Wind Whistler isn’t a normal pony. You’ve known her for years, but it’s only after trudging through a forest for hours to really appreciate just how different from the herd she really is. She’s a trotting encyclopedia on a multitude of subjects, but completely inept at making small talk. The conversation, for whatever measure it can be called such, has been decidedly one-sided, except for bursts of facts related to whatever is relevant to your surroundings.
Wind Whistler is knowledgeable. Wind Whistler is logical. Everything she says or does has a purpose. She doesn’t waste words on pleasantries or talking about the weather. You’re not exactly sure why she’s invited you along on this mission instead of either North Star or Paradise, either of whom is more qualified for an archeological expedition than you. You’d call it a ‘fool’s errand’, but while Wind Whistler is a great many things, a fool isn’t one of them. She still hasn’t explained what your trip is about, but she indicated it was urgent when you left Dream Valley earlier that day.
The jungle has run out, and Wind Whistler’s apparent goal is in front of you. A long-abandoned temple rises from the overgrown ruins of an ancient town. She motions for you to slow your pace as she starts reading posted signs in the long dead language. That she can actually decipher the hieroglyphics doesn’t surprise you in the least.
She navigates through the temple, deciphering puzzles and dodging booby traps along the way. You follow her instruction to the letter – you don’t want to end up trapped in here.
It takes a while, but her painstaking caution pays off. You reach the central room of the temple, revealing a large, open room with an altar in the middle. Atop the altar is an awkwardly-shaped stone object.
Wind Whistler whistles in appreciation. “This is the mighty Steinman. An artifact infused with the magic of a dozen unicorns, and gifted to the humans who once lived here.” She goes silent as she starts measuring it, and studying it from all angles. Abruptly she stops and hands you her saddlebags. “Fill these with as many rocks as you can find.”
It’s an unusual request, one you would’ve questioned from anyone else. But from Wind Whistler, you follow her order without comment, scrounging rocks from the floor of the crumbling temple surrounding you.
She takes the saddlebags, and proceeds to adjust the contents, removing some rocks and adding a few others from the ground until she’s satisfied with the results. “This should be sufficient for my needs.” She turns to you. “This is going to require precision timing. The Steinman can be removed, but only in the event something of equal weight is substituted. Failure will result in the ceiling collapsing.”
You gulp as you look up. The ceiling is twenty feet above you, but it’s solid stone. If that drops, you’re both goners.
“I’m going to hover with my saddlebags. When I nod, grab the statue and run back the way we came in. In case we get separated, do you remember the way?”
“Yes.”
“Can you dodge the booby traps?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but if we get separated, you have to get back to Dream Valley. Without the Rainbow of Light, the Steinman is our only hope.”
Porcina had invaded, turning most of Ponyland’s inhabitants to glass.
Wind Whistler nods, and you grab the statue as she drops her rock-filled saddlebags on the dais. There’s a rumbling from above and you pour on the speed, dodging the chunks of rock as they rain down from the ceiling.
The ceiling has collapsed, leaving the altar room strewn with rubble. It’s impossible to see over, and you call out to see if your friend is all right. “Wind Whistler! Are you okay?”
“In a manner of speaking. I’m afraid I miscalculated the weight of the Steinman.” She groans, and you’re not sure if it’s because she’s in pain, or if she’s just embarrassed to have made a mistake.
“Are you in pain?”
“I am, but that’s rather inconsequential, all things considered.”
“How can you consider that trivial?”
She laughs. It’s an awkward sound, almost as if Wind Whistler understands the concept of laughing, but has little practical experience with finding things funny. “This is one of the reasons I prefer to engage in conversations with you – you don’t need a dictionary to translate what I’ve said. But to answer your question, I find myself pinned in a confined space between the dais, the ground, and a rather massive chunk of the ceiling. I’m, as the others would say, stuck.”
“Hold on,” you say. “I’m coming.”
“That would be ill-advised. The stone above me is perched precariously. Efforts to extract me would more likely result in entombing us both. Besides, Dream Valley’s predicament is direr than mine.”
“You can’t sacrifice yourself like this.”
“I can, and I must. The needs of the herd outweigh the needs of one mare.”
“But…”
“We can spend all day arguing, but in the end it’s my decision.”
[CHOICE]
Talk Wind Whistler out of it. (hero)
Let Wind Whistler sacrifice herself for the greater good. (villain)
“Actually, I think you’ll find it’s my decision.” You leave the Steinman on the ground near the exit and climb over the rocks scraping yourself more than once along the way. The rubble heap is unstable, and you move slowly to prevent it from collapsing.
When you finally reach her the scope of the situation reveals itself. Wind Whistler is sprawled on her back, in a position that would only be comfortable for a cat. Her right foreleg is trapped between the altar and a slab of the ceiling.
“As you can now see for yourself, this isn’t merely me being obstinate. I’m well and truly stuck, and you’re not going to be able to lift this stone off me. While you dilly-dally in your attempt to heroically rescue me, Porcina’s Raptorian lackeys could be smashing our friends back home.”
“Quit it, Wind Whistler. I’m not leaving here without you, even if I have to use the MacGuffin to do it.”
“You mean the Steinman.”
“Whatever you call it.”
Your eyes lock on the Steinman. It could work…
Despite Wind Whistler’s protests, you bring the magical artifact over to her.
“But it can only be used once!”
“Maybe. Or maybe it can be used twice if you’re really creative and insanely lucky.” The Steinman is just the right size to wedge between the dais and the ceiling slab. You push it in further, trying to use it as leverage to budge the stone that’s too heavy for you to lift. Thankfully, it’s as durable as it is ugly.
Once she picks up on your plan, Wind Whistler directs you in how to maximize the amount of leverage. With her help, you wedge the Steinman in just enough that she can wiggle her leg free. She can’t walk, but she can still fly.
There’s only one problem. Getting the Steinman back out. Wind Whistler is up for the challenge, applying logic to solve the problem.
With Wind Whistler by your side, and armed with the mighty Steinman, Porcina and her Raptorians won’t know what hit them.
Author's Note
Story notes: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1034265/story-notes-holding-out-for-a-hero
