"BOLT!" Summer shouted at the top of her lungs before trying to move books around... only to result in them barely even budging.
Twilight quickly started searching the shelves frantically while saying, "Quick! Search for a blueprint to this place! Maybe there's directions on how to get to where Bolt is!"
Before Summer could respond, however, the bookshelf rolled back in place with Bolt gripping on the shelf tightly and shaking in fear. When he looked around, however, he couldn't find Summer anywhere. Twilight, on the other hand, noticed what just happened and gasped... Summer was in the room Bolt was in.
"Hang in there, Summer! We'll get you out of there as quick as we can! Just-" Before she could finish her sentence, however, the sound of Summer's voice screaming at the top of her lungs was faintly heard from the other side of the room... causing Bolt's and Twilight's eyes to widen in shock.
"SUMMER!" Bolt shouted before frantically throwing books off the shelf while Twilight quickly, yet neatly, caught them and stacked them on an old desk on the other side of the room. When they finished clearing out the whole shelf, they appeared to be in shock, as there was nothing visible on the bookshelf... it was just an ordinary bookshelf.
It was at that fateful time that Twilight learned a new word from Bolt... but considering the circumstances they were in, she shuddered to think about what the word could've possibly meant. Needless to say, she could probably assume that the definition of it was more than likely close to the slang definition of "Buck".
After several feeble attempts of punching through the bookcase, Bolt's fist rested through the dents of the said bookcase, and with each passing half-second, he breathed heavily, and through gritted teeth. Twilight, on the other hand, continued to quickly skim through the books in high hopes of finding a blueprint of some sort.
"We're wasting time here, Twilight... we need to search this place!" Bolt stated.
Twilight nodded her head and turned back to him. "Alright, then! You search the areas outside of here, while I continue to search for a blueprint! If you can't find anything, and if I can't find anything, then we'll meet in the main lobby! Okay?"
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "Alright. Stay safe, though... can't afford losing two people I promised to protect..."
With that, Bolt quickly rushed out of the room and up the stairs with extra pep in his step. It only took him half the time to get up there as it did for him to go down. Then he decided to take the next available hallway once he was in the main lobby again... the one directly at his left that sat between the far left hall and the stairs that went up to the indoor balcony.
When he stepped in the hallway, he was quickly greeted by a plunder lobe... but instead of showing any sign of nervousness, he merely glared at it and drew his sword and shield. "Not this time, asshole..." With a single slice to the right, the plunder lobe was dismembered before it could even spit its sleeping gas at him.
After a few seconds of checking the room, Bolt looked down and noticed that there was a hole in the far-left corner... a hole in the wall that led to a tunnel too short for Bolt to stand in. Not wanting to take any unnecessary risks, he decided to get his flower from his pouch and place it on his forehead. A glow and a transformation later, and Timberwolf Bolt was already sniffing out Summer's scent through the short hallway.
Twilight hummed to herself while quickly skimming through the bookshelves. Then she groaned in frustration before slamming the book shut and levitating it on the growing pile of read books. "Ugh... where in Equestria could a guide to this place be?!" Sighing to herself, Twilight looked down and closed her eyes. "Fluttershy... Rainbow Dash... Pinkie Pie... Rarity... Applejack... Summer... Bolt... they're all counting on me! Not to mention all of Equestria. Hay, for all I know, maybe even all of Equuleus!"
Suddenly the sound of a feint rumbling noise caused Twilight's right ear to twitch. Curiously, she looked over her right shoulder... only to find nothing out of the ordinary. With a sigh of relief, she turned around and looked at the book... only for the rumbling noise to distract her again. With a frustrated sigh, she turned around once more... only to find nothing again. Then she squinted her eyes, before a nervous expression formed on her face... she read too many horror stories to know about this kind of situation. With that in mind, she raised a protective spell around her before turning around quickly... only to find nothing in front of her.
After catching her breath again, she sighed in relief before dispelling her shield and going back to the book she was reading. Then... the rumbling noise resumed... but instead of turning around, Twilight closed her eyes and raised her shield spell up again for another minute... but nothing appeared to be attacking her.
She sighed in relief before telling herself, "That's it... no more horror stories for me from now on." Then she flipped to the next page before freezing in place, as her heart rate rose quickly. From the light of her horn, she was able to notice a foreign shadow hovering just over her eyesight... the shadow of something that looked like a spike of some sort. What's worse, she was too exhausted to bring up another shield, so all she could do was shakily look up... only for her eyes to meet another eyeball hanging on the ceiling; a large red eyeball with an emerald green iris around a pitch black pupil.
Bolt continued to push through the countless large crates that covered the storage room, after having started doing so when he was able to turn back into a human.
"Why... did they... need... so... many... freaking... boxes?!" he mumbled to himself after managing to push the last of the boxes out of the way; revealing a hidden doorway that led to another set of stairs that went down. Cautiously, he lifted his Light Wand out of the ground and carried it with him down each of the stairs.
As soon as he was at the bottom of the stairs, he noticed that they led to a room that, from the looks of it, could possibly be the one that hid behind the library. Another thing that Bolt noticed was that it appeared to be full of webs. After shining his wand closer to the walls, though, he also noticed that there were countless large eggs that swarmed every wall.
"Summer? Are you in here?" Bolt asked as he examined the walls cautiously; giving a couple eggs a few experimental kicks... only to stop when the third one he kicked busted open and poured out a green liquid. "Ugh... gross!"
After kicking the gunk off of his right boot, he stood still after hearing feint movement and muffled noises... noises that sounded an awful lot like Summer's voice. Then, when he tried following the noise, he slowly looked up once he figured out the direction it was coming from... directly overhead.
Sure enough, there was a ball of web that had a familiar red glow coming from the center of it. "Summer?! Summer! Hang on, Summer, I'll get you down from there!"
Before Bolt could take a couple steps, however, an arch in the wall opened up; revealing a midnight goblin behind it, wielding a knife-shaped longsword and a wooden box shield. On its shoulders, it wore spiked shoulder pads strapped onto its chest by a harness with several different vials of multicolored potions on the belts of each one.
Bolt quickly stuck the Light Wand into the ground and drew his sword and shield quickly. As he did, though, the goblin chuckled before sheathing its sword on its back and pulling a red potion out of a vial on its belt. Then it uncapped it and swallowed the contents that rested in the vial before throwing the empty vial over its right shoulder.
Slowly it started to walk closer to Bolt, who stood ready. Then the goblin growled in the usual goblin's high-pitched voice... only this time, its voice started getting lower in pitch, and it started growing taller... much to Bolt's surprise. As it grew, its arms started getting bulkier, its chest started getting wider, and its legs started getting thicker. Then, after fifteen seconds of the goblin's growth, it stood head-to-chest with Bolt... with the head belonging to Bolt. Taking a deep breath, the goblin roared loudly, causing the entire room to rumble, before making a mad dash towards the nervous human.
Just a split second before Grom could land a hit on Bolt, Bolt quickly managed to roll underneath Grom's right arm just in time to avoid the goblin chief's downward slice. Then, instinctively, Bolt attempted to stab the goblin war chief in the back... which ended in failure after the blade was ricocheted by the hidden plate on the goblin's back.
"Crap, this guy's wearing heavy armor!" Bolt grunted frustratedly, before rolling backwards in time to dodge Grom's horizontal spinning slice. Then Bolt raised his shield up and started circling around Grom, while Grom raised his shield and slowly kept his eyes focused on Bolt.
Bolt then noticed that Grom wasn't wearing anything to protect his eyes, which gave Bolt an idea. Quickly he tried to put his shield away... but at the very second that he attempted to even lower his shield, Grom roared and made another mad dash at Bolt; causing Bolt to raise his shield back up and plan his next move quickly.
When Bolt's eyes turned to Grom's sword, he noticed that this time, Grom was going to attempt a diagonal left slice, so a roll to his left (Grom's right side) would be a safer choice. Impulsively, however, he had a hunch that Grom was going to try something afterwards. With that in mind, Bolt quickly made a dash towards Grom and, at the time Grom started swinging his sword, Bolt was already on the floor and rolling... but as he did, he didn't take his eyes off of Grom.
As Bolt expected, Grom continued to spin until he was facing Bolt's direction while Bolt was on the ground... and Grom's right hand was over his shoulders... he was about to cut downwards. With that in mind, Bolt quickly rolled to his right just in time to narrowly avoid the tip of the blade before he quickly pushed himself back on his feet.
When he was standing up again, he was already panting heavily as sweat started falling from his forehead. What's worse for him, though, was that Grom barely even looked tired at all. "Darn it... how is this guy still energized like that?!" Then Bolt's eyes widened in realization... the potion must've done more than just make the goblin stronger! "Perhaps it also improved the goblin's energy!" Bolt concluded before glaring at the goblin who, at this point, started to chuckle.
"Oh, you think you've got it all figured out, huh?! I'm just warming up!" Bolt taunted, which, for some odd reason, didn't even get through to the goblin. ("Dang it! It looks like it's also smarter, now! What the hell was in that potion, anyways?!")
Then bolt noticed something that (if he were paying closer attention, he would've noticed) he could use to his advantage... the goblin behemoth's chest was still slightly exposed, but only the area around his heart. What's more, Grom's entire breastplate appeared to be held together by several belts. ("If I can cut those belts off, then he'll be exposed enough for me to land a hit or two!")
While he was lost in thought, Bolt failed to notice that the goblin was now dashing after him quickly. Letting out a startled gasp, Bolt quickly checked Grom's stance and noticed that this time, he had his sword behind his back, so he couldn't quite read his next move clearly. With that in mind, Bolt had a feeling the only option this time is to block the incoming attack. So he made another mad dash towards Grom with his shield raised up.
When he was within reach, however, Grom didn't even thrust his sword. Instead, he moved his shield in front of his right arm and, with all his might, swung it to the left; colliding with Bolt's shield, and sending Bolt flying to Grom's left. When Bolt landed, he landed on his shield and rolled around a few times in pain. Then he looked to his right and saw Grom charging after him once more.
As fast as he could move, Bolt quickly sheathed his sword and reached into his pouch. Then he quickly pulled out his Whip Grip and slung it behind his back and in the air. At this point, Grom was already just mere meters away. The second the Whip Grip caught hold of the wall, Bolt quickly pressed the red button and narrowly dodged Grom's sword by a hair.
At that point, Grom's momentum kept him from stopping in time to bump into the wall and grunt in both minor pain and frustration. Then Grom looked up at Bolt while Bolt, during Grom's time of disorientation, already had his shield attached to his sheath, as well as his camera in his left hand. Then, at the click of a button, Grom was temporarily blinded by the sudden flash of light; giving Bolt enough time to put his camera away, unattach himself from the wall, and disarm Grom's shield from him with the Grip Whip. Then Bolt quickly put the Grip Whip away and drew his sword and shield again while Grom's eyesight returned to normal.
"Yeah, chump! What're you gonna do now?!" Bolt taunted, which made Grom snarl this time. ("Hook, line, and sinker!") Bolt thought as a sly grin grew on his face.
