Author Topic: Takes Two To T̶i̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ T̶a̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ Tango  (Read 135 times)

Offline Applejack

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Takes Two To T̶i̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ T̶a̶n̶g̶l̶e̶ Tango
« on: December 03, 2014, 08:35:21 am »
((Continued from http://rpismagic.createaforum.com/canterlot/float-like-a-parasprite-sting-like-a-manticore/?message=3965 ))


Continuing through the dark labyrinth underneath the ruins that were the old castle, Applejack lead the way with the flashlight in her vest, tailed by both her coltfriend Darrus, as well as the pony they'd 'rescued' minutes before named Tingle. The pony who Applejack couldn't help but feel was suspicious, but couldn't quite figure out why--the pony who also couldn't seem to stop digging himself further into a hole as he kept making flirts and flirtatious gestures towards AJ, making Darrus do something to him in retaliation. She swore they were both acting like children, but she knew nothing she'd do or say would stop it; they were both stallions, and there was pride on the line.

Eventually, as they wandered through the maze-like halls, Darrus called up to her asking if she'd felt anything, as he'd sensed something heavy moving. She wasn't sure what he meant though, and she paused for a moment to try and figure out what he was talking about. Her concentration was broken by Tingle quickly interjecting by saying it was probably nothing, causing her to huff slightly with a quiet exhale from her nostrils. His followed complaints that things were taking forever, and that he'd been down there for hours were met with an obviously annoyed look from AJ as her mouth quirked to the side.

Thankfully, Darrus responded for her, saying that they needed to go slow so they didn't accidentally trigger any traps--not to mention the extra burden of having to help Tingle along. Which, of course, was only met with another snippy line from their new 'friend', earning a shake of her head in disapproval. She was really starting to get annoyed.

They seemed to finally have gotten somewhere though, as Tingle pointed out a hidden passage for them to go through--one it took Applejack a little bit to find with his description, but it was there nonetheless. And all they needed to do was push the wall. Gee, she hadn't ever encountered that before. Rolling her eyes, she prepared to make the wall turn before pausing as Tingle continued, talking about the passage beyond and how they'd need to turn, as well as to duck under the spike traps that were already sprung.

She waited for another moment or two, watching Tingle with a deadpan expression to see if he had aaaaaanything else to say, before finally pushing against the wall and making it turn. It was about as simple as he'd mentioned it would be. Narrow corridor. Dusty. Dark. Leading into the unknown. She took a deep breath for a moment before sighing quietly and stepping forward, wishing for a moment her flashlight had a brighter setting to help guide her better in the darkness. The way it was now, it felt like she'd barely be able to see her hoof in front of her face, despite the light strapped to her chest.

But all she could do was move forward. Being as bland as previously described, AJ had no idea how much time had passed before they came across the left turn Tingle had previously mentioned. After turning a bit into the hallway, she paused and glanced back to Darrus and his burden to see how they were faring, only to note that with Darrus being behind Tingle--probably to make sure he'd actually keep on--that the two were lagging behind thanks to Tingle's wounds. So she'd need to slow down just a tad to keep in pace with them... but given the new stallion's penchant for a wandering gaze, she definitely didn't want to stay too close.

When they'd caught up to her, Applejack lead the way down this new corridor... which was just about as droll as the one they'd been walking through. Not that she should've expected much, she supposed. But there was something a little different about this one. She didn't think much of it at first, but every so often, Applejack flinched and spat at cobwebs that were strewn about the corridor. It wasn't all that bad at first, but it was certainly enough to make her constantly sweep herself off in disgust and worry that there were still spiders milling about in the webs. Then, eventually, a larger web was seen up ahead after another few moments of walking, making AJ stop in realization as she glanced over her shoulder. "Hold up a sec--if you'd gone this way before, these cobwebs wouldn't still be here like this. They'd already all be broken... You sure this is the right way?"

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Offline Darrus

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"Uhhh..." Tingle replied, wincing at the pain caused bu his wound as he glanced around the annoyingly narrow passageway, his eyes falling on cobwebs here and there as he appeared to pause to think. Darrus, stuck behind him due to being forced into a single file, crossed his front hooves over his chest as he waited for an answer from the hurt pony, him raising a brow in a show of impatience. He opened his mouth to speak up, but before he could get a word out Tingle beat him to it.

""Huh... maybe not. I admit, I wasn't leading when my friends and I came through here ourselves, so I could have just remembered wrong. Unless this place has some kind of crazy species of spider that really know how to rush their work. Guess we'll have to trn back!" Awkwardly, the stallion turned himself around, having just enough room to manage and showing the rusty red pegasus now in front of him a little smirk.

