Twilight happily trotted up to the edge of the wood. The sky was bright blue, the sun having only arisen at Celestia's command a few hours before. The day was cool in a pleasant way, a breeze lifting the strands of her mane. High above her, Dash flew and landed at her side, her back laden with nearly overflowing saddlebags. Twilight's own supplies-blankets, food provisions, water bottles-all floated in her magical aura. Dash greeted her and immediately went back to hovering in the air. Next to arrive was Pinkie, bouncing down the lane, her own supplies neatly packed in bright pink bags that nearly blended into her fur. She joined the herd that was standing at the edge of the deep wood of oak and beech trees that were just now being touched by Autumn, the whole forest alive in shades of orange. Pinkie Pie just couldn't seem to stop bouncing. Twilight smiled at her friend's exuberance and floated a checklist from out of her saddlebag as she saw Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy also trot up . "Alright, does everypony have their sleeping bags?"
"Yep!" Pinkie bounced up and down and the others murmured agreement.
Twilight marked that one off on her list. "Food supplies?"
Another murmur of agreement.
Dash zipped in midair. "We got everything; I wanna go!"
"Okay, Dash, but don't rush me, I want to check everything off." Twilight checked off the last items, put the scroll away and started to trot. The others followed after her into the woods. Twilight and Rarity kept to a casual pace, the two Unicorns chatting with each other about nothing much at all, taking in the serenity of the forest.
High above them the ancient branches, grown strong and powerful by weathering centuries' worth of storms, intertwined. The leaves shook in the wind which raked at Rarity's mane. She frowned. "Lovely surroundings, but perhaps I should've bought a ribbon. Oh! How is Spike? Will he not be joining us?"
Twilight shook her head. "He wanted Big Mac to take him to the hoofball game."
Rarity slowed her pace, gazing at a patch of pink wildflowers. "I see. Maybe next time." She lit up her horn and pulled up the flowers, threading them through her mane, ideas for floral-themed clothing already going through her mind.
Pinkie hopped on ahead down the dirt road that cut through the lines of trees. She marveled at the bright yellow dandelions and gentle, purple puffs of thistle that popped up on the road and was interspersed among the woods. A sheet of grape vines fell down the trunks, the tendrils of the jagged plants embracing them. She hummed a happy tune to herself which joined the chorus of early morning bird song, the birds singing from among the canopy of orangeing and browning leaves that completely enveloped the herd.
Dash floated, letting the currents of of wind lift her up, push her along. Growing impatient, she darted ahead, dodging a low-hanging branch in her way and nearly slamming into another one. She zipped between two branches growing close together, sticks and twigs clawing at her mane and eliciting a yelp that she would deny until the rest of her days. Shaking out her mane sent the twigs and sticks falling to the ground for her companions to dodge. Fluttershy frowned and looked up at her. "Dash, maybe it' be best if you'd come down before you hurt yourself."
She spread out her wings and jumped away just as she felt the snap of Pinkie's jaws. "Pinkie! What are you doing?"
Pinkie jumped up again. "I'm playing Catch The Pegasus! It's Pound Cake's favorite game!"
Dash snorted, smirked and darted out of the way. "You're not gonna catch me-whoa!" She quickly spun around a tree, but not quick enough to avoid barreling through the leafy limbs. The limbs snapped upon her crashing into them and she whirled around several times, making the world spin around her.
Blushing, she returned to the ground and shook out her wings, sending out a spray of sticks down to the ground, sending the rest of the herd scrambling. Blushing, she floated back down and landed next to Applejack. Fluttershy ran up to her and Dash, for a few moments, tolerated, her looking over her for any injuries.
After a few moments, they began moving again. While only the barest shafts of sunlight made their way down to sprinkle onto the forest floor, that light was beginning to be obscured as dark clouds moved in. Twilight looked up, consulted her map. "According to the map King Aspen gave Fluttershy, the Emerald Lake is about half a mile from here. We need to make camp soon, I don't like the look of those clouds."
