//------------------------------// // "What Lies Beneath" - Chp.1 // Story: Forgotten Realms, Bear forgotten Kings // by The Ironclad Knight //------------------------------// I saw them long before they saw me. These trespassers, these equine creatures, finding no respect in their hearts for the dead... though I cannot blame them, I myself had no regards for the sanctity of the dead nor the living, perhaps that is why I am where I am now? No... that is irrelevant now, these equine creatures are of more interest then my decrepit mind. They first showed a short while after the cavern had been struck by tremors, the ceiling held firm as did the buildings, but the stalactites above could not say the same. Few of them fell and crushed the occasional house, one even struck my tower & nearly cause the already decrepit structure to collapse on me. On the far side of the cavern I heard the crumbling of stone followed by the blinding light of the day, i'd not gone completely blind within the darkness thanks to the candle which sat before me on crumbling stones, but natural light was certainly strange to see. At first I shielded my eyes to the bright sun, but after a good while, I found myself getting use to the company. Thanks to it, I could see a small sliver of what was outside, I saw rolling hills of green grass, small specks of brown off in the distance, and even further back I could see the silhouette of a mountain! It was good to see that the world had not changed since my time. My enjoyment of the view was short lived, however, as I was greeted by a sigh which tested the bounds of my already weary mind. At first I could not make them out other then them being colorful specks carrying light sources of some sort, but when the few which could fly managed to get close enough, I eventually saw them for what they were... well, one type of them at least. I couldn't imagine, in the endless decades that I had been sitting here in the dark, that the first living creature i'd see was a flying horse! There were at least 8 of these colorful things fluttering about over the remnants of my peoples homes, I couldn't see how many were walking about on the ground from here, but they seemed to be exploring a great deal. They did not stay long, however, as they soon retreated to the hole after a strange beam of light was expelled into the air of the cavern. The light looked akin to a firework, a device we'd used to send signals back in our glory days, but it seemed to give off a more magical feel to it. They were quick to return to the source of the light, and I soon found myself watching as they established a camp outside the entrance. They stayed out there for 5 days before reentering the cavern, this time there was a great many more of them, both on the ground and in the air, and they were traveling further and further into the city. Occasionally i'd see them stop & leave at least 3 or 4 of them establish smaller camps along the way. Their party continued & I continued to stalk them from atop my tower, until I spotted a flying one very close by... no more than an arrows range away. This one seemed to be examining the citadel, at least it seemed to be, it wasn't long before they flew off & returned to the group down below. From this distance I could clearly see them from here, I could even distinguish features such as horns & no-horns, at least 14 of them stood together & chatted to the one who had just flown by. They were certainly exchanging a great deal of words, it seemed the leading pony was ordering the flier around, but alas they did not stay still for long as soon after they began approaching the Citadel's walls. I would've expected them to enter the building, but they halted almost immediately once they were 3 streets away & from this distance I could easily make them out thanks to the light's which were being casted from the horns of a few, the looks on their faces read a mixture of fear, curiosity, & surprise. These expressions had me at a loss... before I came to a realisation... they could see the candle which sat beside me, that dim light stood out like a white dot in a sea of blackness, & they most likely could see my silhouette in its light. This fear was justified no doubt, when one enters a city of the dead, they expect to find only dead... & to see a light in a place this old? It'd send shivers down my spine. They almost immediately turned tail and ran, quickly vanishing from my view, but from the looks of it they left both their camps & their fellow's behind. Perhaps they intended to return? certainly! they seemed interested enough with the remains, & despite their lack of regards for my people, they were the first living thing i'd seen in decades. A day passed before I finally saw another group approach the citadel's walls, it looked to be the same group, only now they had a few extra who bore golden armor & colorful plumes atop their helms. The sight would've inspired a laugh from me, if I had the willpower to do so. But unlike before the group did not retreat upon seeing my figure, though they did seem thoroughly unnerved, they continued their approach until they eventually left my field of view... no doubt they were at the base of the citadel's walls looking for the gatehouse. The sound of the thick iron-doors, that led to the main hall, being opened confirmed my suspicions... they'd made it inside... I did not hear much after that, only the occasional yelp or crashing of metal, they probably found the decorum of my home to being frightening. But it wasn't too long before I heard the trotting of metal-clad hooves echo from the hallway outside. The clip-clop of the hooves continued to approach my door until they were just next to it, at that point they ceased all movement whatsoever... I could hear the faintest of shallow breaths outside my door before I finally heard it. The soft "CLICK" of the doors handle turning and the mechanism inside pulling open. My head remained angled towards the hole in my tower, but my eyes remained locked on the door. I watched as the old wooden door swung open slowly, the hinges creaking loudly as they moved... the rust could be thanked for that, but when the door finally swung open to its fullest. I saw them for the first time... A strange sight it is. To find a creature, so different, waltz into your home & stare at you as though YOU don't belong. The mare equine did just that, standing in the doorway of my chambers she proceeded to gawk at me as though I was truly impossible. She was a Umber brown in coloration, I could not tell her manes coloration as she wore a metal helm on her head, unlike the guards which had accompanied her. She wore a crude cuirass of iron that seemed hastily made, I imagine the guards had brought the armour with them and issued it to the others once they had entered the citadel as I did not see any of them wearing it upon their approach. She continued to gawk at me for the longest of times, before I finally heard her speak... the first words i'd heard in countless years of endless silence... those words will stick with me for eternities to come, no doubt. What she said to me, was clear as day... "OH MY SWEET CELESTIA!" Oh how i'd savior that sound... until she replaced it with shrieking followed by her fleeing back down the hall which she'd came from.