Darrus narrowed his eyes in disapproval over the apparent screw up, him not wanting to think about how long he might have had to deal with this pony hitting on his mare if he'd gotten them lost deep in the bowels of this labyrinth. No telling what might have happened, though Darrus believed it a good thing that the guards wouldn't ave been there for when a line was crossed.

Sighing, he looked over Tingle's shoulder and to Applejack, "No choice in changing the line up now. Hey, AJ, pass me the light and I'll take lead."

Tingle, being the literal middle man for the moment, took the flashlight from AJ, him sneaking in a quick eyebrow waggle and wink at the mare in the process while also ignoring the glare he received in return. Darrus, not being blind even with how dark it was in there, aggressively snatched the flashlight away when it was offered to him, him starting to wonder whether or not he should just punch Tingle for being unable to take a hint or acknowledge his persistence, then punch him for being incapable to take a hint while also wondering how well he'd be able to navigate these halls with no light source and a broken leg. He turned the flashlight around in his hooves for a moment before deciding to just hold it in his mouth since he lacked a vest like AJ.

Sighing, he turned around, taking the lead in guiding the small group out of the halls with his magnificent navigational skills perfectly suited for following a narrow hallway headed in a single direction. It was uneventful on the way back, the occasional duck of the head or careful stepping over of triggered traps being the only sign of danger up till around halfway down the evidently correct corridor.

Tingle had started to lag, complaining that his wound was starting to make him feel weaker and weaker and forcing him to walk slower and slower. It had gotten to the point where Darrus would have to either keep his pace purposefully slow or stop every few dozen or so steps to allow the others to catch up, shining the light back on the floor behind him to allow them to see where they were going. It was during one of these times where Darrus was walking a little bit ahead of them that Tingle spoke up again.

"... So..." he began, looking forward at Darrus as he started, and for what must have been the seventh time slowing his pace down again, "Miss Honesty Necklace, tell me something," he glanced over his shoulder at AJ before looking forward at Darrus again and pausing his speech for a few seconds before continuing, his voice being hushed as if trying to keep the conversation a secret but being loud enough for all to hear anyway, "If somepony were to, hypothetically, take you out on a romantic night on the town involving a candle light dinner and maybe a nice hotel room, what would be good spots to consider?"

"Arr yu idding?" Darrus reacted from around the flashlight in his mouth, turning back to the two with a voice sounding both annoyed and surprised over how Tingle was still trying and being so blunt and weird about bothering his marefriend, "Look yu-!" He wasn't able to finish however as he was interrupted by the sound of something being released, him snapping his attention back forward in time to see something glint in the light of his flashlight, reflexes alone taking over as his body forced him to duck just in time to feel something tear through the tip of his mane right where his neck used to be as the flashlight fell to the ground with a clatter, landing face down and causing the entire corridor to be plunged into darkness save for a small spot on the ground giving away the flashlight's resting place at his hooves. Whatever had swung for him had struck the stone wall of the corridor with a metallic cling, chipping part of the masonry away from the force of the impact which then fell on and bounced off of Darrus.

Darrus was gasping a bit from surprise, the sudden dodge having robbed him of his breath and forcing him to stay in a low stance as he waited, watched and listened for anything else that might happen. When things remained quiet and uneventful in terms of danger however, he slowly stood back up and picked the flashlight back up, the first thing he did being to look back and check on AJ to see if she was okay and the second thing being to examine what had nearly gotten him. There, gleaming under the flashlight, was a long and sharp blade attached to some kind of normally hidden spring loaded style trap. Darrus reached up to his mane, him quickly noticing that a few locks had been lost in the near death experience.

"... Woah... You guys see that?" Darrus asked, looking back to the others and then doing a boxing bob and weave before claiming, "I was like lighting! No trap in this old joint is fast enough to catch this example of divine reflexes. Also, what the Hell!?" he directed that towards Tingle, "I thought you said this passage was safe!"

"I-uh-well..." Tingle, having worn an expression of surprise ever since his face had become visible again, continued to look the same as he tried to form an answer, "Well-I-uh-... I thought it was?"

Offline Applejack

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Applejack's first instinct when Tingle replied that he remembered wrong was to roll her eyes in exasperation. Not only were they taking a really long time in getting out of the castle thanks to Tingle's wounds and the small corridor, he was also slowing them down by making them take wrong turns. At this point, she was beginning to feel like they'd be down there for days. And now, she was going to be stuck behind the slow moving pony, and things were about to become agonizingly tedious. Wouldn't be so bad if the pony was one she could tolerate...