Dash picked up her pace. "Hey, AJ, you wanna practice for the running of the leaves?"
Applejack playfully bumped her flank. "Sure I do, but are you feelin' alright though? You seem more hyper than a cat with a ball o'yarn."
Dash shrugged. "I'm fine. I've just been bored lately. We've had nice, clear weather lately so not much to do. No...storms..." She looked up, blinked. "Huh. Must've rolled in from the Everfree. Ah, it'll blow itself out."
"If you say so." Applejack hoofed at the ground. "Let's get that race on. I've been awful cooped up myself."
With a burst of speed, the two athletes took off, pounding the ground beneath their hooves. Dash took the lead, though she kept her wings carefully tucked to her sides. She blasted past Applejack, but Applejack rushed to keep up with her. The land beneath their hooves shifted, sometimes almost imperceptibly lifting up. Applejack felt the contours of the land as she rushed by, leaping over rocks in her way.
Her rival attempted to do the same, but was not as in tune with the land. As she rushed ahead, the land dropped by a few inches and she flared out her wings to keep from falling. That was all the time that was needed for Applejack to gallop past her.
The wind snapped up the leaves and a brown leaf slapped across Applejack's face though it didn't even slow her down. She pushed her back legs like a spring, galloping forward. Dash grumbled to herself and sprinted to keep up, her front hooves pounding the ground and giving her enough of a burst to speed to rush up to Applejack's side.
Applejack picked up the pace, but Dash lept over a rock. A few droplets of rain started to fall, but they paid it no mind, their legs drumming in tune with each other, their hooves a mere few inches away from each other. Dash surged ahead, pushing her front legs out, slamming down on the ground and leaving a cloud of dust to burst into Applejack's face. She coughed and brought down her back legs hard, rocketing past her rival. Dash let her, keeping a steady pace while Applejack surged past her.
Dash rushed, quickly drumming her legs in quick bursts that pushed her to just barely keep up with Applejack. Applejack took the lead again and Dash had to pick up speed just to fall a few inches behind her. Applejack's legs, hardened by hours of labor, were just stronger. She had no problem outrunning the lightweight Pegasus. Dash broke into a canter, taking a long jump without even spreading her wings. She sailed past Applejack, turned to stick out her tongue.
Applejack paid no mind to Dash's antics, focusing solely on the rush of the wind. In fact, the wind seemed to be picking up quite a bit and it wasn't just her running. The gentle drizzling of the rain on the forest floor was growing harder. While Dash and Applejack raced, the rest of the herd started to huddle close together.
Suddenly, both racers were interrupted by a pink blur who gave both a sharp, but painless, blow on the shoulder and gleefully shouted "Tag!"
Dash and Applejack exchanged a look, smirked at their friend's antics and then took off after her. Pinkie pie giggled and pranced, her hooves kicking up leaves that they had to dodge as they pursued her. Dash reached out to tag her, but slipped on the now wet soil, crashing into Applejack's side though she just bounced off against her muscles and took off galloping again, her tail lashing the air in the excitement of the chase.
Up above, sheets of rain fell down, the water falling down the leaves and tapping the earth. Their hooves crunched the leaves. With a clap of thunder, the heavens burst open, soaking the Ponies below. Squealing, Pinkie ran back to Twilight and the others, Applejack and Dash following her. Twilight summoned a shield that surrounded them and they stepped close together, their fur brushing and tails intertwining they stood so close, instinctively seeking safety and comfort in the herd as crackling lightning and angry bursts of wind shook the trees.
Twilight looked down at the map. "There should be a cave network around here somewhere."
Fluttershy's wings trembled. "A-a cave?"
Twilight nodded. "There's no way I could keep this shield up indefinitely."
The wind shrieked through the branches, throwing up the leaves. One massive limb waved back and forth before snapping away from the tree and flying away, slamming into Twilight's shield. The shield visibly shook. The sheets of rain struck the land, turning the dirt to mud which they had to trudge through. Fluttershy trembled. "M-maybe we should go back."
