The hot lava flowers in a never ending sludge in long rivers. The heat was almost unbearable, making everything uncomfortable and sweaty. Senshi gave a huff as he carefully picked his way along a well worn trail not too far away from the lava. Ahead of him Ann kept up a steady walk. Her ears swung from side to side as she seemed to know what way to go. Ann had been around these dungeons before after all. Senshi was more than happy to have a friend these days. It got lonely down here. And while he did go back up to his home to relax and get more food, he felt like most of his days had started being spent down here. 

The stallion snorted as Ann gave a little bark at him, as if to tell him “hurry up!” Chuckling Senshi realized he had started to fall behind. “Ya ya, I'm coming big girl.” He laughed, before picking up his walking speed. It would be too dangerous to try and trot in here. Being this close to the lava and all. He did NOT wanna fall in. 

Slowly the pair walked downwards. The natural flow of the lava had worn the old dungeon down ever so slightly over the years. While Senshi could imagine the dwarves, who seemed to call this level home, had made the road slope downward for easy transportation he had a feeling the lava had only added to that over time. Senshi glanced around them. The walls were heavy and wide. A mixture of ancient stone and metal. Long metal pipes, like giant snakes, twisted into the walls or hung from the ceiling. Carvings, many lost to time, had stuck out of the walls here and there. They seemed to be depicting humans? Or maybe some dwarves of note. Sadly the faces and details had been broken or worn down over the many many years. Every now and then Senshi could pick out the shape of an eye, often set with a gemstone, or even a strange nose. 

He shook out his mane before glancing down at the floor. Even that was made of a mix of stone and metal. Well what parts he could see. The lava had eaten away at a lot of it. 

Senshi wasn't fully sure what they had been looking for. He had wanted to explore this level with Ann. And even if that fear of this level still curled up in his stomach, he wanted to face it and be brave. Senshi grunted as he shook away his memories of this level from foal hood. A foal should only go with an adult. And while he was with his father then, he felt….lost. Maybe this was really no place for foals. Ann gave a loud bark that echoed around the hot walls and bounced around Senshi's skull. Up ahead the narrow path opened wide, the lava going off to the right and leaving a very wide cavern. Well maybe cavern wasn't the right word. The ceiling stretched above them. Wide and covered in pipes. The ground was layered with rubble and large metal carts. Many of the carts still held their contents. Heavy stone, some still holding a soft glitter of gemstones and metal. Other carts seemed to be knocked over by the rubble. Those ones allowed Senshi to see the large metal trails they followed. As if they had been made purely for the carts. 

The stallion snorted as he and Ann moved into the cavern. In the lava light that faded every so slightly, Senshi could see the walls covered with strange round things. They almost looked like wheels save for the fact that every few hoof steps a massive chunk would be missing. Some of these wheels looked to be locked into each other. As if turning them would click them together and make something happen. “odd..” he muttered, looking at more of the wall. 

Large chains, bigger than a horse, hung from seemingly random places. The walls were covered in intricate carvings and details. As if someone had taken a long time to make this beautiful. Senshi and Ann picked around the heavy stones and carts. Senshi flicked his ears forward as they got near some of the bigger carts. Attached to the front seemed to be large chains. They hooked to the metal cart in a simple fashion. Senshi narrowed his eyes and nosed the chains. They rattled softly before getting stuck. His eyes followed past the stonework and towards a very heavy set of what seemed to be leather straps. The stallion pinned his ears and pushed one of the straps with his hoof. The leather was stiff, and did not give any room to move. They looked almost like the leather work of some of the Coursers out of the dungeon. Senshi gave another snort before he noticed something pale stuck under one of the large stones. It wasn't a stark white, but rather a soft yellow color. And he almost missed it. Bones. Courser bones. With a start Senshi realized what he had found. These heavy carts had been pulled by a Courser. One who had been either left to die, or perhaps died in the cave in. The stallion backed up, his ears flat and his nose bellowing air. “By the old ones “ he hissed before looking at Ann. The bloodhound gave a whine as she took a sniff of the old leather and bones. Her tail dropped and she looked to Senshi with another whine. Senshi didn't need words to understand her meaning. She was upset about it like him. 