Grom glared at Bolt before sheathing his sword and reaching into a small pouch that was, apparently, on his belt. Then he pulled out an unexpected device to use in any kind of battle... a tin-looking bracelet that, from the distance Bolt could see it, appeared to be slightly like a closed crescent in shape.
("Something's off about that bracelet...") Bolt thought, as he watched Grom quickly latch the bracelet on his right wrist. Then, to Bolt's shock, Grom's bracelet quickly glowed a dim white color. As it glowed, Bolt noticed the upper half of the bracelet thicken and engulf the outer half of Grom's right hand, while a few tin straps wrapped around Grom's inner half of his hand and attach together. Then the bracelet stretched up to halfway up Grom's elbow before folding back down, until there was a thick square that rested at the tip of the tin addition to Grom's brown leather gauntlet with the tin attachment.
Grom looked at his gauntlet and stretched his fingers out while keeping his fingers close together. As he did that, the square piece of the gauntlet quickly crawled down the tin part of the gauntlet by a pair of conveyor-like lines and crawled over his hand, before ending at the spot where the additional tin straps wrapped around his hand, and circled around his hand until it was within his palm. Then he closed his fingers onto the square device, which then protruded a pair of silver bars that curved inwards. When the bars were as stretched out as they could get, the area between the tips of the bars glowed, and a string materialized; revealing the bracelet to be some sort of bow.
On the spot where the bracelet wrapped around Grom's wrist originally, five pitch black squares rested, and above them (where the bow itself came from), a larger square appeared, with a tin cap attached to it. Grom quickly reached his left hand into the pouch he got the bow from and pulled out a thin-cut diamond, and placed it in the large square, before closing the cap. When the cap was closed, the five small squares started to glow white.
Bolt didn't need an explanation about what was going on there; Grom was going to fight him from a distance... and the squares must've been his ammunition counter!
Without a moment to spare, Bolt quickly raised his shield up and kept his eyes peeled on Grom. As he did, though, he quickly sheathed his sword and pulled out his Grip Whip before Grom pulled the bow string back. As he did, though, Bolt noticed a pure white arrow materialize at the tip of the bow. Not taking a moment to spare, bolt quickly slung the Grip Whip's disc to the right and slid quickly; quick enough to dodge the first arrow that, when landing on the wall, merely stuck on it and disappeared upon contact. Bolt quickly turned back to Grom just in time to notice that the fifth tiny square that glowed white was now a dark gray color, but wasn't as black as it was before the diamond was inserted.
Grom snarled as Bolt continued to play "Hard-To-Hit". Then, after missing the second shot, Grom roared again before pulling the diamond out of the bow's slot (dimming the lights down to black in the process), and pulling the bracelet off by merely gripping the edges of his wrist and pulling up. As soon as he pulled it up, the entire tin attachment to his gauntlet glowed again, and in mere seconds, the bow was just an ordinary bracelet again.
("Now's my chance!") Bolt thought to himself before latching the Grip Whip onto Grom's left arm and pulling himself up to Grom in the matter of seconds. (Thankfully, though, he managed to avoid ramming into Grom's spiked shoulder pads.)
The sudden foreign object attaching to his arm caused Grom to drop the bracelet and the diamond on the floor before reaching over his right shoulder with his right hand to draw his sword. Before he could even reach it, however, Bolt already managed to kick both of his feet into his face; disorienting him once again, and allowing Bolt to get back on the ground level, put his Grip Whip away, draw his sword and shield, and begin slicing at Grom's chest plate to get to the belts.
With each passing hit, more and more of the belts continued to break off, until all that was left was just the two belts that held the vials on his belt. Even the shoulder pads were off, now.
Before Bolt could deliver a killing blow, though, Grom quickly jumped back and drew his sword again. Without the heavy armor holding him back, Bolt knew that Grom could more than likely run faster now, and react even quicker. With that in mind, Bolt knew that all he had was his sword and shield that he could use.
Then, Bolt thought back on his training with Scorpan earlier. ("Without his armor, that means that I have a chance at this, now!")
After the two of the fighters stared off at each other for a moment longer, Grom finally got impatient and started charging after Bolt with his sword over his right shoulder and tilted diagonally. Bolt knew what to do at that point, though, so he was no longer intimidated. He knew that Grom would more than likely test his new-found freedom by changing his attacking direction at the last second.
Sure enough, whenever Grom was within reach, Bolt noticed his wrist twist to change his swing into a right swing... just in time to dodge to the right. Frustrated, Grom quickly tried to slice again; only for Bolt to use his sword to cut Grom's wrist and disarm his sword. Then Bolt quickly grabbed onto Grom's right shoulder and lift himself up over his head. Then, after flipping his sword in a reverse-grip position while overhead, Bolt wrapped his left arm over Grom's neck, kicked the back of Grom's knees, and angled his sword upwards; allowing Grom to fall back-first into Bolt's waiting sword.
Upon landing on the sword, Grom let out another loud roar that made the room shake before turning gray, and dissolving into ashes.
Breathing heavily, Bolt quickly sheathed his sword and shield again before looking up and sighing in relief when he saw the web that held Summer still hanging up there with her muffled voice still present. Then, after taking his Grip Whip out of his pouch again, Bolt sent it up to the top of the webbed ball that hung on the thin layer and pulled the ball of web towards him.
"Don't worry, Summer! You're safe, now!" Bolt said as he tore the web apart with his hands. After five seconds of tearing through the web, Bolt smiled when he saw Summer safe and unharmed.
Summer, in turn, smiled at him before flying up and hugging his left cheek. "Bolt! For once, I'm actually HAPPY to see you!"
Bolt smirked before replying, "Oh, for once, huh? I bet you dream about me every night!"
Summer chuckled before shaking her head. "Yeah, right! I'd rather dream of a toad eating me!"
After their playful rant, however, Summer flew off of Bolt's cheek and smiled warmly. "Seriously, though... thanks for the save, Bolt! I owe you one!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh, it was nothing. I can't leave my best friend hanging, after all... literally!"
That statement caused Summer's eyes to widen. Quickly she looked left and right before asking, "W-wait a second! You didn't run into the giant spider, did you?!"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "Um... no, not really. Why?"
Summer's pupils shrunk into pinpricks at that statement. "BOLT, WE HAVE TO GET TWILIGHT, AND WE NEED TO GET HER NOW!"
Before Bolt could reply, however, their ears were met by an ear-piercing shriek of terror... which came from the opposite end of the wall with the bookcase. In unison, the two of their heads jerked towards the sound, and instantly, they both knew just who it was that screamed. "TWILIGHT!" the two of them shouted in unison.
Quickly, Bolt ran up to the bookcase and began digging through the books in high hopes of finding the way to get to the other side. When that failed, Bolt yelled out of frustration before punching the bookcase with his right fist; leaving a noticeable dent where his fist made contact.
Summer, on the other hand, started searching the area around the bookcase while Bolt was digging through the books. Shortly after Bolt punched the bookcase, Summer spotted something out of the ordinary... a crack that, for some odd reason, led from the bookshelf to the (still open) archway on the wall that Grom appeared from. "Bolt! There's something here!"
When Bolt looked towards her direction, he looked down and, without hesitation, followed the crack towards the archway. As he did, though, he re-claimed his wand and shined it in front of him. Before running towards the hallway, however, he looked to his right and noticed that the bracelet that Grom dropped didn't disappear like everything else... or the diamond that he planted in it for ammunition. Without hesitation, he picked the two up, put them in his Pouch, and continued towards the hallway, where Summer was waiting for him. What he found next caught him by surprise... there was a long, narrow tunnel. Quickly, yet carefully, he ran through the tunnel until he made it to the end of it.
After thirty seconds of running through the thin and dark tunnel, Bolt finally made it to the end of it. Upon leaving it, however, he noticed right away that he was outside the castle walls, and was now standing on top of an old balcony. He looked left and right, but couldn't find any signs of what the crack led to. With a sigh, he shook his head and turned to leave... but before he could even take a step, Summer stopped him and pointed at his top-right.
When he looked towards where she was pointing, he smiled before sighing in relief. There were several posts that, at some point, must've served as hanging gardens before. Now, they appeared to be nothing more than stone protrusions that, with the aid of his Grip Whip, could be used to swing across.
Summer flew ahead for a quick second before heading back to Bolt with a smile on her face. "Hey, Bolt! There's an open window on the other end that you could swing into! It's also been slightly damaged around the edges, so it should be easy!"
Bolt nodded his head before pulling his Grip Whip out of his pouch. He held it with his right hand, since he was going to be turning left to circle around the cylindrical shaped tower. After taking a few deep breaths, he slung the disc towards the first post and gulped nervously when it landed. ("You can do this, Bolt... it's just like in the cave... except the fall would be thousands of feet in the air... no biggie!") Bolt thought to himself before holding his breath. Then, when he was ready, he ran diagonally forward and right before jumping off the ledge. As he did, the Grip Whip remained intact, along with the post that it was attached to.
When Bolt was able to see the open window, he lifted his feet forward and braced for a fast entry. Then, when he was inside the window, he quickly pressed the green button which detached the Grip Whip's disc from the post... but when he was inside, he noticed that there was a large gaping hole on the inside of the tower... which he was about to fall into. Quickly, he pressed the green button again, right as his feet hung over the edge of the hole. Thankfully, the disc of the Grip Whip was dragging across the floor, though, because by the time he was about to fall down the massive hole, his Grip Whip caught onto the floor, and kept him from doing so.
When he looked down, Bolt gulped when all he could see was nothing but endless darkness below. Without hesitation, he pressed the red button and was once again dragged up onto ground level (or in this case, where he could stand rather than hang). Then he looked around and noticed another doorway over the hole with the remnants of the wooden floor protruding.
He sighed to himself before asking Summer, "Great! Now what do we do? The Grip Whip can't reach that far, and without another one, I can't simply climb the walls to get there!"
Summer hummed before looking around with her right forehoof over her snout. Then, when she looked up, a smile formed on her face. "Hey, Bolt! What about the chandelier up there? Can't you swing on that one?"
Bolt looked up and smiled at her. "Thanks, Summer! Maybe I can!"
Summer shrugged her shoulders before flying back into his hair again. "Oh, Bolt... what would you do without me?"
"I wouldn't be in this area, that's for sure!"
"Oh, really? And just why wouldn't you be?"
"Because I heard you screaming and ran up here to save you from whatever you were screaming at."
Summer didn't reply to that one. Instead she remained silent with a slight blush on her face. "Oh... so you were worried about me?!"
Bolt nodded his head with a smile. "Well, yeah! Technically, you've been my only friend in this world, so why wouldn't I be worried?"
"Oh... well... thanks, then! And... thanks for rescuing me back there."
"Don't mention it. Anyways, hold on tight!"
With a quick swing in the air, Bolt slung the Grip Whip's disc up and, as if by a stroke of luck, it was able to reach the chandelier at the last inch. Giving the Grip Whip a few cautious pulls, Bolt took a deep breath and jumped from the wooden platform. As he did, the Grip Whip and the chandelier thankfully remained intact. Then, after kicking his feet forwards and backwards a few times to boost his swinging radius, Bolt released the chandelier, and successfully landed on the other platform with a roll.