Twilight looked up. "Are you sure? We've come this far and King Aspen said there's a very rare bird living at Emerald Lake. I thought you might like to see it."
Fluttershy got her trembling under control. "Yes, I would like to see it, but this looks like a bad storm-"
Just then, a blast tore a young oak, ripped it from the ground, sent it flying. Twilight yelped and poured more power into the shield as the oak splintered into it. She gulped. "Let's just keep going. I also have a map of the cave network as I figured we might need it."
The wind was a constant roar that drowned out anything else she might've said. As the rain beat the leaf-strewn forest floor, the wind whipped it, drenching the trees. Sticks and twigs and leaves raked at her shield and Rarity added her own power to Twilight's, repairing the little cracks that appeared in the energy bubble.
The forest grew thicker the further they walked into it, the main road vanishing away, hedges jutting up and blocking their way. Twilight smiled. "Alright, there's the bushes. The cave must be getting closer."
The trees grew closer, the branches intertwining. These trees were older, grey moss hanging down their brown arms. There was now a lull in the storm, though the wind continued to howl, tearing at the moss and yanking it from their place, sending them flying through the air. The furious puffs of wind sent the leaves dancing, a chaotic waltz of oranges and browns, the leaves sashaying to the rhythm of the gale, surrounding the herd and making it impossible for Twilight to see where she was going.
Leaves and dirt, twigs and sticks, that was all Twilight and the others could see. All they could hear was the shouting of the gale and the steady drumbeat of the tempest falling on the shield. The ancient oaks had already been twisted by the storms that had come by in centuries past and they were not shaken by this one anymore than they had been by the storms that had come here long ago. Their heavy branches had been shaped by those storms and twisted in strange shapes. Twilight occasionally continued to look up from the map, but she did not speak to her companions so silence prevailed. The oak branches bent down over them.
Little by little, the land was lifting up. Not quite hills, more small rises. Their legs slightly burned with the effort of ascending the miniature hills. The trunks of the oaks grew wider, their arms twisting out to embrace one another. As the cairn came into view, Applejack's eyes widened. It was not a natural hill, it was too perfectly round for that. Grass grew along it and an opening far too large for a Pony led inside of it.
"Uh, Sugarcube? Is that a burial cairn?" She spoke in a shocked tone, the idea of camping in a resting place for the long departed members of her tribe too much for her.
Twilight shook her head. "Earth Ponies may have taken their ideas for burial cairns from whatever civilization used to inhabit the White Tail Woods. There's a massive network of tunnels. Nopony knows why it was built, but there's never been any bodies discovered though, other, similar pre-Pony cairns have been found with bodies inside."
Applejack nodded. "I-I see."
Fluttershy shivered, caught between her fear of the still raging storm and her fear of the darkness. Pinkie threw a foreleg around her. "It'll be okay, Fluttershy! Just gotta giggle at the ghosties, remember."
Twilight frowned. "There are no ghosts here. Whatever purpose it served, it wasn't for burials." Her shield wavered for only a second and the rain drenched them. Twilight quickly put it back up and they barreled into the darkness.
Author's Note
Take shelter in a mysterious structure left by a mysterious, long vanished race. What could possibly go wrong?
Darkness enshrouded them. Even when Twilight and Rarity lit up their horns to light up the stone walls, revealing carvings of spirals and words in a strange language, much of the cave was still shrouded in darkness. Directly in front of them was a tunnel leading far into the belly of the earth. Outside the storm roared. In fact, the storm sounded as if it were growing stronger. Fluttershy huddled closer to Applejack while Dash darted ahead, as if looking for danger. Twilight cleared her throat. "Relax, Dash, nopony else is in here."
Dash settled down. "No Pony?"
"Or any other creature." She was walking at the head of the herd and Dash trotted alongside her. Outside, lightning crackled and thunder boomed. Fluttershy tucked in her wings and shivered. Rarity, noticing her distress, patted her back. "Don't worry. The storm will end soon."
