Darkest Dungeons of Canterlot

"Well at least we got paid," Babs offered as she followed the disgruntled pegasus in front of her down the darkening street full of abandoned and half collapsed buildings.

"That doesn't do us much if there's nothing to spend the bits on!" Scootaloo snarled through her bandanna, "And why are you still wearing all your armor? We're in town shouldn't you be relaxing and walking around in your civvies or something? Or is a knight of Faust forbidden from ever looking casual?"

"You know if we weren't in a mostly abandoned town built out of loose stones and rotted timbers a mere stones throw from the deepest most foul pit of evil and terror ponykind has ever known that might be the case," Babs lifted her visor to smirk at Scootaloo. "I had assumed that's why you were still carrying all your weapons and bandit disguise."

"Sure, lets go with that," Scootaloo snorted, pointedly ignoring her more religious companion's worried frown, "I know I saw something that looked like a bar around here somewhere."

"Scootaloo, we've been searching for almost an hour, I think you might be mistaken about seeing a tavern. Even if you did, it's probably been long abandoned." Babs silently hoped that she was wrong.

"I'm telling you it has to be around here somewhere." Scootaloo glanced down a side street and stiffened, "Who's that with Applebloom?"

Babs looked around in confusion before spotting two figures standing halfway down the side street. "That's not Applebloom, her robes are much redder than that doctor's robes."

"That's what doctors wear these days?" Scootaloo asked giving the pair a weary glare, "I honestly thought Applebloom's bird mask get up was some custom tailoring or something, why the hell would that disturbing get up become popular?"

"I don't really know, you could always ask her if you're curious." Babs pointed at the now approaching figures.

Scootaloo jerked back to look at the pair to see they were now indeed approaching. Her eyes narrowed and a hoof reached under her coat for her rusty pistol, Babs lowered her visor and stood a bit straighter, but made no move for her sword. The pair paused and briefly chatted, before the figure in doctor's scrubs put her head to her compaions rump and pushed her forwards. Cloaked in a blood red jacket that shown crimson against the mare's pink coat, the figure approached her face half hidden beneath a wide brim hat that had obviously seen better days. What had Scootaloo on guard was belts full of knives and darts hidden under the mare's jacket. The pair finally stopped when Scootaloo could see the nervous purple eyes peering at her from behind the doctor's bird mask.

The silence lasted for almost a minute before Babs finally asked, "Pardon me, but do you two happen to know if there is a pub around here? My companion swears that there is but we have been unable to locate it."

The doctor seemed to relax as she answered in a posh tone, "But of course my dear knight, we were actually on our way there ourselves. It is but a block from the church so I'm rather surprised you were not aware of it already."

"We're quiet new to this village so I was not even aware that a church had been established here? Who is the church dedicated to?" Babs asked smiling behind her visor.

"I do believe that it's dedicated to Fuast," the doctor tittered, "You needn't worry about a cult worshiping the corruption or the false goddess here. The few that have remained in town this long have had quiet enough of both." The conversation died as both Babs and the masked doctor noticed that their mutual companions had yet to relax and continued to eye each other with mutual suspicion and distrust. The doctor rolled her eyes and gave her pink companion a light bump on the flank, "Wasn't there something you were wanting to ask these two?"

The pink mare wrapped in red grunted and reluctantly looked at her companion before turning back to Babs and Scootaloo. Her mouth opened and closed a couple times, turned into a scowl, then a sneer, before she finally sighed and asked, "We were wondering if you two had plans to take the Tainted Light up on her latest plea and enter the city."

"We actually just got back from our first foray actually," Babs said.

"Why?" Scootaloo snarled.

"We likewise seek to answer her plea and would like to know if we could accompany you or aid you for a share in the promised rewards." the pink mare said.

"I've got quiet a few alchemical mixtures that would be useful in a fight, I've also got a little skill as a field medic," The masked doctor hurriedly offered, "And Diamond here is great with her knives and really good at finding and disarming traps. What do you say?"

For a moment the silent town seemed to grow even quieter. Then Scootaloo asked, "Diamond? You wouldn't happen to be Diamond Tiara would you?"

The two flinched at the ice in the pegasus' voice as the pink mare demanded, "Yes, what's it to you? How do you know that name?"

