>**Take a Large Blue Crystal off of the wall in the Crystal Cavern**
>Walk up ramp to listen in on the sounds occurring in the lava chamber
>**Tuck back behind the door in preparation for the arrival of another Boulder Snake into the room**
>Hear the voice of the Red Cobra as she punishes one of her subjects; look into room to try and guess where the snakes headed
>–Decide to head down Dark Crystal Pathway—
>xXx Light your Lamp xXx
>Approach a strange, deep hole in the path with an odd looking substance moving around down below
>–Take the path around the side of the hole—
>Notice that something is very subtly moving on the wall; Tell Applebloom to stop and hold back
>xXx Moving Crystal boops the Lamp into the pit xXx
>**Make sure everyone passes the rope around and secures themselves**
>Continue moving forward in the darkness
>xXx Diamond Dog bumps into the Moving Crystal, gets their Dig Team and Sweetie Belle booped into the pit xXx
>Pull Diamond Dog up, Scootaloo falls off of the path ahead
>Get everyone back onto the path, then continue forward very carefully
>xXx Accidentally smack a Diamond Dog’s paw that was on your chest. He bops you on the head. xXx
>–Step onto thin path toward the light at the end of the tunnel. It begins cracking…–
After maneuvering through an unnaturally dark tunnel inhabited by some abominable, light hating crystals, Raisin and her tired team reach the entrance to a mighty chamber. They are greeted by the presence of many, many Boulder Snakes across an expanse of gurgling magma. As the snakes seem to expand the chamber, Raisin discusses her plans to bring this place down atop the Boulder Snakes heads.
Ahead of the daring team lies two paths… one leading left, the other leading right. The Snakes don’t seem to have noticed the team yet. Thankfully, the crudely cut paths offer some cover.
Inventory check:
You take in the grand view of the Boulder Snakes massive chamber, watching some snakes across the room head left to chip away at a wall. You can hear them clinking away against the hard chamber walls.
"Well… where to, Raisin?" Applebloom stands by your side. "We're right behind ya'."
Taking a look either way, you decide that your best bet is to head right. Since the snakes don't appear to be heading that way across the chamber, it looks like the safest option.
"We're going to go right… Dig Dogs, I'll need you to tell me when you think we're at a point where the ceiling is thinnest."
The dog that's been taking measurements gives you an affirmative nod.
"What'll happen if the snakes catch us, though?" Sweetie Belle gulps.
"…They won't. Let's just keep quiet and move carefully…"
Scootaloo sighs. "We're all gonna die." The group follows your lead up to the split in the path.
Peeking your head out around the corner, you check both ways to ensure the coast is clear. Oddly enough, either direction seems to be free of any Boulder Snakes. Noticing that your hooves have been making a bit of noise, you get a sudden idea. You curl your stony body up into a ball as tight as you possibly can.
"What are ya doin?" Applebloom watches as you squeeze your legs together.
With a sturdy lean forward, your ball like shape starts to slowly roll forward. It's not as loud or as distinctive as a set of stony hooves trotting into the noisy chamber, but it still makes a little noise.
After about 4 rolls, your head starts to feel spinny. You carefully uncurl your body on the path, your eyes still spinning a little.
"Whooaa…" You can feel your eyes spinning around in your head.
"I didn't know you could do that!" You hear Scootaloo whisper shout just a little ways behind.
"Raisin! Get down! They'll see you!" Sweetie Belle whisper shouts over to you. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle have crouched down behind some coverage with the Diamond Dogs, all of them standing in awkward positions to vaguely mimic the shape of their cover.
You shake your head in an attempt to get your eyes back in focus. They rattle around for a moment before the room comes back into view. There's a clear line of sight between you and the Boulder Snakes across the room, though their sides are facing you.
Hastily looking for a spot to hide, you spot an hourglass shaped stalactite. You zip to it, trying your best to keep hidden behind it. Your tail pokes out a little, but you manage to stretch your limbs out enough to keep hidden.
As the snakes across the room smash their teeth into the granite walls, you see a Boulder Snake emerge from a tunnel down the path behind your group. They immediately turn left and slither away from your group, heading into another tunnel. You can almost see the blood freeze in the Diamond Dogs' veins.
"Phew… that was close…"
Looking ahead, you see a few turnoffs. The first one is glowing orange, much like this chamber. Further down, you can see the beginning of a turn off, but not into the room.
