Cold. The chill roused me as it spread across my fur. Everything was blurry; how long had I been unconscious? It took a moment for my mind to awaken as I adjusted to the darkness. I inhaled slowly. The air was humid, suffocating and the exhale left pale mist in the air. I blinked away a splash of water that leaked from the stalactite overhead. A hard throbbing pain rose slowly from my shoulder; the fur was discolored even in the darkness.
“Right…” I sighed and looked overhead. A dim ray of light shone through a gap a dozen feet above, the ledge obscured by the myriad of broken stones. Time to assess what was still usable. I emptied my saddlebags on the rough stone ground and rummaged around by feel of hoof. Thank the goddesses that my body broke the fall and most of my equipment was only dented.
With a turn of a switch, three matches and a bit of fumbling my lantern sparked to life. Scattered along the ground was a myriad of gear which included several writing implements, a cracked telescope, several ration bars and waterpouch, a bundle of rope and a dented sextant. I grimaced at the damage. It would take a bundle of bits to fix these.
A long cylinder laid off to the side, it’s green case pristine with nary a scratch in the light. That alone washed my foul mood away as I gathered it all back up into the bags and stowed it onto my back.
“Guess I can’t climb back out,” I mumbled. The cavern walls were large and worn with ages of erosion. A chill apart from the air ran down my spine as I stared at the collapsed entrance above. “Such old caves must have an exit somewhere. Yes, I’m sure.”
The thunderous beat within my chest, steady in rhythm, echoed much louder than the steady clop of my hooves. Every minute that passed by as I traversed down the cave felt like an hour. Each step made my shoulder burn which was almost a welcome distraction from the endless darkness and featureless rock.
“Ah!” I barely caught myself from letting the ground kiss me lovingly and looked at the offending object that dared be underhoof. An oblong stone chipped and cracked revealed itself. Even underneath the water erosion it was obviously not naturally made. “That’s a bit out of place, isn’t it?”
I was about to hold the lantern closer when I heard it. Like the breath of wind, subtle and nonexistent, but I clearly heard it. Hadn’t I? There it was again! Was it wind? That meant a way out! I immediately picked up my pace to continue down the cave. It was a subtle change, noticeable enough, that the ground started to incline. It wasn’t as subtle when the floor began to flatten out, the rough ground slowly evening out into an unnatural smoothness.
“No, not unnatural. This,” I tapped on it with a hoof, “is worked?”
It wasn’t odd for ancient stone buildings, pre-discordian monuments and lost temples to be found this far east from civilization. However, the chances one would be buried in a mountain and coincidentally connected to a cave? “Heh, looks like lady luck is watching out for me.”
The tension melted out of my shoulders and I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Hah. Haha. Heh…”
I followed the path, now I could clearly call it a path, further down. The cavern walls began to close around me, the cave narrowing as the stone turned to a chiseled structure when I heard it again. It was soft and flowing, so faint in my ears, which brought me hope.
Finally, the cave was behind me as everything had changed into a made tunnel. I didn’t recognize the stonework from several of the old tribes. It appeared chiseled but I couldn’t find any of the typical markings, even barring the erosion of time and the damp environment.
A shadow popped into the periphery as I studied the walls. I closed on it and brought the lantern closer. It was a large broken stone, each section clearly carved but its form unrecognizable. “A statue?”
As I went deeper I came across more of the statues. Most had crumbled to the floor in chunks or dust, but several remained fully formed even when eroded leaving any details to be desired. One thing was unchanging: they were all ponies.
“Is this a temple? Note to self: come back to study when free. This could make my career! Or not. That dang professor might just take it from under me,” I mumbled. No, put those thoughts in the back of my mind! Now wasn’t the time to languish over nothing.
The number of statues was beginning to unnerve me. It wasn’t a dozen or two, it was more and growing in density the deeper I got. I nearly lost my breath as the lantern light fell across a door. A massive stone door six times my height and slightly ajar just enough for a pony to fit through.
Statues were littered in front of it. Ponies, every single one, crowded atop one another all throwing themselves against the door. Hooves scraping at the stone, horns raised high with silent cries and the look on each carved face made me shudder. It was a grey picture of something out of a horror novel. A dry chuckle escaped as I averted my gaze away from the statues.
“Whoever carved all of this sure did have a lot of time.” The burning in my shoulder was back as it felt like I was walking through water. I entered through the door. I stopped. I couldn’t continue. “Hah. Haha. What is this?”
The room was crowded. Ponies of all age, race, and size filled the floor to the very edges of the lantern’s light. There was no age, no muddled details, as I could see the details on their clothes. Yes, their clothes, for I dared not to look up to their faces.