After standing back up, he put his Grip Whip away and dusted his tunic off before lifting the door open. Then, when he stepped into the other room, he slowly lowered the door to avoid breaking the wooden platform even further. Shortly after standing back up once the deed was done, he turned around... and stared at the room he was in in disbelief.
Floating in midair, there were four wooden platforms circling a central stone platform that didn't move... or appear to be attached to anything. In fact, below it was a chandelier that, for some odd reason, was swinging back and forth. It didn't take Bolt long to realize what caused the chandelier to swing.
"Isn't that the same chandelier that we just swung on?!" Bolt asked Summer as he pointed at it. Then, out of curiosity, he said, "Summer, float over the edge of this platform right quick! I wanna see something!"
Summer shrugged her shoulders before doing as requested. Then Bolt turned around, opened the door behind him, and looked up. Sure enough, Summer was floating overhead in the other room. "Summer! Look at this!"
Summer turned around and, after following Bolt's eyesight, looked down in the room they were in... only to find Bolt staring at her from the lower level. "Okay, now... this is trippy!" Bolt stated.
With a sigh, Summer shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Maybe it's a portal door? I hear they were common for several centuries, but... to see one in this place is quite bizarre! Who would've known that portal doors were around for thousands of years?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Guess that's one thing to ask Celestia and Luna, huh?"
Summer nodded her head before flying back in Bolt's hair. "Well, look up and see what else we should expect!"
Bolt looked up and, sure enough, found another set of platforms covered in the darkness; each in different floors. Some were spinning in circles, while others were completely moving on their own. The ones directly above them, however, appeared to be circling a floating stone platform, instead... in a way that a ceiling fan would operate. Some further up were spinning clockwise, while others spun counterclockwise around them. Altogether, the entire place looked more like it was a giant puzzle, rather than a room at all. "Something tells me this place must've been a fun-house, or something, because this is ridiculous!"
"Oh, quit your complaining, Bolt! We've got to get through this, if we expect to save Twilight and get that Harmonic Acorn!"
Bolt puffed before sarcastically retorting, "Yes, mom!" Then he looked up at the platforms before groaning. "Well, crap! This is gonna be more riskier that the last one!" Taking a deep breath, he drew his Grip Whip once again and smiled. "No need for unnecessary risks, though!" With that in mind, he slung the disc towards the nearest platform and caught onto it. Then, at the press of a button, he was on the moving platform.
After a few seconds of waiting, he was able to sling the Grip Whip onto the other side. Then, when he was there, he tried opening the door... which resulted in him straining a few times before falling on his back, with the door remaining grounded. "Darn it! It's stuck!"
Summer hummed and rubbed her chin in thought. "Maybe it's locked on the other side?"
Bolt sighed before standing back up. "Then in that case, I guess we'll have to find a key of some sort?"
Summer shook her head and replied, "I don't think so. Portal Doors are normally closed by magical means... and considering the age of this castle, I would assume the source would be a magic crystal."
Again Bolt sighed. "Then I guess that's it, then?"
The two of them stood there silently, until the realization hit Bolt... and in turn, he ended up hitting his forehead with his right palm. "You know, sometimes I wonder how I let such obvious solutions get past me."
"Oh? You have a plan?"
"Yeah. Summer, I might need you to fly up to the floor above us, and use your natural light to help me see which door to shoot at."
It took Summer a few seconds to find out what Bolt was saying. When she did, however, she also ended up planting her face in her right forehoof. "Duh! They're PORTAL doors, which means the other side of that door is, literally, up there!" Then she chuckled. "I guess it is a playhouse, huh?"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before reaching into his pouch and pulling out the bracelet that he picked up from Grom. When Summer noticed it, however, her eyes widened.
"Bolt! Is that a Bow Bracelet?!"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "Sure is! Why, you know about it?"
"Put it on, and I can give you a basic run-down on it."
Bolt nodded his head and did as instructed. Then, when his right glove was quickly engulfed in the bronze gauntlet-like attachment's bindings, Summer flew closer to it and sighed. "Of all the Bow Bracelets that you could've found, you just had to get a bronze one, didn't you?"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion. "Um... sorry, but what are you talking about? I just picked this one up off of the guy that captured you!"
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Well, this one is a basic bronze one. As you can see from the five black squares, when you put the diamond in the ammunition slot," as she said that, Bolt did as she said, "the squares will begin to glow white. With each shot you make, one of the squares will blacken, and will remain black until a minute passes."
"Is there a catch to that?"
"Yes. If you were to fire before it glows again, you'll have to wait another minute until the second one lights back up, then the first one will have to go another minute."
"So in other words, I'll have to wait two minutes until all five glow again?"
Summer nodded her head. "Yes... but don't take that as a bad thing, though! If you were to fire one, and wait about thirty seconds, the next arrow will actually be more powerful than an average one, since it draws energy from the first one's recharging state!"
Bolt smiled at that statement. "So if I were to fire one, I can almost guarantee the next one will be strong enough to do double the damage?"
"Eh... more like one and a half times the damage, but considering they're magic arrows, I doubt if it would make much of a difference, regardless."
Then another thought came across Bolt's mind. "What happens if I were to use all five, though?"
"That is where things will get hairy for you, and why I'm not too much of a fan of the bronze series."
"Why's that?"
"If you were to use all five of the shots, you'd have to wait five minutes, and between each minute, you won't be able to use any arrows. Think of it as a way to keep it from overheating. You are dealing with metal, after all."
Bolt nodded his head. "By 'Bronze Series', I'm guessing there's better ones out there?"
Summer shook her head. "Unfortunately, the Bow Bracelet died out with the Horses. Now, all that remains are whatever we could find in the old ruins. Who knows, though? Maybe if we find a blacksmith of some sort, we could ask if there's a way to improve this one."
"How many different series were there, exactly?"
"Altogether, there were six: Bronze, Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Celestial."
"What's the difference, besides the metals used in them?"
"With each additional power comes more arrow capacities, and less time it would take to replenish the arrows. Copper would have the capacity to carry ten arrows, instead of five, and would only require you to wait thirty seconds for the next one to return, or five minutes for all ten to be replenished. Silver would have fifteen arrows, and each would be replenished at fifteen seconds, or you'd have to wait two and a half minutes for all fifteen to return. Gold would have twenty, which would replenish every ten seconds, or two minutes for all of them. The Platinum would hold twenty five arrows, which would replenish every five seconds, or a minute and twenty five seconds for all of them at once. Then there's the Celestial."
"Would that one be thirty?"
"No. That one would have no limits. Not only does it draw energy from the crystal itself, but it also draws energy from the magic fields around it, making it an unstoppable weapon, and a must-have for any archers out there. I wouldn't get your hopes up on finding that one, though. Only the princesses themselves have ever carried one before."
"Perhaps we could ask them if they have some, then?"
Summer shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, again, I wouldn't get my hopes up on that... though it wouldn't hurt to try, I suppose." Then she looked up at the floor above them; more specifically, at the other side of the door before them. "Hey, look!" She flew up towards the door and smiled when she noticed another diamond-shaped crystal similar to the one that rested on the double-doors in the entrance. "Perhaps you can shoot this thing down with your Bow Bracelet! Just... watch your shot, okay?"
Bolt nodded his head and slowly lifted the bow up towards the crystal. Then, instinctively, he reached his left hand towards the glowing string between the corners of the bow's arms and pulled back. As he did, however, a pure white arrow materialized between his fingertips. Then he took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, before releasing the arrow. In just a split second, the arrow flew across the room; leaving a white trail behind the path that it took.
"HEY! AIM AT THE CRYSTAL, NOT ME!" Summer shouted from overhead. When Bolt looked up, he groaned when he realized what had happened... he missed... by a couple feet.
Cautiously, Summer flew back up to him and glared at him from directly in front of his eyes. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW CLOSE THAT ARROW WAS TO MY BUCKING ANTENNAS?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders and smiled sheepishly. "Um... my bad?"
Then she sighed before shaking her head. "You know what? I'm just going to stay in your hair, where it's safe!"
"Hey, cut me some slack! The only thing I'm familiar with shooting with is a camera, alright?!"
Summer rolled her eyes before flying back into his hair. "Yeah, yeah! Just hurry up and shoot that crystal, already! I'm starting to get hungry again!"
Bolt merely stuck his tongue out and mocked her last few words before drawing another arrow and taking aim once more.
It's been fifteen minutes, and Bolt's Bow Bracelet was fully replenished for the third time since he started attempting to aim at the crystal that sat harmlessly over the door ahead of them.
While Bolt had a determined look on his face, Summer had an impatient, annoyed, and completely irritated expression on her own. "How, Bolt?"
Bolt looked up at her in confusion. "How what?"
"How can you possibly be this terrible at aim, and still be considered good with a camera?!"
Bolt's determined look was quickly changed into one similar to Summer's. "Oh?! Well then, Misses Know-It-All, how about you try and shoot that crystal with this thing?!"
"You know what? Follow my lead, and I will!" She retorted, which caused Bolt to roll his eyes.
She then flew up to the crystal and squinted her eyes while angling her forelegs and hooves in a box-like pattern directly in-between. Then she flew back down to Bolt and repeated her former actions before motioning for Bolt to draw an arrow. After he did so, she pushed his right hand to the left a little bit before forcing him to lower his right hand, which held the arrow. Then, after doing the "box" motion again, she nodded her head and said, "Alright, Bolt! Release!"
After rolling his eyes, Bolt did as instructed... only to watch the arrow fly through the air, and hit the crystal directly in the center; causing it to shatter into pieces, and fall off of the door, along with the chains that it held together.
Bolt stood there wordlessly before looking up at Summer and glaring. Then, when he freed his right hand from the Bow Bracelet and put it back in his pouch, he pointed at her and said, "Beginner's Luck!"
Summer, however, chuckled as she flew back into his hair. "Oh? And guess what?"
"Don't say it."
"I haven't even used a bow or a camera before!"
Bolt groaned and planted his face into his right palm. "I'm not gonna hear the end of this, am I?"
Summer shook her head and replied, "Nope! And it's gonna totally get better when we free Twilight!"
Bolt groaned again, but removed his face from his palm. "Oh, crap! I completely forgot about Twilight!" Then, without even pulling out his Grip Whip for safety procedures, Bolt quickly jumped onto the platform in-between the one that the door was rested at the side of, and the floating stone platform in the center, then followed with another jump towards the one that the door was on. After gripping the door's handle again, he grunted as the handle, with a little bit of resistance, lifted up, and in the matter of seconds, the door was completely opened up again.
Once more, Bolt walked past the door, only for it to close behind him. Then he looked down and, sure enough, the broken shards of the crystal were on the ground, and the same platforms that were behind the door behind him were also below him on the lower floor. "Okay, Summer... is there any unwanted locks in the next one?"
Summer flew up to the floor above them for a moment, before returning in front of Bolt. Then she shook her head and smiled. "Thankfully, it looks like there isn't!"
