Chapter 2

Let me tell you something about fear. Fear is a very weird concept. One moment it can appear out of nowhere, even during a bright sunny day. Screaming at you no matter where you go and as immovable as a mountain. Other times, it’s like there’s no trace of it, present or past. But even if you don’t see it, it’s always there. Maybe fear has always been there since the moment of our birth. Being good at hiding below what our mind can see until it comes out from deep down.

Who then will be brave enough to, instead of let it come to them, but to actually decide to explore those very depths.

That moment of spooks had disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Though, a trace of it still remained in them. Nopony knew that they had all felt the same thing. Then again, if you can’t even explain why a feeling happens, no matter how weird it was, you generally don’t talk about it.

Among the group, Zipp, particularly, wanted only one thing. To forget it. So she relied on her number one tool when she wanted to distract herself from her fears. Her boundless curiosity.

‘’No seriously. Who in their right mind would build an underground dungeon in the middle of a crater—

‘’A sinkhole.’’ Corrected Hitch.

‘’Yeah, sinkhole. I mean, no offense, but it looks kinda ridiculous and not inviting. I mean… why build something like that here?’’

‘’Well, maybe because it’s easy to dig.’’ Said Hitch as he tapped the earth, which effortlessly sank under his touch. ‘’I don’t know how big that dungeon is but building such an underground structure must not be easy. That earth is not only weak as gypsum but also easily manageable, meaning far less effort is needed to move it around. Well, that’s my opinion at least.’’

‘’Yes but why make all this in the first place? What’s its purpose? Ooooh, it’s quite the fascinating mystery don’t you think?’’ The white pegasi flew all-around the stone pagode. Inspecting details and humming to herself. She then flew in front of Vitali, very excited. ‘’You have to tell me all you know. Who are the ones who built it and why? The civilization of an old forgotten realm? An obscure cult? Oh yeah, I bet it was cultists. Who else would build a dungeon in the middle of nowhere?’’

Vitali didn’t share Zipp’s excitement, looking positively disinterested in discussing the matter.

‘’Yeah, it must surely be work of fanaticals of some sort.’’ The scholarly mare mumbled halfheartedly. ‘’But instead of its past, I think it would be best if told you it’s present.’’

Vitali fixed her gaze at the stone pagode. With a mix of fear and reverence. ‘’This place is the second reason why the valley bears its dreadful name. Hitch. Light my lantern please. You had mentioned that everycreature in the town of Grewhawk knew about the dungeon?’’

‘’Yea… yeah? Though, the thing is, I could tell they knew about its existence but each time I was opening the subject, they all clammed up and refused to tell me anything. Well, instead of never, ever going there. It seems that dungeons was a sort of taboo subject and they I… I could see it in their eyes. Even just thinking about it seemed to terrify them, like it was cursed or something.’’

‘’And for good reasons. For good reasons. You see, for years this dungeon has captivated the imagination of many. And not just because nopony knows why it’s here. Because of how secluded and close to the border Grewhank is, that town is a known resting place for, not just ponies but all kinds of creatures from other countries.’’

‘’Right. I saw griffons, Diamond Dogs and even some creatures I didn’t know existed. Though, quite a few of them weren’t exactly the savory types.’’ Hitch shuffled awkwardly as he recalled the many unpleasant looks and words he’d received from several in town.

‘’I said it was a known resting spot. Not that it wasn’t a shady one. All kinds of creatures stop there. Travelers and merchants, yes. But also brigands and desperadoes. When words of that mysterious dungeon spreaded out, people started to imagine whaTtreasures were hidden in its depths. Seems like fables of adventurers inspire all circles huhhH.’’ She said looking at Izzy with an expression of irony.

But instead of being amused, the unicorn was preoccupied. ‘’And… what happened to those that explored it?’’

‘’They never came back.’’ Vitali said in a matter of fact tone. ‘’Most of them at least. Only a few ever survived. But from what stories they told, it seemed the experience down there made them completely mad. Most of what they said was incoherent. What could be made out include tales of deadly traps and unspeakable horrors. And now, no one ever goes down. Save for the few mad ones or the desperate that reached the bottom of their luck. So now, instead of captivating the imagination of Greyhawk, the dungeon haunts it. They fear it so much they give it a name. The Dungeon of Terror.’’

Nopony said a single word. The only sound was of the wind. The wind who’s dancing breeze lifted the brown mane of Vitali. Sunny was the one breaking the silence. ‘’Huh, it’s a little on the nose.’’

