Chapters My Little Fortress : The Legend of Golden Heart
My Little Fortress : Legend of Golden Heart - Drinks for Two
By: Pnoy
~~~
Day One:
Log One:
Golden Heart, Praries of Veiling
I just got my belongings together and I am headed out today to find my destiny that lays ahead
of me. Celestia be with me.
~~~
Log Two:
Golden Heart, Praries of Veiling
I arrived at the town's tavern where I met with a local miner. He seemed wary, inviting me in to stay over night to avoid the 'Bogeymen' that he believed festered at night.
I got to know the miner as Gate Crescent and he told me the story of how he had lost a friend to some horrible creature that stalked and terrorized the citizens in the hamlet.
"It was horrible, it just seemed like such a normal day..." he started, smoothly taking a muzzle full from his flask and setting it back down on the table. "We were going out with a friend to find a dog that had went missing a few days before. The owner said she'd waited for her to come back, but usually she would have returned before the first night. So we agreed to go with her grandson to go find the dog out in the woods."
"And did you find the dog?"
"Hold on now, paitence, I am getting there," he hushed me and started with his story again. "We came upon a foul odor, which caused us to assume the worst." The bearded miner took another large swig from his drink, clearing his throat before continuting. "When we got to the body, like we expected it was the dog, the grandson was able to identify it by its mangled fur. The whole scene was gruesome and horrible and the body was absolutley mutilated and even its eyes were missing from their sockets." The hardened miner shivered recalling the details.
"What happened next?" I asked.
The miner dropped his head and nodded. "What happened next we didn't even see coming, there was a god awful shreak that came from the woods around us," the miner recited from memory.
"it was on us before we even knew it, it ran past me and immediatley had my friend by the throat. I heard him manage to usher out 'hel-' before it slit his throat causing blood to gush out everywhere from his jugular." The miner started sobbing, occasionally breaking the tense atmosphere of the conversation with his grief. "it went after the grandson into the woods and I was left alone. You have to believe me when I say I just didn't know what to do."
"I believe you, it's ok there wasn't much you could do from the sounds of it." It became clear to me this talk couldnt go on much longer without the miner having a complete meltdown so I tried my best to wrap it up. "It was good you made your way out of there or you could of ended up as one of them."
The miner choked trying to gain control of himself. "Y-Yeah I suppose, but I never did find out what happened to that lady's grandson." He finished, drinking more heavily from his cup.
"I can take care of this beast, I am on a journey of self discovery and glory." I assured the miner with a hoof on his shoulder.
The miner smirked and seemed discouraged, "Listen this isn't time for no heroics, it's dangerous out there you and I don't know if you can handle something like this, you could get yourself killed."
"I realize this, but I am properly trained in the arts of self defence and not deterred."
The miner seemed to look at me before shurgging it off. "Well fine, some say they see the beast make its home just north east of here, I'm sure you'll be able to find it there."
I thanked the miner for his time and hospitality, as I gathered my belongings before heading out the door the miner stopped me and informed me I didn't have to do this..
"Don't take this as a favor," I told him. "I am doing it because I feel it is my duty and a part of my path to enlightenment. Remember Golden Heart, because you all will be hearing alot of me." I spoke so aggresively as to relay a tone of strength in the foundations for my claims.
Before I could turn to the exit I felt a strong tug on my arm and I turned to face the miner who grabbed on to me. "Listen if anything happens to you out there, don't tell anypony I didn't warn you." I nodded and made my way through the exit out the tavern.
The door shut loudly as its spring pulled it back, shutting it behind me.
~~~
Adrian closed the bloodied journal as the rest of the pages were blank and the only few other pages that had anything on then were just undecipherable markings.
These lands were dangerous, that much was obvious. Adrian made a note to himself to take extra care when dealing with these beasts of the night.
~~~
I hope you enjoyed :D
My Little Fortress : The Legend of Golden Heart
My Little Fortress : Legend of Golden Heart - Adrians Arrival
By: Pnoy
~~~
Journal,
I find myself beside a brook outside the town mentioned in the book. I am preparing
myself for what I might find in the woods that lay just ahead of me. From what I am assuming, I
fret, I won't be finding anything but Golden Heart's flesh torn and strewn about the landscape,
as if t were some sort of gorey canvas. Which I find a shame because I heard he was a pony of
particular talent and that could of come in a hoofy*, I just fear that it may impact the
outcome of my endeavors.
Also, if this monster is so dangerous as to slay two ponies so recently that I may indeed
need to be as steadfast as ever with my sword. My skills are sharp, and I have lived off my edge
since a very young age, but a mistake here could be very costly and potentially end my misery.
_________________________________________________________________________
* : 'a hoofy ' for some other readers with different genetic backgrounds it may be
familiar with 'handy '.