He had always heard that the humans and other races had used Coursers like animals. After all, he had found armor on both sides. And when he had found Lady’s skull, he had stumbled into a mass of old horse armor and strange leather straps. But this? Senshi felt that sickness in his stomach started to unfurl. This was wrong. This was a Courser who had died in vain to its owner. The stallion grunted, having to move away from this sickening sight. He moved past the carts that had also no doubt been pulled by coursers, towards the end of the little metal roads. They stopped at what seemed to be a large stone obelisk. Metal sticks stuck out from the top and Senshi, trying to keep his mind off of what he just learned, moved to investigate. The metal was cold and some were broken. But with a bit of nosing the stallion pushed one forward. There was the sound of metal and stone grinding together. Of the chains rattling and being pulled tight. The wheels on the wall started to turn and Senshi jumped back. Almost stepping on Ann who had taken shelter behind him. 

In front of the pair the large stone wall shifted. They pulled to the side and revealed a large doorway. The doorway was horrible. A large face with two eyes and a gaping mouth. Red light spilled from it, as if the door was angry. Senshi grunted and moved to step backwards. 

 The metal tracks clicked behind them and Senshi watched as one of the empty carts shifted forward. His eyes went back to the doorway and he realized that Coursers had to pull those carts into this horrible mouth door. Beyond he could see the glowing of fires and feel the heat. Another forge? Or was this another spot they would make the horses follow to something bigger? 

Senshi looked behind him to see Ann. The dogs tail low as she huddled by his back hooves. “It's ok girl. It won't hurt us.” The dark stallion promised as he turned to give the hounds a soft muzzle with his nose. Ann gave a soft whine before licking at his muzzle in return. Senshi chuckled, before he looked back at the doorway. As much as he hated the idea of going in, he wanted to know. What had the horses of the past been made to do? He shuttered thinking of it, but this could be a clue to what happened all those years ago. Senshi started to turn around when Ann gave a deep growl. The bloodhound only did that when she saw something about to hurt them. 

Senshi was already on edge, and with speed far faster then he remembered the stallion pulled his Harvester Sickle free. Ann jumped forward with a baying bark, before darting around a mountain of rubble, pipes, carts and leather. She gave another bay as Senshi jumped after her. There was a loud squeal, and the stallion suddenly felt his blood go cold. That wasn't the sound of a monster. Far from it, that was the sound of a foal. 

He wiped around the little mountain to find Ann, standing very confused. She had her head cocked to the side and her tail in a low wagging position. As if she was unsure. In front of her, pushing up next to an old cart and tangled in the chains, was a small Courser foal. Its coat was a soft red, splattered with white. Two wide and scared lavender colored eyes looked back at them. The foal’s legs wobbled and swayed, as if it couldn't fully stand on its own. In fact a lot of its fur was still matted. How young was this thing? Senshi put the Sickle away, before stepping forward and around Ann. “Hey there little one. Where's your momma?” he asked softly, nosing the foal. It was a little colt, and seemed to wobble into him. “Momma?” It asked confused. Those two Lavender eyes looking up at Senshi and licking with his own brown eyes. Senshi nodded. “Ya little guy. Your momma? How did you get here all alone?” The foal gave a few wobbly steps as he moved towards Senshi. Senshi was more than happy to meet the little guy half way, and allowed the tiny one to use him as support. This was odd. Senshi glanced around and saw no other Coursers. He had also not smelled this foal here when coming in. Had he simply missed him? “Ann, follow his trail “ he told the hound. Ann, who had also been sniffing the colt, gave a deep bark before her nose hit the ground. The bloodhound sniffed, before she locked into something and began baying loudly. “Come on little guy. Can you walk?” Senshi asked, looking down at the foal. The colt looked up at him with wide confused eyes. “I'll take that as a no..” with a sigh Senshi slipped his head under the foal and picked him up. The colt was settled around his shoulders. Softly held there by his saddle bags as well. 

