# Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone

## by David Silver

### 2 - Welcome to Danger

The flaming skeleton descended the stairs towards them. The scimitar clutched in its teeth seemed comprised entirely of flames.

"I'm a little scared," stated Maud Pie as she took a more firm footing. "Stay behind me."

"It's cool. I'm going to try to harsh his way wicked vibes." Hugger settled down and began singing a high-pitched song.

Maud glanced back at her companion, then focused on the opponent. The flaming monster struck at her with a lightning-fast scimitar. She tried to dodge to little avail; her frock gained a new gash, crisped at the edges, with a matching cut in her own flesh. She winced faintly even as her enemy kicked out a leg, thumping a skeletal hoof solidly into her side. She brought down one of her hooves powerfully on its extended limb before it could retract it, catching it in the knee, and snapping the leg like a brittle match.

The rest of the creature was intact and it compensated for the lost limb quickly as it pressed the attack.

"I can feel, like, a way powerful vibe..."

Maud had no idea what that meant, and had little time to consider it as she dove past the creature, avoiding the second swing. She lashed out a back leg and caught it in the flank. She heard bones being crushed, but it turned to her, ready to continue the battle. The scimitar came down with frightful speed. Maud reared onto her hind legs and brought her forehooves together with a snap, trapping the flaming blade between them. The smell of burning flesh began to tickle at their noses. "Ow."

"It's coming from above, far out... It's so bright and warm..."

Maud threw the scimitar to the left. She couldn't get it free of the skeleton's jaws, but it gave her a moment to pivot quickly on one leg while lashing out with the other, connecting solidly with its chin. As it reeled back a step, she moved in and grabbed it around the neck, squeezing with all her might. With a sickly crunch, its head came free. The flame guttered and died. The entire skeleton fell to pieces.

Maud slowly sat on her haunches and began inspecting her wounds. She said nothing, and kept an eye on the still meditating form of Tree Hugger.

Tree Hugger raised her forehooves towards the ceiling. "Totally radical... But, like, I'm a speaker for the trees, righteous lady."

"Who are you talking to?" Maud ripped off some of her own frock to bandage the cut she got on her side. It wasn't bleeding, perhaps from being burned at the same time, but she covered it as best she could.

Tree Hugger tilted her head to the left. "Can you do that? Let me see. That would be way cool on your part."

A flush of vibrant green energy ran across and through Tree Hugger and she suddenly was lifted from the ground with a shrill cry that warbled as she held her hooves out wide. "I can see it! They're all around me!" Tree Hugger was dropped to the ground, where she flopped onto her side before she managed to get her hooves under herself. She finally opened her eyes, her purple eyes flashing green a moment. "Righteous..."

Maud blinked slowly. "Are you alright?"

Tree Hugger nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, totally. Hey, where'd that wicked skeleton go?"

Maud shrugged softly. "I took care of it."

Tree Hugger raised a hoof in a sort of thumbs up. "Radical. I can feel the trees now. They sing a different song here, but I can hear it now."

Maud tilted her head. "Where is here?"

Tree Hugger blinked, looking confused. "Aw man. I should have asked her."

"Her?"

Tree Hugger nodded firmly. "Like, wow, you should have seen it. She was this totally bodacious mare. Kinda reminded me of Celestia... But she was on a whole other plane of existence."

Maud was quiet a moment. "What did she tell you?"

Tree Hugger threw her forehooves wide. "Everything! Sort of... She offered me a chance to sing her song, but I'm totally down with nature, man. So she smiled this crazy little smile. It was like she knew... Totally far out. She showed me the song of the plants here."

A glint caught Maud's eye and she poked away the bones surrounding it to reveal a bangle large enough to slip around a hoof. "What's this?"

Tree Hugger leaned towards it. "That's a totally radical bit of jewelry. Did it belong to the skeleton?" She picked it up curiously and turned it around and around in her hooves. "It doesn't have the bad vibes of that guy."

Maud nodded. "Keep it."

"What? Like, no way. You earned it." Tree Hugger moved to slip it right onto Maud's left forehoof with a sleepy smile. "It totally fits you."

Maud lifted her hoof from the ground and swiveled her leg about to examine it. "It's pretty." She set the hoof down and looked around slowly. "We should go. Do you know the way?"

Tree Hugger took a slow breath, then pointed up. "There are totally plants that way."

Maud nodded and began walking across the throne room as if the answer were enough. They ascended the stairs towards the throne the skeleton had originally come from and Tree Hugger circled it curiously. "There's something here..." She hopped up onto the throne and noticed it was made to be sat on like a horse, not upright, so she reclined in it comfortably and felt something under the matress, poking her in the hoof.

"Mm?" She lifted the cushion and pulled out a key and a note. The note was decayed beyond use with time and smelled of mold, but the key was tucked away into her hair. "Never know when that'll come in handy."