Scootaloo leans her head out wearing a look of intense fear. She keeps the look as she shrugs at you, looking for direction.
With a gentle beckoning of your forehoof, you direct your friends to your position. They shiver slightly from the close encounter, but seem eager to move.
Applebloom and Scootaloo take the lead, tippy-hoofing their way across the open space. The capes wrapped on their hooves seem to be helping reduce some of their noise as well, though the fiery cauldron below roars far too loudly to pick out their hoofsteps. They hide behind some stalagmites whose silhouettes are oddly pony shaped. The Diamond Dogs carry Sweetie Belle over to a very thin stalactite with a wide top. Standing atop one another's shoulders, they're all able to squeeze behind it.
Keeping still for a few moments, you look ahead to the next crop of rocks. You have an odd feeling about the tunnel ahead, however…
The odd feeling passes as you tuck yourself into a ball once again. Scrunching up as tight as you can, you dive forward and roll. Strangely, this motion feels slightly natural… beyond the dizziness it induces. You uncurl with a set of spinning eyes again, your hooves wandering as you walk toward the rocks ahead.
Quickly, your team keeps low and heads toward your position. Slightly behind, they look to you for the next call. Sweetie's big, emerald eyes peek over one of the Diamond Dog's helmets. She tilts her head to the right twice, pointing toward the door.
Looking at the door, you see an orange glow rolling out. The sound of boiling magma echoes from the little chamber. Up ahead, you see another turnoff. From this angle, it's hard to determine whether or not it's glowing.
Far up ahead, you see a Boulder Snake emerge from a tunnel and head left to help the other Boulder Snakes tunnel at the opposite end of the room.
"…okay, I have to see what this thing is."
You nod back to Sweetie Belle, then tippy-hoof straight into the room. You can faintly hear the clamoring of your party behind you as they enter the cramped little alcove.
"Yeesh… it's burning hot in here…" Scootaloo pants. "At least it's a little bit of cover from those dumb snakes."
"Did ya'll see them back there? It looked like they were eatin' the wall…" Applebloom's expression twists up. You watch as a sweat droplet rolls off her muzzle.
You look about the room, though there isn't too much to see. There's an open ceiling beyond the boulder that's covered with dripping magma. You watch as some very small spatters shoot up and attach to the ceiling. The columns in front of the boulder look rather stable… and are have quite a few engravings. They look very sophisticated.
Your friends stick to the walls, keeping far away from the pool of molten rock beyond the boulder. They still look panic ridden.
You suddenly feel a bit scared yourself. An odd feeling overwhelms you…
Seeing as your team appears to be nearly fainting from the heat of this room, you decide it best to head out immediately.
"Alright… I don't know exactly what these rooms are all about, but they can't be good."
Applebloom looks the boulder and the columns over carefully. "It looks like that boulder would pop out of place if those columns were moved…"
"…the lava would spill out?" Sweetie Belle stands on one of the Dig Dog's arms. "We'd be toast!"
You nod. "Right. Let's get out of here…"
You peek out of the room, then head forward to the nearby crop of rocks. The snakes seem to be making steady progress across the room, though they keep switching out workers. Another snake appears to be heading down one of the tunnels in the distance. You wait a moment for him to disappear, then curl up into a ball.
With a quick couple of rolls, you nearly bump into a stalagmite poking up out of the floor. Shaking a few pebbles around in your head, you brace the column and slide down until you're out of view. This cropping of rocks seems to be much shorter than the rest.
Your team tippy-hooves closer, then lies on the ground near you. To the right, you see that this tunnel does not appear to have any light inside of it.
You pray that a snake doesn't pop out of any of the rooms ahead…
You turn around and point toward the tunnel, mouthing the words 'this way' to your group. Laying flat on the path, they crawl their way over to the tunnel entrance. You head inside first with your team close behind.
"Sure is dark down this way…" Applebloom looks down this tunnel. It seems to go on for quite a distance.
"Too bad we don't have the Lamp anymore…" Scootaloo kicks her bandaged hoof down at the ground. You notice that the path looks to be laid with marble bricks.
"…huh…"
Looking just ahead, you see that brick laid path continues far into the darkness.
"Anything's better than being back in that other room…" Sweetie's eyelids blink slowly. She looks exhausted. You can see the dogs looking about the nearly pitch black hallway. Their green eyes stand out as they look onward with puzzled expressions.
"Can you guys see down there?"
