OUaTiE Ch.1 excerpt

	Chapter 1: Clandestine


	Between the cities of Cloudsdale and Vanhoover laid Galloping Gorge, an unassuming location devoid of any rich history or unique fauna, and eliciting hardly any interest from passersby, whether they be on hoof, wing or railway. To them, it was just another fissure in the earth -- a beacon of banality in the otherwise magical land of Equestria. But not all creatures were dismissive of it. A select few were fascinated by what might be hidden in craggly cliff and subterranean system. And that is precisely why Maud Pie and Professor Rusty Tenure had travelled here today. With the gorge being as untouched as it was in recent times, surely a trove of new discoveries awaited the curious and patient, which would earn the location its history. At least among the geologists...

	Having earned her "rockterate" a year ago, Maud awoke one morning to a letter sent by her old professor, asking her to tag along on a short expedition. Of course she couldn't pass up the trip, although she hadn't heard much about Galloping Gorge, save that it used to be an ore mining site from a bygone age. The two Earth ponies emerged from the dense, nameless forest that guarded their destination. Both were a little short on breath, for they had trekked from their train stop in Vanhoover, all the way around the Unicorn Range, where timberwolves, mountain trolls and the rare hydra, stalked. Their unhurried pace didn't help much, either, due to Rusty's weak joints and low stamina, and Maud's natural sluggishness. Not to mention, both were replete with sleeping bags and other necessities. Rusty wiped the sweat from his wrinkled brow, took a swig from his canteen, and then offered it to the grey pony opposite, who politely declined. She was much too in awe of the great depression before her. Numerous wooden platforms had been cobbled together in a somewhat haphazard manner, held up by a truss foundation of a more sensible build. It started at their level, wound around the gorge's walls, steadily descending as it went on, until it touched the moonscape-like surface below. The mare's heart fluttered with excitement, even though it was never reflected in her expression -- unwaveringly blank as always. Without fear, she stepped upon the first platform, which protested with a series of long creaks. Rusty winced at the sounds, afraid that his best -- and one of his only students -- would fall through at any given moment...

	"It feels stable, Professor..." Maud called to him.

	"All the same, please proceed with the utmost caution!" he wheezed. "Who knows if the structural integrity will stay sound all the way down!"

	She did thus, treading at her usual speed, echoed by the elderly stallion behind her, whose body tensed up at every groan and rattle produced by the walkway. Every so often they would stop to examine the ordinary yet sprawling veins of copper ore, slithering down the ragged walls like bony serpents. About halfway down, a gentle orange glow had spilled out across the sky, indicating that Princess Celestia was in the process of lowering the sun; and by the time they safely reached the bottom, it had been replaced entirely by Princess Luna's luminous moon and star-strewn sea of violet.

	Rusty thanked both princesses after his and Maud's hooves were on solid ground again. He doffed his saddlebag and produced a lantern alight with fireflies, his attention immediately drawn to a faint, ghostly wail emanating from a dark opening over yonder. Despite the shroud of night and his poor eyesight, the professor could make out a bumper at the very entrance of the cave, with tracks leading in...

	"Look, my dear! It must be one of the mineshafts!" declared Rusty.

	"I can hardly contain myself..." Maud said in that deadpan voice of hers. But truth be told, she was quite eager to start surveying the area. So the two ponies erected their tent and rolled out their sleeping bags, before wandering off towards the howling maw. At the entrance, Rusty held his lantern aloft, yet its glow could not hope to pierce the void from here. The cold barometric winds played at their manes, tugged at their clothing, nipped at their flesh. However many times they had heard and felt this phenomena, it never failed to make their limbs prickle with goosebumps. And yet, there was something different about this place -- almost an unease. It was palpable more so to Maud than her teacher. Never before had her "Maud Sense" been stirred awake by the sight of an ordinary cave, to the point she hesitated to enter...

	Rusty looked over his shoulder, puzzled. "Is everything alright, Miss Pie?" he asked.

	"I'm not sure yet," Maud replied, her turquoise eyes fixed on the corroded tracks below, "It's probably just my nerves. This is the first time I've gone on an expedition with you, after all..."

	"Oh, there's nothing to worry yourself over! Now -- let's get a move on! Ladies first!"