Senshi carefully picked his way after Ann, who seemed to be going to a hole in the old wall. She let out another loud bark before scratching at the hole. “Easy girl. What did you find?” Senshi rumbled as he stepped closer to take a look. The hole was dark and seemed to twist off into…who knows where. That's odd. Normally a foal this age would t just be left to walk the dungeon. Ann gave a huff, as he moved away from Senshi. Did she find another trail? By the old ones was there a twin?! Senshi felt himself panic at the idea of not one little foal but two. Why would there be foals down here anyways? And without a mother? Ann trotted towards the big door they had opened and Senshi suddenly realized that Ann was taking them into that horrible door. But…if it was another foal ..he couldn't just leave it to die. Stealing himself Senshi and Ann moved into the doorway. The air was hot and cracked around the . Making the little foal on his shoulders while softly as he ducked its head. “easy little guy. It's ok.” Senshi turned his neck, allowing him to muzzle the foal. The small little group made their way into the door and past it. At the mouth of the doorway Senshi could see all that waited for them. The room was larger than the last. More strange wheels, chains and some metal things he could not understand stood in their way. The floor was filled with heavy ruts from the old carts. Long iron troughs sat by bellows. This place looked almost like a forge, if not for the massive carts that lay on even bigger trails. They looked large enough to carry an army! And some still sat heavy with the gemstones and stones. Senshi glanced down at them, and noticed the metal trail they followed twisted and turned off into the fading light. Where did those go? His mind was ripped back into the moment as Ann let out a bark. She had stopped at what seemed to be a large tipped over trough. Senshi flicked his ears forward, had they found the other foal? He was about to call out when Ann let out a shocked yelp and darted away. Senshi pinned his ears as the hound sucked behind him. The sound of something hissing was heard, and then a large snake slowly started to slink forward. Its scales glittered like the gemstones around them. And Senshi almost swore it had an amused look in its face as it looked up at him. He moved to pull his sickle but stopped as the foal let out a little call. “Friend.” It muttered, wiggling as the snake moved closer. Senshi felt his ears flick at the foal's voice. It sounded almost musical in his ears. So…familiar almost. Yet Senshi couldn't place his hoof on it. 

 Senshi felt himself freezing as the beast slithered up his leg, around his neck and rested on the colt’s back. Wait…..had this snake been with the colt already? Is that why Ann picked up its trail too? Senshi pushed his ears back as he looked at them. The colt seemed happy? Maybe that was the case. 

Senshi glanced around this large room, and was able to spy out a relatively safe place deeper into the place. It was cooler there. He helped the colt down, and covered him with a blanket before turning to Ann. “Good job.” He praised, as Ann sat down watching the snake. Senshi moved to get into his pack, and pulled out some food. Bread, and some dried fruit. Could a foal eat that? He nudged it closer to the little thing before looking around. “We'll rest here for now. “ He was more talking to himself than the foal, or even Ann. The stallion set about making a little camp, and once that was done he got to work trying to care for the foal. Drying him off, and trying to help him eat. 

It got to the point where Senshi was finally able to lay down himself. He landed onto the hard stone and metal ground with a “oougf” of a sound. Before settling himself in. The foal, who had moved closer by now, nuzzled up to Senshi and gave a yawn. Its Lavender eyes flutter shut. “You're a plucky little guy huh?” Senshi chuckled as he pulled a blanket over the small red foal. “No mother, no name. Just this…snake…” Senshi grunted, as the sizable snake curled up next to him. 

“ I can't leave you here all alone…you're far too young…and I'm not sure if taking you up is safe either..” Senshi sighed and shook his head. “I guess I should give you a name for now. I can't really call you just foal now can I?” Senshi leaned down and pulled the blanket up around the little colt. “Maybe Pluck. You are plucky.” He mused softly. “That might do for now, huh Pluck.” 

The colt was now fast asleep. And Senshi felt a strange twist in his heart. He nuzzled the small Courser, allowing him to rest while he and Ann kept watching.