May 19th 12 L.B.

Darkness. Nothingness; a black void of nothing. Or an expansive universe? Fear of the unknown. Or just pure ignorance. For what we do not see; should we fear it? Or should we study it? Or is it that should we study it with extreme caution? Fear of the unknown has always been a quaint subject of mine; it is one of the reasons why I had started my studies into magic in the first place.

Which is why I, Star Swirl, have come to an astonishing discovery over the past week. With my hobby of exploring the bizarre, I, and a few of my colleagues, stumbled upon none other than: Metropolis. Yes. The Metropolis. I don’t know why I’m being overly dramatic here in my journal, I honestly cannot help but contain my excitement while writing this down during dinner.

As per mentioned, it all happened last week.

On May 12th, I had been getting ready for my lecture for that coming afternoon when I had received an unexpected letter from my colleague, Pens Worth. He had informed me of a rare find down near Dodge City and deep within the Badlands. In his letter he had repeatedly implored me to come speak with him later that night after class. Since Pens Worth was a trustworthy colleague; I knew this was rather important.

Later that evening I arrived outside Pens Worth cottage a mile or so away from the base of Canterlot. I had only knocked on his door once and was instantly greeted by the ecstatic unicorn; who then proceeded to eagerly usher me into his living quarters.

With widen eyes and a fix of my hat, I quickly trotted into the stallion’s home and turned to meet the fellow. “My, Pen, what is it that has you in such an exhilarated mood?” I asked the lad.

The stallion simply smiled from ear to ear and waved his head towards his well established dining room, where I could his mare prepping the table for dinner. “Come now, I’ll show you,” He said excitedly before scampering off with me briskly lagging behind him.

I greeted his wife, Chariot Shine, and exchanged brief pleasantries while Pens Worth opened his glass cabinet holding most of his career rewards and or exquisite pieces. As Pen turned with a map and photos within his magical grasp, he requested that Chariot depart from the room so that him and I could exchange classified information. Chariot simply huffed and nodded before exiting them room.

Pens Worth flashed me a quick smile as he sat the map upon the table. “Before you ask, Starswirl.” I watched as the stallion unrolled the map and held it down with a few cider glasses, while the photos were neatly placed upon the parchment. I made quick note that the photos displayed pictures of fossils I was not familiar with, especially since it was not my field of expertise “I’m not about to waste your time,” Pen said to me. “My colts and I think we’re onto something.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him quietly. “Onto what?” Pen moved away from the table and cast a spell to close the dining room sliding doors. Upon seeing this I began to feel nervous.

Pen turned back to face me as he smiled. “As you know, my family and I went on vacation last weekend.”

I nodded my head. “I recall you saying, you and your family went to Dodge City?” I smiled. “How was the trip?” I asked and Pen chuckled.

“Very good, but I didn’t bring you here to talk about Cow Colts and Mares.” Pen returned to his previous spot on the the end of the table where the map was right side up; across from me. “Last weekend on our trip we took a tour through the northern half of the Equestrian Badlands.” I frowned at this.

“Isn’t that part known for its outlaws?” I asked, wondering who in the right mind would take a trip through one of the most crime filled parts of Equestria. Pen waved my question away with a hoof.

“Well to sum it up.” Pen lifted a shot glass with his magic. “During one of our photo shoots, I slipped and fell into a cavern around here.” He then placed said shot glass down on the map which had a corresponding picture of the mentioned cavern beside it. “Luckily the drop was only about fifteen feet and I only happened to get a few cuts and bruises.”

I took a breath and glanced at the other unicorn. “You found something in there didn’t you?” I asked abruptly and Pen frowned shortly but then smiled as he nodded.

“Way to kill the dramatics...like always,” Pen chuckled and nodded as he quickly gestured to the picture of what looked like a skull of some strange primate. “I discovered the cavern was filled with these skulls and other various bones. All over the place, like a manticore’s den filled with the bones of its prey.” I looked over the pictures more thoroughly as Pen spoke about how the bones were related to nothing found in any Equestrian museum or encyclopedia. Whatever these bones were, they were part of a newly discovered, albeit extinct species.

While I examined the photos, Pen continued, “What shocked me the most when I fell into the cavern, Star; is that the Cavern wasn’t just a series of tunnels but...” He took out another photo he hadn’t revealed to me yet. “It was a pathway to an entrance.” Pen laid out a new picture for me. One of a large, rusted door which resembled that of a bank vault. Yet this entrance was dozens of feet high and in width.

I gazed upon the picture in awe. “What’s behind it?” I asked softly but Pen shook his head.

“Couldn’t get it open,” he said in a flat voice. “That’s why I’m coming to you, Star.” I glanced at him from over the picture. “With your assistance, you could get that door open without too much internal or external damage, and I can get a team in there to investigate.” I blinked as I mulled what Pen said over in my head.

After a few moments, I finally answered, “When do you plan on doing this?”

The unicorn replied with a smile. “Two days from now.”

I had returned home shortly after Pen and I spoke, having ate supper with his family I hopped upon the earliest train and rode back up to my humble abode. There I had fallen asleep and awoke the next morning to a rather uneventful day. Upon the day of our trip I had packed my essentials and met with Pens Worth outside the Canterlot station where he introduced me to a few of his colleagues, to whom I’ll list now:

Sapphire Pick: who was our chief historian and fossil digger.