Bolt sighed in relief before looking forward... only for his jaw to drop when he saw what was next... the four wooden platforms that circled around a stone one. What's worse, the next door wasn't directly across from them, but rather, at the far-right corner of the door they exited from... and the distance was so far, even the Grip Whip wouldn't be able to reach it.
After scanning the area a little more, Bolt then noticed another crystal over the door... only this time, the crystal was on the same floor that they were on, rather than on the floor above them. With that in mind, Bolt could help but chuckle. "Well, at least they made this one easier!"
Summer nodded her head nervously as she eyed the rotating platforms ahead of them. "A little too easy, if you ask me... be careful!"
Bolt nodded his head and pulled out his Bow Bracelet once more. Then, after drawing an arrow from it, he stopped and looked up. "Hey, um... Summer?"
Summer sighed before flying in front of him and eying the crystal on the other side of the room. "A little to the left, and an inch higher." Bolt adjusted his aim as instructed, until Summer motioned for him to stop. "Good! Now, fire away!"
As soon as Bolt sent the arrow flying towards the crystal, he took a cautious step back and drew his shield from his back just in case it turned out to be a trap. Then, when the arrow hit the crystal, the arrow stuck into it and vanished into thin air... all while the crystal began to glow as white as the arrow that hit it was.
Shortly after the impact, a loud clinking noise echoed through the room. Then when Bolt and Summer looked towards the four platforms after they gave a quick jamming noise, their eyes widened when the platforms fell downwards, save for the stone one in the center, which began to rotate counterclockwise, as opposed to the clockwise direction that the four wooden ones were doing around it. "Okay... so hitting that crystal drops the wooden ones, and makes the stone one rotate the opposite direction... good thing I wasn't standing on the wooden ones, huh?"
Summer nodded her head and gulped. "Y-yeah." Then she froze in place and sighed. "Oh, great! NOW how are we supposed to get to the other side?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "I don't know... maybe there's another crystal in here, somewhere. Mind lending me your eyesight again?"
Again Summer sighed. "Alright, then. Hold on, I'll just be a moment!" With that, she flew upwards once more, and then returned to him after about a minute of waiting.
"Well... you might not like what you're gonna have to do." As soon as she finished saying those words, the crystal over the door to the next floor darkened again. Then, as quickly as they fell, the wooden platforms that were once circling the stone platform flew back into place, and started spinning again. The entire scene caught Bolt's and Summer's attention.
Bolt then looked back at Summer and deadpanned. "The other crystal isn't in my reach, is it?"
Summer shook her head and replied, "Not unless you were on one of those platforms there."
Bolt nodded his head and sighed. "Well, looks like we'll just have to use the stone one, since it isn't moving as much as the wooden ones, huh?"
Summer shrugged before replying, "Whatever floats your boat... though you might want to check it, first... in case it might fall once you step foot on it!"
That statement caused Bolt to gulp. "Um... good idea. One sec." Then he reached into his pouch and pulled out his Grip Whip. "The disc of this thing weighs about a few pounds... maybe it could be enough to make any kinds of pressure sensors to act up."
Without hesitation, Bolt slung the disc towards the stone platform, though for safety precautions, he didn't bother activating the grappling mechanism. Then, when it landed, he smiled when he saw that it didn't do anything but roll with the rotating platform. "Well, at least I have a shortcut to that thing!" With that, he pressed the green button on his Grip Whip.
As soon as the disc lit up, however, the disc let out a loud clinking noise, and in the blink of an eye, it was thrown upwards, and towards the ceiling area just over Bolt's head.
With wide eyes, Bolt stared at the Grip Whip, before looking back at the stone platform. Then, for the first time, he noticed a dim blue circle over the platform... a circle that caught Summer's attention.
"Bolt! I think that platform has a one-way portal on it!"
"One-way portal? Care to explain?"
Summer thought for a moment before looking directly below Bolt's feet. Then her eyes widened when she saw another blue circle directly in the center of where he stood. "Well, a one-way portal is pretty much a portal that takes you one way. You can't go through it the other way... and from the looks of it, that one would take you right back to where you're standing if you were to step into it."
"So in other words, that stone platform is just a trick to make me want to shoot that crystal easily?"
Again Summer shook her head. "That wouldn't explain why the wooden platforms would fall, though! If this place were owned by the princesses themselves, they would've at least designed it with a way to get through... and I'm going to assume that way would involve shooting both crystals before a minute passes!"
That statement caused Bolt's eyes to widen. "Wait, both?! Where's the other one?!"
Summer flew up and pointed at a stone block-like protrusion a couple of meters over the door they came from with, what appeared to be, a magic force field blocking another crystal inside the said protrusion... one that caused Summer's eyes to widen. "Wait a minute... that wasn't there before!" Then she looked at the crystal on the other side of the room and sighed. "Looks like you're going to have to shoot that crystal to unblock the one over your head, first... but that one's blocked too tightly to shoot it from where you're standing!"
"So what you're saying is... I have to shoot that first crystal while I'm standing on a wooden platform, then jump to the stone one before the wooden ones fall?"
Summer nodded her head. "That's if the crystal over there also disables the one-way portal."
Again Bolt nodded his head, but let out an annoyed groan in the process. "Well, that's fantastic! As if it weren't bad enough when we were standing still... now we're gonna have to deal with moving targets!"
"Hey! I'll be with you every step of the way, okay? Besides... with my coordination skills, I doubt if you would even need thirty seconds to clear this thing!"
Bolt thought for a moment before letting out a smirk. "I still say you just have beginner's luck... but I guess that's better than nothing, right?"
"Right! So, are you ready to get this done and over with?"
"Yeah... just let me get my Grip Whip ready for those wooden platforms!" With that, he slung the Grip Whip's disc towards the wooden platforms... but as soon as it hit, it ricocheted like the stone platform. "DARN IT!" Then he sighed before putting the Grip Whip back up. "Well, looks like I'm not using this in here!"
Summer then cleared her throat. "Well, Bolt... now that I see you might have a little trouble with safety in this one, I'll go on ahead and ask again... are you sure you're ready? Take a few deep breaths, first... Bolt?"
She then noticed that, at this point, he was now standing at the doorway with his right palm leaned on it, his right foot planted horizontally on the corner of the wall, and a determined look planted on his face... the same determined look that Summer grew to hate. "Bolt... don't tell me you have another stupid idea!"
Bolt merely smiled at her in response before shaking his head. "Alright, then. I won't... now get ready to coordinate!"
"What?!" Before she could even say another word, she was already back in Bolt's hair, while he ran and, as if timed perfectly, managed to land on the nearest wooden platform. When he landed, though, he gripped the corners of it to ensure that he doesn't slide off.
"Bolt! I'm not kidding when I say you need to warn me before you do this kind of stuff!" Summer complained, to which Bolt smirked in response.
"Well, you did tell me not to tell you, didn't I?"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before slowly standing up with his knees slightly bent to help him keep his balance on the moving platform, and pulling his Bow Bracelet out of his pouch again. Then, after clipping it on his wrist once more, he turned towards the direction of the stone platform, drew an arrow, and took a deep breath. Summer took that as her cue to help coordinate his shot.
"Now, when I say 'go', I want you to wait exactly one second before you release it... got it?
Bolt nodded his head before replying, "Got it!"
Finally, when the platform was reaching the point where it was facing the crystal over their destination, Summer corrected Bolt's position, took a deep breath, and then shouted, "GO!"
One second on, and the arrow was sent flying across the room with its signature white trail behind it. As it did, however, Bolt quickly jumped from the wooden platform to the stone one... before it started to glow. Without warning, Bolt quickly found himself falling down into pitch black darkness... then being lifted back up by an unknown entity that felt like a solid ground. When the darkness was lifted, he blinked a few times and looked around; he was back at the front of the second door, where he saw the four platforms make a sudden stop and fall to the floors below them. "Crap!"
Summer sighed before planting her face into her right hoof. "This... might take a while."
After ten minutes consisting of five failed attempts and a five-minute arrow recharging break, Bolt was finally starting to get the hang of the puzzle. "Okay... so jump about a split-second after the platforms stop... got it!"
Summer, on the other hand, was staring blankly at the crystal, constantly thinking of ways how she is going to get back at him for wasting so much time... and with that, she was also feeling a slight bit of sympathy for Twilight having to wait so long for her so-called "hero" to get there.
"Wow, Bolt! I wonder how you figured that one out!" she sarcastically retorted.
Bolt merely smirked before drawing the arrow once more, after the bow was fully charged. Then, after taking a deep breath (and getting instructed/yelled at by Summer) he released the arrow from the bow and crouched lower than he was while keeping himself balanced from the movement. Finally, as soon as the arrow hit the crystal, the crystal started to glow again, the platforms made a sudden stop, and as Bolt looked at the stone platform in the center, he noticed that the blue circle suddenly stopped glowing; signaling that that was his cue to jump. Right before the wooden platform fell, he gulped and leaped forward, and on top of the stone platform without falling through it... much to his enjoyment.
"FINALLY! NOW HURRY UP AND AIM AT THE OTHER CRYSTAL, SO WE CAN GET THIS OVER WITH!" Summer shouted at the top of her lungs, which (as usual), to Bolt, sounded like someone talking to him in an indoor voice.
"Alright, already! Sheesh!" Then he stood still for a moment to allow the built-up dizziness from the former spinning to wear off, before drawing another arrow and aiming it up. As he did, Summer once again helped him with his aiming, until the crystal was aligned once again.
"GO!" Summer ordered. And like the last few times, after one second, he released the arrow through the air, and into the crystal.
This time, however, the crystals turned light blue, and the stone platform stopped spinning, which caused Bolt and Summer's eyes to widen in worry. Their worry, however, was short-lived when they saw the four wooden platforms from before float back up to their level... but instead of circle the stone platform, they formed an outstretched line with about a meter of space in-between them... and shortly following them, the two other wooden platforms from the floor below levitated with the current one's four, and extended the path to the halfway mark.
Then, the furthest wooden platform started to move forward and backward in a straight pattern... while the one behind it started to move left and right. The one behind that one started to raise higher and lower. The two behind that one started moving in a scissor-like pattern around the first one from the stone platform. The first one, however, didn't even budge.
"Oh, great! Now we have to get through some sort of obstacle course!" Summer groaned. Bolt, on the other hand, shrugged his shoulders before putting his Bow Bracelet away, pulling his Grip Whip out, and holding onto it for safety precautions. While the platforms may refuse him gripping them, that doesn't mean the walls won't be able to be gripped, should he slip up... and with no other platforms below his feet, he knew that there wasn't anywhere he would be able to land on, besides the floor pieces on the sides where the doors were.
After taking a deep breath and a few practice jumps up and down, Bolt backed up a couple steps before bursting into a quick jog and jumping in the air towards the first platform. When he was within reach, he managed to keep his balance without even falling over. Then he squinted his eyes at the next platform that was moving clockwise, with the one after that one moving counter-clockwise. As he stared at them, he also noticed that, when they all reached the center, they were all still in a perfect line. With that in mind, he quickly studied the movement patterns that they were moving in, before holding his breath once more and leaping towards the next one.