~~~
Acting as a way to better understand my own emotions.
A self enlightenment.
Ironic really.
-Adrian Hoof
My Little Fortress : The Legend of Golden Heart
My Little Fortress: The Legend of Golden Heart - A Local's Jargon
By: Pnoy
~~~
Journal,
Dissapointed, I tried to make my way to the site described by the joural and by locals. But there was a tremendous raging river inbetween me and the site, a detail that was left out. If I am going to get past this obstacle it is going to take me some time to find a way around it.
But as night drew closer I was forced to break off from my search and to seek saftey overnight. Golden Heart must have been an outsider not to know about the Bogeyman and to regard the stories so lightly. Any adventurer caught out at night by themselves in the wilderness was surley doomed. Many heroes of countless triumphs failed to overcome the Bogey menace, and since the last known pony willing to take on the role perished decades ago. Ponies have been living in fear and controlled by the night since. The hero succumbing to the same fate that many of the ponies forced to live on these vile lands are destined aswell.
~Adrian Hoof
~~~
Celestia was able to maintain a beautiful world for plenty of ponies for a long time. But times have changed and industrialization requires more resources and more pony power. Our cities grew and developed, driven by the forces of magic our world took shape. Many tools and utensils, forged of concentrated light from the power of every unicorn's magic. Structures arched monuments, testaments to our archeatechatual feats. But as we grew we need more space, and space Celestia could not afford to give us, her powers at her already stressed limits.
So in order to continue the expansion of Equestria many ponies were sent out in colonies across the unsettled, magicless lands. having to take a step backwards in our progress due to the lack of magic aura in the lands to power our magic craft we were forced to put many pony's lives in danger while they waited in the unknown without many of the neccessities they were accustomed to.
Help and expertise was sent from the Earth and Pegasus pony clans to help the unicorns establish a magical presence by helping them settle the savage lands until they got the magic "terraforming," they depended on. As a workaround the civilization started shipping tools crafted from their magic to the colonies to help in their development.
After some time the magical empire figured out they were able to enchant items and the magic stored in them persisted in the magicless realm.
However it wasn't long until the colonies were plagued with diseases and other natural dangers they weren't exposed to from their lives under Celestia's bubble. Menacing beasts started to attack colonies claiming many ponies' lives. Celestia upon receiving news of several attacks responded by dispatching regiments throughout the colony's range. Many generals controlling the armies established fortresses to aid in patrolling and securing the lands.
Although their efforts have gone a long way in taming the lands the forces in the region remained uncontrollable and ponies still found themselves in harms way on a regular basis.
So to help relieve the mounting crisis, Celestia with a council joined by the Elements of Harmony came together to formulate a plan. After a few days the commission came up with a plan tasking the Elements of Harmony with founding an underground expedition and freeing the land based on evidence of an underground world that may be the source of the sinister enviroment.
A map which revealed the location of the only known entrance to the underworld had foretold of an ancient curse based on the decriptions left on it. it was a code only Celestia was able to transcribe with the help of her student. It told of a wicked Unicorn, its heart blackened by a mythical object and its ability to corrupt the purest.
During Celestia's studies of the note left on the back of the map she realized Sombra's lover, Ester, was the wicked unicorn. She had attempted to usurp Celestia in the pass with an occult movement, but when Celestia defeated her movement, she vanished. She wasn't heard of, or seen since.. But it appears after her vanishment she hadn't gone into retirement.
Whatever the case was, they had to find the hidden location and overcome whatever evil was behind this. But unfortunatly the map was torn and with it the destination they seeked. After Celestia's agents gathered some information that they managed to find the location of the missing peice.
The missing peice was only to be with Golden Heart, an earth pony who appeared to be an aspiring adventurer and hero, a not so typical adolescent struck with wanderlust. A local hero in his home town, where it was easy to get information on him. locals told many tales of his heroism even as a younger stallion.
Informants reached out to his family who wanted little to do with their investigation. It turns out they weren't so much interested in Golden Heart getting into a life laden with peril and dangers, let alone setting out by himself. And the news of his tragic and untimely death couldn't of made it any easier.
It appeared as agnets were close to finding the location of the map fragment they seeked, he had taken it with him aspart of his belongings on his 'ponysal crusade,' as many local ponies described he mentioned it as. He appeared to have been on some sort of enlightenment that was cut short.
And so without the map peice they couldn't find the location to the hidden gateway. That is where I come in. They hired me to retrieve the map fragment, as I am a hardened and experienced survaivalist. From the intelligence they supplied me they gave me a description of Golden Heart, that he is suspected to have the map on him, and his suspected whereabouts. I am to find him and retrieve the fragment.