Tiny swung slowly back and forth, his hammock creaking slightly with each movement.

“You were right boss,” he remarked. “This hammock thing is great. Why didn't we think of this?”

“Because we were too busy not getting eaten,” deadpanned Bronze Back, the stallion lying in the crook of a large oak tree, hat draped over his eyes.

“That and we ain't exactly the best at this whole roughing it thing,” Ivory Mill remarked, sipping at a drink while she too reclined in another hammock.

“Don't worry about it. Y'all got me now,” I added.

“And thank all the stars in heaven for that,” Bronze Back muttered.

I chuckled to myself and glanced about the small copse of trees near the edge of a swamp. The surrounding area wasn't exactly a pleasant sight, but this little grove was the perfect pocket of calm. The trees were tall, the ground lush with short grasses and (apparently) delicious flowers.

A half dozen hammocks were strung about the area in a rough circle, though not all of them were occupied. Bronze Back preferred sleeping on the ground, with his back to a tree, which he claimed was more comfortable but I doubted that. It probably had something to do with him being an earth pony, though I couldn't know that for certain.

Either way, it was a nice little retreat in a more relaxed section of the woods devoid of the large predators that plagued most of it. Here I and my friends could relax, take in the cool afternoon air, and catch some much-needed Z’s. A family of woodpeckers had moved in near the hideout and seemed exclusively to work at night, for some reason.

A picnic basket stuffed with food sat nearby, and though I was hungry, I ignored it. The hammock was just too nice, and I could feel sleep slowly begin to claim me. My eyelids started to become heavy, as did my limbs, and for a moment I allowed the siren song of rest to whisk me off.

Only for the sound of pounding hooves to make me open my eyes.

“You will not believe what it is I have located in this foul wood,” proclaimed a haughty tone I immediately recognized as coming from Pilfered Pommel.

“No one cares,” Tiny spat, throwing a pinecone at Pilfered. “We’re trying to relax here.”

“There will come time for relaxation later,” he retorted, batting the brown projectile aside with his magic. “For there are riches to claim and adventure to be had!”

“Would you quit yer yapping?” Merry Mead snapped. “I’m trying to sleep.”

“I can see that but I must press that you will want to hear about my discovery. I believe even our fearless leader will be interested,” Pilfered Pommel continued.

“Alright, out with it but you have only three words to entice me,” I exclaimed without opening my eyes.

Pilfered Pommel paused, weighed his words, and spoke once more. “Forgotten Jungle Temple.”

My eyes snapped open and I looked over to the grinning feminine stallion curiously.

“For real?” I asked.

“It is indeed real,” he replied, standing a little straighter. “It even appears to be unplundered. I suspect it may be full to the brim with ancient lost artifacts and untold riches.”

“Okay, there Frilly. You got my attention,” Steel Shod declared, hopping deftly from her hammock and trodding over to her pile of armor. “Where abouts is this temple of yers anyhow?”

“Only an hour’s trot from here,” Pilfered exclaimed, pointing in a vaguely southern direction. “The terrain is tough but thankfully not terribly treacherous.”

“That would bring us close to the southern jungles,” I murmured. “It's a quagmire down there.”

“It is indeed close but still within the bounds of the Everfree,” He continued.

“Whelp. Count me intrigued,” Bronze Back stated, rising from his resting spot and donning his leather cap. “I could use a hike.”

“I’m staying out of this one,” Merry Mead remarked. “I think I’ve developed claustrophobia after that last adventure down in those old mines you claimed were full of gems.”

“I would have you know that they were. We merely took too long to return there and some other miscreant must have made off with our loot,” Pilfered proclaimed, raising his nose high into the air.

“I’m gonna hang back with Merry,” Ivory added. “I finally managed to figure out this hammock thing and I don't think I’ll be able to get out.”

“Alright, so that leaves Pilfered Pommel, Bronze Back, and Steel Shod. What about Tiny, do you-” I began, only to be cut off by a long, rumbling snore that came from Tiny. “I think that answers that. Come on you lot. Let's go get plunder some ancient ruins.”

“Hear hear!” Pilfered Pommel exclaimed.

“So,” I remarked as we walked down an ill-used path in a dark section of the Everfree. “How'd you find out about this place anyway?”

“I purchased a map from a local blackguard running a two-bit scam at the local watering hole,” Pilfered Pommel proclaimed while shining his breastplate with a rag held aloft by his magic. “She claimed there were many such sites all over the Everfree but so far none of them have been true until now.”