Due to the movement that the platform was making, he ended up falling on a knee, but even so, he managed to avoid falling over the edge... and after that one, he had the same result, but in reversed directions. Then, when he made it to the forth one, he started to have trouble keeping his balance. As it rose up, he ended up bumping his shins on the corner, and due to the momentum from the former one's movement, he barely managed to catch the corners of the rising platform.
"Bolt! Are you alright?!" Summer asked with sudden concern in her voice.
Bolt groaned at the burning pain in his shins before the platform started lowering again, which gave him enough added upward momentum to pull himself on top of the platform. Then, with another pained grunt, he started rubbing his shins. "Eh, I've been through worse. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt, though!"
"Well pace yourself, Bolt! Don't you even realize how high up we are?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh, heights haven't really been a big issue for me, to be honest. You'd be surprised how many high-shots I had to make while I took my pictures. There's a reason why I was considered the best shot with a camera, y'know!"
Summer decided to ease the tension with a snarky response. "Doesn't excuse your poor aiming skills when it comes to bows, though!"
Bolt merely rolled his eyes at that statement before pointing at her while she flew in front of his face with a slightly amused smile on her face. "Now look here, Missy! Just because you keep making lucky calls does not mean that you're some sort of expert!"
Summer rolled her eyes in response before chuckling. "Whatever you say, Robin Hood!"
That comment caused Bolt to freeze for a moment before sighing. "You know what? I'm not even going to ask how you know about that work of fiction from my world. I'm just gonna get up, and get this crap over with!"
Summer tilted her head in confusion. "Work of fiction? Robin was one of the most skilled archers in Equestria, dating back to before even Discord took the throne!"
"Not listening~!" Bolt mused before crouching in a safe position and jumping from the platform to the next one, right as they aligned perfectly. Then, when he landed, he gripped the sixth one's sides with his feet and rear end planted firmly on the center to keep from falling once it started moving forward.
Once it made it three quarters from the first side to the next, however, it started moving backwards again... much to Bolt's displeasure. "Ugh... even with it moving to the other side, that still isn't enough room for me to jump across!"
Summer, however, flew towards the door and smiled. "Well, at least there isn't even a sign of a portal over here... maybe you can use your Grip Whip on this one!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Worth a try, I guess." Then, after readying his aim, he slung the disc towards the other side when the platform was close enough. Then, after pressing the green button, the disc, for once, locked into place... which caused Bolt to cheer long enough to forget that the platform was now moving away from the other side. Before he could even react, the platform moved away from him, and caused him to swing downwards, which caused him to let out a panicky yell, before he instinctively hit the red button to pull him to the other side.
When he was on land again, he deadpanned at Summer's hysterical laughing form. "SWEET CELESTIA, BOLT! MAYBE YOU COULD'VE PASSED FOR AN OPERA SINGER, AS WELL!"
Bolt, despite having a tomato red face now, merely rolled his eyes and retorted, "Hey, at least I can get loud enough for people to actually hear!"
That caused Summer's laughter to die down quickly. Then, with a slightly hurt expression, she replied, "Hey! I can get louder! If... if I wanted to, that is..."
Bolt was about to deny her claim, but he stopped himself after hearing her voice shift slightly at the end of her sentence... a shift that he only heard once, before.
As much as I wanted to get back at her after being so impatient... I knew better than that. Despite how much we taunted each other, she and I were practically best friends... perhaps on a "Peter Pan" and "Tinkerbell" scale, even, and THEY knew each other all their lives, pretty much!
And when I heard her voice shifting uneasily, I knew that I screwed up, and struck where I shouldn't have. The only time I heard her voice shift like that was shortly before we left Breezie Valley... and even so, it was between her and her dad, Winter Breeze. Shortly following her voice shift was an unnerving amount of tears... and trust me when I say this. If you've heard Summer crying, even the coldest hearts would melt... well, ALMOST, anyways.
Before anything else could be said, Bolt sighed and said, "Sorry, Summer. That one was too far, even for me to say."
Summer sniffled a few times before shaking her head. "N-nah, you're right. I am way too quiet, even for Breezie standards, so-"
"No, Summer! I was wrong, and you know it!" Bolt interrupted, which caused her to jump slightly as she floated in front of him. Then he looked her in the eyes (to the best of his abilities at least, considering the size difference) and added, "And besides... quiet or not, you have a beautiful voice!"
If her fur weren't naturally red, Summer wouldn't have been able to hide the blush that she had forming on her face. "You... think my voice is beautiful?"
Bolt chuckled before giving her a thumbs-up. "Well, yeah! And for proof, I... kinda heard you singing a couple times in your sleep."
That statement caused her eyes to widen, her pupils to shrink, and her blush to intensify. "W-wait... I SING IN MY SLEEP?!"
Bolt tilted his head in confusion before nodding his head. "Yeah, I... kinda figured you knew that!"
Summer groaned before shaking her head a few times, while her wings started to jitter between sweeps. "Um... I-I-I... I..." Then she sighed before shaking her head again. "I think we should keep moving! Anyways, I'll be in your hair if you need me, so... bye!" And like that, she was once again on Bolt's scalp while he raised an eyebrow.
Then he shrugged his shoulders and thought to himself, "Well... at least she isn't sad now, I guess..." And with that, he walked up to the next door and opened it, revealing the floor above them. This time, however, when he took a step forward, he noticed that there was actually a whole floor there, this time... completely made of stone.
"Hey, Summer! Looks like we won't have to worry about falling this time!"
Summer flew out of his hair again and sighed in relief. "Well, at least there's a break in this crazy puzzle!"
Bolt nodded his head and chuckled. "Yeah... but still, I might need you to examine this place also... in case there might be some sort of trick to it."
Summer nodded her head and did as instructed. Then, after about a minute of inspecting the area, she flew back to him and reported there to be nothing out of the ordinary, this time. With a sigh of relief, Bolt walked across the room towards the door on the opposite side of the one they came in from.
As soon as he made it just a meter away from the door, however, a massive layer of webs quickly shot from the corners of the door, and blocked the way through... which caused Bolt to jump. Then, after turning around, he noticed the door on the opposite end of the room (the one where he and Summer came from) was also covered in webs... pinning the two of them in the room.
Bolt then looked up and Summer and deadpanned. "Yeah... nothing out of the ordinary, alright!"
Suddenly, both of their attention was caught by, what sounded like, a light chuckle over them... a light, yet low, dark, and unnerving chuckle. Slowly, the two of them looked up. What they found next caused Bolt's blood to turn cold.
There, hanging from the center of the dome-like ceiling, was a single red eye surrounded by nothing but the darkness overhead. Then, with the eye constantly facing the two of them, the figure that the eye belonged to started to move away from them, with the sound of thin metal clamping on the stone following the movement of the eye. Finally, when the figure was at the ground level, the figure was clear enough to be seen... but regardless of being visible, it was far from pleasant to witness.
The figure had the lower half of a spider with eight legs. The upper half, however, was more similar in shape to a minotaur, save for the head that was more flat, and almost shaped like an orc, but with one eye. It even had the two lower fangs pointing up, and protruding from its mouth.
At first, due to the shadows of the room, it appeared to have two thick arms... but when it was in the light of the center of the room, it turned out that it had three pairs of arms; two where its shoulders were, two right below the shoulders, and two on the sides of where its kidneys were, leaving two feet of space between the middle and lower pairs.
Along with revealing its arms, it also revealed another frightening detail to Bolt... it was completely armed to the teeth, and covered in thick dark blue plating from top to bottom, without even a single weak spot in sight, save for its one eye... and while it wouldn't be too much of a problem if it were Bolt's size, the fact that the figure towered over him by twice his height made it clear that this wasn't going to be easy.
Bolt quickly drew his sword and shield, and stood in a defensive position, while the mysterious arachnid figure lifted his (as Bolt thought considering the sound of its voice) four upper arms behind his back and drew four scimitars, while both of his lower arms reached his waist, and drew a battleaxe and a war hammer; all of which were colored similarly to his armor. Then, after raising all of his weapons in the air, he let out a loud war cry, before dashing towards Bolt at a surprisingly fast speed, despite the large amount of armor he was wearing.
Because of his fast speed, Bolt didn't have enough time to dodge-roll out of the way. Thankfully, though, his shield was drawn already, so he was still able to block the incoming war hammer that was on a collision course for his whole body. As soon as it was right in front of the shield, however, Bolt learned a quick lesson about the size of the tip of the hammer... it was as wide as his whole shield, and this creature was stronger than he looked.
After Ahgg's hammer hit Bolt's shield, he was quickly thrown to the left side of the room with his balance barely intact, and his left hand shaking with painful vibrations from the shield. Instead of rolling around on the ground in agony, though, he slid on the ground with his left leg behind him, his right knee bent to where it was nearly touching his chest, his left hand behind his back grasping onto the shield for dear life (knowing that it will come in handy big time), and his right hand grasping onto his sword, while his knuckles and the outer side of his sword's handle slid on the stone bricks beneath him to keep himself from falling on his face. Then, after his left leg hit the wall, he quickly stood back up and glared at Ahgg while raising his sword back up in a defensive position.
Summer started to sweat profusely as she stared at Ahgg's menacing arsenal of weaponry. "Bolt! I don't think your sword will be able to do anything, as long as he wears that armor!"
Bolt nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, I kinda noticed that! Any ideas?!"
Summer was about to reply, but was cut off by Ahgg roaring again, and dashing towards Bolt at another fast pace. This time, however, Bolt was more aware of his speed, and managed to roll towards the left; just narrowly dodging Ahgg's axe. Instead of stopping in front of the wall, however, Ahgg quickly lifted his two front-most legs and started to run on top of the wall; concealing himself in the shadows... which caused Bolt to gasp.
"Okay, that is just plain unfair!" Bolt complained before quickly running to the center of the room and looking around nervously on the ceiling, while Summer kept an extra eye behind him.
When she saw that he was about to crash into Bolt from the back, she quickly shouted, "BOLT! MOVE!"
As soon as she started yelling, Bolt kicked it into high gear and managed to roll out of the way in time, but not before getting nicked in the left shoulder by the axe.
Out of pain, Bolt grunted before looking at his shoulder. To his surprise, though, he felt the pain, but couldn't see any tears in the clothing.
Summer's eyes widened at that. "Bolt! I think your clothing is enchanted with a protection spell!"
Bolt chuckled before nodding his head. "Yeah, well I'm not about to risk that spell wearing off!"
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Yeah, I wouldn't, either! When clothing is enchanted with a Protection Spell, its effects usually come from the energy of the wearer! The more damage it absorbs, the more tired you will get... and if you pass out, the effects wear off!"
"Noted!" Bolt nervously stated before dodge-rolling another attempted tackle from Ahgg. Once again, though, Ahgg didn't stop, but instead climbed the walls towards the ceiling. "Okay, there has to be something I can use against this guy!"
Summer nodded her head. "Yeah, but while he's running so much, your Bow Bracelet won't be much help!"
