//------------------------------// // I found my way into the vault... // Story: It Sleeps Beneath Foal Mountain // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// The air felt wrong. The moment Chrysalis and I arrived in the forest adjacent to the Foal Mountain range, I could feel that something had changed, and drastically at that. Perhaps it was something to do with the forest itself or perhaps this ambient malevolence assaulting every sense and nerve originated from that ancient altar built deep within this very location, or it may very well have been the mountains themselves. It was written in the Book of Iod that Zushakon's throne was housed somewhere far below the mountain range that served as the massive backdrop to the mysterious altar that was Ponehenge, and what I'd discovered so far seemed to indicate that to be the truth, but what of the altar itself? Neither book in my possession made mention of Ponehenge and yet it was clearly meant to play some role according to my visions. It had been the site where Star Swirl and the rest of the Pillars sealed the Pony of Shadows away, but that didn't explain the origin of the altar itself. Was it built by Star Swirl for the express purpose of sealing away the monster that Stygian had become, or had it been here before? If the latter held true, then who had built it and what had been its purpose? If Ponehenge was built in Zushakon's name it would stand to reason that the Hidden Ones would've used it to enact their ritual to awaken the Dark Silent One, but they hadn't. Two possibilities came to mind, one being that the ritual could only be performed under certain conditions—conditions which made Ponehenge ill-suited for the task. The other possibility, and one I believed to be increasingly plausible, was that Ponehenge, those who'd built it, and its purpose were all unrelated to both Star Swirl and the Hidden Ones. It was entirely possible that Ponehenge had stood within this forest long before ponies had settled upon these lands. Perhaps there had been some long lost sapient race that had lived here, built this monument and died out before our ancestors had arrived. Still, that did nothing to explain its presence in my vision or its use by the Pillars, but that was a mystery to ponder at another time. Putting aside that digression, for now, I returned my thoughts to the malignancy permeating the air. The more I focused my senses, the more familiar the atmosphere became, and it wasn't long before I realized it was the same presence I'd been feeling throughout my journey, only much more potent. I found it rather odd; I felt that same presence just as strongly within the cathedral, but outside of that ancient and forsaken place, the sensation made my remaining flesh crawl beneath my dark violet coat. Even more perturbing was that I hadn't found said sensation all that unpleasant. Upon seeking the input of my unhinged companion, Chrysalis only had the following to say: "The hour... i-it nears... the... t-the Dark is spreading... its influence... e-even in slumber it knows... it knows, Twilight S-Sparkle... the Old N... Night... it s-stirs r... restlessly in its d-deep sleep... g-grows restless... i-impatient even... e-even as it dreams... but soon... sssoooonn..." Her strained words devolved into psychotic peals of laughter fit to make the vilest of demons shiver in fear and disgust. As she spoke her eyeless gaze had wandered to the distant peaks of Foal Mountain and a hideous grin full of sick glee and anticipation had spread across her face. Her words, broken and ominous as they were, sent yet another strange not-so-unpleasant shiver down my spine, one I tried to ignore as that same cackling nightmare continued to lead me to what remained of Star Swirl's old forest home. All along it had been the Dark that I felt, that queer sensation that had followed me ever since I'd first caught a glimpse of the Tree's true nature. I'd heard as much several times before in the recent past but hadn't thought to put two and two together until now, much to my own chagrin. That aside, I had been initially surprised to learn that Star Swirl had built a cabin here and that I hadn't known of it or seen it on my first foray into this forest. There was no mention of it in the old stallion's journal, nor had Celestia or Luna told me of its existence. That Star Swirl had settled so close to where Zushakon was said to slumber eternally may not have been mere coincidence, in fact, I was certain it was not, but why he ever would if he'd been so keen to escape his past as he proclaimed, I did not know. Was his cabin meant to be kept a secret? Had he fancied himself some sort of guardian or sentinel keeping watch over the resting place of the Dark Silent One? Nopony other than perhaps Celestia or Luna could say, and given my mad and admittedly hasty actions against the stallion, asking Star Swirl himself was no longer possible. At the thought of what I'd done, something resembling shame or remorse began to creep upon me, but I viciously shoved the sentiment back down for fear that it would overwhelm me and drive me to do something drastic and permanent in my overwrought contrition. By my hoof and through the invocation of powers unimaginable, Star Swirl was no more; He, along with Daring Do and the villagers of Farasi Mweupe had been stolen away by the abyss, or what foul horrors lurked therein, as we all would be in due time. There was no longer anything for it, and so there