“Wait. You bought a map from someone you acknowledge was a scam artist?” Bronze Back remarked with a snort. “No wonder you lost your fortune.”

“That was fate in the form of a house fire. And I suppose purchase is such a strong word,” Pilfered began again. “It is more apt to say that I acquired it from her.”

“When she wasn't looking most likely, and wasn't it a tornado last time?” Steel Shod stated, then asked.

“It is true that she wasn't aware of me acquiring her maps though I’d like to preempt your attack and state that it is not stealing provided that the item itself had already been stolen,” Pilfered Pommel exclaimed.

“So that's what you’ve been up to since y'all’s last run to town,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “I wondered why you were so intent on getting alone time. I just figured you were beating your meat or something.”

“What a preposterous thing to say,” Pilfered spat, raising his nose into the air. “You are the carnivore here, miss. Not I.”

“I swear it's like this guy doesn't even know what sex is,” I muttered.

“You know I’ve never heard him mention a filly friend, or a colt friend either,” Steel Shod added.

“It's a good thing he is so focused on making money, it keeps you from making fool decisions. Why when I was his age I’d already had two failed marriages and a conviction of tax evasion.”

“You didn't pay your taxes? Why not?” Steel Shod inquired.

“I don't respect the government,” Bronze Back declared.

“I like you more and more every time you open your mouth,” I remarked, smirking at the old stallion.

“Hmmm you’re too young for me,” Bronze Back replied. “Though you do remind me of my first ex-wife, and second ex-husband.”

“I would pay good money to read a memoir of your life,” I muttered.

“Ditto,” Steel Shod added.

“Hark! On yonder hill, I doth see our destination!” Pilfered Pommel proclaimed.

I picked up my pace, jogging alongside my friends as we caught back up with the svelte stallion just as he broke through a wall of vegetation. Once past the thick bushes and heavy vines, we were treated to the sight of a clearly ancient stone structure. A creek ran nearby, and the swamp encroached on one side, obscuring the squat building from all but the most determined of seekers.

“No wonder no one’s found this before,” I murmured to myself.

Tucked half under a small rocky rise, you wouldn't know it was there unless you approached it from the side we did. It was clear to me that whoever had built this place had not intended for it to be easily found. The blank stone bore no symbols, with the upper section being carved to resemble natural rock.

The only thing that stuck out about it was the pair of large stone doors that opened to reveal the dark expanse within. Had they been closed, and the area undisturbed I have little doubt that Pilfered likely would have walked right past it.

“Did you go inside?” I asked.

“That is strange,” Pilfered murmured. “The doors were open before, but not all the way. Someone must have located it between when I left, and when I returned.”

“You think the scam artist had backups?” Steel Shod asked.

“Seems likely,” Bronze Back grumbled.

“For once I must agree,” Pilfered muttered.

I leaned down, and inspected the ground, wiping a finger across the mossy stone ground.

“Couple of ponies by the looks of things,” I murmured absently, following the small hoof prints to the wet ground nearby. “Probably earth ponies given the depth, and the fact that they didn't just fly to the entrance.”

“What else can you tell?” Bronze Back prompted, crouching down next to me and inspecting the tracks.

“They had animals with them… I think,” I remarked, pointing down. “Their tracks get all muddied around here but by the time they reach the door only a single set of animal prints remain.”

“Perhaps they had an altercation with some forest beasts,” Pilfered offered.

“Doubt it,” I replied simply. “None of the dirt is disturbed.”

“It seems probable that they used some manner of tracking animal to lead them hear, then discarded them when it was no longer required,” Bronze Back theorized. “Irregardless, we must press on.”

“Redundant,” Pilfered remarked.

“I know you are but I am keeping you anyway. That big shiny breastplate will draw all the attention,” Bronze retorted.

“I meant the word irregardless, not me you dolt,” Pilfered spat back.

“Be quiet. This is serious,” I interrupted, crouching low. “Stay behind me and try not to make too much noise.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Steel Shod retorted.

“Because you are the only one wearing full plate,” I shot back.

“Yes, but it is properly strapped see? Barely makes a sound,” Steel Shod declared, the mare pausing to do a weird, jerking dance.

“Fair enough. Bronze, Pilfered, you ready for this?” I asked.

“It's about time we got some action,” Bronze muttered, tightening a strap on his leather armor and then drawing one of his hand axes.