It was all she could do, though. As Darrus asked for it, Applejack nodded to him and took the flashlight from her vest so she could pass it along. She started to offer him her vest as well, but she doubted he'd want to wear anything "made for a mare". Even if it was just a simple green vest. Not to mention he did have that cape that might have made it a little difficult. Shrugging a bit to herself, she began walking behind the other two as they moved through the castle once again.

For every few steps Tingle took, Applejack took her own couple of baby steps forward before stopping for a few seconds to give him some time to move ahead. She kept this up the entire way, eventually ducking under or avoiding the already activated traps as necessary, a couple of close calls made thanks to the lack of personal light. All she had to go off of was what she'd seen when Darrus shined the light over it, as well as what blocked her view from the ponies ahead as they arrived.

Eventually, when Tingle began talking to her as he slowed down once more, Applejack half-heartedly perked her ears in attention, only to roll her eyes as he began flirting with her once again. "Ah don't even know why yer askin' since ya got no chance, stranger." She then looked to Darrus as he began to speak, only to jump and gasp in horror when something  nearly took off Darrus' head and made a loud noise as it collided against the wall. She froze for a second in shock before trying desperately to see if Darrus had come out alright.

She did give a slight sigh of relief when he spoke again, apparently coming out of it unharmed, but she still tried to squeeze past Tingle--pushing him to the side just enough that she could look past him and inspect Darrus out of concern. "You alright, sugar?" she asked after Darrus and Tingle finished talking. "You got both yer ears intact? Not bleedin' anywhere?" She paused for a second, then, in spite of the situation, asked playfully, "Ah don't need ta kiss anythin' ta make it better, do Ah?"

Offline Darrus

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"Agh- What ar- Come o- Stahp i-" Tingle complained with a few pained grunts as Applejack pushed him aside to better look past him, him giving a slight and kind of wimpy whine over his boo boo before clearing his throat and trying to play it off while her attention was still off of him.

"Yeah," Darrus answered Applejack, both of his ears momentarily flicking as he spoke to make sure he was actually correct in assuming they were both still just as pretty as ever as he walked back down closer to her and Tingle with a not very happy expression on his face, "And I'm pretty sure it missed me. Heh, that thing couldn't catch me even on my slowest day," he added on to reply to her second concern - though he didn't actually know for sure yet whether or not he was bleeding due to the awkwardness of his light - as he moved right onto his intended voicing of his dissatisfaction over the wounded stallion's directions so far.

"But thi- Well..." and then he seemingly instantly forgot whatever it was he was going to say as he gave AJ one of his usual smirks upon hearing her playful remark, him dropping into his usual flirtatious tone as well as Tingle was stuck being pressed against a wall between them where he could only grumble, "I haven't been able to get too good a look at myself yet since there's so little room in here, so for all I know I may be dying right now. It may take a whole lot more than a simple kiss to nurse me back to health..." his smirk evolved into a suggestive grin for a few moments before he evidently remembered what was on his mind a moment before AJ had taken it over and gave Tingle another upset look.

"But Tinkle here," he began, giving the stallion a poke in his wound and eliciting a small gasp of pain, "might be needing a cast to go with his bandages in a minute. First you lead us down the wrong way and now you send us walking down a passage still laced with traps? Are you trying to get us killed, or are you just dense?"

Tingle winced over his pain while Darrus accused him of idiocy, him giving the stallion a sideways look that probably meant he wouldn't have shed any tears had the unfortunate happened a few seconds ago, "Back off! ... So I remembered wrong, big deal. Maybe I'm not thinking straight over being fatigued and having lost blood, ever think of that? I'm not even sure how long I've been down here for since I got left behind, so who knows what this place has been doing while I was fixing myself up. You ever hear about the halls shuffling around by themselves down here? Who's to say the traps don't reset after some amount of time?"

"Bull! The other traps are still sprung. If it really reset like you said, then why didn't they go off on us on our way through?"

"Old magic? Being broken? Gremlins in the wall- I don't know! Hey," tingle looked back at Applejack and jerked his head towards Darrus, "Mind calling him off? I think he's getting jealous about us."

Darrus glared at Tingle, the things he'd love to do to him at the moment being easy to guess though difficult to pull off in such cramped conditions.

"... AJ, I say we go back the way we came," he spoke up, eyes still locked on Tingle as he spoke, "This fool doesn't know what he's doing, and even if he's right that would mean any traps further ahead might have reset and are waiting for us. If so, the ones we've passed might start resetting as well, so we would need to get back to the regular hall quick before that happens and we get stuck in the middle."

"Now hold on a sec here," Tingle argued, looking between the ponies, "look, I screwed up, sure, but I know we're almost to the other end of this passage already. It... feels right, if that makes any sense. I remember paying close attention to how long it took to get through this in case me and my party needed to get back through it quick, and I know we're almost out, making a trip back longer and more dangerous. Also, the traps were few and far between where we entered, so that one might have been the last - or rather first - one coming in. Besides, for all we know the traps behind us could have already reset while we were here bullying me. We should just keep going."

