"I'm...I'm going to take..." Huh, come on! You've chased after pegasi across rooftops all over the entirety of Manehatten, giving in now is not an option! You are Da Uber Colt! There isn't anything that you cannot keep up with, whether that is pegasis, train or bullet! You are the fastest thing with only four legs and you have the stamina of a Freight Train! You are not giving in now! You are not going to collapse to your knees. You are not going to sit there, soaking wet and battle to keep your eyes open for a few minutes. You are not going to let your head come to an uneasy rest on the floor! You are not going to - oh, who am I kidding, he was asleep the instant he walked in. Arc's cardio-vasuclar system was hit hard and winded the colt right where it counts. Walking over, his hooves began to falter, becoming uncertain as Arc tried to keep up with the others. The gas had knocked almost everything he had out of him till he was running entirely on the desire to not die by blob. By the time they arrived at cave number two, Arc had only enough energy to drag himself into a comfortable position. The last thought he had was about whether he'd have any permanent damage from that gas...
Group Two Spoiler: Watch Luck Roll Total: 67 The night continues past without a hitch. Silver & Arc get a full night's rest, and wake up feeling rejuvinated. Throw Down awakens a little less so, but he wasn't quite as winded as the others, and he was far more used to working and walking all day than the others. Firebolt greets everyone with a dower; "Good morning, everypony." She was sitting near the entrance and keeping an eye out, as was her task. "So boring on watch duty. How about I fly ahead of the group and get us our rooms at that Headless Goat place Eight Star mentioned? Then I can rest in my room while I wait for you boys to catch up!"
"Sounds like a plan!" said Silver. He was feeling much better, and his mind was now clear after a good night's sleep.
Melody looked at the note sheet. "Pickpear... May I borrow your quill and parchment please? I found something I recognise." She smiled. Music has always been her thing and this, was musical.
Group One "Uhm..." Pickpear started, looking at her quill for a moment, then nodded as she bit her bottom lip. The quill levitated over to Melody, holding the gentle white aura around it as it floated near her face. "C... careful. It's my lucky quill." Though, to anyone looking at it, it didn't seem to hold any special qualities that would separate it from any others.
Perfect Melody nodded as she jotted down the 'Music sheet' "Done. Here you go. I will need the note soon though." She smiled as she gently gave Pickpear her quill back.
She seemed incredibly relieved when she got her quill back. Almost to the point of worrying for her mental state. Spoiler: Knowledge Checks Perfect Melody: 39 Result Emerald Whirl: 103 Result Emerald could tell by the look in Pickpear's eyes though, somepony special must've given her that quill. It seemed like keeping it safe would be a better option. Pickpear smiled and finished writing down the notes on the wall, dotting them on the lines that Perfect Melody drew out for her. "Okay... here you go." She levitated her quill back into her pack, as the note was carefully handed off to Melody.
Emerald smiled. She could completely understand Pickpear's concern for her quill. If somepony special would give her some sort of momento, she'd probably protect it with her life. Like the tomato plant that Ashmead had given her... Remembering where she was, she quickly snapped herself out of her daydream and fluttered to Melody. Looking at the note, she asked, "What's the plan? Sheet music is like reading Ancient Unicornian to me."
Melody could do only a smile then before she spoke. "To you it is like ancient Unicornian, however I have spent many years working with sheet music. You could say this is my, cup of tea..."
Ultra Violet backs away into the gravel, pressing her back against the wall and breathing fast. Her eyes were glued on the skeleton, who's features stood in stark contrast from her glowing orb. Fighting the repulsion in the pit of her stomach, she gave into her initial curiosity, and rose from the dirt. She stepped forward hesitantly, still staring at the pony corpses before her. She realized she might never get a chance to see a dead pony again, and she studied the skeleton a bit closer, noting how it served as a basic frame for a pony's figure. "Who.. were they?" she wondered aloud, her voice a dry whisper.
Grey Mane shakes her head at the dead ponies. "More importantly, I think, is how did they die... We best use caution..." She ducks down, as if preparing for an ambush or some kind of attack.
Fighting the sickness that was now ever present, she said, "I don't think we have to worry about getting attacked. They probably died from getting stuck behind that heavy door." She rubbed her lower neck gingerly. Facia had never been comfortable with death; not only was it not fun, but it also went against her favorite kind of magic, healing. But she did her best to ignore the fact that there were a bunch of ponies whose lives ended, probably unpleasantly early, right in front of her.
Arc stretches his legs whilst lying on his side. "Sure! Go ahead!" Arc mumbles, "I'll be right on your tail if you slow up!" With slow reluctance, he rolls onto his front, pushing himself up and onto his hooves. He trots in place, breathing and counting under his breath before stamping into the cave floor with as much strength as this dance would allow before pulling back into the gentle trot on the spot. To follow, he leans his whole body over one leg, stretching over it and then moves on to the the other one. "Hang on!" Arc stands up straight again, "Who knows where we're going?"
Throw Down frowned. "So, we're just sorta wandering off? Shouldn't we be continuing with our mission or something? The faster we can finish this, the faster I can pick up my payment and be out of here. I wasn't expecting a full-on attack by blobs and poison gas."
Emerald examined the row of dots and letters. Sure, music wasn't her thing, but she retained some knowledge from her schoolfilly days. "What if these dots pertain to a certain sound? Like the whole Do, Re, Mi thing?"
Group One Pickpear looks over the notes and sighs gently. "I never did much for singing class." She ducks back a bit in emphasis. "I could never get up in front of so many ponies." Group Two Firebolt groans and waves her hooves through the air. "So impossible! We're going West by North-West in the direction of those big mountains in the distance. We could've made it to the little village by now, if we didn't need to stop and rest." She looks around at the ponies. "Or if some of us weren't so slow." She says this last bit as she flutters her wings. "So I won't go ahead, I'll keep leading you colts there." The scout rolls her eyes and hovers a little as she backs out of the cavern. Turning around she points. "We're going this way!" Group Four The floor was stained with a dried substance that covered parts of the patterns on the floor, but with the colorful light, it was difficult to discern the hue of the stains. Beyond the initial shock, the dimly lit silhouettes of furniture were noticed in the darkness. Tables, with objects upon them, and long benches with more hunched over skeletal frames. The room was huge. Spoiler: Knowledge Checks Facia: 82 Grey Mane: 97 Ultra Violet: 24 Sweet Treat Float: 89 Facia, Grey Mane, and STF: Like a dining hall! Ultra Violet: Like a classroom!
Group Two Silver had no problems with being called slow, because he knew he was. "Sorry. You deserve a little rest. I mean, you stayed up all night." He looked at her, a little worried. "Are you sure you'll be all right?" he asked, even as he started off in the direction that she motioned them in. Group Four Facia shivered and shuddered. This place was wrong. What on earth did this have to do with some silly crystal? Were they even in the right place? She wanted to just say, 'Welp, no crystal thingy here! Let's go!', but she didn't think that would be the right thing to do. She trotted (unusually cautious for her) into the room, looking around. "Come on girls, let's get this over with."
Group Two Firebolt huffed gently, then rolled her eyes. "Well, not all night. I got a short nap while the big guy was on watch, but I had trouble getting to sleep in the first place. Besides, I'm not sure about the rest of you ponies, but I'm not used to getting less than the sleep I need for a day, but you two passed out like a candle being blown dark."