They nod in unison. One steps forward, then sniffs at the air. His ears droop as he takes a few steps back. He whimpers slightly, continuing to look down the hallway.
"…what do you see? C'mon, throw us a bone here!" Scootaloo stares up at the three. They seem to ignore her, keeping their eyes forward.
You feel unsure of the path ahead, but looking back into the Boulder Snake infested room, you decide it'd be better to explore this way than back the way you came.
"…lead the way, boys…"
The dogs swallow hard.
"If you guys see something… uh… hold up one finger if you think a snake is coming, two if you see a trap, three if you don't see anything but have a bad feeling."
All three of the dogs hold up three fingers, then continue moving ahead very slowly. Their heads look all about while their ears fidget.
"I'm with them… Raisin, what are we even doing down here?" Sweetie Belle frowns.
"We're saving Equestria from those snakes… and trying to get the treasure, of course!" You say the last part a little louder so the Diamond Dogs hear you. They nod while looking about.
As you get further in, it becomes nearly impossible to see anything. Your hooves make a lovely sound on the marble bricks… it reminds you of the doorstep back at home.
"Can.. can ya guys see anythin'?" Applebloom stays close by your side.
"Uh…"
Behind you, a Boulder Snake passes by the tunnel entrance. She has a cool, uncaring look as she slithers by. You feel your stony stomach tense up before the beast vanishes.
Inventory check:
You get your gears spinning a bit, trying to come up with a way to see. You don't want to run into something as dangerous as that pitch black tunnel again without a single hint of it's existence. You think back to that Can of 'Grease' you purloined from a Diamond Dog supply crate.
"Hey…" You tap on one of the dogs ahead of you. He jumps a little, but stops. Carefully, you retrieve the little nasty can from your saddlebag. You can hear Applebloom cough twice… apparently it doesn't smell very good. "…is this stuff flammable? Does it burn? One bark ye-"
Before you can finish, the dog sniffs at the air. He barks once, then reaches down for the can. The other dogs quietly bark to one another. You hear the Twisted Iron Rod on your back fall off your side, then drag a little on the ground.
"H-hey! What are you..?"
You hear a disgusting glooping noise. Your friends are coughing lightly. With a fell crack of stone, the tunnel suddenly lights up. One of the Dig Dogs is holding your Twisted Iron Rod in both paws, barely keeping it stable. The end burns with grease.
"Alright! Finally!" Scootaloo brings her hoof down from her eyes as they adjust to the light.
You're surrounded by these beautiful marble arches, each intricately carved and chiseled with stunning detail. Each arch seems to have the same symbols on them… the light doesn't reach the end of the tunnel ahead. It appears extremely dark further on.
"At least we can finally see…" Applebloom rubs the marble bricks below her hooves. "Who do ya think made all this? Couldn't been those snakes, could it?"
As you move through the open hallway, you notice that the symbols are much like the ones on the columns in that boulder chamber you ventured into before. The archways above the columns actually have colors on them… the same cobra design from before, but the cobras are each plated in red gemstone. They look dazzling as they pass over your heads.
"Whoa…" Scootaloo slowly steps forward, going out onto what appears to be a bridge. It's constructed of the same kind of marble that the bricks in the hallway were. Scootaloo walks over to the far edge where construction ends and stares into the massive expanse.
Looking over the chasm, you see that you've entered into a massive chamber filled with red crystals. Several glimmering doorways line the walls, but straight ahead lies an absolutely massive tunnel. It looks like the bridge leads this way… if the bridge weren't currently under construction.
"What in Equestria…"
The Diamond Dog with the Twisted Iron Torch jams an end into the ground before the bridge. He looks on with morbid curiosity. The other dogs are pointing down at the crystals, nearly drooling.
"Ah have no idea… who's buildin' all this?" Applebloom taps a stony brace on the side of the bridge.
Looking down into the expanse of red crystals, you figure that they could have some interesting properties, much like the glowing blue crystals you found earlier.
"If I lowered one of you guys down on a rope, do you think you could grab a chunk of crystal for us?"
One of the dogs seems emphatic, though the dog whose paw you hit give the other a light backhand. One of them looks at you, then makes a hissing noise, shrugging his shoulders.
"So… wait a minute, you don't want to grab them because of the snakes?"
He nods.
"Not even a little sample?"
He shakes his head.
"Why not?" Applebloom asks. "What if they give Sweetie Belle like… super powers?"
The same dog rolls his eyes. He pats Applebloom on the head.