Darrus shook his head, clearly not a fan of the idea, but he only looked to AJ to see what she thought.

Offline Applejack

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Applejack nodded a bit in satisfaction when Darrus responded that he was fine, pleased to hear that he'd come to no harm to the unexpected trap. No good in him getting injured down here, too... Then, Darrus mentioned that it may take more than a kiss to nurse him back to health, earning a light-hearted roll of her eyes from AJ. Yep, that's about what she expected, and it was about as cheesy as anything she'd guessed he would say.

She backed off a little bit when Darrus and Tingle began going at it again, Darrus putting the blame on him and Tingle defending himself--followed by asking AJ to call him off because he was jealous of 'them'. Annoyed, Applejack 'accidentally' pressed a little harder against Tingle as she tried to back out so she was no longer pinning him against the wall. This was tailed by Darrus suggesting they go back the way they came--and quickly.

This caused AJ to gently bite her lower lip and quirk her mouth to the side as Tingle responded, saying they should keep going down the way they were. When it was finally her time to respond, she said, "Honestly, there's no 'quickly' with us with our dead weight here," she said, smacking Tingle's side where she thought his wound was. "So if this one's reset... and we've spent this much time stoppin' to chat about it, he's right. Turnin' back prolly wouldn't be the best idea. It's not even that; even if we went back out there, there ain't no tellin' if we'd just get even more lost. We were already perty deep, before we went through that wall--and Ah dunno where that is now. So Ah think our best bet's ta just keep goin' forward here, an' see where it takes us.

"Besides, this's the adventurous path, ain't it? And these things cain't catch ya on yer slowest day, right?"

Offline Darrus

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Darrus looked back to Tingle, expression one of uncertainty and suspicion over another possible screw up, but soon returned a smile to Applejack, "Any path is the adventurous path if I'm on it!" he claimed, putting his hoof currently holding the flashlight to his chest and looking sure of how what he'd said was a fact, "be it claustrophobic passages, well traveled roads leading anywhere or quiet paths through a park, once these handsome hooves of mine grace them with a clip and a clop they become worthy of epic poems suited for retelling across the world!

"Anyway, if we are going to just ride this out the rest of the way then we'll need to put some more space between me and you two. With just one light, I'll have to pretty much sniff the ground all the way forward since I doubt you'd be able to pull off too many feats of agility with... this load getting in your way," Darrus gave Tingle a sideways look as he turned himself back around to walk forward once more, "so a few extra paces should work."

"Pfft. Don't you worry, Honesty," Tingle spoke up, his earlier having been pushed against the wall by AJ evidently having done little to discourage him from what he'd been doing as he merely continued, "anything happens, I'll be there to save you, injury or no."

"He can act as a meat shield at least," Darrus said half to himself, his dislike of the stallion having, to no real surprise, only escalated substantially with every passing moment he'd been forced to deal with him.

"Your stalker is a jerk." Tingle informed the mare bhind him just before Darrus tried his best not to practice his apple tree bucking and instead ask him a question.

"So what triggers these traps? The last one doesn't seem to have anything all that noticeable. Least not from a glance, and things went too fast for me to recall if I hit anything."

"Tripwires," Tingle replied, glancing at his bandages and sighing, "tripwires and junk like that. Probably pressure plates or proximity triggers if it's going by magic."

"Probably? You're going off of probablys? Don't you even remember from the last time you came through here?"

"... I wasn't in the lead. Someone else dealt with the traps and crap, duh."

Shaking his head, Darrus figured he'd just have to be careful and began to walk forward once more, his flashlight scanning the floor, walls and even ceiling as he looked for anything that might set some other death trap off. Thankfully, things went pretty uneventful as they walked along for the most part, Tingle's occasional complaints that they needed to stop so he could rest for a second or two not helping though, and it looked like it was going to end with everypony escaping into the clear. That was till they neared the end, according to Tingle.

"Woah..." Darrus said, holding a hoof up to signal for AJ and Tingle to stop where they were for the moment as his flashlight showed him something odd. Lowering his head to get a better look at the ground where his hoof had just about been ready to settle his weight, he noticed a slightly off colored section of the floor which, through angling his light, also appeared to be raised just a hair more than the surrounding rock.

"... So, what's the purpose of this passage even supposed to be if it's trapped?" Darrus wondered aloud as he examined the trigger and measured how far he'd need to step to avoid it, double checking for secondary ones as well while he was at it since that would make for a poor surprise, "Supposed to be some kind of escape route? I mean, this is the Princesses old castle, yeah? Would Celestia even be able to fit in here with how tall she is and stuff? And why trap something you'd need to use to flee through?"

