VI

The hatch was similar in size to a cellar door and of simple wooden construction, yet heavily wrought with iron welds. I hooked my hoof under the rusted latch and heaved upwards. The metal woven planks shuddered as I met with considerable resistance. I was aware that I had fallen prey to physical neglect, but never had I thought myself so weakened to not open a simple hatch. I braced myself against the floor and pulled with all I could muster. The chain began to bite into my hide, a stinging pain that I could not put out of my mind shot through me. I collapsed to the floor, staring at the wooden hatch. There was no visible lock or keyhole yet this entrance was somehow barricaded. I had a the thought of a hidden switch located somewhere in the study was the key. How ridiculous and cliché this would appear, typical fodder for tales of the macabre.

Brushing myself off as I stood I scanned the carnage of my father's study. Gritting my teeth, I bitterly cursed out to the spirit of my sire in some futile attempt to incur some sign of guidance. I was only met with the mundane sound of the ticking clock upon the desk. I brushed a fallen strand of my mane out of my eyes and sat heavily into the chair. The dark iron bindings that held the planks together were damp with a hidden moisture. The humid air of the study had its origins in the area beyond that stubborn hatch. Frustrated, I pushed the weathered journal of the Pegasus explorer away from me. It slid across the sanded surface hitting the mantle clock on the end of the desk where it came to an abrupt stop. I leaned against the edge of the desk, laying my head upon my hooves and stared at the clock. Its simplistic, leaf-cut hands were resting securely upon 11:29. I lifted my head, how could no instance of time pass with all that has happened? I reached out and slapped my hoof against its wooden housing, hoping to jostle the gears with a boorish display of brute force. After a few moments, the hands did not move as the ticking continued. I stood and reached for the clock pulling it towards me, it did not budge, it was securely fastened to the desk. I leapt from the chair so quickly that it slid across the rug and hit the wall. A muffled thud came from the tapestry on impact, a soft plume of snowflake like dust showered behind me. I pushed against the desk, only to find it also unmovable. I leaned under the sanded surface, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Instantly I spied a metal pipe secured to the front right leg which bore into the rug. Standing back over the desk I opened the glass housing of the clocks face and turned the hands in random directions. My ears perked as I heard the faint sound of grinding, the metallic pins of a geared locking mechanism.

Oh father, how clever to employ such an ingenious locking gadget. I was no thief, nor a locksmith, but I was also no fool. I turned the hands to rest in a most familiar location, upon the comforting placement of 6:10. With that, a loud click came from the hidden hatch. How simplistic a clue he had seeded in my mind. All those nights spent looking up at that silent clock by my desk, thinking it my counterpart, unmoving and ever still in its patience. It was all but a shield, guarding the future I was destined to discover. I stood over the hatch and reached out with a spell, gripping the handle firmly in my focus. I heaved upwards with my spell, the hatch opened with a protesting squeal as the rusted hinges gave way.

A fetid smell, warm and humid assaulted my nostrils, causing me to gag. I recoiled, pulling the hatch open fully as I turned away from the offensive scent. My eyes began to sting, I could taste the foul aroma sitting in the back of my throat. The thought of a hidden family crypt or mausoleum came to the forefront of my mind. I had never questioned where my father, nor any relative for that matter were inurned, it was never information that I concerned myself with. Regardless, I could not shake the feeling that I had opened Pandora's Box. I regained my bearings and turned back towards the opening.

I had expected to see an abyssal trench cut into the floor, swathed in an unmistakable and impenetrable darkness. Yet I was surprised to see a soft green light bathing the entire passageway. The glow was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, I deduced it to be a form of bio-luminescence. I was not overly familiar with the characteristics of this phenomenon outside of text books. Certain fungi; insects, even complex seafaring-lifeforms can emit light through a chemical reaction with oxygen. I stepped into the staircase and peered down the descending tunnel. Lichen blanketed the walls, emitting the soft glow that enticed me into its embrace. Leaving behind the well lit interior of my father's study I began my descent into the unknown. The stone staircase was crudely fashioned and damp with moisture. The green light pulsed in time with my hoofsteps, I had a strange recollection of this tunnel but could not place the memory. Perhaps a vision lost in the chaotic mishmash of my mind over the past few weeks. The staircase continued in a steep descent, the deeper I plunged into the bowels of the Earth, the more venomous the olfactory aroma became.

My head began to spin as the fungus covered walls seemed to stretch onwards forever. I dared not touch them, lest their ascospore be poisonous to ponykind. I curled my tongue against the back of my throat, wishing to wretch the horrid taste from my mouth when I suddenly came to a level flooring. The tunnel expanded into a wide cavern that shone brightly with luminescent vegetation. The sight was breathtaking, pencil-thin stalactites hung from the ceiling in clusters so dense that it appeared like a bed of nails. Strange plants and unclassified fungi blanketed the walls, glowing vines snaked through the dripping rocks like tentacles. The light this strange plant-life emitted was a mix of blue, green and red. The pathway turned sharply to the left and trailed around the circumference of the cavern. The edge of the well trodden path gave way to a deep pit. I walked to the edge, kicking a stray stone into the chasm as I peered into the darkness below. Long I stood there, staring into nothingness, seeing a reflection of myself as I looked into that pit. The key slipped from my vest and dangled over the edge, its otherworldly mass seemed to will me into that void. The walls of the pit were slick with moisture and appeared razor sharp. Obsidian from ancient volcanic flows shined in the glow of hanging mossy vines.