“Just a moment, found a spot,” Pilfered muttered. The stallion hastily buffed out a spot on his breastplate before levitating his sword out from its scabbard and above his head. “There we are. Lead on, my lady.”

“I’ll be out front. Pilfered I want you in the back with Bronze. Steel Shod, you're the spear tip. Got it?” I stated, glancing at each of my companions in turn.

They each nodded, grunted, or saluted when my eyes passed over their face.

“Good. Leave about twelve feet between us and use as little light as possible,” I added. “Let's roll.”

I didn't wait for my small squad of ruin raiders to sound off before I began to creep forward, dagger in hand. Crouched low, I didn't get far before I paused, and let my eyes adjust to the absolute darkness waiting for me inside. Behind me, I could tell that my companions were doing the same, with Pilfered summoning a small glowing ball of light. Thankfully he hid it a moment later, leaving me in pitch darkness.

Down the hall I went, only I was fairly certain it wasn't actually a hall. Toolmarks were sparse, and both the height as well as the width changed every few feet or so. Though it never became cramped, I did have to crouch quite low at a few points. With a ground mostly unmarred by alteration I was fairly confident that there weren't any traps waiting for us. Adding to my confidence was the small, but still noticeable hoof tracks that proceed before me.

Evidently, they had been careful as the tracks weren't consistent but they couldn't hide their passing completely. Not from me anyway.

Either way, it wasn't long before we exited into a much larger, much more open space that felt both more and less natural. The cave was expansive, with a tall ceiling and a wide open space but at the other end of the mostly unaltered space was a clearly unnatural structure. Built almost like a church or something like that, there was a set of double doors beside which had been a pair of windows. Though both had crumbled likely due to simple age, I couldn't tell much from this distance. Only that the structure was large.

“What now?” Whispered a voice.

“Stay low, stay quiet,” I replied without turning around.

I didn't look back to check if they understood, and continued on, creeping forward, being wary of traps. Though I doubted anyone had installed anything as grizzly as a pit trap, I remained vigilant. Nature herself had a habit of adding pitfalls of her own, malice not required.

Though the ground was uneven at points, there were no obstacles, and soon I reached one of the windows. Peering within, I saw a mostly square hall lined with rows of pillars the paint that had once adorned them having mostly peeled away to reveal the barren stone beneath. Little seemed to have survived of the original structure, save for the bare supports, and the ghostly remnants of what had once been furniture.

Moldering piles of long rotted wood were grouped in such a way that made me think that this was once a meeting hall of some kind. None of it was really recognizable to me, but I could at least make out two white rings painted in the middle of the floor. Interlocked, they served as the one piece of art that had survived the passage of time.

Creeping inside, I slunk forward, seeking out any sign of movement. Failing that, I tried to spot any traps but found that there was simply nothing there. Nothing save for a stone door that hung lopsided on its hinges, the metal that had held it up rusting away to nothing. I motioned for my friends to approach, and rose to my full height.

“Spread out,” I whispered. “Search the area for any sign of who made this but don't go any further in.”

“Or any valuable that may have survived the ravages of time,” Pilfered added.

“That too,” I agreed.

“What about traps? I heard these old temples are full of them,” Steel Shod whispered nervously.

“You read too many Daring Do books,” Bronze exclaimed.

“It's not impossible that there may be some around here but I doubt we’ll run into any,” I replied. “I believe that whoever made this thought that secrecy alone would be enough to ward off intruders.”

“If you say so boss,” Steel Shod muttered.

As they moved about the room, searching a section for any loot or hint at who built this place, I went over to the only other door. Peering down the hall I noticed that it was much like the space I was currently standing in only narrower with lower ceilings. It also seemed less worn by the passage of time the further you went in, with paint visible at the edges of my vision.

“Looks like it woulda been a nice place,” I murmured.

Inspecting the stone door, I noticed almost immediately that it likely hadn't ended up in its sorry state from time alone. Something had slammed into it with considerable force, knocking it off two of its three hinges. The final set of brass fixings was still clinging to the stone, keeping it from falling completely. Slightly corroded, and suffering minor damage they’d give out in time, but probably not for months if not years.

“They built things to last,” I remarked, prodding the door.

Next, I crouched low and looked down to find that whatever had slammed into the door had been short. At about pony height, only slightly taller, the indent was wide, with the imprint of horns visible on either side. On first look it appeared to me that a ram had well, rammed into the barrier, knocking it mostly off its hinges.