"You are rather hard to forget unfortunately," Scootaloo snarled yanking off her bandanna, "Seeing as you made my youth decidedly unpleasant. What sort of bully mocks someone's disability?"

"Scootaloo?" the doctor lifted her mask revealing her silver grey coat.

"And Silver Spoon too, great, should have known it was to much to ask that you two were lost to history," Scootaloo spat at the pair's hooves, "Let's go Babs, that bar's gotta be close."

"Agreed, you two may join the Crusaders if you are still willing." Babs said lifting her visor, her face forcibly nuetral. Three mares all promptly proclaimed their disbelief with various levels disbelief and venom. "Get over yourself Scootaloo, you saw what the ruins are like, we are going to need help with this nut. Yeah they were complete and utter plotholes as kids, but ponies change, especially after the Reckoning the Sisters Wrought. I for one am not above accepting help freely given or offering these two a chance to redeem their actions of the past." Babs glanced down at the pair of earth ponies and Diamond Tiara flinched under her gaze. "Besides it is probably wise for us to have a few extra bodies in case something horrible happens or one of us need to take a break, or need time to heal."

Scootaloo stood there, her face constantly twisting and contorting itself between a variety of unreadable emotions before she finally let out an almost feral roar and jabbed a hoof at Silver Spoon, "You! Take me to the bar now or I swear somepony is going to get killed. I need a thrice bucked drink!"

Silver Spoon shuddered and led Scootaloo deeper into the ruined town. Babs turned to gaze coolly at Diamond Tiara, who once again flinched under the larger pony's gaze. "Will you be joining us Ms. Tiara?" Diamond Tiara managed a weak nod as she further hid her face behind her hat's brim, "Great I would like to see what my companions of the faith have managed with the church here."

~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~

The next day found Babs in the Church of Faust, kneeling before the alter, her front hooves folded over her head as if bound and her face buried in the cold stones of the rickety old church. Babs sobbed at the base of the alter as a balding old grey unicorn in a faded white robe watched on from one of the rotted pews. Babs whimpered many quiet prayers around her sobs as she crouched beseechingly before the small pewter holy symbol placed upon the alter before her. The stallion turned away, his face still neutral as he resumed his losing battle against the dirt, rot, and grime that covered most of the dilapidated building he had established his church in. He paused for only the briefest of glances at the offering box noting the few bits placed in the usually empty box before resuming his battle to keep his one corner of the world pure.

The doors creaked open and yellow mare wearing doctor's robes the same color as her mane entered. Her eyes quickly locked onto Babs' prone and sobbing form, she trotted forwards filling the church with the sound of hooves hitting stone and left a noticeable trail of various dust, dirt and grit in her wake. The grey stallion grit his teeth, but said nothing. The yellow mare was not so courteous, "Babs, are you okay? What's the matter cuz'?"

"Would you terribly mind being quiet?" the stallion's disapproving tone cutting like a keen blade, "This is a place for one to find sanctuary in silence and prayer. I will not have you disturbing those seeking solace here you boisterous ruffian."

The mare stopped and flashed a glare at the stallion, who returned it with his own level glare, and opened her own mouth as the sobs stopped. Babs voice cut through the argument before it formed, "It's fine Gallows, what's wrong Applebloom."

The grey stallion nodded, and respecting his patron's unspoken request and resumed his work. Applebloom however turned her gaze back to Babs and all but shouted, "What's wrong? Babs, I just found you weeping like a foal in front of an alter after spending almost an hour looking for you. Do you have any idea how worried I am? I'm the one who should be asking you, what's wrong!" She approached the orange earth pony and lay her hooves on her cousins shoulders, "What's wrong Babs? Why are you here crying?"

"It's really nothing Applebloom," Babs lied, her gaze shifting to the ground unable to meet her cousin's golden gaze, "I'm just getting a bit wrapped up in my daily prayers is all."

Applebloom's concern morphed into a rocky slate as she force her taller cousin to meet her gaze and said, "Cuz' I'm going to tell you something that somepony important once told me. 'That's the biggest load of horse apples that I've ever heard.' Now tell me what in Tartarus is wrong with you?"

"I told you, it's nothing, just praying," Babs again turned her gaze to the floor.