	"Thank you..."

	With worry buried for the time being, Maud plunged herself into the darkness. Rusty followed suit, and the light of his fireflies poured into the chamber, only to reveal a sight worthy of Tartarus. It was an unnaturally moist cave floor, from which large flat opaque crystals erupted like canker sores; tiny pebbles were congealed together, akin to egg clusters from some wretched insect. The ceiling had the texture of nobbled skin, complete with stalactites hanging down like thin spines, and it, like the surface below, was awash in sickly greys, browns and oranges. No mining equipment of any kind could be seen, and the rails ended as abruptly as they began...

	"I must admit," professed the Professor, "I've never seen a cave quite as... grotesque, as this one. Yet ever so fascinating!"

	He handed the lantern over to Maud and began to snap photographs, all the while muttering away to himself. Maud's eyes wandered about the ceiling; some areas were still cloaked in shadow, and she wondered if anything was crawling up there, or gazing right back at her. The very thought made her shudder. Moreover, she could perceive a strange low buzzing sound beneath Rusty's voice and the cave winds. It couldn't have been a creature, for the sound was without pause, without variation; and it didn't appear to be a resonation, either, for she had placed an ear against the wall and felt nothing...

	"Professor Tenure... what happened here, exactly? To the miners?" she inquired, seemingly out of the blue. Rusty took one last picture before turning to her, arching an eyebrow.

	"To be honest, I haven't the faintest idea!" he answered. "Again, Galloping Gorge isn't known for its outstanding history. Though I suppose it doesn't help that my digging was only surface level. I'm sure there's somepony out there who knows something or other. Possibly in that village on the Unicorn Range -- Alto Terre, I believe it's called..."

	"Or the past is now like fine-grained particles, swept away by a turbulent force..."

	"...That's likely the case, my dear, as unfortunate as it sounds. But who knows; we may yet find some answers!"

	He took a moment to knick samples from the crystals and stalactites, and onward they went. The chamber became narrower as it segued into a tunnel, whose width drew the walls uncomfortably close to the wayfarers. Their hooves squished and crunched against the uneven floor, and at one point, splashed, which gave them quite the startle. Maud peered down to see a puddle of yellowish liquid, the lantern's light glinting upon its surface.

	I hope that's not what I think it is... she thought with a wince.

	The tunnel's claustrophobic grip soon relented and gave way to a fork, with yet more of that liquid residing in deeper pockets. Tacitly the ponies settled upon the left entrance. Rusty made a couple of notches in the wall, so as to help them retrace their steps on the way out, and they were off again. Neither spoke much at all during their traversal. Not that Maud could articulate herself in any fashion, what with the lantern's handle between her teeth. But so enthralled were they from the immensity before them; the uncertainty; the wonder. Any measurement of time had been lost at this rate. And yet, with every twisted corridor they passed through, and every notch made in the wall, the anxiety within Maud grew even stronger, and she couldn't understand why. Was there a predatory monster lurking in the depths? Or perhaps something that was meant to be forgotten? And what of that enigmatic and ever persistant buzz? Never once did it rise in volume; instead, it stayed low, distant -- like background audio set to infinity. All the same, Maud didn't wish to end the expedition on account of mere gut-feeling. Her desire to see what awaited them at the end couldn't be phased out by any force in the world, and so she held her tongue.

	Without warning, the temperature dropped to an icy chill, shocking both of them back to the present. They swung yet another left, which brought them to a huge cavern of indescribable beauty. It was as though it belonged to an entirely different cave -- one less alien to pony eyes. Great columns of aquamarine crystal rose ever upward, their size comparable to some buildings Maud had seen in Vanhoover and Manehatten. They glowed seemingly of their own accord, while mushrooms and luminescent plants took root in their midst. At the pinnacle of the highest crystals stirred a strange vortex of ethereal life. Some were small orbs that darted randomly about, while others floated with more grace and patience, and had a visage more akin to pegasi.

	"Mistforms..." murmured Rusty, more out of childlike wonder than fright. "That would explain the cold air. But what ever are they doing here...?"