‘’Bah. I personally think subtlety is for cowards. But do you understand why I telling all that?’’

She faced them all, looking deadly serious. ‘’This place is death. And not a kind one. There’s. No. Guarantee you will come back. And even if you do… it won’t be uncasted. So if you want to quit, now is your chance. This… is not a reproche. Nor a judgment. I won’t blame you at all if you don’t want to do it. Nopony would.’’

No pony doubted her words or intent. They knew that she was sincere. The thought that she was playing couldn’t even cross their mind. Almost as if in a trance, they all turned their heads towards the heart of the pagoda. The entrance of the Dungeon of Terror. Those stairs going down and down. Into the dark.

*wooosh*

*wooosh*

The wind chose that moment to sing. And it seemed to be here to stay. The fear also came back. And it seemed here to stay. They couldn’t utter a word from their dry lips. Instead, their irises were transfixed on this entrance to who knows where.

None of them could explain but this entrance became the most terrifying and captivating thing there is. They wanted to run away as far as possible and forget this place ever existed. But at the same time, they wanted to go down there. To go into those dark depths. Into this unknown.

Of those two impulses, it was the latter that won. None of them could have explained why. They just knew that, for whatever reasons, it must have been an important one. Even if it was impossible to describe it with words.

At least for now.

So, with a natural impulse that scared even themselves, their hooves advanced towards the entrance. Each step neither hesitant nor eager but done with a mechanical deliberation. One by one, they went past Vitali, who was bewildered by this strange, almost mechanical movement and was looking at them as if she couldn’t recognize them. Eventually, each pony went down the stairs, leaving the scholarly mare alone.

The poor mare was shocked by this turning of the table. The one that wanted to go down was now the last one on the surface!

She couldn’t help but feel a chill coursing in her. Something she didn’t feel for a long time. Suddenly, she felt quite alone and galloped after them.

Now, they are all gone. The wind decided to scream even more.

*wooooooosh*

Onward. And downward. The adventurers were going.

The ponies were climbing down on that spiral staircase at a slow pace. There was no longer a trace of the light of day left and all was bathed in the deepest penumbra. Izzy was in the lead, lightning the way with her horn and the help of a simple illumination spell. The other ponies clung as close as possible, almost treating the light itself like a literal shield.

The only noises they could hear was the sound of their own steps. Each one reverberates on the walls. The air was stiff and dusty. A testament of how ancient this place was.

And of course, there was the fear. That fear seemed as if it didn’t just come from them but ooze from all their surroundings. Still, the ponies went deeper. Deeper. And deeper.

The rattling of bones had become a cacophony. That skeleton was now moving on its own. Or at least trying. Just as it tried to get up, it fell down. Knowing it didn’t have the strength to support itself, it simply sat on its lower legs, spreading wide its upper hooves in an almost pleading manner.

It then put its bone naked hooves on its skull as if it was assailed by demented thoughts. Even if its orbitals were empty of eyes, they could see something. A vision. That vision was showing a giant double door as gray as everything surrounding it. That double door opened up, revealing behind it, six ponies whose bright colors were contrasting with all the darkness around them. It knew well who those ponies were.

Intruders.

Intruders.

That skeleton was shaking with a rage so intense that it could only be called hysteria, its bones quaking and chattering. It lunged forward, threw its front boned hooves on the floor and scratched it, making a teeth grinding noise and leaving two gash on the stone. Its madness reaching its paroxysm, the tendrils of evil magic darkened even more and that living corpse flew, but literally flew in the air. Spreading wide its tattered clothes and hair like sinister wings.

The double door opened up with a massive creak. Once the ponies went beyond it, they saw the penumbra was spread all around them and Izzy’s light was barely able to disperse it.

‘’How dark it is. I can’t even see the walls. It’s quite spooky.’’ Izzy attempted to point her horn in various directions to find a wall, only to be met with more darkness. ‘’Hum, girls. And boy. I’m not feeling confident that my illumination spell would be enough. That shiny-shiny is the most shiny I can give.’’

‘’Don’t worry Izzy.’’ Sunny said as she put her hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. ‘’We probably should’ve thought about what now seems like an obvious problem. Maybe we could find some torches to light-

‘’No that won’t be necessary.’’ Interrupted Vitali. ‘’I came prepared.’’ She took something from her long sleeve. A slim wooden box. Both its reddish and golden borders had lost their luster but that box was still in good shape. ‘’I’ll admit I was worried there wouldn’t be enough, but thankfully, it’s just the right number for you five.’’