"Do we need to get across here?" Sweetie Belle yawns and stretches in one of the Diamond Dogs arms.
Looking back toward the wall, you see a pile of marble slabs.
"Hmm…"
You trot over to the little stack, noticing their incredibly massive size. A Diamond Dog keeps an eye on you as you size up the slab.
Gently pushing on it, the slab seems content with staying in place. You pump your forelegs a few times as if you needed to stretch them, then you start pushing into one of the slabs. At first it doesn't move at all. Your rearlegs start to scrape up the rocky floor.
You rear up, then slam into the slab. To your surprise, it slides a few inches. The dog watching you picks his jaw up off the floor.
"What was that?" Scootaloo cranes her head back from the abyss, looking your way. "Did you… did you MOVE that thing?"
"..I think so?"
Stumped as to what you can do to get across, you walk up to the Diamond Dog that was watching you.
"How long would it take to dig a path around this room over to the doors on the other side?"
He looks over to the other dogs, then across the chasm. He walks up to one of the walls, then scrapes at it with his claws. He holds up three fingers, then taps punches his paw five times.
"…so… how long?"
He palms his face, then stretches his arms straight up. He slowly lowers one arm, but keeps it outstretched like clock hands. He forms a 90 degree angle.
"3 hours? Maybe?"
"What? 3 hours?" Scootaloo groans. "I don't want to be down here a minute longer than I have to."
After hearing the Diamond Dogs estimate for digging around the outside of the chamber, you turn your head back toward the pile of marble slabs.
"There has got to be a way to use these…"
Applebloom looks across the columns, then back to the marble slabs. She keeps contorting her face, trying to keep track of all the measurements in her head. "Ah just don't know… Raisin, do ya'll have any idea how we're gonna get across this?"
You approach the marble slabs again. Seeing as you were able to budge one with a solid slam, you think that you may be able to move these over to the bridge with the Diamond Dogs' help.
"Boys! Get over here an' help me out!" You tap on the slab. "Let's try to move this over to the bridge!"
Scootaloo nods her head. "You sure you can move that thing more than a couple inches? You did kick it pretty hard…"
Readying yourself, you direct the Diamond Dogs to your side of the slab. They brace themselves, ready to push.
"3…2…1…"
This time, you buck the slab as hard as you can. The Diamond Dogs stumble as the slab unexpectedly moves quite a few feet out. The dogs catch the slab while it's still sliding. You quickly turn to join them. Amazingly, the slab begins to move, however slowly.
Your kick resonates in the massive chamber as an eerie howl. Though vociferous, it dies out after a few seconds.
Applebloom grabs Scootaloo and moves off of the bridge. Once the slab is in a straight line to the columns ahead, you let the Diamond Dogs take a break. You notice that the slab has a slightly easier time moving on the marble bricks.
"…So… uh… how do we get this thing over the gap?" Applebloom hops atop the slab, looking down at the panting team of dogs.
You ponder Applebloom's question for a moment, then look back to the other 3 slabs stacked behind you.
"All we need is another slab."
"Huh?" She hops off the slab. "Another one?"
"We can use a second slab to counterbalance the first… if we can stack them at all, that is…"
You head back over to the pile with the Diamond Dogs dragging behind. They don't look enthusiastic about moving another giant marble slab, but you direct them into position. "C'mon, only a few more after this. We've gotta get across to solve our snake problem."
They whine quietly, then brace themselves against the slab. You rear up and give the slab another extremely hard buck. It slides nearly as far as the first before the Diamond Dogs lay their shoulders into it. With your help, the massive slab starts sliding across the rough ground.
The noise, again, reverberates throughout the room. Though loud, you don't hear any response.
As it approaches the first slab, you move over to one end of the slab. Jamming your hooves into the ground, you grab the lip of the marble slab and put your all into lifting it. Straining as hard as you can, you feel your hooves sink into the rocky floor below. After a couple of second, the marble slab amazingly lifts off the ground a couple of inches.
The dogs shake their head in disbelief. "Woooo! Go Raisin, go!" Scootaloo cheers you on as the slab rises. Immediately, the dogs reach under the slab and help you lift. Though they don't help too much, it lets you re-position your hooves so you can get a better standing. Finally, you're able to stand up on your hind legs and hold the slab over your head. It just barely clears the first slab. With a gentle slide, you let the second pillar land on the first.
Panting, the dogs bark in approval.