"Rancid. Minotaur. Shit!" Applebloom shouted drawing a poisonous gaze from the grey unicorn behind her, "I've seen you pray before cuz', I've even seen you get emotional. This ain't that, now you are going to quit acting like a foal refusing to take its medicine or I'm going to force this blabber mouth potion down your gullet and make you?"

"You wouldn't dare," Babs hissed, eyeing the vial full of sparkling clear liquid sitting in her cousin's yellow hoof.

"You wanna bet?" Applebloom flashed a cocky grin, "I don't believe you ever beat me when it came to wrestling."

"Fine. I, I was praying for guidance," Babs sighed her shoulders and head drooping.

Applebloom's head jerked back as if struck and her grin squirmed into a confused frown. She squinted her eyes and looked around before scrunching her face like she'd caught a whiff of something foul. "What do you mean asking for guidance? What you needing guiding for? And why not ask one of us?"

"Because it's so much worse than I expected!" Babs shouted, she stomped her hooves and shut her eyes trying to hold back her tears, "I've seen results of corruption before, heck I spent years putting down ponies gone mad and cruel, but these mutations, these abominations, all those traps. I never, not in my worse nightmares, expected to discover ponies actively working against us, raising the dead, setting such vile traps. And those writings." Babs was cut off as another sob tore itself free of her throat.

"What writings Babs," Applebloom's face was once more the image of concern and worry, "Help me understand. I'm your friend. Your cousin. Your ally in arms. You can tell me."

Babs sobbed into her hooves for a moment before muttering, "At the gates," she took a shaky breath before continuing, "While Scoots was getting you out of that trap. I found a book near one of the corpses by the gate. It was a journal, written by a mare who had gotten trapped behind the gate when they closed the city. She was so sure that the guard would open the gate to let them out at any moment, so were the ponies she was with. Such horrible things happened to them, they had to do such cold things to survive. But the worst, the worst part was that she never gave up that hope, she kept praying and assuring herself that the gate would open and the guards would come and save her." Babs took several ragged breathes as new tears soaked into her coat, "If such could happen to her, if despite all her prayers and faith. Why, why would Faust, would any god allow her to die such a slow horrible death."

"I honestly don't know," Applebloom said slowly. Her firm confident stance crumbling.

"Neither do I," Babs gave a small fragile smile that shattered instants after its births, "That's why I need to pray here, to beg Faust for an answer." Babs turned back to the alter, tears still leaking out of her eyes and body trembling with suppressed sobs.

Applebloom lingered behind her cousin and finally asked, "Did this mare have a name?"

"Minuette," Babs said once more folding her forehooves together.

Applebloom breathed a deep sigh of relief and her confident posture returned to her as she quietly walked up and gave her cousin a soft hug, "Take all the time you need cuz' just try and be home before dark. I don't want Sweetie and Scootaloo worrying about you when they get back from today's mission." Babs didn't answer.

~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~

Applebloom glanced the orange haze overhead as she finished tossing out the last of the broken boards and ruined masonry that had been cluttering up the old house they were living in. If she had to guess she'd place the time as just before sunset, it was hard to say with that thick black haze that always seemed to hang over the area blocking both sun and stars, if any stars still existed. Applebloom really hoped the haze wouldn't be hazardous to anypony's health, though she strongly suspected it would be.

The soft clinking of metal made her return her gaze to earth, she smiled seeing Babs walking past the almost non-existent gate. Babs still had the stains and matted coat of somepony who'd had a fresh cry, but the smile she gave Applebloom was nowhere near as shaky and fragile as the one in the church. Applebloom walked out to meet her and smiled up at her cousin, "Feeling better?"

"Not really," Babs said meeting her cousin's golden gaze, "But I think I'll be able to keep doing what we're doing now." The two smiled and embraced each other, "If you tell Scootaloo about any of this I swear I will make you regret it cuz'."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Applebloom gave her companion a tight squeeze, "I know exactly how she'd act if she found out our big tough knight was crying, she'd be all,"

"The actual fuck is wrong with you? You retarded piece of cowardly shit!" Scootaloo screamed as she appeared appeared at the end of the street leading three obviously distressed mares behind her, "Who the actual fuck goes up to a creepy twisted alter in the middle of the most evil and corrupted place in the known world and actually does what it says? I thought doctor's are suppose to be smart! And will you both shut the fuck up? I'm sick of hearing your blubbering and raving."