Looking across the chasm I could see a line of five wooden doors against the cavern wall. I stepped away from the edge and placed the key back into my vest, this cavern was a speleologist and botanist's dream. My heart began to race as I carefully trotted along the path. I was not one to be afraid of heights, but I felt my mortality when I stood upon the precipice of that yawning abyss. I brushed past the hanging vines that slithered through the nail-bed of stalactites. I barely gave it notice as I felt a slithering sensation upon my hide. Turning around I suddenly found myself entangled within the hanging vines. I struggled against them but their grip was merciless. I pulled forward with all my might when my eyes shot open, I cried out in pain. What I mistook as root formations were actually barbarous spines, their razor-like spikes dug into my hide as I struggled. I began to panic as their tendrils wrapped around me, this sent me flailing in desperation. I could feel their sting as I gained footing, pulling away from their baleful grasp.

I fell upon the rocky floor, backing myself against the wall as I panted for breath. The vines swayed in the humid air, small flakes of blue dust trickled to the ground. The blue light emanating from the vines began to glow brighter from having fed upon me. If this was truth or the creation of my mind I am not certain. Inspecting myself I could see small patches of crimson dotting my grey coat. The cuts stung with an intense heat; as if having been stung by a wasp or bee. I shook my head as I stood, my vest had become torn along several of its stitches due to my desperate thrashing. The heat of the cuts began to dissipate as I quickly moved along the path. The green lichen of the walls melded into a red hue as I reached the other side of the cavern. The sound of creaking stone and droplets of water could be heard throughout the cave, lending it a most haunting ambience as I stood in front of the first door.

Pushing the door open revealed brightly burning sconces on the walls of a square room. The room was strong with the pungent odor that I had slowly started to become accustom to. Inside the room I was aghast at what I saw, this place truly was a tomb. Cut into the walls were a series of makeshift catacombs, within each opening sat the dried remains of a Unicorn. I felt myself begin to tremble as their hollow eyes seemed to burn into me. In the center of the room was a stone slab where the remains of one Unicorn lie. The slackened jaw of the husk appeared to be silently screaming. A strange stone dagger and several crude tools were set on the slab beside the remains along with several clay urns. They all had decorative scoring marks on them, they were the same instruments I saw earlier in my father's study. I felt a chill down my spine as I leaned down closer to the remains. You would question my mind why I wished to inspect this rotting husk. I do not fault you for doing so, does one simply look away from a disastrous accident? No, morbid curiosity and the allure of the unknown pulled me closer. This Unicorn was mummified, all of them were, twelve in total. I suddenly felt like a grave-robber, a trespasser amongst the ghosts of a world I never knew. How I wished to relate my findings to my journal, but the nagging voice of my rational-self pulled me back. I slowly left the room and closed the door.

The second door contained the same, as did the third and fourth, a series of burial chambers containing twelve mummified Unicorns each. The fifth door was locked with a curious runic locking device. Barricading the door was a beam of solid iron with a runic symbol etched into it. Cut into the wall beside the door was a square indentation also graced with the same magical rune. A crude likeness of an equine skull, encased within the confines of a five pointed star. As I inspected the rune it dawned on me where I had seen this symbol before. It was the same symbol affixed to the wax seal of my father's letter. I peered through the barred window of the door where I could see a fire-lit hallway. I had to find a way to open this lock.

I felt weary as I walked past the line of doors. My attention was suddenly alerted when I noticed the absence of light in the second room. Opening the door confirmed what I feared, all the sconces were doused, where no more than moments before they were brightly lit. The crack of stone upon stone inside the room caused me to jump in fright. Staring into the room I could see a small glowing object near the stone slab. My better judgment rallied against entering that room, but I could not ignore the object’s allure. As I stepped into the darkened room I heard a deep rumble from all around the cavern, a voice called to me inside my head. The stones began to groan when I picked up the faintly glowing object in my focus. It was a small cube cut from granite, turning it around revealed a runic symbol. It was the same runic symbol as the lock on the fifth door, it was the key.