"... Maybe she was shorter back then. Can we go now? Stopping to ponder irrelevant questions is such a wonderful way to spend our time."

Ignoring the other stallion with a flick of his ears, Darrus took a wide step forward and was careful to make sure his back hooves did the same as he navigated over the plate.

"AJ, there's a pressure plate right where I am right now," he warned his marefriend, taking a some steps back to allow both she and Tingle some room to cross while keeping his light fixed onto the issue so they could see, "Dunno how well you can see it with Tinkle in the way, but it's a discolored section of the floor thats raised a bit right at the center of the light. Not too hard to step over if you're careful."

"No sweat!" Tingle claimed, "Though I'll need your hooves on me to help me make it over," he told Applejack.

"Alternatively, we can toss him onto the plate just to satisfy our curiosity on what this one will do." Darrus suggested, Tingle giving him a cross look as he stepped forward to deal with the trap. Nearing it, he paused and gave it a look, then glanced around at the walls and the ceiling before settling his gaze back down onto the pressure pad. Glancing back at AJ, he took another step forward.

"So- agh!" he suddenly cried, appearing to stumble forward where one of his hooves slammed directly onto the pressure plate, his then seeming to lose strength in his legs even further as he dropped down onto the ground, this being where he stayed as several spikes in the walls triggered and shot outwards.

There were three in total, spaced in a way intended to prevent easy escape as the first came out no problem above Tingle who'd hit the ground beyond the plate, it striking outwards just too late to catch him and driving itself into the wall opposite it's starting point. The other two though, one coming out directly above the plate and the other aimed for AJ behind it, thankfully seemed slower on the draw as, while they too were triggered right away they only came out an inch or so. However, the sound of something grinding within the walls, and the fact that they were shuttering constantly and violently, showed they were only temporarily stuck, giving only a moment at best to react.

Darrus, obviously having seen Tingle trigger the trap and witnessed the spike that came as a result, had instantly and instinctively felt his wings snap open to attempt a speedy assistance of the much more important pony behind the one now laying on the ground, but, due to the cramped conditions of the passage, only succeeded in slamming his wings into the walls and causing his first step forward to be uneven. Darrus did however somehow manage to keep the light level enough for AJ to have a clear view of the danger with Tingle out of the way.

Offline Applejack

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Once Darrus and Tingle finished their exchange--having had little to nothing to say or add in that time--Applejack followed along behind them both, once more wishing that she didn't have to move at such an antagonizingly slow pace. She was really starting to regret agreeing to transport him, but it was much too late to back out of it now. So disinterested was she that even when Darrus wondered aloud about the previous use of the tunnel they were currently using, she barely paid any attention to it--especially when Tingle responded moments later.

Her ears perked when a trap was called to attention, however. Doing her best to try and see it past Tingle, Applejack craned her neck and leaned her body to try and get a good look at it, barely succeeding in doing so. Well, she knew where it was, all she had to do now was wait for Tingle to get past it first. But he wasn't moving. Her brow arched at him as she noticed him looking around... then at the pressure plate... then back at Applejack.

When she finally managed to put two and two together, she opened her mouth to tell him off--but was much too late. He did exactly what she was afraid he'd do: step on the plate in question, probably 'accidentally'. Adrenaline shot through her body as she wondered briefly if she was going to get caught by the trap, and time seemed to slow down a bit for her. The first spike nearly immediately shot out of the wall--though that wasn' t the last of it. She could hear grinding in the walls next to her, and could see the very tips of the spikes peeking out of the walls. She didn't have much time to react, though.

So she did the first thing that came to mind: drop down to the ground and press herself as flat as she could. Her eyes wrenched tightly shut as she fell, jaw clenched just as hard as she waited to feel, or see if she'd succeeded in avoiding the trap. Once the proverbial dust settled, and she realized the trap was over, she dared open her eyes as her body shook from the near-death experience. Plagued with shock and a clouded mind from what had just happened, Applejack's gaze nearly immediately found Tingle--and just as quickly filled with rage. Her entire body quivered as she just glared angrily at him, her mouth open as if she wanted to speak, but squeaks of fury were the only noises she produced.

Offline Darrus

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Tingle, from his place on the ground, watched Applejack make her squeaky noises for a couple of moments, his eyes darting between the spikes that had recently missed her and the mare. Eventually he put on a nervous looking smile and tried his best to give an innocent shrug as his ears pinned back in the face of her anger.