Babs and Applebloom looked at each other and hurried to meet the group, even from the house they could tell something was very wrong. Sweetie Belle was a sobbing mess, Diamond Tiara was looking at every shadow like it was about to eat her, Silver Spoon's eyes were fixed to the ground her mouth constantly moving. As they got closer it was obvious that the group was in worse shape than previously thought. Everyone's clothing an armor was an absolute mess, little more than rags and a few twisted pieces of mangled metal holding themselves together with little more than stubbornness and prayers. Their coats showing signs of rapid and crud healings, blood stained their coats a sordid black where their coat wasn't simply gone. Strange protrusions poked out of there limbs, protrusions both Applebloom and Babs recognized as badly broken bones, the fact that the group was even still walking seemed nothing short of a minor miracle. And yet Scootaloo still found the energy to verbally abuse the group.

"Well despite all your complete and utter lack for a single brain or spine between the three of you, we managed to get home," Scootaloo cast a furious glare at at a shocked Babs and Applebloom. "What do you two want?"

"What do we want?" Babs sputtered, "What in Faust's name happened to everypony?"

"Oh that's easy," Scootaloo snarled, "These two retards," she tossed her head at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, "Decided on the way out it would be a great idea to go and play with a creepy alter made out an unknown material. The fuckers opened a portal that released a towering grey tentacle abomination which then proceed to summon two smaller tentacle freaks and all three attacked us. I tried to fight the things, but these thrice damned cowardly fucks decided all bail on me and I had to run for my life from something the size of the house."

"We couldn't kill it," Diamond Tiara collapsed to the ground trembling, "Bullets, knives, potions, magic, we kept attacking it but it just wouldn't die. The noises it was making, it was like something was tearing at my mind and tugging on my soul, and the little ones, they kept chirping and every time they did I felt one of my bones break. We need to keep moving, it's still after us, it's going to end us, we need to keep running."

"It's not still after us you stupid coward, we lost in those alleyways before we even left that damned pit of Tartarus and now its somepony else's problem unless it decides to wait for your stupid ass to come back in so it can do the world a favor and end you!" Scootaloo shouted slapping Diamond Tiara hard enough to knock the mare over.

"Scootaloo what the heck is wrong with you?" Applebloom demanded moving between the pegasus and Diamond Tiara's still trembling form.

"That was completely uncalled for," Babs agreed, snorting as she moved up beside Applebloom.

"Maybe it would ignore us if we made it a cake, or apologized, that always works for Fluttershy and Pinkie right?" Silver Spoon asked her eyes wide with desperate hope before she returned her gaze to the ground and began to murmur near silent bits of madness.

"Well fuck all of you right in the ass," Scootaloo bucked off her bags and bucked them at Babs who nearly fell over from the massive weight of the jingling bags. SCootaloo took several shuddering breaths as her legs gave out on her and she staggered back to her hooves growling, "I do not need this shit right now, I'm going to go to the bar and see if I can't drown myself in the pisswater that rag dares call alcohol. See you fuckers when I next decide to play with a bunch of whiny nags that need to get rutted something fierce!"

Scootaloo stormed away into the fading evening light leaving a shocked and confused Applebloom standing around a struggling Babs, trembling Diamond Tiara, weeping Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon who seemed to be lost in her mutterings. Babs tossed the heavy bags over into the yard and Joined the stunned Applebloom looking at the shattered remains of their group. She heaved a deep sigh, "Come on Applebloom, help me get them back to the church, see if Gallows Prophet can't do something for them." Babs easily slid Sweetie Belle onto her back, "Sweetie's in no condition to try and do magic right now."

Applebloom grunted as she lifted Diamond Tiara onto her back, the pink mare was nowhere near as heavy as Applebloom expected, but carrying a grown mare was still difficult. She took a moment to find her balance and called, "Come on Silver."

The mumbling doctor didn't respond but did follow after the group. Applebloom tired to ignore the sounds of her friend's sobbing and her former enemies ranting, but found it difficult as Scootaloo's cruel words echoed around her head. A glance at Babs showed the mare with a tight frown on her face. "Applebloom? What are we going to do now?"

"I really don't know," Applebloom reluctantly admitted.