Fluttershy nodded. "O-okay." She forced herself to calm down, to fight down the panic rising in her soul that told her to spread her wings and bolt. But where would she fly to? She was safe in the herd. The storm still raged and they bunched up together. A sharp lash of wind brought with it a cold sprinkle of rain that soaked their coats and forced them further back. Twilight lit her horn and summoned a shield which blocked the entrance. Rain pinged against the shimmering shield of lavender energy.
They glanced down at the hole leading downwards. Twilight made a contemplative sound. "Wonder what's down there?"
Fluttershy pulled her wings tighter. "How about we not find out?"
Twilight looked down at the map. "There's no need to be scared. This cairn has been pretty well-explored, but I've never seen it myself. While we're down here, why not?"
Rarity pursed her lips. "I'm not sure, Darling. It looks awfully...dirty. Surely these ancients could have put in some decorating?" Her horn illuminated the spirals and curling letters. "Though I admit they must have had some sense of style."
Twilight trotted over, Fluttershy following her. They both examined the faded designs. She reached out, touched a hoof to the rough rock. "This language...I've never seen anything like it. I can't even tell if they're pictograms or phonemes."
"Are you certain it's a language?"
"I am not."
Dash spun around. "Hey, what if there's super-cool treasure down there? Like in Daring Do?"
Twilight shook her head. "If there's any treasure it's been found by now."
Dash was only spinning around even quicker, restless and agitated. "Maybe there's some nopony found! Like a hidden chamber!"
Try as she might to deny it, the thought was exciting, Twilight had to admit. There could be something down there someone had missed. Maybe not a treasure, but some long-lost relic of the previous civilization. From the studies she had read, they were nothing like any other creature on Equus. Genetic studies showed they weren't related to any other creature either. What had become of them? The passing of ages had cast an impenetrable veil over it, that first race to walk upon the surface of Equus.
But they had walked the valleys and forests of Equestria long before the first Pony had come forth from the Word of the Creator when he sang the Second Creation Song. She shivered. The cairn she was standing in came from that distant time, the last relic of that age. A few would've been left to teach Earth Ponies to farm and perhaps to build their own cairns. The last remnant of that race had taught them much before surrendering to oblivion.
She stared at the hole that led to a remnant of that world. A grin spread across her face, some thrill in discovery, joy in uncovering mysteries no one else even knew existed. "Alright, let's do it."
Fluttershy trembled even further looking down the tunnel. "Um, let's not?"
Dash came down to the ground, pulled her into a one forelegged-embrace. "Come on, it'll be an adventure!"
Fluttershy pulled away. "Yes, exactly. Adventures are scary."
"What if there's some kind of cool, cave animal? Besides, we'll all be there."
"A cool, cave animal?" She paused. "Well, this is the sort of environment that bears and foxes like." Her breathing sped up. "Oh no, this could be dangerous! If you stumble into one of those animal's territories, they could attack. I'll come with you then."
Dash grinned and gave her a friendly slap on the withers. "I knew you'd come around! Let's go!"
Fluttershy trotted after the others, once more fitting into the middle of the group. "I've been meaning to meet some bears or wolves. Cave animals are so fascinating." She rattled off facts to the others who politely nodded as they entered the tunnel. There were no stairs that led into the hole, rather a slab had naturally been cut at a sharp angle which led downward. Blue and violet lights from the Unicorn's magic revealed several tunnels branching off into all direction. At last, they got to the bottom as the slab leveled off into a stone plane which then led to a high, rocky wall into which arch shaped entry ways had been cut.
Applejack paused. "I think I feel some plant life."
Twilight looked around. "This far down? Without sunlight?"
Applejack nodded. "Pinkie, you feel it too?"
Pinkie paused, closed her eyes, drew on her innate, Earth Pony magic. It barely brushed against her underused senses, a slight tingling sensation. "Yeppers."
Twilight shook her head. "That shouldn't be possible. Not this far underground. Where do you feel it?"
Applejack lifted her hoof, pointed to the tunnel branching to the left. Twilight looked down at her map. "My map doesn't mention anything about it."