She opened the box and at first, nopony was sure of what they were seeing. Safely encrusted in red velvet were strange glass oval shapes. Five piles on two to be precise. Izzy was so confused that she couldn’t help but scrunched her eyes. ‘’Wait! are those… eyes lenses?! I don’t understand. Why—

‘’It’s dark vision lenses!’’ Both Hitch and Zipp shouted at unisson. They were quite surprised. ‘’The glass of those lenses had been enchanted with magic. With them, you can see in the dark even better than a night owl.’’ Hitch said as he took one and examined it with excitement.

‘’They said making just one lens requires painful precise spellcrafting. Not to mention, a lot of bits.’’ Zipp spoke with an almost scholarly tone as she carefully held the lens. ‘’How did you get your hooves on so many of them? You can’t find that on a flea market. Or any market whatsoever. This is military grade equipment.’’

‘’She’s right. From what I heard, they are typically reserved for scouts on the battlefield. And again, only the most highly qualified ones. Because as Zipp just said, those lenses are really tight on the moneybag. I’m not even sure they’re still making those anymore.’’ Hitch spoke, now eyeing Vitali with suspicion.

Vitali answered back with a cheeky smile. ‘’Well, to make things simple, let’s just say that because of who I am, I have a few friends in high places. Also, I would feel so guilty to put that important responsibility on you without me giving my contribution. I want to help you in every way I can. It’s the least I can do.’’ The mare gave the box to Hitch. ‘’Just put the lenses on your eyes. As simple as that. And don’t worry about me, I already wear a pair.’’

‘’Then… why didn’t you just give them to us in advance instead of giving them now?’’ Zipp retorted.

‘’Why! I was about but you all went down all eerily before I could say a word. What was that by the way? You scared the hell out of me. Is there something you’re not telling me?’’

Hitch opened his mouth to reply… but as he realized that no sound could come out of it, no matter how much he wanted, he dejectedly closed it. The others were no better. The pegasus sister couldn’t even look at Vitali. Or each other. As for Izzy, her eyes were wide as saucers and her hooves were starting to shake. Sunny, seeing her unicorn friend in distress, she put her hoof on Izzy's shoulder. ‘’Vitali, I know you don’t mean anything wrong… I just think… it would maybe be best…’’

‘’… Ah. I see now.’’ Vitali just let it go. It seems some sort of silent understanding went between those two mares. ‘’So anyway, who wants to try first?’’

They all were eager to try. In part to change the subject. Pipp was the first to put on a pair and she couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘’Amazing! It’s as if the dark wasn’t here!’’

As was indeed as she had said. What was once pitch black was now a well lighted room where not a single detail was obscured. Though it was not as bright as if it was in daylight. Even though Pipp could see all, it was still very, but very, gloomy. But back on the subject, now that Pipp could see, the first thing she saw was that the room they were in was freaking HUGE!

This was the biggest room they’re ever been in. A whole farming field could fit in. No, maybe even two with space enough for a barn and small house.

Looking further, eight massive columns, arranged in two rows, were spread on this hall. Between each of them, there were wooden chairs identical to those found in church. That was the first thought of the adventurers. That they somehow found their way into a church. The biggest one they ever saw.

Everypony felt their breath leave them…save for one.

Zipp flew all directions, excited by all that was surrounding her. ‘’By. The. Gods! It’s amazing. What’s this place? Oh now I understand why you want to explore this site. Who would built this?’’

‘’I don’t know and that why we here.’’ Answered back Vitali. ‘’I’ve… never been farther than here. Beyond that, it’s too dangerous for one pony. I like to call this place the ‘Great Hall’.’’

‘’Yeah, I see why. But for what’s purpose?’’ Zipp's curious mind had been piqued and as she scanned her surroundings from the air, questions after questions came to her. ‘’Those chairs make me think of a place of worship. Did ponies come here to worship something or someone perphars? Hum, the theory of a cult seems more plausible. Huh? What’s that down here?’’

From her vantage point, she noticed some drawings on the floor. Some of the tiles had designs on it, forming a much larger, more intricate design. But it wasn’t arranged in an orderly fashion, quite the opposite, it was like seeing snakes slithering without rhyme or reason. Zipp wasn’t the expert on decoration but even she could tell that only a lunatic would come out with that arrangement. ‘’That’s quite creepy. What does it means?’’