Bolt tilted his head before asking, "Wait... he's armored though, isn't he?"
Summer shook her head. "Not his big gaping eye, though! I bet if you could stop him from moving, I could help you shoot his eye!"
That statement caused Bolt's eyes to widen in realization. "Summer, you're a genius!"
Summer didn't respond to that, but eyed him warily, as he sheathed his sword and reached into his pouch. "Um... Bolt?"
"I can't shoot a bow worth a flip, right?"
Summer rolled her eyes as she nodded her head, but continued to remain silent.
"But that doesn't mean there's nothing I can shoot with!"
"That's a double-negative, Bolt. What could you possibly have that you're... good... with?" She then planted her face in her right hoof. "Oh... right..."
With a sly grin, Bolt quickly pulled out his trusty camera and listened for the sounds of the armor clattering on the ceiling. Like last time, the sound was coming from behind him, which meant he was about to strike from the back.
"BOLT! HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Summer shouted, to which Bolt nodded his head to.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Bolt turned around, lifted his camera in front of his face, and shouted, "SMILE!" At the click of a button, the flash of the camera filled the entire room. Out of a mix of surprise and pain, Ahgg roared, closed his eye, and dropped his weapons so he could rub his eye; completely unaware of the fact that he was still running. Then, right when he opened his eye back up, he was already too close to the wall for his front legs to start climbing, and he was moving too fast to stop himself from crashing directly into it.
As soon as he crashed into the wall, however, Bolt and Summer both noticed that his armor started to crack.
"Bolt!" Summer began, only to be interrupted by Bolt running forward and grabbing Ahgg's war hammer with both hands.
"Way ahead of you!" he stated before standing up... with the hammer tucked in his hands, his back arched down slightly, and his knees bent halfway down. "Good gosh, this is heavy!"
Without even waiting for Summer to reply, Bolt moved the head of the hammer behind his back and to his right, while Ahgg remained dazed and partially blinded by the flash of light and the impact on the wall. Then, with all his might, Bolt charged towards Ahgg and swung the war hammer to the left; clashing into Ahgg's armor between his middle and lower left arms. The impact caused his armor to crack even more. In the matter of seconds, Ahgg's scaly torso was now exposed.
Bolt smiled triumphantly before tossing the war hammer on the ground to his left and drawing his sword and shield again. (He had to put his shield away to hold onto the war hammer, after all.) Before he could even land a strike, however, Ahgg was no longer in his daze and quickly punched Bolt across the chest; causing him to fly across the room. This time, however, he did roll on the floor in agony.
"OW! CRAP, THAT'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK..." Bolt wheezed before looking at his unharmed chest. "Well... at least this tunic took the blow!" Then he yawned, which caused Summer's eyes to widen.
"BOLT! DON'T TAKE ANOTHER HIT LIKE THAT AGAIN!"
Bolt groaned before nodding his head. "Got it, mother!"
"I'M SERIOUS! YOU'RE GETTING TOO TIRED TO FIGHT!"
"Relax, already! Sheesh!" Bolt replied before standing back up just in time to see Ahgg standing in the center of the room with all four of his scimitars, his axe, and his war hammer already back in his hands, while he glared beneath his cracked helmet with his single eye that, at this point, looked red and irritated. Then he let out another roar before charging towards Bolt. This time, however, he was moving in a blurring speed... a speed Bolt wouldn't be able to dodge easily. "Ah, crap..."
After quickly dodging Ahgg's incoming downward thrust with all four of his scimitars by rolling to the left, Bolt raised his shield just in time to block another strike from the war hammer, and watch as Ahgg, now nearly twice as fast as he was a second ago, turn around and growl in frustration. "He's moving too fast! It's humanly impossible for me to catch up to him... unless..."
When Bolt finished mumbling to himself, he smiled slyly, and sheathed his sword again, which made Ahgg tilt his head in confusion, and caused Summer to breathe frantically. Then, as fast as his arms could move, Bolt drew the flower from his pouch and planted it on his forehead, while Ahgg began dashing towards him in the blink of an eye.
As soon as Ahgg was within range, he raised all six of his weapons up, only to drop them when the light that Bolt emitted upon transformation blinded him yet again, and caused him to completely miss the timberwolf that was now about to death-grip him in the throat with his fangs.
Letting out a vicious snarl, Bolt held on for dear life, while Ahgg roared and used all four of his upper arms to attempt to pull him off. When he was finally able to do so, however, he had to grip onto his neck with both of his upper arms, while he lifted two of his scimitars back up with his middle two hands.
After spitting out a hint of gray ash from his mouth, Bolt quickly removed the flower from his forehead, which blinded Ahgg once more by the resulting light, and put the flower away, while drawing his Grip Whip from his pouch, and his sword from his sheath. Then he slung the disc towards Ahgg's head, and managed to get a hold of his helmet. With a smile, he drew the disc back into the handle; pulling Ahgg's helmet off, and fully exposing his eye, which was now covered in tears, as he continued to try to readjust to the darkness once again with his upper arms, while he switched their places on his neck with his middle arms. Then Bolt quickly threw the helmet across the room, which caused Ahgg to blindly swing his war hammer and axe towards it, and smash it to pieces.
While Ahgg was distracted, Bolt quickly used the extra time to put his sword and Grip Whip away, and switch to his new toy; the Bow Bracelet. After drawing an arrow, Summer helped him aim towards the back of Ahgg's head, while Bolt whistled loudly. When Ahgg turned his head towards the source of the sound, Bolt released the arrow, which managed to hit Ahgg's eye directly in the center.
Letting out another loud roar, Ahgg dropped his axe and war hammer to attempt to pull the magic arrow out of his eye, all while Bolt put the Bow Bracelet back into his pouch and drew his sword and Grip Whip out once again. Out of his blind fit, though, Ahgg's back was facing Bolt now, which meant that he would have to strike him in the back. So, Bolt ran towards him and slung the disc onto the back of Ahgg's shoulder. Then he jumped up and pressed the red button; sending his feet on a collision course for Ahgg's back and his head. Then, as soon as he was able to deliver the extra-dazing high-speed kick, Bolt angled his sword towards the back of Ahgg's neck (the area between his shoulders, to avoid stabbing his own left foot) and said, "Lights out!" As soon as he finished saying that phrase, he thrust his sword into Ahgg's neck, which silenced him instantly, but caused his legs to flail about in every direction, before his upper torso fell on the ground (giving Bolt his cue to step off of him and put his weapons away) and rolled on his back. Then, with all of his arms now curled over his chest and neck, his spider-like legs all curled up, before he turned completely gray, and faded into a large pile of ash.
Bolt was breathing heavily after the battle. Summer flew out of his hair and appeared to be weakly smiling. "Hey, Bolt. You did good there... but maybe you should rest up for a little bit?"
Shaking his head, Bolt replied, "Sorry, Summer... but I gotta go get Twilight. You said there was a giant spider that caught her... unless that was it?"
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Yes, it was. I could remember the red eye, and the grunt that it made."
Letting out a yawn, Bolt looked at the pile of ash and smiled. "So all that's left is just to find Twilight, then... and since she isn't in any immediate danger, I guess a little rest wouldn't hurt." With that, he walked up to the wall and lied down on the ground below it, while Summer flew over him; emitting a peaceful glow. Then, ever-so-slowly, Bolt's eyelids felt more heavier, and in the matter of seconds, he was fast asleep.
After an hour of sleeping, Bolt yawned and stood back up, feeling slightly refreshed. Summer flew back into his hair before asking, "Sleep well?"
Bolt nodded his head and replied, "Yeah... could've used about ten more hours, but eh, it'll do for now." Then he looked at the gray ashes, and smiled. "Looks like that guy won't be abducting anyone else, now."
Summer looked at the ashes and shuddered at the sight. "Yeah... but now, all we have to do is figure out where he put Twilight and those eggs!"
Letting out a yawn, Bolt turned to leave, but was stopped by Summer saying, "Hey! What's that over there?"
When he turned around and looked towards where Summer was pointing, he walked up to the pile of ashes, and noticed that Ahgg's belt wasn't among the rest of the armor in the pile of ashes. With a raised eyebrow, Bolt knelt down and lifted the belt up before looking at Summer again. "A belt?"
Summer shook her head and smiled. "Not just any belt, Bolt! It's an Obsidian Belt! Put it on, and it'll guarantee your feet will stay grounded! Well... until you press the buckle in the center inwards, that is."
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "Neat! Does it have any other benefits?"
She nodded her head in response. "Yeah! It's also a sturdy piece of armor! While it'll keep you grounded, it'll also enhance your strength, meaning if you grab onto something heavy, the pressure won't rip you in half!"
With a nervous gulp, Bolt scratched the back of his hair. "That's... good to know, at least." Then he pulled the strap open and clamped it over his waist. As soon as he did, the formerly black circular buckle started to glow white, which caught him by surprise. "Huh... is it on?"
Summer shrugged before replying, "I don't know... try moving!"
Bolt nodded his head and tried to move... but he couldn't even lift his foot off the ground. "What the-?!"
"Press the buckle in, then. It's like a button that turns its powers on and off accordingly."
Bolt did as requested, and tapped on the glowing white buckle. When he did, the buckle stopped glowing white, and was once more pitch black. Then when he tried to move, he sighed in relief when he found that he was able to again. "Hm... mix this with the Grip Whip, and I might be able to pull heavy things down!"
Summer chuckled. "Looks like there is a brain down there!"
With a laugh, Bolt shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Eh, it works on weekends, and only on Tuesdays and Saturdays."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know. It's Monday, so I'm not in charge of figuring that out until tomorrow."
They decided to end the conversation short and continue on with their exploration. After lifting the next door up and stepping forward, he examined the next room they were in.
There were several floating platforms over their heads that appeared to lead to another door. The platforms were all floating in the air like the ones below them. When they looked down, they noticed right away that they were back in the same room before fighting Ahgg, but this time, at the very top. Above their heads was another door, and on the other side of the room was another crystal that must've needed to be shot.
Pulling out his Bow Bracelet, Bolt looked at Summer who helped him aim correctly. "You know... I'm starting to think whoever made this place must've been a freakin' puzzle-lover."
Summer nodded her head and replied, "Maybe so... oh, and you're all set. Fire when ready!"
Bolt did as ordered and fired away. When he did, the platforms above their heads fell down, and started levitating at their floor level, while the dust from the ceiling above them blew away in the air. Then Bolt gulped before taking a deep breath and jumping onto the closest platform.
Looking up, Bolt noticed that the furthest platform appeared to have a pull-lever overhead. So, he put his Bow Bracelet away and drew his Grip Whip out of his pouch and slung the disc up and towards it. When it made contact with the lever, it stuck in place as anticipated... much to Bolt's and Summer's relief. Then Bolt pressed the red button and was quickly pulled onto the lever.
With his feet positioned downwards, Bolt used his left hand to press the button on the belt; making the buckle glow white, and causing the lever to quickly fall down with him still on board. Then, once the lever stopped falling any further, a loud click was heard from overhead, followed by the sound of, what appeared to be, cogs turning. When Bolt looked down, his eyes widened when he saw the platforms from down below were now rising up to the areas between the platforms up there. As soon as they were at the top floor, they turned out to be shaped perfectly into a whole floor.