	"Maybe there's residual magic in this chamber?" offered Maud. "It could be produced by these crystal formations. Maybe they're a conduit of some kind?" Suddenly, a disembodied voice hissed in her ear, as if in reply, which caused a shiver to race down her spine. At first she thought it might've been Rusty, and turned to face him. "Did you say something, Professor?"

	"No, I'm afraid I did not. But I did hear you, and agree that might be a possibility..." he said, his sights still glued upwards.

	"...What's that glow over there?"

	"Hmm?"

	Indeed, radiating from a small pool in the center of the cavern was a faint red light -- one they hadn't noticed before. Or perhaps it hadn't been there until now? Maud brought a hoof forward, but halted immediately after a crack pierced the air. The weight of her step had splintered something beneath her. Her eyes widened and she backed away, while Rusty loosed a soft gasp. Even in its broken state, they knew right away it was the skull of a pony. A dozen more skeletons laid strewn about the floor -- what they originally thought to be stones from their cursory glances -- some bare, some draped in tatters and rags, and some still wearing helmets whose surface had eroded...

	One of the mistforms descended at long last, its vaporous form undulating like cloth in the wind. A smile crept across its pony-like muzzle as it hovered in place, several feet above the travelers. It did not seem to regard them as hostile, but one could never be certain with mistforms, particularly those with an unknown origin and purpose. "Excuse me?" Rusty called to it. When he received no answer, he repeated himself, this time with a touch more curtness. "Excuse me! What happened here...?" However, all the apparition did was stare on and giggle, in a fashion that suggested it had the knowledge, yet was not willing to part with it.

	Then came that voice again, louder and clearer than before, albeit in a language unfamiliar to Maud, and sounding like it was spoken within her mind. In spite of this, it forced her attention back to that red glow over yonder. And as if she were utterly hypnotized, or towed along by some gravitational pull, she started off towards it.

	"W-Where are you going?" stammered Rusty, who wanted to follow, but was kept at bay by the weathered bones in his midst.

	She said nothing, for now she was barely aware of her own movement or surroundings. All she knew was that she had to see what beckoned ahead. The spectral audience ceased with their aimless frolicking and eyed her with the utmost intent. The mistform who came down earlier drifted alongside her, observing but never speaking. Maud stopped at the edge of the pool, cocking her head with slow blink. A crimson stone sat on the bed of the shallow pool, and its glow seemed to intensify now that the pony had approached it. She considered using her mouth to collect her find, but thought better of it; Celestia only knew what parasites and other microscopic critters swam in the water. So, opting to use her hooves instead, she fearlessly submerged them into the gelid pool, and scooped the lonesome gem out from its aquatic prison, whereupon its glow ceased at once...

	"Take what you must," began the mistform, its voice airy and feminine, "but do not heed its temptations..."

	"....Okay." said Maud, flatly.

	"A bloodstone!" Rusty declared, after having finally summoned the strength to waddle up to her. "Well, it's not a new discovery, but it's... still a welcome one!" He applied a warm smile. "It is yours, Miss Pie."

	She shook her head, saying, "No... there's somepony who needs it more than I do..." Then she plopped the gem into her frock's pocket. It wasn't a vacant space, of course; Boulder, her pet rock, had been with her the entire time. And with that, the geologists, now feeling the onset of tiredness, took their leave, while the mistforms returned to their eternal waltz...

	Once back out into the fresh open air of the Gorge, they made a woozy beeline for their tent. Maud tucked Boulder and the bloodstone into their own little bed, which was laid out beside her own, giving them quick smooches and a "Good night, you two," while Rusty snored on with wild abandon. Thereafter, she freed the fireflies from the lantern and slipped under her own blankets. In the final throes of consciousness, her mind worked to process all that she had seen earlier, and what awaited them in the days to follow. Alas, she never would find the source of the buzzing, nor how the miners met their untimely fate. Their subsequent explorations would yield no further answers, nor any new discoveries of the geological kind; only caved-in tunnels, common gems, and a chamber filled with lesser Ooze creatures. The mine was just as mysterious as it was before. But at the very least, she did not come out of this journey empty-hooved. She could already envision the smile that her sister would be wearing, upon seeing her birthday gift -- which in turn, gave Maud a smile all her own...