She landed and observed the pictures more clearly. They seemed to be made of a mixture of drawings and strange symbols. Despite how grotesque they looked, there seemed to be a method in this madness. ‘’Hum, I wonder if… hey Izzy.’’

‘’Huh!’’

‘’Can you come here for a minute? I have a hunch those are magical symbols but I’m no expert on this. Would you mind providing your expertise as a mage.’’

‘’Huhh! Oh. Um… you see… I’m not really—

‘’Heh sis, you should ask me.’’ Pipp came into the conversation. ‘’I studied magic, remember. I could help.’’

Izzy seemed to mouth thank you to the Pegasus, while Zipp sister almost smacked her own head at forgetting such a detail.

‘’Right. How could I forget! What do you make of this?’’

‘’Hmmm.’’ Pipp looked down at the various symbols, getting in closer and tracing some of the lines with her eyes. ‘’I say… you may be right. From the look of it, they do seem to be magical runes. But the thing is I can’t recognize any of them. And I mean none of them. None of these match any of the books of magic I studied. And I had studied a lot, trust me.’’

‘’And what about those non-magical drawings mixed with those runes? Look like hieroglyphs.’’

‘’Yes, I saw. There’s a pony. I think. A creepy eyes there. A spiral here. And many very abstract ones. And they all fit well with the magical symbols like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.’’

‘’Yeah exactly. It can’t be random.’’

Again Pipp stared hard at the images, looking for some kind of meaning, pattern or something else, anything else…only to shake her head in defeat.

‘’Sorry but this is beyond me. Drawings can sometimes be used in magical circles to enhance the magic. I know it sounds weird but yeah, it can be possible. But I don’t see how since there’s no circle. If you want my advice, I think they're just here simply for aesthetics. It’s not actually uncommon to use magic runes for purely religious reasons.’’

‘’Aaaah, right. I do remember often seeing symbols for spells on the text of the holy bible. Least it does seem to confirm that some sort of cult was there. Though I doubt that their object of worship was something holy. Bet you love that spooky atmosphere, heh sis.’’

‘’Come on Zipp, you know I’ve loved horror stories since I was a filly but it’s different when I… ‘’ Pipp had raised her head as she spoke and saw something peculiar. ‘’Alright, now it screams trying way too much. Look.’’

Up above, coursing between the giant columns were chains. Countless and countless long chains going in all directions, crisscrossing into a messy net of metal. They too were showing their age. Not a trace of luster remained and there were several obvious spots of reddish-brown color probably made by rust.

‘’Ooo…kay. Interesting choice.’’ Said Izzy the Unicorn. ‘’Me too, I once decorated the roof of my house with chains. Though my chains were made of pretty multi-colored papercraft. But who am I to judge?’’

‘’I really doubt they were made for that purpose.’’ Pipp answered back. ‘’As for what their purpose is? I can’t even imagine.

‘’You will not like it at all.’’ Everypony turned their head toward Vitali. This WAS quickly starting to become a habit. ‘’Those chains aren’t here to be pretty. They serve a… stomach-churning purpose. They are tools to execute and torture ponies.’’ And just like that, the feeling of oppression they all felt was now seeping to their very bone. But Vitaly just continued, undeterred, as if she was reciting a simple history lesson.

‘’It’s an old method of punishment for the guilty and sinners. They ensnare the limbs and torsos of ponies with those chains and just… left them up there. The only thing those condemned can do is just wait for a slow and agonizing death with only the company of other condemned. And the gazes of spectators who want them to suffer. For days. After days. After days. Until hunger and thirst finally take them. Less if the chains cause wounds and blood loss. Even less if they are attached upside down.’’

The scholarly mare, more disinterested than ever, pushed away a strand of her mane and as if she was reading a passage from an old history book, continued her speech, to the horror of her companions. ‘’It has two purposes. One if for the guilty. To make sure they understand the weight of their crimes. The second is to serve as an example for the spectator. So they be deterred to become like him.’’

‘’STOP! JUST STOP.’’ Screamed Pipp. ‘’Who-who could come out with such a–

‘’Pegasi.’’

‘’... Huh???’’

‘’Pegasi are the ones that invented that punishment. I mean, who else would be able to put the bodies up?’’

Pipp felt their stomachs drop as they looked up again and realized the truth, which only caused both to sink further into disbelief and despair.

‘’If it can console you Miss Pipp, that execution method was used for only a few years before being banned. Even in this cold world, it seems it had been considered too depraved. Huh Pipp? Is something wrong?’’