Maud nodded. "Good job." She pointed past the throne. "I see a hallway." She descended down the back steps, approaching the archway that led further into the decrepit old castle they seemed to be in.

Tree Hugger hurried to catch up with Maud and walk alongside her. "That looks like it totally hurts... I wish I could help. Are you sure you're alright?"

Maud looked at her bandaged side and burnt frogs. "I can walk."

Tree gave a little smile. "I can see that, dude, but that doesn't mean you're not in pain. It's totally okay to admit it. I'm not here to harsh on your vibes with cruel judgement. We all experience pain at times."

Maud slowly blinked at Tree Hugger. "I can walk." She walked past her strange pony companion and paused at the archway to look slowly left and right. The hallway proceeded forward about twenty feet until it broke off left and right. It was ten feet across, and she could see an old chandelier hanging above. There were some crystals embedded in the old chains. "Bornite-coated chalcopyrite crystal," she said to herself quietly, fascinated with the find, it seemed.

Tree Hugger craned her neck back to look up at what Maud was looking at. "The aura of that looks kind of old. I'd watch my step. Like, it'd be way gnarly to be under that when it came down."

Maud turned to look at Tree Hugger. "Aren't you scared?"

Tree Hugger seemed to consider that before smiling. "It'll all work out. Besides, we have each other. Your aura makes me feel totally safe."

"My aura?"

Hugger reached out and placed a hoof gently on Maud's chest. "Your aura is amazing. So solid and dependable. So many colors hiding from sight. You're like... Like a blanket thrown over a bed of the brightest flowers. It's totally radical."

Maud gave a little nod before she turned forward. She trotted ahead without another word. Heeding Tree Hugger's advice, she stuck to the wall, avoiding going directly underneath the hanging art piece. Tree Hugger did the same, slipping around where it hung and joining her.

"Stupid horses!" came a voice from the darkness. "Do you even know how long it took me to set that up?"

Maud tilted her head a little. "Who's there?"

"Oh, who am I?" A short figure emerged with bulging eyes. It had two feet, and two hands, and was kind of blue in color. "I'm your worst nightmare!"

Tree Hugger reached out a hoof. "Like, chill out, little man. We're not here to make harsh waves. Why don't we talk instead?"

The small bipedal creature seemed shocked at this. "W-what? Why would you want to talk to me? You want me secrets do ya?! You'll never get them!"

Hugger took a light step forward. "You may keep your secrets if you like, that's cool. We just want to commune with you."

"Commune?" The creature squinted its bulging eyes. "You two don't act like the other horses at all."

Maud pointed up. "Which way leads out."

Hugger shook her head. "Before we do that, we should, like, introduce ourselves."

He grunted softly. "You just want me name, to use on some wicked spell! Well you won't get it!" He suddenly dashed down the right hallway, running out of sight in the darkness.

Maud pointed to the left, then headed that way. Tree Hugger followed after with a curious tint to her spacey look. "Like, why did you choose this way?"

Maud shrugged softly. "Isn't it obvious? He has a lot of rocks ground into his clothes similar to the rocks in the walls. He probably lives here. Wherever he ran is deeper inside."

Tree Hugger gave a little nod. "Pity we couldn't find a harmonious wavelength with him."

Maud nosed open a door at the end of the hallway to reveal a narrow shaft heading straight up. It looked like an elevator. She entered and circled around the small hole in the center before settling before the lever she found. Once Tree Hugger had sat down, Maud pulled the lever without prompting, and the ground shuddered softly before lifting upwards into the unknown.

They could feel the ground ratcheting upwards as the sound of heavy chains rattled out of sight, presumably pulling the platform along. They went past several open archways, but the platform didn't stop at them. One had a scaled and oozy creature with five legs and three times as many eyes. It screamed and lunged for them, but the platform was beyond it before it could reach them.

"Woah, like that was way uncool..."

Maud nodded softly in agreement with Tree Hugger's assessment, but remained where she was.

With a solid thunk of stone on stone, the platform reached its highest point. The ceiling was only twenty feet above. The hallway out led directly to stairs, curving as they went upwards. Tree Hugger smiled a little. "Way cool, that might be the way out." She led the way with a soft trotting gait.

Maud put a hoof in front of her. "Wait." She looked around, then grabbed a stone and hurled it at the stairs precisely. It hit a step and it collapsed, leaving a portion of the stairs in rubbled ruin. "Now we can go." She scaled the rubble effortlessly to the stairs beyond and began to ascend.

"Hey, wait!" Maud turned and looked down at Tree Hugger, who was having a much harder time scaling the loose rubble and rocks. "Little help, please?"

Maud slid down to Tree Hugger and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with her teeth, tossing her companion onto her own back. She scaled with her new rider without complaint or comment, and soon they emerged into the evening of a world they didn't know.