"Um... Oops? Woah-!" His attempt to speak was interrupted as he was gruffly dragged backwards by Darrus now that the pegasus had closed the distance, Darrus pulling him out from under the spike in order to be able to strike him with a hoof. On his wound. Really really hard. Tingle gave a cry of pain from the blow and immediately attempted to curl up as best as he was able in the cramped passage, Darrus just giving a furious "oops" through clenched teeth from above the injured pony before locking his light onto AJ.

"Are you okay? Or am I about to become a murderer?" Darrus lacked his usual jokey tone as he asked this, his eyes searching Applejack as well as they could for any signs of injury that would be, in Darrus' eyes, plenty excuse to do mean things to the other pony beneath him.

Offline Applejack

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Normally, Applejack might have reprimanded Darrus for outright smacking Tingle to deliberately hurt him. But he'd just tried to hurt her. Grievously, if she hadn't been able to react. So she was, at that moment, severely lacking in the sympathy department. At Darrus' approach and his questions of if she was okay, and if he was about to become a murder, Applejack shakily pushed herself onto her hooves as she replied to both questions with, "Yeah" and "No" respectively. Her tone was curt and easily showed just how she felt at that moment, though her anger wasn't toward Darrus--as he could probably tell.

"Partin' ways when we get outta here," she gruffly told Tingle as she glared at him once more, then continued with, "Move." By her tone, it was obvious she wasn't interested in any funny business. If he took too long moving, she'd 'help' him along... though it wouldn't be gentle, nor pleasant for the stallion.

Offline Darrus

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"Jeez! Would you relax if I said I was sorr-" Tingle tried to say, his being hefted up by Darrus and not so much helped as he was forced back to his hooves. Darrus held a glare on him for a few seconds before turning to continue walking, Tingle momentarily opening his mouth to try and defend himself and hold true to his claim that what just happened was an accident, but his mouth soon clamped back shut when it became obvious neither of the other ponies were willing to listen.

Fortunately the rest of the way was uneventful, the trio escaping the claustrophobic confines of the narrow passage and entering back into the regular sized rooms and halls of the castle's lower level, albeit much closer to the exit as was promised. Their speed was also much faster now, it being blessed by Darrus' utter lack of patience with the wounded stallion and Applejack's occasional "assistance" in encouraging Tingle to keep pace, though Darrus at this point would have preferred to just ditch the stallion in the dark and leave him for whatever he had coming. He even momentarily considered letting AJ in on his idea - I mean they'd brought him most of the way so it's not like they hadn't helped him far more than he was deserving of already - but he decided to keep it to himself since he figured she'd want to make good on her word to at least drag him outside before leaving him for the wild things.

Outside he was indeed dragged too after some time spent navigating old rooms full of dust and abandoned items of varying value, none of which shiny enough to catch Darrus' eye but a few things here and there being note worthy enough to at least be made a mental note of. Such as an old bookcases still holding tomes that Darrus wanted to believe were ancient steamy romance novels possibly taken straight from the Princess' old personal collection and deemed just too questionable to have been brought with her when she left. Or an odd hovering sphere over the center of a table giving off a slight hum. A small collection of pillows stuffed into a corner of one room also seemed to have a strange allure to them that Darrus couldn't quite place. All of these things Darrus would have found fun to check out, maybe especially so if he could convince AJ to check the pillows out with him, but ultimately the chance had been pretty ruined by the dead weight being forced to only trail slightly behind him thanks to Applejack's efforts.

Anyway, past the oddities and whatchamathings lay the outside world, the air feeling less heavy and tasting much fresher now that they had escaped the dark bowels of the castle, Darrus stretching his wings just at the sight of the heavily canopied sky while Tingle limped his way to a spot near the doors to rest, slumping down onto the ground with a heavy groan of pain caused by his now very worked wound. Darrus didn't even seem to hear it as he turned back to AJ.

"Well that was fun," he said sarcastically, eyes giving her another quick examination now that they weren't stuck in such heavy darkness to see if he'd missed anything from her earlier encounter with spikes, "Glad that's done with. Shall we?" he asked with a gesture of his hoof for them to abandon Tingle right then and there, Tingle of course noticing and speaking up in protest.

"Hey! Woah! Hold on a second now! You can't just leave me out here like this! Bleeding and waiting for something to come eat me? You gotta get me somewhere safe, or who knows what might happen?"

"Those guards should be finished with whatever they're doing down there pretty soon, shouldn't they? Pretty sure they can deal with you then."