Bolt released the lever and sighed in relief when he found that the floor was now a whole floor again. Then he turned to Summer and smirked. "Like I said... a 'puzzle-lover'."
Summer chuckled at the coincidence. "I guess you were right! Look out, Tartarus! You might feel a draft!"
Bolt chuckled at her and retorted, "Hey! I've been right before on multiple occasions!" Then he walked forward, and towards the stone platform from below that was in the center of the room. When he stepped on the magic symbol in the center of it, however, he didn't fall through it. Instead, though, a rainbow-colored, glass-like staircase appeared before them that led to the door ahead of the entrance.
Without hesitation, Bolt walked up the steps, and lifted the door before them. Then, when he walked in, he sighed at what the next room was.
"Great! More stairs!" he complained.
Summer shrugged her shoulders before replying, "At least they lead down, right? Maybe it'll take us somewhere new!"
Bolt groaned before quickly following the spiraled staircase downwards.
When they reached the bottom stairs, Bolt's eyes widened in relief at what the staircase led to. "Oh, THANK YOU!" he shouted as he stepped out of the stairway, and was now back into the Main Lobby.
Then he raised an eyebrow and turned back towards the room he came out of. "Hey, Summer? Wasn't that place locked by some sort of barrier?"
Summer shrugged her shoulders and replied, "The magic red shield-like thing? It must've been dispelled when you killed Ahgg, I guess."
Bolt nodded his head and turned towards the staircases that led up to the throne room. The crystal was still attached to it, and as such, it was still locked. Drawing his Bow Bracelet again, Bolt aimed up, let Summer help him with his aim, and released an arrow through the crystal; shattering it instantly, and causing the chains that held the door shut to disappear.
Gulping nervously, Bolt walked up the stairs and stood before the large stone double-doors. "Well... last room. This must be where Twilight is!"
With a nod, Summer replied, "Y-yeah... be careful, though. It may very well be a trap!"
Bolt decided to take precautions and put his Bow Bracelet away, then draw his sword and shield. Finally gathering up the rest of his courage, he pushed the doors open and stepped inside.
Right as soon as they were a few steps inside the room, the stone doors closed, and a red aura quickly encased it; causing Bolt and Summer to look back at it in unison, before gulping and looking forward.
There were a pair of thrones that rested on the top of a balcony that no longer had any stairs that led up to it. The balcony's stone fence-like wall was also broken in the center where something powerful must've hit it... but the lack of any debris made it appear as though the fence was broken for a long time.
In a small enclosed space at Bolt's and Summer's right, there was a room that appeared to be sealed shut by a red aura. Inside the space, however, was a sight that gave both Bolt and Summer the relief they needed for a long time.
"Twilight?! Twilight!" Summer shouted before flying up to the space.
From the other side of the space, the lavender alicorn looked up at them and gasped, before a wide smile formed on her face. "Summer! Bolt! Oh, thank Celestia you're here! You will not believe this, but..." she turned towards the other side of the small space, and looked at something in the shadows... or in this case, somepony.
Bolt and Summer followed Twilight's gaze and gasped when they saw a yellow-coated pegasus mare with a long pink mane and tail, and a pair of light blue eyes. What else caught their attention was that her wings were folded over her hooves, and a large egg the size of her body was covered by said wings to keep warm.
When she looked up at Bolt and Summer, her eyes widened and she let out a barely audible "Eep!"
Twilight smiled warmly at her and walked up to her. "It's okay, Fluttershy... they're here to help us!"
Fluttershy slowly looked up at Bolt and Summer again, who were smiling at her innocently, and nodded her head. "T-thank you... um... m-my name is Fluttershy." she said in a quiet tone.
Summer nodded her head and replied, "And I'm Summer! This big lug here is Bolt! He's good once you get to know him, so there's no need to be afraid of him."
Fluttershy nodded her head and weakly smiled. "I appreciate the gesture, but... Twilight wasn't able to dispel this barrier. S-she's trying, though."
Twilight nodded her head and turned back to Bolt and Summer. "Did... you happen to defeat that spider person?"
Bolt nodded his head and smiled. "Yeah. He won't be a threat to you all any longer."
Twilight smiled weakly. "T-thank you, Bolt. I... don't want to know how you managed to do it, but... I can see that you're full of surprises."
Summer nodded her head and was about to reply, but the sound of rocks falling in the center of the room caught all of their attention. Bolt turned around and quickly raised his shield, while side-stepping away from Twilight and Fluttershy, and back towards the entrance. If something were going to try attacking him, he didn't want to risk their safety, despite them being under a magic barrier.
Summer quickly flew back into Bolt's hair and stuttered, "B-Bolt? W-what... what do you think made that sound?!"
Bolt shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I have no idea... but whatever the case, it's clear we aren't alone in here."
More rocks began to fall from the ceiling, which caused Bolt and Summer to look up in unison. Then, when their eyes were focused on the ceiling, they started to wish they didn't.
From the darkness, a single red eye was staring at them... and following that, several more smaller red eyes did the same. Then, ever-so-slowly, the eyes all fell closer towards the ground level, until they were midway down. The rest of the way, the body they belonged to quickly flipped around, and started to fall quickly. When it landed, the floor shook at the impact, and caused Bolt to jump back and stare incredulously at the massive spider that filled most of the room.
The spider then turned around to where its head was facing them, and glared with its one eye on its head, while the other eyes on its neck followed suit. Then its four front legs lifted off the ground and started flailing greedily as it let out a loud roar and jammed its two front legs just a few meters around Bolt's left and right, with its drooling jaws hanging downwards, and its one menacing eye gazing directly at Bolt, who braced himself for combat.
Thinking quickly, Bolt sheathed his sword and drew his camera, then dodged Arachne's front right appendage that attempted to crush him from overhead by rolling to his left. Then Arachne looked his way and opened her jaws while he quickly clicked the button, and sent the flash of light onto her eye.
Arachne closed all of her eyes and roared in pain as she stepped back and shook her head to get the stars out from around her sight. This delay was enough for Bolt to put his shield and camera away and draw his sword and Grip Whip. Then he quickly slung the disc onto Arachne's back, and in the blink of an eye, he was directly over her one big eye with his sword ready to strike.
Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, he managed to strike her eye four times; causing it to blacken and disappear into dust, while she flailed around helplessly. Then Bolt raised his sword to stab beyond the eye socket, but before he could even start the strike, Arachne's lower legs arched up, and somehow, Bolt found himself flying towards the entrance, where he slid a couple meters before staring at the Grip Whip... and the fleshy attachment that was on it.
"THIS THING CAN FREAKIN' SHED IT'S SKIN?!" he shouted while Arachne roared again and climbed on top of the back wall.
With an intense glare, Bolt threw the chunk of skin off of the disc and looked around the ceiling for a way to get up there. Then Arachne did something that caused Bolt and Summer to stare dumbfounded at her... one of her smaller eyes sunk into her skull, and in the empty socket where her big eye used to be, a new one grew in its place. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Bolt complained. "There's too many small eyes to count! How can we possibly get this thing to die quickly?!"
Summer shrugged and replied, "M-maybe you could aim at the smaller eyes?!"
Bolt nodded his head and sheathed his sword and Grip Whip away. Then he pulled out his Bow Bracelet and took aim for the new big eye, and waited for Summer's directions. When ready, he shot another arrow which landed directly in Arachne's eye, and caused her to screech before losing her grip on the ceiling. Then, once she landed, Bolt quickly drew his sword and Grip Whip once more. This time, however, he didn't aim at the big eye, but instead started slicing at the smaller ones. At each hit, he was able to take out a lot of them. When he finished with his forth strike, he counted twenty (including the big one) when Arachne repeated her former shedding skill. This time, though, she didn't climb up the wall. Instead, she growled and began stomping her legs towards Bolt while he, in turn, used the Grip Whip to slide out of most of their locations, and rolled out of the others' ways.
After about a minute of dodging, Arachne shot a web up into the ceiling and climbed it quickly. Then she let out another roar, and in the matter of seconds, Bolt heard the floor on the other side break. When he looked down, he noticed three Midnight Goblins dug out of it, and were now after him to defend their queen; carrying heavy clubs and wooden tower shields.
Bolt glared at them before preparing his sword for a bath. Then he used his Grip Whip and slung it towards the center Goblin, who shielded it and caused the disc to stick onto his shield. Afterwards, Bolt jumped up and pressed the red button again; sending him flying towards the middle Goblin, while the other two lifted their clubs to strike at him.
When he was between them, however, they were too focused on him, and ended up bashing their friends' skulls, instead, while Bolt sliced at the third one's neck; sending the three of them down into three piles of dust.
Looking up, Bolt prepared to sling on top of the walls once more. Before he could even press the button, however, Arachne roared again. This time, however, no Midnight Goblins appeared. Instead, the walls crumbled around them, followed by the ceiling. When Bolt noticed this, he quickly ran around the room and managed to dodge the falling debris. Then, once he looked up again, he saw that Arachne was still up there; attached to a web she must've conveniently placed over the roof prior to this battle. At this point, Bolt was able to notice two giant trees that must've taken thousands of years to grow, due to their sheer size.
Bolt quickly looked towards where Twilight and Fluttershy were, and sighed in relief when he saw that they were unharmed, having been inside the shield wall that was now shaped up to be like a bubble. Bolt also noticed that the shield wall around the entrance was gone, but then again, so was the castle. Now, they were fighting on a huge stone platform in a thin strip of land surrounded by a thousand-foot drop.
Bolt growled as he saw Arachne hanging up there, while he was unable to do anything. "Darn it! Summer, any ideas?!"
Summer shook her head and replied, "I can't see how we can reach those trees, because they're on the other islands!"
As if on cue, the two of them heard a loud whistle from up above. Bolt turned to look, but saw nothing. Then Summer squinted her eyes, and gasped. "Bolt! Isn't your vision enhanced when you're a Timberwolf?"
Bolt nodded his head, sheathed his sword and Grip Whip, and pulled his flower from his pouch. Then, after making the quick transformation, he gasped when he saw the source of the whistle.
"ANGEL?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Bolt barked loudly.
Fluttershy gasped at that statement before turning her head towards where Bolt was facing... the tree on his far-right. "ANGEL?! ANGEL, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE, OR YOU'LL GET HURT!"
Bolt noticed Angel biting down on something from the distance, but he couldn't see what it was, due to the angle Angel was facing. Then, when Angel turned back around, he lifted a vine, and jumped from the branch; swinging on a rock that was tied at the center.
The vine was extremely long, but not long enough to reach the ground. Even so, the length of the vine was enough for a Grip Whip to latch onto the rock with... and Bolt's was the first one that came to his mind.
"Thanks, Angel! I owe you one! Now please get somewhere safe, while I finish this thing off!" Bolt barked to Angel, who nodded his head in response.
"You got it, Bolt! Good luck!" Angel replied before climbing on top of the branch overhead, and quickly scurrying back over to the other side of the gorge where it was safe.