Cobalt Shield: who was a retired Royal guardsman and would be our protector during our stay in the Badlands.

Copper Miner: really his name says it all. He’d be our digger incase we needed to get past a barrier.

Actin Atom: a rather silly name, would be our chief biologist. She’d be the one studying the bones found at the site.

Finally it would be Pens Worth and I. My role was to be our magic expert, and Pen was just simply going to play a bit in everything, seeing as he was our head expedition leader. Upon exchanging introductions with everypony and shaking each others hooves. We were on the train in minutes and off to Dodge City. I won’t say much about our trip there, though I’ll write and say that most of these folk are rather nice. Yet are tedious at the fact they keep commenting on my beard.

We arrived at Pens Worth’s cavern yesterday afternon after taking a sweltering trek through the Badlands. The burning sun had forced me to strip from my attire and regret not trimming my beard. Yet upon arrival to the exact site, we had pitched our tents and established cooling spells on each. With Celestia’s sun no longer an issue to our health, we started to get to work constructing a makeshift lift which allowed us to freely exit and enter the cavern at any time necessary.

Though I must say. Upon seeing the remains of creatures I had never read or seen pictures of, I felt some sort of...fear. An irrational fear I must admit, for that I had no reason to be afraid of dead remains of what could only be a bygone race. Yet the faces on the skulls, it almost seemed evil. It’s silly I know, but I’ll describe no more for that I believe I’ll only deter myself from my studies.

The rusted metallic door Pens Worth had showed me on the picture was probably one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen in my entire life. The structure was indeed dozens of feet high and in width, truly mother nature couldn’t have constructed such deliberately crafted architecture. Despite the rust, each corner and angle looked to have been expertly, and perfectly crafted all the way to the finest inch.

It had to have been an entrance of some kind, yet upon further, physical examination there were no handles, no pulleys, nothing that would enable a pony to open such an entrance. At least, not on our end of it. Perhaps it was only able to be open from the inside? Or mayhaps it was a structure that only magic could open.

Pensworth and I continued our examination of the structure a while longer before finally concluding that magic was the only possible source. Clearing the cavern aside from myself, I took a deep breath and got to work. Concentrating everything on the structure, I ignited my horn and sent a torrent of my magical energy into door and then ordered it to be open.

I had nearly cancelled mys spell when the metallic door screamed a terrifying noise as the rustic metal scratched and rubbed against each other. Metal clanking and bangs erupted and crescendoed as the solid cavern walls only seemed to amplify the noise by reverberating the sound off of its hard surface. Quickly I cast a deafen spell over my own ears to muffle the noise as the large, metal door pulled back into some unknown darkness to which made it vanish before my very eyes.

Moments past and I undid the deaf spell on my ears and was only met with equal silence, aside from the whistling air that rushed into the newly revealed area. Seconds later I heard the cranking sounds of the lift and I turned to see the others coming down to greet me.

“Well I’ll be...” Pens Worth said as he stepped off the lift. “You actually got it open.” I smiled softly and nodded my head as I looked back at the inky blackness which once hid behind the metal door. It was honestly a lot easier than I had expected to open. I had at least thought there would have been something odd about trying to get it open.

“Any idea what might be on the other side?” The fossil digger, Sapphire Pick, asked as she stepped forward. Everypony shook their heads and Pen cleared his throat.

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” The unicorn said as he stepped forward and turned to face all of us. “In less than an hour, Nightmare Moon’s light will be upon us. Tomorrow under Celestia’s radiance we’ll descend into--” He gestured with a hoof towards the darkness. “--whatever may be in there!” With that everypony smiled and nodded their heads in agreement, including myself, which I’ll admit I was in a rather joyous mood, before packing up their gear and heading back up.

I don’t recall much of that following night before our trip into the cavernous deep. All I remember is waking up to such a terrifying fright. Had I been touched by Nightmare Moon? I could not remember. All I know is that I had such a horrific nightmare that it left me up for the rest of that night. Yet upon groggily departing from my tent earlier the next morning, I had found the other five sitting sleepily around the small table eating lunch.

As I approached I had taken note that each one looked as if neither of them had slept at all similar to myself. When I sat down and began eating my hash browns and soup I simply asked everypony how their nights had gone. I was met with silence and a few judging glances, I decided to take that as an answer for not good. Seemed we had all been touched by Nightmare Moon’s influence.

After some freshly brewed fireplace coffee and a satisfying breakfast, it didn’t take long for all of us to get back into our bright moods. We had all gotten ready and were inside the lift when a bellowing sound emitted deep from within the cavern. My heart had nearly lept from my chest and Pen had nearly dropped the lift with us on it. I cursed out loud and glared at Pens Worth but was soon distracted by the sound of a mare’s voice, at least I thought it was a mare’s voice, coming from deep within the cavern.

I couldn’t understand what the mare was saying, her voice loud, yet distorted. Almost as if she was speaking underwater, the words which came out were garbled and twisted. Though the tone was strangely upbeat sounding, which for some reason made it all the more disturbing. As the sound soon faded, we all looked to each other with confusion strewn across our collective faces.

Though despite our confusion. We now knew one thing for sure. Something, or somepony was inside.

Author's Notes:

First chapter into a rather short story I am writing. I hope you all enjoy it! I'll try and get the next part out quickly, but I do not have a specific time yet. So make sure you follow the story to get updates as to when I'm releasing the next part!