//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Mine // Story: Mason's Quest // by gplane1749 //------------------------------// Mason's Quest Chapter 1: The Mine Mason wandered into the dig site’s headquarters building. The entire team had been working hard all day, but Mason, being one of the few earth ponies, did most of heavy lifting and was badly in need of a break. He started fixing himself some coffee when he heard the foreman shout “Everypony out here now! We’ve got something.” “Man I hope this is not just another false alarm.” Mason thought as he stepped into the fog cloud formed by his breath. There had already been three this week alone. Every time the team thought that they found what they were looking it turned out to just a normal mineshaft. None of them lead to the entrnce they were looking for. “Mason we need you out here now. These catacombs are not going to uncover themselves.” The foreman barked. He never thought anything anypony did was fast enough. “I am on my way sir.” Mason said with forced respect. He trotted over to the pile and saw the boulder that needed to be moved. It did look like there was a tunnel behind but it could go on for five feet or five miles. Mason slipped the yolk attached to the boulder over his head and started to pull. “Man this is heavy. It’s almost like it is cemented to the wall.” Suddenly a thought occurred to Mason "What if it is." “Hey guys check for cement around the rock real quick." A pegasus flew over to the boulder and brushed off some dirt. “Hey guys get some chisels over here quick.” A group of ponies rushed over and started to work furiously on the cement around the boulder. “All clear!” a worker shouted. Mason grunted as the boulder started to creep forward. Inch by inch and foot by foot the huge boulder slowly left the tunnel entrance. Mason pulled even harder than he did before he knew that this time it would be the real entrance and not just normal mineshaft. “Stop! That is good, Mason. Quick Fleetfoot get me some rope. Mason is going in.” The foreman ordered. “What why am I going in. One of the pegasus usually does it.” “After last time they all agreed that none of them were going in again. I am definitely not going in that so leaves it up to you.” “Fine but I am getting out of there if things even start to go tiny bit bad.” “Whatever. Just tie this around your waist and get going.” Mason gulped as the yolk came off his head and was replaced by a coarse rope. “Nothing to be afraid of if anything goes bad they will pull me out in a jiffy” Mason assured himself. The tunnel was as dark and gloomy as the Everfree Forest at night. The cobwebs hung in sheets from the ceiling and moisture oozed down the rough stone walls. Masons hoof-steps echoed down the tunnel and sounded like an approaching legion of guards. Mason stopped but the hoof-steps kept coming. “Oh no, that is a legion of guards! I got to get out of here as fast as I can. The guys up top, they can get me out of here in a flash.” “Guys! Get me outta here! Mason shouted at the top of his lungs. “Now!” he added as an after thought. There was no response what so ever from the rest of the dig team. “Oh no! They must have run off when they heard the guards. Okay that just mean I have to run out before the guards reach the entrance. Mason started to run off back to the tunnel’s entrance. “I am going to make it” he thought “I mean what can possibly go wrong.” In his haste to get out of the tunnel Mason did not see an errant rock sticking up from the ground. Mason’s torch sputters out as it clatters to the ground. Mason himself did not fare much better he lost his balance and started to tumble down the step incline. After rolling for what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes Mason landed with loud thump in what seemed to be a large room. “Wow I can’t even see my hoof in front of my face. This is what I get for joining that band of so called treasure hunters. They were no more petty thieves and they abandoned me to die in this rotten hole!” Three months before Mason was out of work. Everpony’s house was built there was no longer a need for bricklayers like him anymore. He went from job to job never finding anything permanent. Then one day the foreman showed up. He offered Mason a job and Mason was desperate enough to take it. Mason knew that if they were caught they would be put in prison but he needed the money. Mason thought he saw a light in the distance but he was at the bottom of an extremely old abandoned mineshaft there could not be any light. “Might as well check it out anyway better than sitting here a least” Mason thought aloud as he blew a piece of his mane out of his face. When Mason got closer to the light he saw that it was a crystal lantern in the wall and that row of these ran down the wall. The lanterns were not bright enough to light the tunnel the just led the way down it. Mason plodded along the path for hours. Every once in a while he would pass an intersection but he always stayed o the path with the lanterns. Mason was growing tired. He was hungry, he had not eaten since breakfast, his hooves were killing him, and he was battered and bruised from the long fall down the level he was on. He was so busy wallowing in self pity he almost bumped into a door. The door was right in the path and it seemed to be what the lanterns were leading him to since there was one on each side of the door. Mason reached up and knocked on the door. “That was silly it’s not like somepony is going to answer.” thought Mason. “Who is out there” called a voice from beyond the door. “What there is somepony else down here! I am saved!” thought Mason as he danced with glee. “Sir I am Mason and I am lost and weary will you please let me in.” An older light blue pony with wire frame glasses opened the door. “Of course my boy I am not a stallion that would leave somepony to rot. Come in. come in.” “Thank you so much sir. May I ask who are you and what are you doing down here in thi tunnel.” “My name is Sun Swirl, the great great great great great grandson of Star Swirl the Bearded. As for why I am down here I am the keeper of the Crystal Cave.”