Dry screams of agony cried out all around me. The door slammed shut as the cracking of bones and clattering of hooves on stone erupted in the room. The glowing radiance of my magical grip on the granite key highlighted the sunken features of a deceased Unicorn as it jumped at me. I screamed in terror as the chattering jaw lunged towards me, aimlessly biting into the air as I fell backwards, skittering across the floor. I cried out as a sharp hoof fell on my right hind leg. Horns glowed all around me, erratically swaying in sickening motions accompanied by the foul odor of decaying flesh. I spun myself around and ran to the door with a limp in my gait. Pushing open the door I fell onto the pathway in the cavern, howls bellowed from the adjoining rooms. Rolling over, I kicked the door shut just as a shambling cadaver was nearly upon me. The door was swinging open again as I jumped up and stumbled towards the far door. The doors all began to open as the rotted remains of Unicorns stepped through the cut stone arches. Their legs trembled as their brittle limbs held aloft their crumbling bodies. Their slackened jaws hung loosely, dried lips curled inwards exposing wretched teeth which guttural sounds howled past. I fumbled the granite block into the cut of the wall as my heart pounded in my head. I cursed, crying out for haste in dispelling the runic seal. The hideous abominations were nearly upon me as the iron bar shifted, I pulled the door open and ran down the hallway.

I looked over my shoulder to see the horrid wretches were in relentless pursuit of me. My lungs burned as fear gripped my heart and clouded my mind. I ran down the hallway that expanded into a large room that was segregated with flowstone columns. On each column sat a wood crafted brazier which held a glass orb that radiated a soft incandescent light. Straws and lengthy stalactites hung intermittently throughout the cavern, dripping into pools of water that collected on the floor. Three doors sat on opposite sides of the cavern, from my quick inspection I did not see any with a lock, which was both a blessing and a curse. I hobbled towards the the first door that was on the far side of the room opposite the hallway which I entered. Opening the door revealed a well lit passageway that lead to another door. The shrieking howls echoed throughout the cavern as I slammed the door shut behind me, my eyes were clouded with tears as I started to hyperventilate. I limped towards the other door as the hallway began to swerve, slamming my weight against the door I fell into a closed off room. My thoughts at the time did not think about my eventual escape, only of my self preservation. I kicked the door closed, the iron bar with a runic sigil stared back at me. I reached out with my magic and pulled the granite block from the wall beside the iron bar. The rune upon the iron bar glowed as it slid and locked the door shut. I dropped my head to the floor and closed my eyes, the world went dark.

I awoke to the popping of smoldering braziers that lined the room which I sheltered in. I groaned loudly as I rolled myself over and stood up. My body ached, my hind leg stung as I put a firm pressure on it, it would prove to be an irritant but was not a serious injury. I rubbed my eyes and looked out through the small barred view-port of the door. The hallway was lined with the motionless remains of Unicorns. My heart sank when I saw the putrid remains littering the floor. I had hoped what I experienced was nothing more than another vivid hallucination. I turned away from the door and was shocked to find I stood in a large chamber lined with fetters and various equipment designed for torturous interrogation. Leg-screws, racks, a brazen bull, splitters and shin boots. These horrendous devices were obviously used at some point from a cursory glance at them.

In the corner stood an Iron Maiden, its history was one clouded in myth and superstition, to see it standing before me in its hideous glory was a humbling experience. As I walked up to it I was horrified to see a pair of eyes looking back at me through the open eye holes. The lifeless, auburn eyes stared into the depths of my being. The faint scent of strawberries wafted through the malodor of the room. I felt my heart swell, as if it was about to burst, I turned away from the iron casket and fell to my knees. I cannot explain the overwhelming sensation that churned inside me. A piteous sob was all I could muster as I laid my head upon the floor and let myself go.

I do not recall how long I lay on the floor of that horrific room, but I felt as if I became ancient in those seconds, minutes, hours; however long it may have been. I stood and turned back towards the iron casket only to find it open, and empty. Laying on the floor in the center of the grated drain was the horn of a Unicorn. I picked it up, it was cleanly cut and polished. It appeared to have been a preserved horn, much like how masks of the deceased are sometimes taken in a plaster cast, some families of Unicorn nobility preserved the horns of their elders. I stood there feeling empty. My mind was becoming undone, I could no longer differentiate between reality and the veil beyond. My mind had become as empty as the hollow cadavers that haunted the halls of this cruel grotto. I turned to suddenly hear a piercing scream which nearly knocked me back into the vicious mouth of the Iron Maiden. A crude statue of a Unicorn stood in the darkened corner, it was missing its horn. Without hesitation I placed the horn onto the shaved stump where it held firmly. I had become numb to the world, only the most mundane of tasks were in my grasp. The wall beside me shuddered and swung inwards revealing a well lit staircase leading upwards. I stepped into the passageway and looked over my shoulder at the horrendous room as the wall started to swing closed.

I began a lumbering ascent up the elegantly carved staircase. The pain of my body was numbed by the shattered puzzle of my mind. I started to pick up the pieces, trying to make a rational explanation of the horrific events. An attempt at convincing myself that I was still sane, a thinking, objective individual and not some slavering lunatic. I started to become short of breath, my legs were trembling as I reached a wall at the top of the staircase. A rope hung from the ceiling, looking up I could see it held a small block of wood against the wall. Pulling the rope released the wooden block and the wall swung open to reveal the ghostly white interior of the lord's room. I became frozen in the passageway as I saw a motionless silhouette in the light of the moon, standing in front of the rain-spattered window.