Pipp didn’t look well, in fact, she seemed to have difficulty breathing. They were not sure but it seemed to them they had heard soft giggles. ‘’Oh yeah, yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine. I just need to, stretch my wings a little bit.’’ She flew towards one of those benches, far away, and just laid her whole body on it. It did manage to calm her down, if just for a little bit but because of this nasty thing called morbid curiosity, she couldn’t help to look up at those dastardly chains, dirty by… wait… were those brown stains really made by rust? Or—

Yes, Pipp just lost her breakfast which was now spread on the floor. She coughed for a bit but then, her eyes caught something resting on the wall. Anything to distract herself from that nightmare. It was a mistake. What she saw was corpses. Two ponies corpses who all that was left were their bones and the rags that were once their clothes. Their mouths were wide open. As if they’d died screaming.

It was a blood curdling scream that came out of Pipp's mouth as afraid, fell and crawled backwards from those dead.

‘’PIPP! Pipp what’s wrong?’’ Zipp grabbed her sister. ‘’It’s alright, I’m here. What’s wro… oh gods.’’ She too saw the corpses. ‘’Don’t—don’t worry. They can’t hurt you. Just don’t look.’’

‘’What’s wrong?’’ Sunny and the rest came and saw the corpses too. ‘’Oh! Oooh, I guess we should have expected that. Vitali said we weren’t the first.’’ If any illusions were left that this dungeon wasn’t dangerous, now those hopes, as little as they were, were gone with a vengeance.

‘’Those two have been here for quite some time.’’ Hitch said, looking at those skeletons more thoroughly. ‘’But not that much.’’ What it meant was although they were bones, they were still covered up by skin, albeit all dry up. It’d be more accurate to call them mummies more than skeletons.

One had a good part of his skull smashed to the wall. The other had wild gashes on his tunic and torso with bits of black on his shirt..likely long dried blood. ‘’Looks like this one has been torn to shreds. Must have been painful. Guess they're really are monsters here.’’

‘’Yes. And I beg you. To stay. FOCUS.’’ Vitali screamed from afar. ‘’This is not the moment to act like tourists. I said it many times. This place is ‘death’. And here’s the proof. As well as what will happen to you if you don’t keep your guard up.’’

Sadly her warning was lost on one of the bunch.

Izzy was not among the group. She was hearing what Vitali was saying but she hardly kept focus on what her words meant. In fact, she could hardly keep focus on anything. She barely entered the dungeon and already it was becoming too much for her. Will she ever be courageous, the Unicorn lamented in her heart.

She wandered without any destination in mind until she arrived at the end of the hall and there… she found something peculiar.

There was a big face carved in the wall. It was a pony face with a beard and strangely, a pair of horns on its head. Not unicorn horns mind you, but more like demonic horns. The stone composing that face had the color green. A dirty green. But the most noteworthy aspect was its hollow mouth. It was wild open, forming a big O and it was taking the most place of this face.

Izzy didn’t like it. Despite having a passion for art, she just couldn’t get what this sculpture was about. What was it trying to express? Horror? Anger? Confusion? And those damn eyes seemed to be fixing on her. That big hollow mouth was as black as a dark abyss. Wait! ‘That’s strange’ the unicorn was thinking. Does the dark-vision lens she was wearing weren't supposed to vanish all dark?

But the more she was looking at that dark mouth, the harder she found it was to avert her eyes. Something in that darkness was… making her afraid. Just like when she had entered the dungeon. But despite this irrational fear, or maybe because of it, she was also… fascinated by it. Without realizing it, the unicorn was taking step after step towards that mouth, as if in a trace and slowly, held out her hoof towards that hole.

Vitali, still lecturing the party of adventurers, realized that Izzy was missing. Having a bad feeling, the scholarly mare turned her head. She gasped as her pupils shrunk and held out her hoof towards Izzy.

‘’NO, DON’T TOUCH IT! YOU MUSTN’T!’’

Author's Note

Of course I wouls put the 'literal face' of the Tomb of Horrors as a cameo. And for those who already know what's its most famous feature then yeah, Vitali reaction is very justifiable. For thoses who do not understand. Let's just that this face had wiped out many parties in a... very comical fashion. Comical for the Dungeon Master. Not for the players.

Anyway, stay tune for the next chapter because it will be the one where we will finally see some action as our adventurers fight against deadly monsters.