"Pfft! Those guards are probably dead by now. Seriously, you can't be okay with knowing I'll just be stuck in perpetual danger just waiting around in this condition? Honesty," he turned his attention to Applejack, doing his best to slap on puppy dog eyes and even going so far as to almost muster up some sad and desperate tears, "come on, you at least should be able to recognize how that would basically be the same as murder, right? Leaving somepony who can't defend himself out here in one of if not the most dangerous place in the country? Can't you at least drag me back to my camp? I have suplies there that I can treat myself better with and it's secluded way better than this collection of ancient rubble."

Offline Applejack

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Applejack started to growl in irritation when Tingle started to speak without moving, but stopped when Darrus forced him along the way instead. Exhaling her breath with a quiet huff she followed behind them, brows furrowed in anger. Each time he faltered in his steps, she shoved him back along the corridor, her patience having long-since disappeared. She was thankful that they didn't stay much longer in the cramped corridor, and were soon back out in the main areas of the castle. It felt easier to breathe here, and the deep breaths she was taking helped to calm her down a little bit... even though the attempted threat on her life still had her upset.

It wasn't much longer before they were out of the castle entirely. The fresher air felt amazingly soothing on Applejack's lungs and after a few more deep breaths, she turned to Darrus when he spoke up. "Yeah. Let's get back home," she responded to Darrus' offer of leaving before moving to do just that, only to stop and grate her teeth when Tingle called out to them, saying they 'had' to get him somewhere safe. She shook her head a moment later when he addressed her with the name of 'honesty', and then said it would basically be murder if she just left him.

With that, she swiftly turned and stormed back over to him, rage once more coloring her features. "Y'know what else's basically murder? Steppin' on a trap, hopin' somepony else gets caught by it. Ah don't owe you squat. Yer lucky enough we didn't just leave ya back in that tunnel fer the spiders ta come an' get you. 'Sides, Ah ain't gonna give you the opportunity ta get us lost out here in the Everfree, like you almost did with us in the tunnel. Tell ya what, since Ah ain't heartless: you tell us how ta get to this camp o' yours, an' if we find it, maybe we'll come bring you back somethin' ta help you."

Offline Darrus

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"Oh, pffft, you think I was trying to get you killed back there?" Tingle gave a bit too forced of a laugh at the thought, glancing between the two ponies and searching for any sign that either had any shred of tolerance for him at this point, "No no no, that was an accident! I mean, come on, do you really think I'd want anything to happen to you when the only pony you're friend over there would have to blame and take it out on would be me? Nah, I stumbled. You know, cause my wounds? I'm sort of weak right now. Also kind of dizzy so I'm not thinking straight, hence the mix up in direction earlier. But I'm better now that I've gotten some fresh air!

"Besides, you were always my favorite out of your little team of heroes," he tried to grin, though the combination of Applejack's anger and Darrus ever present glare being sent his way made it clear how desperate he was, "I'd never want anything to happen to you! Um... A-as for finding my camp I can't give any great directions without a map. And not just a map, but a more detailed map of this area in particular. I shouldn't have to tell you how confusing this dang forest can be, so without something to best point out the spot you're looking for all I can say is it's east from the ruins and situated beneath a large willow tree. Seriously though, I know the way, so just help me get there then you can dump me off without needing to worry about me anymore. Please? Pleeeeeeease?" He seemed to be trying to look pathetic now in some attempt to earn pity. Darrus wasn't moved, and it was clear on his face that he was more in favor of just telling the wounded stallion to go screw himself and then head home with AJ.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2015, 06:25:50 pm by Darrus »

Offline Applejack

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Tingle's words only served to make Applejack more and more irritated as he spoke. She knew he was lying, and the fact that he couldn't just suck it up and admit what he did was really starting to get to her. The flattery he tried to offer her as well only resulted in a derisive snort from her as she turned to walk away and leave him there. She reluctantly stopped when he couldn't really give them good directions--and she had to admit that she doubted she'd be able to do much better in his position--then glanced back to him with an obviously disgusted expression for a moment before looking about the forest around her in silence as she thought.

What would her friends have done? Rainbow Dash probably would've opted to leave him there on the spot as well, Pinkie probably wouldn't have any useful insight... Twilight likely would've thought the most logical thing to do would be take him back to the camp, and both Fluttershy and Rarity would've done the same if only out of simple kindness and generosity. With a quiet 'ugh', Applejack turned back around and stepped over to Tingle before forcefully hoisting him onto his hooves. "You've done nothin' but flirt with me when Ah ain't interested in you in the slightest, be generally unpleasant, try ta set a trap off on me, an' now yer lyin' to me. Ah shouldn't be agreein' to this, but fine," she snapped, her tone curt and displeased. "We'll get you to yer camp. But don't give us reason ta leave you out there. 'Cause Ah will." She then shoved him a little bit toward the clearing in front of the castle with an added, "Now move. The sooner we get there the better."