It came again. The sound on the edge of my hearing, but it was there. It grew louder; was it coming toward me? I scrambled to turn around. My hooves stumbled over themselves. The statues bumped into me—no I ran into them—as I rushed to the door. A rumble shook me from my hooves to my teeth. Upon the shadowy light, I saw it. The giant stone door grinding only for a moment.
“No. No, no, no!” I shoved my way through the crowd and reached the door. It was still ajar, yes, but it had moved just enough. “Just enough that I can’t fit. No, that’s can’t be right.”
I threw down my saddlebags and set the lantern down. Slowly I tried to squeeze through, but the sharp electrifying pain shooting up from my shoulder refused me. My body protested that it couldn’t shrink enough. I stopped trying, content to sit down and stare out of the door. The statues stared back.
A giggle came from the darkness. Quiet and melodic, followed by the hiss of the wind. I jumped to my hooves and picked up the lantern. “Who’s there!?”
Another giggle came from the opposite side. I felt myself back up into the door. “Show yourself!”
“Oh poor little pony, so scared and alone. It asks who we are in such a tone?” said a charming voice. Her words were melodic, borderline hypnotic, whispered quietly but heard as if they were right by my side.
The bottom of my stomach dropped out from under me when I got a response. “Oh. Oh bumbleberries. Um, uh… Hello?” I pulled my saddlebags back on and began to make my way through the stone sea of faces. It was hard to avoid looking at them as I peered into the distance darkness.
“Hello, cowering and courteous one. What brings you here away from the sun?” it, she, asked. A part of me began to immediately reply before I could squash the thought.
“I, uh, fell down. Yes! I fell down and am looking for a way out. Do you think, um, that you could help me?” I started at something in the corner of my vision. It was quick, far too fast to see, but I think I saw… scales?
“That’s dreadful to hear, little pony that’s lost. I can help, I can tell, but what if there’s a cost?”
Somepony gulped. I stepped over a cowering foal statuette, the eyes far too vivid and detailed for me to enjoy, as I began to wonder just how big this room was. The ceiling was beyond the light’s reach and the walls had no end in sight. It flickered again, but I clearly saw it. A tail of shimmering green scales.
“Oh. Oh drat.” I tried to pick up my pace, but my shoulder began to ache and burn like fire under my skin. I wasn’t sure if my lungs were cold or burning as the chilly, humid air began to suffocate me. “A cost? I have no bits, or anything to, um, trade.”
“Don’t you though, shaking little explorer? I spy a pair of bags across one’s shoulder. Come now, don’t be shy. Show me trinkets that might catch the eye,” it whispered, the sounds coming from in front of me. Underneath it’s voice, I heard it, the hiss of wind that led me here, and a dread settled on me.
“Oh okay,” I said. I had a choice, but it wasn’t smart to not comply. They were just things after all. My bags were once again dumped on the ground out in front of a pair of stallion statues. They were big enough to block the sight of the items. I looked around waiting for whatever it was to come into the light. A few silent moments passed. What was going on?
“Oooh, how brilliant and novel a show. There are a few that even I know!” she said, her voice right next to my ears. I could hear a hiss, several hisses, coming from behind me. No, next to me. The chill in the air was stifled on my left. A low giggle came so clearly that I dared not move. I could barely see the color of green in the dim light.
“Eep!” I cried harshly. A pair of yellow eyes stared at me, a small snake hanging down from the creature, hissed with its forked tongue. The sound was one I recognized. There was no doubt about what had led me astray. I reflexively spun to look at the creature, but she was a blur into the darkness. A green scaled tail with small spines running down it’s spine. It’s torso was something else, but I saw nothing of the small snake.
“So close to spotting us! We were only looking; no need for a fuss.” She laughed as I could hear her slithering around the statues. Her voice bounced off the walls, the echo coming from everywhere at once. “But yes, the lost one has many objects I desire. Leave them all there and keep your fire. We are so kind so you surely do not mind. Yes?”
I wasn’t sure what I was feeling between the hot pain, cold air, and nauseousness of whatever this creature was, but if being swindled out of some damaged goods was worth getting out of here I wasn’t going to argue.
“Yes! Yes, um, of course. You can have all that and I’ll just be… over there.” I grabbed my green cylindrical case to sling it over my back and picked up my lantern. As I crawled through the statues to continue on I could hear it. A furious commotion of motion atop my former belongings and a shrill laughter of joy. Her laughter continued on as I got further away until I could hear it no more.
The walls came into view with another tall, stone set of double doors. These too were slightly ajar, but that was secondary to the doors themselves. Across both doors encompassing the majority of the portal was a large reptilian eye. I held my breath before remembering that it was merely a carving. Inspecting the edges and bottom of the door showed an old picture story. I was no expert in archeology or language so it was merely pictures of ponies, but two did catch my attention. A temple with the eye upon it and a large snake.