Suddenly, a clattering shook the entire cave, making the walls tremble and making the Ponies scatter. Dash and Fluttershy took to the air, dodging the rocks that fell from the ceiling while Twilight summoned a shield that the stones burst into powder against.
More and more rocks tumbled from the ceiling and Pinkie and Applejack whirled around, bucking them back. One massive boulder hurtled straight towards Rarity and Applejack slammed her back legs against it, breaking it into pieces that slashed at Rarity's coat. She cried out and scurried away. Applejack cursed and ran to her. "I'm so sorry!"
Rarity blinked. "Don't apologize, you likely just saved my life!"
They all turned to the entrance which a pile of rocks now blocked. Twilight breathed in and out at a quick pace. "Applejack, Pinkie, you two could break through that, right?"
Applejack swung her back legs, screamed when her hooves impacted the stone. Bringing her back legs down, she crumpled to the ground. They all ran to her, Rarity and Pinkie helping her to stand. Twilight blinked. "Applejack. How strong are you?"
"I can bench press one-thousand pounds."
"Okay. Okay. And you can't break that?" She trotted over to it, touched her horn to the pile. The onslaught of arcane power pushed her back. She grit her teeth. "I feel magic all over this pile. It's intertwining, locking the rocks together. I don't even know if I could break it."
Fluttershy gulped. "So, someone else is here?"
"No." She trailed the rocks. "This spell is ancient. I don't know how old." The spell signature was there, but faint. Brushing up against her senses, a buzzing in the air. Now that she had detected it, she realized the entire structure was alive with the energy. Those plants Applejack sensed... "I think I understand. They used magic to keep the structure stable. I've never heard of any other cairn like this. The spell might also be allowing for plant growth." A chill went through her as she took in the well-preserved carvings which were so clear that it was as if they had not been touched by the passing of the ages.
Her estimation of the cave's age went up by an order of magnitude. "Whoever built this wanted it to last."
Another rumbling passed through the cave. Up above, she could hear the howling gale beat up against the structure. She tried not to let her mind wander to how the magic of the Everfree Forest caught up in the storm might react with the magic of the cave.
Surely, this cairn had survives numerous storms. One would not be enough to bring it tumbling down. She floated her map in front of her. "The tunnels branch deep under the forest and come out by the Plains of Rhiannon."
Applejack nodded. "That's about a mile north from the White Tail Woods, ain't it?"
Twilight nodded. "So, we'll just keep walking straight."
They crowded around behind her, Dash taking a defensive position at her side as they descended deeper into the darkness. Pinkie Pie started to hum a cheerful tune that wavered slightly as if she herself were afraid. Her voice echoed down the walls, warping in strange and unnatural ways. Seeing that her whispered "Smile Song" was not having the desired effect, she lapsed into silence.
She wondered if "Giggle At The Ghosties" would get a better reception. Still, the words would not come. There was no more sloping, the ground going completely level. The chamber was wide enough for them to walk side-by-side with room left over. Rarity and Twilight had lit up their horns and the light illuminated those same spiral carvings.
Pinkie was not always the most perceptive Pony. Sometimes, she couldn't tell if her jokes were entertaining others or were annoying them. She knew their were times her antics went too far and she wasn't half as book-smart as Twilight. Her inventions came from a racial gift, a quasi-mystical and intuitive knowledge of machinery*, not from any formal schooling.
Still, she didn't care what Twilight had said. This was a burial chamber. She'd seen enough of them to know it. Her gaze met Applejack's and the unspoken secret passed between them.
Twilight paused, trailed her hand over the spirals. "Fascinating. These are very similar to the symbols used in Earth Pony cairns."
"They ain't similar Sugarcube, they're the exact same."
She paused. "Normally, this symbolizes the rebirth of the soul. But this is not a burial chamber. No body has ever been found."
Pinkie bounced up and down. "Why do burial things have to be so sad? Why not put up bright colors? And Ponies could laugh and play and remember the one they loved."
Applejack shook her head. "That just wouldn't be proper, Pinkie."