Offline Darrus

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'I wasn-" Tingle attempted to protest only to be interrupted by Applejack pushing him forward, him giving another wince and whine before grunting and starting to walk, "... Fine." he finished, falling silent afterwards while Darrus looked between Tingle and AJ. He looked like he was trying to figure out if both of the other ponies were being serious, and upon realizing they were soon sounded a long sigh that grew more and more irritated until eventually sounding like an annoyed growl that was quickly cut off to make way for a short and simple question.

"East?" the answer provided was a silent nod. This was enough of a confirmation for Darrus as he did an about-face and started walking, him trusting AJ would give all the shoves needed to keep their "friend" moving.

Hoping to find his camp in tatters and whatever he'd had stored there long since dragged away by the local wildlife, Darrus was eager to get this done as quickly as was possible. Due to his haste, the trek through the wilderness was a hasty one, Tingle stumbling and tripping along the way in his attempts to keep up, the only real moment for him to catch his breath being another short pause Darrus took to ask if a clearing he thought he could spy from between the trees ahead was their destination. Tingle, with a short glance about, gave an equally short response in the affirmative, further spurring Darrus forward in a light gallop to reach the spot as if it was a finish line for a stressful marathon, this causing him to pull a decent way ahead from the others as he rushed to end this.

"Ugh!" he said as he breached the tree line and entered the clearing, a large willow tree hanging it's limbs over him to contribute to the canopy above and block out the sun, "Dear sweet Celestia final-" actually paying attention to his surroundings, Darrus found something worthy of cutting his celebration short. The sight of someone with a bow and arrow aimed right in his direction and, more importantly, their releasing of said arrow and sending it whistling his way.

This was a good day.

His reflexes taking control just as they had back in the castle, Darrus ducked, a wing then giving a strong flap to propel him into a brief side roll, the arrow plunking into a tree right where his torso would have been had there been a mere moment of hesitation.

Getting back onto his hooves, Darrus soon took to the air so as to better avoid any further attempts to perforate his person. No further attempts were made, at least not immediately, and it allowed him the freedom to vice his displeasure. Which he did. Of course.

"... Guys," three earth ponies and a pegasus, now that he actually counted, "I understand I'm the most intimidating thing in the forest right now, but that's no excuse to get jumpy. Can you imagine the backlash you would have gotten from the people if you'd managed to put so much as a scratch on this? On ANY of this? Just look at this! It's almost too scary to imagine. Leagues of fans banging down your doors and-" a swoop through the air to avoid another arrow, the archer responsible, an earth pony who seemed to not be taking to Darrus' charm, being given a smack to the back of his head by another earth pony beside him. All of these ponies appeared heavily armed and armored, kicking Darrus' imagination into overdrive as he theorized whether or not they were some kind of hydra hunters, rangers of some fashion, or just reeeeeally dedicated role-players.

Meanwhile, Tingle, now close enough to spy through the trees and get a glimpse of what was beyond, had taken great interest in the voices, his noticing of the other ponies present causing him to make a quick tactical decision.

He dumped his own limping body into a nearby bush with no explanation being given to AJ, the pony disappearing into the prickly twigs and leaves with another quiet whine of pain from his rough day.

Offline Applejack

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Applejack did indeed make sure Tingle kept moving along, much too fed up with his crap to worry about niceties. She wanted this to be over as quickly as possible so she could get back to the farm, and maybe do some work to help calm her nerves... If they even got back early enough. If not, she just guessed she'd have to settle for a bubble bath and a nice book or something... She walked along disinterestedly, her only goal to get back out of the forest, so she merely perked her ears up during the interaction of Darrus asking if the clearing was their destination.

She didn't worry when he ran ahead, knowing he could take care of himself. Instead, she stayed focused on her task, which was making sure Tingle was just as focused. Then, when they neared the place Darrus had met with trouble, Applejack perked her ears once more as she listened in on the tail end of the conversation, only to grumble a little bit when she realized what was ahead wasn't exactly friendly. She guessed she shouldn't really have been so surprised, given Tingle's less than savory and suspicious attitude, but it was still frustrating. She had no idea what was going to happen now, going forward.

But that was all she could do, she supposed. Darrus was still in there, and she couldn't leave him alone... She had a feeling the ponies there would wind up tracking them regardless. So, shooting a glare to the now-cowering Tingle, she moved over to the bushes he dove into and, upon finding him, firmly grasped him and yanked him out before dragging him to the camp ahead. Before entering the clearing, she let out a sharp whistle to announce her presence before entering, grasp still held tightly on Tingle to keep him close by, in case the ponies tried anything. "Ah sure hope you fellers're monster hunters. Y'all sure don't look like yer up ta any good."

 


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