What was I doing? This was no time to look at ancient temples obviously devoted to snake gods! I rushed through the door into another dreary stone hallway. I could hear the hiss of the wind behind me. No, not the wind, it was never the wind.
The pathway came upon a branching path. I wasn’t sure which to take so I went left. Rule of hoof on mazes was that following the left wall would always lead you out. Or was it the right wall? I had already committed so I continued left even after four more branching passages. It felt like an hour before I came upon a door. It was small and ornate unlike the temple doors from before. Having no other way except backward I opened it and went in.
My vision swam as I vomited my morning lunch onto the lantern I dropped. The room was large and overgrown like the jungle outside. A variety of treasures from several eras and ages were littered about the room like trash or piled up into groups that made little sense. A nest of foliage bigger than I laid in the corner while the opposite corner was submerged in black water. Yes, the room wasn’t the problem.
Every breath of the putrid air made my stomach heave, my throat burn, and eyes water. I struggled to even move as my mind was dizzy. Pony statues were all around the room. Some were seated around a broken wooden table rotted with age, another standing politely near the nest, and some soaking in the sludge in the corner. I barely picked myself up off the ground.
“Oh my, a lost little pony visiting our nest? Ah, we aren’t prepared for a guest!”
I tried to spin around but a pair of hooves, cold and soaked, held my head still. The subtle sound of her body slithering across the floor, her siren-like voice and quiet hissing made my body lock up. I feared to move, to breathe, lest the worst happen. My throat still burned too much from my sick to talk.
“Nevertheless we are not one to oppose. Yes, oh yes, you look tired and in need of repose,” she whispered in my ear. I could feel her muzzle on my neck. “Go, go inside quicker. Worry not for you won’t get much sicker.”
The slimy hooves gently pushed against my neck. I stumbled into the room barely maintaining my balance. Each breath was difficult, but I was adjusting to the foul air. Ponies frozen in stone here were different. All the expressions in the large chamber were of a variety of anger, fear or terror. Here, in this swampy room, they looked forlorn. Regretful? I started as the light moved over to hang upon a statue’s outstretched hoof.
“Oh this is delightfully fun. I rarely chat with living ones.” I whipped around not minding my daze. No more of this hiding act! Yet every time I turned she snuck around my side. Her giggles made it obvious what she was doing. I froze as I felt her cold, soaked body drape across my back. “Ah ah, we haven’t talked just yet. Still yourself to not fret. Yes?”
“Okay. Um, yes,” I shivered as she slid off me to go around the room. Why wouldn’t she let me look at her? Despite the fear of this whole situation, being trapped in a room with what I’ve been assuming is a snake monster, I couldn’t help my curiosity. Slowly I inched over to near the light. I know the lantern couldn’t warm me up, but I felt it did anyway.
“So, you want to talk?” The air wasn’t that bad anymore. “What about?”
“Why, many things come to mind. What does the one come to find? Why is the one here? Does the one hold anypony dear?” Metal crashed against other metal tempting me to look, but I held back with a slight peek. The creature was dropping the telescope and other tools onto a pile of other metal trinkets. It, she, moved across the room as she added the new additions to her personal horde.
I scooted closer to the door, only a small amount, but talked every time to cover the noise. “I didn’t come here on purpose. Well, not here here. As in this, your lovely temple. Um, sorry, I’ve just never met a, um.” She stopped moving about and I could feel her eyes on me. It was as if she was touching me with the air itself. “Maps! Right, came to this forest to map it out!”
The shuffling of various tools resumed. “How splendid a pursuit you do! Are you the scout? No, with such spirit you draw the maps too! Ah, I never had a doubt. What of the other questions we had? Take your time, we will not be mad.”
“Haha, of course. Well, I guess I came to find whatever I could. I mean, it’s part of the job, but why I’m here explains it all. This, ah, fine temple is a splendid discovery. If there’s one there’s bound to be more around. Such constructions aren’t built in the middle of nowhere, after all. I mean, why, there must be a whole civilization’s history here. A town, or village at the least, to be discovered and reported to—” I snapped out of it. “They’ll find it fascinating when I tell them back home.”
The door was so close at hoof with the lantern within just the edge of my reach. I glanced around keeping my sight close to the floor. Just as I was about to bolt she spoke. It wouldn’t have stopped me, it shouldn’t have, but her tone gave me pause.
“And… of a one dear?”
“...None. I’m afraid I just… well, that’s not an excuse. No, none in particular.”