Pinkie hopped on ahead until she was out of the range of the light. Finding herself in total darkness, she trotted back towards the others. "But if someone loved you, then she wouldn't want you to be sad..." She stopped as if she'd said more than she'd intended to say.
Fluttershy patted her shoulder. "Pinkie, is there something you need to talk about?"
Pinkie bit her lip. "It's nothing never mind. I just don't like cairns. They're too sad."
Applejack nodded. Some strange heaviness seemed to hang over her for a moment. "Actually, my clan's cairn is one of my favorite places. It's where my...my kinfolk are. I still feel them."
"But you can't see them. They can't come and play with you."
"Maybe not, but it's good to have a reminder."
Pinkie looked like she was going to say more, but stopped. Twilight looked around as the cavern widened out into a circular room then all of them gasped. Crystal lights were studded into the walls shining down on rows of carefully tended moonflowers. The white blossoms spread out below the sapphire light.
Twilight looked down at her map, bit her lip. "This isn't on the map. This shouldn't be here."
Applejack trotted over then touched something leaning against the wall. It was a square slab of rock, about the same size as the passage they had crossed through. Twilight joined her. "It must've cracked apart during the storm. Applejack, I think somepony is living here."
"In a cave?" Pinkie hopped up. "Who would live in a cave?" She began bouncing up and down again, whatever mood that'd been affecting her suddenly dispelled. "Maybe we can find them and throw them a party!"
"Pinkie Pie." Twilight stepped away from the ruined door. "I don't think whoever is living here wants a party. I took a wrong turn. There is another entrance, I missed it. That's the one that leads to the Plains of Rhiannon." She stepped further back, took in the chamber. "Wait, I see what's going on. This must have been a wall hiding this secret chamber. I think the magic of the wild storm is effecting the magic holding up this cave. We have to get out of here."
Taking her lead, they started a quick gallop around the field of moonflowers. Applejack raced up next to her. "But ain't there been other storms?"
"I'm sure there has been, but have you ever heard the phrase the straw that broke the camel's back?"
The chamber they were running through trembled and pebbles sprayed down on them, spurring them to run even faster. Dash, having taken to the air, zoomed past her head. "Can you teleport us?"
Twilight looked up. "Teleport us where? I have no idea where we're going!"
"Out of here! Somewhere else!"
"If you don't mind being accidentally phased into a solid object!"
They took a sharp turn to the left, lunging through another arched hole carved into the wall. Twilight had no idea where they were going. The only though they had was to get away from the sharp, stinging rocks that were slapping against their hides. Twilight stopped as the tunnel they were running through suddenly stopped. Three entrances led into the abyss. Even when Twilight and Rarity cast their light into it, it revealed nothing.
The walls shuddered and Twilight summoned a shield against which small rocks dashed themselves into dust. Rarity held her head, wincing. Twilight felt it too, a crushing pressure as the wild magic of the storm met the ancient power of the enchantment.
If the cave collapsed, she wasn't sure her shield was strong enough to save everyone. She cast the now useless map back into her bag. Instinct. Going blind on instinct. A shiver passed through her. One wrong turn and they'd still be here when the cairn collapsed-if they collapsed. There was no guarantee, but something was making the walls tremble. These caverns were artificial, held by the magic of that vanished race.
The Everfree magic was stronger, born from nature itself and the mysterious powers that made the trees grow and gave rise to living things. The walls and floor were shaking, nearly tossing them with every step they took. Twilight slammed against Applejack's solid muscles and was immediately knocked into the floor. Applejack scooped her up to her hooves and they continued dashing down the tunnel. This one was much narrower, forcing them to line up behind one another. Little stones pinged against Twilight's shield which she extended to cover her friends.
They burst from the cavern and Twilight's magic put up barriers to keep them from falling from a bridge. Either by design or the misfortune of long ages, the floor was gone, leaving only a long bridge. On either side was a black abyss. Pinkie giggled. "Nopony look down."
Applejack shot her a glare. "Ain't in a laughin' mood, Sugarcube."