“Makes sense,” I murmured. “There isn't a door knob or any obvious way of opening it.”

“Hey boss,” someone whispered. “Take a look at this.”

I crept over to where the three ponies were crouched around a small metal plaque lying in the middle of a moldering pile of rotten wood. Apparently excavated from the mound, the plate was quite large and had upon it raised lettering in a language I didn't understand. It looked flowery and had only a passing resemblance to what little Equestrian I had seen so far.

“What is it?” I muttered.

“Deerling,” Pilfered replied, his tone heavy with seriousness for the first time in a long time. “The written language of the ancient deer.”

“Aren't they extinct?” Bronze Back murmured in confusion.

“A few pockets still exist if you listen to the rumours but they have no true cities. Not anymore anyway,” Pilfered stated sadly.

“What happened?” I prompted.

“When first the god of slaughter sought to wipe this planet clean of life, only the deer had an advanced enough of a society to resist him,” Pilfered began. “Though they were able to banish him, they could not slay him and the strain of the spell supposedly robbed their entire people of their magic.”

“I heard about that,” Bronze Back added. “Supposedly a bunch of them ended up dumb beasts and what didn't, are doomed to slowly die off. Unable to reproduce in big enough numbers to ever get back to where they were.”

“That's… grim,” Steel Shod murmured.

“It's Yeenoghu. Of course, it's going to be brutal,” I added.

“My grandfather used to tell me stories of the ancient deer,” Pilfered Pommel remarked. “He’d describe their grand cities and sprawling forest homes but he also told me of their ancient vaults.”

“Like the one we’re standing in now,” I stated.

“Indeed,” Pilfered Pommel agreed. “And this plaque is evidence of that.”

“So what does it say?” Steel Shod eagerly pressed.

“An exact translation is impossible. Their words were versatile, meaning multiple different things based on the context,” Pilfered warned. “But I can tell that this was a vault and one that was supposed to open before the next coming of Yeenoghu. From what I can tell it didn't hold weapons or the like but knowledge.”

“Interesting,” I murmured. “Let's keep going. I have a feeling there are more clues to what purpose this place served further inside.”

Now with every last bit of joviality blown out of them, the three ponies fell in behind me. Questions concerning Pilfered’s possible deer heritage were pushed aside for the moment we headed deeper.

Heading back to the hallway, I took the lead once more with my friends staying a little closer this time. I couldn't say I blamed them for not respecting my orders to hang further back, this place certainly felt far creepier than it had a minute ago.

Sure enough, the damage done by the passage of time was minimal after only a dozen or so meters. The walls bore paint as bright as the day it had been applied, showing images of deer engaged in combat with endless legions of hyenas. I spotted only a few gnolls in their number, the bipeds likely serving as generals in Yeenoghu’s army.

Though unnerving, the murals weren't terribly interesting. That was until we passed by two of them and saw what appeared to be the final one in the long line. There, depicted in surprising detail was what looked like the whole of Equestria.

“Isn't this painting several thousand years old?” Whispered Steel Shod. “How do they know where Canterlot would end up being constructed.”

“They even got Ponyville, and Vanhoover on here,” Bronze Back added, pointing to the small cluster of colorful buildings painted on the wall.

“I’m getting some serious deja vu here,” I muttered to myself.

“But what is that at the top,” Pilfered Pommel pointed out.

I glanced up to where three lights were descending from the heavens. One was red, another green, and the last one was black. They were arranged in a sort of line, with the black being the closest to the ground, followed by the emerald one and finally, the crimson orb was last.

“The prophecy of blazing skies,” Pilfered Pommel murmured, peering intently at some writing at the base of the mural. “May the light of another world illuminate our own and save us from the god of slaughter.”

“That's metal as heck,” I remarked.

“G-g-guys, what was that?” Steel Shod whispered.

My ears perked up and I looked over to find a dark shape crawling towards us. It was then that my nose twitched and all at once I was assaulted with the pungent aroma of rot. I knew before my eyes adjusted that we were facing some manner of zombie.

Sure enough, the creature that came into view was exactly what I assumed it to be. The creature dragged the back half of its body along the ground, trailing its half-maggot-eaten intestines behind it. Its eyes, white and unseeing, twitched this way and that while its jaws clacked open and shut every few seconds.

“Oh joy,” I began, rolling my eyes. “Necromancy.”

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