“Then why not stay here!? Yes, stay with us and no longer pout! We can be your dear, no need to seek one out. Yes?” She clapped her hooves together so suddenly that something stumbled to the ground. It bounced twice with an echoing clang before landing face up. The noise scared me so suddenly I couldn’t help but look. It was a small vanity mirror, three cracks parting the worn glass, but it did nothing to hide what it reflected.
She was a pony. A youthful mare with a beautiful smile. If only that was all it was. Snakes of green and purple skin slithered where her mane should be, their teeth overshadowed by her glaringly sharp fangs protruding past her jaw. Her green fur was oily and soaked that slowly shed into dark green scales going from a mammal to a reptilian body that had sharp spines down her back. Yet the worst was her eyes, a pair of glowing yellow jewels.
“It will be like long ago! I had asked our friends to stay back then. Oh, I don’t know why they said no. Something about their next of kin…” She laughed as I saw her drape a hoof across a statue and stare at it longingly. “We weren’t mad; we were kind! I don’t think they ever did mind. What does one say?”
Her eyes focused back on me. I saw them focus back on me. She saw that I had seen. I rolled to the side before she crashed into the pile of metal trash behind me. Quick, no time to think, I grabbed the lantern off from her long dead friend and bolted through the door. No, don’t look back!
“No, no, no! Stay with us, care for us, talk to us! We won’t let one more go!” she yelled, her fury hiding a number of things I wouldn’t dare to guess. It didn’t stop me from galloping down the stone hall. The intersection came up quickly. I turned right so hard I slid into the wall but jumped to keep my speed. A moment after a heavy thud came from where I had been. Right, another right, a left turn up there.
“Oh goddesses,” I screamed between panting breaths. The grinding of her against the stone was right behind me. I could feel the damp fur of her hooves on my haunches. A light, warm and bright, was up ahead! Without much thought I tossed my lantern behind me and was rewarded a pained scream. Just a moment more!
I leaped into the blinding light. I made it two feet before I began falling down a short series of stone stairs. The warm rays of the sun beat down upon my body that brought tears to my eyes. It was that or the horrifyingly painful burning in my shoulder. I laid there a moment soaking in having escaped.
“But I didn’t,” I mumbled. I glanced back; a crumbled small door laid to the side revealing nothing but darkness within. There was no sign of it, the monster, her. It could’ve been my imagination but the air felt heavy. She must’ve been right behind me, watching, but why didn’t she come out?
I barely managed to my hooves. Perhaps it was the odd calm, but I took off the green cylindrical case and popped the top off. Inside were several maps both old and new. I took out one that looked fresh, pristine, and unfurled it on the dirty cobblestone. A sprawling jungle with several notations and a river winding through it. Having sacrificed all my inks I picked up a nearby rock and carved a scar on the paper: a circle right where I thought I was. I rolled it back up and returned it to the scroll case.
Was it over? The whole encounter felt like a dream. It was fantastical, even more so that I survived. “Fantastical, yeah. Robbed of all my possessions!” I yelled at the empty doorway. “Scared out of my life! You know that? You’re scary! Jeez, fall down a hole and then off a ledge and then chased to the edge of my life! Then there’s whatever's wrong with my shoulder. Is it broken? Bleeding? I don’t know! It hurts! Raaaah!”
I stood there for several moments breathing. Letting the intensity of the situation flow out of me. Her tone, her words, they were never hurtful. The mons—the odd mare—was nothing like a monster. Perhaps, maybe, she had a side that she couldn’t help. Couldn’t control. I knew that not all monsters were like that, that some were just as they appeared. Yet the way she acted left me wondering.
Once again I popped the top of the case, my case, and pulled out all my maps. Delicately I rolled them and put them in my empty saddlebags. It was stupid of me to be doing what I was doing, but I couldn’t say it was wrong. Gently, in front of the broken door, I set my green scroll case against it and backed away.
“Look, lady, if you’re hearing me? Sorry. I mean, not really because you more or less almost killed me and mugged me in the middle of a jungle, but I guess I get it. Or not. I’m not sure what I’m saying. I just think,” I ran a hoof through my mane. “Maybe you’re not all a monster. Or something. So, uh, you’re green. This is green. You can have it. Keep it clean and nice, okay? One day, not saying I will, but I might come back. You know, to get it. Ah jeez, I must be crazy.”
Yeah, that was it, I was being crazy. I limped down the stairs, each one determined to make me suffer and continued into the jungle beyond. At the edge of the treeline, I looked back. The case was gone. Softly I heard it. A hiss as soft as the wind. I shook my head and hurried into the jungle. Home was calling me.
Author's Note
Taking all critique, negative or positive, as this was an exercise on many parts. I'd just like to hear your thoughts on it!