Pinkie giggled again. "Giggle at the ghosties, giggle at the ghosties, giggle at the ghosties..." It was becoming a frantic chant.
Rarity looked back. "Darling? Are you alright?"
Dash, flying up above, slashed the air with her tail. "Yeah, Pinkie, cut it out!"
Pinkie continued the chanting, her eyes growing unfocused. A trembling was passing through her and Twilight, who knew a panic attack when she saw one, turned. "Pinkie. Look at me."
She was trembling though the cavern was still. Her eyes were unfocused, going in all directions. Twilight reached out a hoof. "Look at me. It's okay. I'm not going to let one of my friends fall. I promise you."
Fluttershy hovered in midair, spread a wing over Pinkie's back. "You know how powerful Twilight is. She isn't going to let us fall." Her soothing voice reached Pinkie who began to settle down, her breathing returning to normal. She bounced on ahead and they began to move again. Her voice, now calm with that familiar, bubbly edge to it, broke from her lips. The melody filled the cavern and soon the others began to join into the song. "Giggle at the ghosties, guffaw at the grossly, crack up at the creepy..."
The echoes of the chorus filled the cavern, the silly lyrics making them giggle. The other side was coming into view. Suddenly, with a sickening crack, the bridge collapsed. The singing turned to screaming and Dash hurtled downward along with Fluttershy, rushing after Rarity and Applejack. Twilight grabbed Pinkie and dragged her to the platform.
Rarity and Applejack tumbled into darkness, the air slashing at their fur and manes, each strand of mane or tail striking against their bodies like the sting of a lash they were falling so quickly. They screamed till their throats were ragged, yet still they fell.
Dash rushed down so quickly that the air formed a cone around her, reaching out her hooves for Applejack. Applejack reached back, but she was still too far away, still too far. Dash grit her teeth and snapped her wings downward, grunted at the unnatural position, yet still picked up speed.
Applejack yelped as Dash snapped onto her tail, only her strength saving her from getting her back broken. Dash grunted again, sweat breaking out on her brow and she hurtled back to the platform while Rarity lit up her horn, using a spell to slow her descent (reminding herself to thank Twilight for those lessons!) Fluttershy flapped with as much strength as her wings had and grabbed hold of her.
They hovered in air, Rarity throwing her forelegs around Fluttershy. Down below, there was a glow. Orange rivers of molten rock flowed deep through the heart of the chasm. The steam wafted up, enveloped them, sent the Pegasi shooting upwards to join their companions.
Twilight gulped. "We're not that far down. There shouldn't be lava."
"There also shouldn't be a garden of moonflowers." Applejack panted, wiped away a sheen of sweat. "There's somethin' weird goin' on here."
Fluttershy looked behind her at the chasm beneath them. The bridge was gone, reduced to a broken, jagged ruin. A whimper of fear escaped her lips. While she had been strong for Pinkie during Pinkie's unusual spate of panic, the sight of the yawning abyss, opening like the jaws of some primeval predator was making her break out into trembling. Dash snorted at the sight and pulled her into a feathered embrace. "Don't you know I'd catch you if you fell?"
She nodded. "But Dash, the heat from the lava could singe your feathers and then you'd fall."
The bravado in her voice cracked for a brief moment. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get going."
They entered through the archway, the shadows swallowing them up. Fluttershy's wings snapped open and she restrained herself from rocketing away. Fear would likely lock up her wings anyway. "Um, Twilight? Rarity? Is your magic working?" Though it was a whisper, it might as well have been a shout in that tight space. The caverns were getting smaller as if the builders had simply grown tired of their labours.
Twilight groaned at what felt like a pressure bearing down on her horn, a feeling like being suddenly deafened. Rarity grit her teeth as she strained to find the magic deep at the center of her being. Twilight shook her head, not that anypony could see it in the lack of light. "It's no use. There's some sort of anti-magic field. Could be natural. Certain metals can interfere with magic."