Bolt then quickly changed back into his Human Form and drew his sword and Grip Whip. Then he slung the disc onto the rock at the tip of the vine and flung upwards. Afterwards, he started to swing back and forth, with each swing getting even closer to Arachne, who still hasn't moved yet, due to the fragile nature of her webs. Then, when he was within reach, Bolt quickly released the disc from the rock, and sent it onto Arachne's back.
The foreign contact caused Arachne to flinch and attempt to reach her free legs after him to strike him while he dangled loosely. Bolt began to sweat nervously before looking up at Summer. "Um, Summer! Any ideas?!" He noticed that all of Arachne's eyes were closed, so he was unable to strike them directly... plus, he caught onto her back too far for the sword to reach, anyways.
Summer thought for a moment before replying, "Your belt! It increases your weight, doesn't it?!"
Bolt gasped before a smile formed on his face. "That's right! Thanks!" Then he looked up at Arachne and pressed the red button; sending him right there on her back. Shortly after pressing the button, he also noticed that two of her legs were now bashed together where he was just mere moments ago, so he sighed in relief at the narrow escape. He then pressed the buckle of his belt inwards, which instantly made the extra weight tear Arachne's web, and cause the two of them to fall in midair.
Arachne's legs rotated to allow her to land on them, but even so, the new weight that Bolt possessed caused all of her legs to stretch out, while she was unable to strike at him. Then he released the disc and threw it closer to her head and slid back up to striking distance.
In his first strike with his sword, he sliced through the ten remaining eyes on the right half of her neck.
In his second strike with his sword, he sliced through the nine at her left.
In his third strike, he managed to destroy the big eye, leaving the socket there for the final strike.
For his forth and final strike, he lifted the sword up in the air and let out a loud battle cry before piercing the sword through the socket, and causing Arachne's upper torso to fall limp on the ground, while her lower half started flailing rapidly.
Arachne let out a loud hiss and a roar once again, while Bolt pulled his sword out of her skull and sheathed it, along with the Grip Whip. Then he pressed the belt's buckle once more and jumped from Arachne's back, then watched as her upper torso lifted into the air. Afterwards, she fell on her back, while her legs flailed helplessly closer to her chest, until they stopped moving, and ended in a curled-out position. Then her legs quickly turned gray, followed by her body, and ending at her head. Finally, after another five seconds of just sitting there, her legs fell inwardly like a hollowed-out shell breaking, and in the blink of an eye, a large pile of dust was all that remained.
Bolt breathed heavily before turning towards Twilight and Fluttershy, who were no longer bound inside the shield bubble. Then he smiled and walked up to them, while Summer flew ahead of him and cheered.
"Twilight! You're alive!"
Twilight chuckled before nodding her head. "Yeah, but it's all thanks to you two! If you both haven't shown up, then I... I don't know what would've happened!"
When Bolt was close enough, he noticed that there were tear stains below her eyes. It was clear that she's been crying for a long time... and considering the fact that she addressed the other pony by name, some of them must've been tears of joy for seeing her lost friend, Fluttershy.
Bolt was so lost in thought, that he didn't notice the lavender blur flying his way. When he got a chance to see, Twilight held him in a death-grip of a hug, while crying on his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow before lightly chuckling and patting her on the back. "Hey, Twilight! Looks like you were wrong!"
Her ears perked up at that comment. "W-what... do you mean, exactly?"
Bolt grinned and replied, "We made it out of here alive! And we've found one of your friends, as well!"
Twilight sniffled a few times before nodding her head and flying backwards. "Y-yeah... you're right! I... was wrong!" Then she gave him a playful glare. "But don't think I'll let that be a habit, mister!"
Bolt nodded his head and replied, "You got it, Missy!" Then he turned towards Fluttershy and knelt down to the ground level. "Hey, Fluttershy! My name's Bolt... it's nice to meet you!"
Fluttershy weakly flinched down at her name being mentioned, but she bowed her head politely, while still holding the egg carefully. Bolt noticed it right away, and raised both eyebrows in surprise.
"Is that... one of Sylvannia's eggs?!" Summer asked before flying closer to the said egg.
Fluttershy nodded her head and replied, "I-if you mean the Quarray Eel that those monsters were taunting, then... y-yes." She then closed her eyes as tears began falling from them. "T-they already ate the rest of them... but I managed to keep them from getting to this one. It's the last one of them all, unfortunately."
Bolt sighed deeply and nodded his head. "Dang... I hope she'll be okay."
Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Well, we can't just sit here and stall! We have to find the Harmonic Acorn, and return it to the Tree of Harmony!"
Bolt nodded his head and turned towards the pile of dust. When he looked at it, though, he noticed a white glow coming from inside the dust. Quickly he ran up to it and dug through the dust, then pulled his hand out, with the second Harmonic Acorn clenched inside his hand. With a smile, he placed it in his pouch and turned to Twilight. "Done! Now, we just need to find a way back to the other side!"
Once again, they were cut off by another sound in the distance. Looking towards the tree where Angel set up the vine, Bolt, Summer, Twilight, and Fluttershy noticed the tree was starting to fall. When it did, it landed across the gorge, in the form of a makeshift bridge for them to cross. Bolt looked towards the other side and saw Sylvannia looking at them from the hole where the tree once was.
Fluttershy was hiding behind Twilight, who smiled and patted her on the back. Bolt smiled and waved at Sylvannia, who bowed her head respectfully and waited for them to finish up with what they were doing.
"Looks like Sylvannia's already here." Bolt said before reaching into his pouch and pulling his flower back out. "I'll give you all a lift up there... maybe then, we can go to the Tree of Harmony much quicker."
Twilight nodded her head and smiled. "Good idea, Bolt."
Then, after another flash of light, Bolt was in his Timberwolf form once again. He crouched down and allowed Twilight and Fluttershy to hop on his back while Fluttershy gently tucked the egg between her chest and Twilight's wings. Afterwards, Bolt crossed the tree bridge carefully for the sake of the egg and the passengers.
Bolt looked worriedly at Sylvannia, as her tears fell from her eyes. They just told her about her eggs, and what had happened to them. "I wish we got there sooner... but if what Fluttershy said was true, then we were already too late the moment we arrived."
"Thou hasss my thanksss, Bolt... and thy friendsss, as well. At least... thou managed to sssave one... and for that, I shall forever be grateful." Sylvannia weakly stated.
Bolt shook his head and replied, "With all due respect, Sylvannia, I can't take all the credit. Fluttershy was the one who guarded it while she was held captive."
Sylvannia nodded her head and smiled at Fluttershy. "And thou can underssstand me?"
Fluttershy weakly nodded her head and replied, "Y-yes, m-ma'am."
Sylvannia chuckled before bowing her head. "Then thou art truly more braver than thou appears. I beg of thee, do not fear me, for I am forever grateful for thy courage!"
Fluttershy weakly nodded her head and smiled. "Y-yes, ma'am... t-thank you, M-Miss Sylvannia."
Sylvannia chuckled before shaking her head. "Please, young one, no need for formalities! Thou art a friend of mine, now!"
Twilight was receiving translations from Summer throughout the entire conversation. She then decided to ask, "Um... Miss Sylvannia?"
Sylvannia looked at Twilight and chuckled. "And the same to thee as well, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"
When Summer translated that to Twilight, she blushed. "Um... and to you as well, Sylvannia! You don't have to call me Princess!" Then she and Sylvannia lightly chuckled. "Anyways... I was wondering if you might be able to help us get to the Tree of Harmony?"
Sylvannia hummed for a moment before smiling and nodding her head. "But of course! First things first, though... I hath to take my egg to my nessst for sssafety. Then, I shall return ssswiftly!"
With a nod of approval from everyone, she gently picked her egg up with her tongue, and sunk her head back in the ground. Then Bolt and the others decided to sit and wait for when she returned.
Once again, we were at a resting point, eager for the next step this journey would take. Little did we know, however, that this next step was going to turn the tide of this journey... ...and NOT in a good way...
Author's Notes:
After a couple months of endless brain-farts, hand-cramps, colds, coughs, sneezes (which sucked, by the way!), and the occasional block that was quickly jack-hammered through, I've finally gotten Episode FIVE released!
At the moment, it's been unedited, so please forgive any grammar mistakes! Also, I've had to stop it back-and-forth, so if there are any situations that conflict with something that happened earlier, please let me know in the comments section, and I'll get it squared away!
Also, since this Dungeon Chapter was so long, I might stretch the time between this one and the next one a little more, so that I can get more updated quicker, and with less time in-between! (Oh, and one more thing! If you want a heads-up on what to expect next, highlight the space right after the last sentence in Bolt's first-person monologue above!)
(NON-CANON) INTERLUDE: Dog Pony VS Timberwolf Bolt
Author's Notes:
This chapter is non canon, and is based off of a sudden thought that crossed my mind while I was thinking back on a certain episode.
JOURNEY OF THE
~~BREEZEBY: JUSTIN DANIELS
The streets of Ponyville were clear of ponies... or so one would think.
Bolt sat next to The Golden Oak Library, waiting for Twilight to finish sorting the things out inside for their next adventure. What they didn't know, however, was that a mental patient from the local hospital was on the loose... again.
The patient was a light blue stallion with a messy gray mane. Unlike the regular ponies of Equestria, however, he was standing on all fours, hopping around and barking at Bolt, who was currently in his timberwolf form.
The barking went on for what felt like hours. Summer was resting on the doorknob to the library, holding back her laughter at Bolt's predicament.
"Look, Bolt! It seems you've made a rival here, already!" she snickered.
Bolt deadpanned at her before turning back towards the barking pony. Finally, after another five minutes of the constant barking and growling, Bolt decided enough was enough.
He looked both ways and smiled when he saw nobody was around. Then he lowered his head to the ground, removed the flower from his forehead, and was engulfed in the all-too-familiar glow of transformation.
Once he was human again, he slowly stood up while the patient stopped barking and stared at him wide-eyed. After that, Bolt lowered his face to where it was about a meter away from the stallion that stood up to his knees. With a menacing grin, Bolt stood there while the stallion before him cowered in fear.
"Boo."
The stallion quickly tucked his tail behind his legs and galloped towards the hospital on all fours, yapping like an injured dog.
With the patient out of the way, Bolt quickly placed the flower on his forehead, transforming himself into a timberwolf once again, and smiled triumphantly while Summer just stared at him with an amused expression on her face. "Was that really necessary?'
Bolt merely nodded his head and went back to waiting for Twilight to finish whatever she was doing in there.
Meanwhile...
Twilight was in the middle of combing her mane when she thought she saw a flash of light. Considering the fact that she was blinking at the time, however, she decided to dismiss it and continue glaring at one certain strand of hair that just wouldn't go down.
Spike groaned and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Twilight! In case you didn't notice, you still have to go rescue Rarity and the others!"
Twilight groaned and slammed the brush into the mirror before turning to leave. "Fine, then... I'll just have to use water, I guess..." With that, she went inside the bathroom while Spike planted his face into his right palm.