They bunched together closer, the feeling of their fur brushing together a comfort as they trotted through the cavern. Even Dash chose to join the herd rather than fly. Fluttershy's wings were tucked close to her sides and her breath came out in ragged spurts.
The tunnel felt like it was stretching on forever. Even if a new tunnel branched towards a new direction, there'd be no way to see it. Twilight branched off to the east, and found an opening rather than solid rock. Twilight felt the stirrings of her birthright and lit her horn. Rarity did as well a few moments later. Here, there were scribblings carved into the walls. While none of them could read what they said, it was clear that it had been written in a frantic way. Deep gashes, not the graceful scrawl of the carvings towards the front of the cave.
Twilight stopped and they stopped as well. She traced the carvings with her hoof, noticed the black markings around them. "This wall was burned."
Dah strode up next to her. "Think it was like, a dragon or something? Do you think it's still here? Or maybe its treasure is?"
Twilight gave her a tolerant smile. "No, I don't think a dragon did this. They prefer mountains. I'm starting to see patterns. These are letters. I think the swirls link the sentences-"
"Uh-huh." Dash's ear flicked and she took to the air, scanning the area for any threats.
Twilight continued to examine the symbols and the burn marks. Dash zipped around in lazy circles while she scratched her chin, muttering to herself. Fluttershy took a few steps, hesitated, looked again at what she had spotted. Twilight mumbled something about the Proto-Gryphonic pictographs and did not respond when Fluttershy prodded her shoulder. "Um, Twilight?"
This time, Twilight put her hoof down. She remained fixated on the symbols. "These look like the proto-Gryphonic pictographs, but only superficially. They're actually closer to-"
"Twilight..." The whisper was a bit louder, almost at Fluttershy's normal speaking voice. She paid it no mind, continuing her mutterings. Fluttershy's prodding became more insistent, bordering on the edge of panic.
Dash grumbled and flew down, plunging her tongue in Twilight's ear. Twilight yelped and jumped back. "Rainbow Dash! What'd you do that for?"
"I think Fluttershy's trying to tell you something."
Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Yes. Yes I am."
Twilight turned to look at her. "Well, what is it?"
Fluttershy pointed. "There are bear...leavings here. And some gnawed up bones. Salmon, if I'm not mistaken."
Twilight took in a deep breath. "Alright. Alright then. Where do you suppose the bear is?" She suddenly noticed the piles of bones scattered at the back of the chamber. She gulped. "Do you believe it's dangerous?"
Dash gave her a flat look. "It's a bear, Twilight."
Twilight nervously chuckled. "Where do you think it got the salmon from?"
"Likely, it goes out to the river. I don't think there are any rivers down here."
A growling sounded from further back. Dash and Applejack raced to shield the others. Fluttershy fluttered into the air and stood in front of them, preparing her stare in case she needed it. That's when the strangest creature they had ever seen lumbered out. He was in the shape of a bear, but gold and silver covered his body. His eyes were rubies. He squatted, roared and the Ponies lept back.
Except Fluttershy who stepped forward. "Please, Bear. We ask for passage."
The bear paused and stared. Fluttershy stared back. That's when the bear lunged, swiped. Fluttershy cried out and ducked just as diamond claws raked at the air.
Fluttershy darted into the air, stared into his eyes, felt nothing. Only the coldness of metal stared back at her. No soul, like the timberwolves this was a beast created by natural materials coalesced by wild magic.
"Run!" She squeaked and her companions heeded the call, crashing into the shadow-shrouded caverns, not knowing where they led, only knowing that they led away from the enraged beast. He charged after them and they galloped, taking a sharp corner and ran one by one through an arched passage.
The bear swiped at the air, found himself stuck. Dash bucked and sent the beast to the ground before continuing the mad run. They hurried through the cavern and stopped as it widened into another round room.
The room was decorated with ancient tapestries, one of Princess Luna, a crescent moon behind her. The other was on the other side, a red tapestry with a golden harp in the center.
An ebony Alicorn arose from where he had been slumbering. "And who, may I ask, are you? And why are you in my home?"
Author's Note
*This is the author's headcannon.