was no need for such sentiments as regret or remorse. The only path forward left to me now was to learn all I could, as I had been, and I continued to tell myself that even as Chrysalis and I finally reached our current destination. As we approached the cabin, the reason for my not having seen the structure before quickly became evident. I would have passed it by again had Chrysalis not pointed out a powerful glamour that completely hid the cabin from both physical and thaumic senses. Once I was made aware of just what type of spell had been used, it was a simple feat to dispel the entire enchantment. A powerful mage Star Swirl may have been, but magic in all its forms was my talent, and I'd learned both how to enact and counteract this spell and a few other spells like it long ago. Even if I hadn't already known of the spell, it most likely would've been no great task to analyze and remove it, given time. Thankfully I hadn't had to, as time was something I felt we all had very little of. With the spell removed, Star Swirl's old home was revealed, and to look upon it, one could hardly call the ancient structure a 'ruin'. The cabin, for how old it was, still appeared to be mostly intact; it was a small, unassuming little abode—even smaller in scale than Daring Do's cottage. Though the wood the cabin had been built of looked somewhat moldy and withered with age even from a distance, that seemed to be the only indication of its longevity. Otherwise, Star Swirl's old hermitage had stood the test of time splendidly—a little too splendidly I thought. It was no great leap to assume the cabin had been kept from complete time-worn collapse by yet another enchantment. If that was indeed the case, then I considered myself grateful, as that made it that much easier to investigate. Still, this was Star Swirl's own home, and if he had some hidden vault beneath his cabin full of arcane and dangerous artifacts, then I was all but certain he'd put into place, measures which would prevent entry to any wayward thieves and the like who might've been clever enough, or lucky enough to stumble upon this place and its secrets. A quick thaumic scan of the abode was enough to confirm my suspicions, for I had discovered several more enchantments placed upon the cabin, many of which I was entirely unfamiliar with. Now, as I'd said before, I could parse and counteract these unfamiliar spells on my own given time, but again, time was a luxury lost to me. There had been so many enchantments upon the cabin, in fact, that to unravel them all would take days if not weeks of analysis and counter-spell weaving. No, that wouldn't do at all, but all the same, I refused to be denied when I was so close! In a sudden fit of desperate genius, or perhaps desperate madness, my mind conjured an idea. It was dangerous, it would most likely push me closer to the abyss, but I did not doubt that it would work. I had found a way to channel the esoteric force I now knew to be 'the Dark' through the same channels I'd used all my life to channel magic. Despite the name, this feat wasn't to be confused with Dark Magic, for Dark Magic was an abominable amalgamation of thaumic energy and the otherworldly energy from the abyss, also evidently known as the Dark. I know this because I knew what it felt like to cast Dark Magic. I had done so before, and after having learned and used these rites, I could say with complete conviction that Dark Magic, diluted as it was by the addition of thaumic energy, paled in comparison to the pure, unfiltered power pulled forth from those forbidden and unknowable realms inhabited by cosmic outer gods who knew no limits and defied equine understanding at every turn. Chrysalis called it the Dark, as did Star Swirl, but I knew there was far more to these rites than simple darkness. Perhaps we as a species were ultimately born of an entity beyond this world, but despite whether or not that is the truth, this was and is a power not meant for use by lesser beings like us. In using it—in simply embracing it—it changes us in hideous ways. It perverts our minds and bodies until there is nothing left but a monster. There may have been examples from the past, but I needed to look no further than myself and the grossly mutated mare beside me. I knew all of this; I understood what it meant to wield this kind of power—to seek this kind of knowledge—and yet I could not stop, and it wasn't completely for want of knowledge either. No, if I was being completely candid with myself, I would have to admit that there was a certain thrill to be found in using the eldritch arts. Magic had always been, and still very much was, a large part of my life. I had shaped my youth around it. It was my talent, and though I'd neglected my dedication to learning all I could about it as a whole in recent years due to my focus on my school and the magic of friendship, this entire endeavor had brought me back to a time when magic meant more to me than anything else. I welcomed that feeling with open hooves, found myself reveling in it, and it was this power I drew from the corrupted air around me that allowed me to bypass Star Swirl's enchantments. Though the enchantments were many, they'd already been weakened by the unearthly aura permeating the forest. By taking in that malignant energy and focusing it on one point, I was able to disrupt the natural thaumic field to such a degree that each and every spell placed in or around the cabin broke down and dissolved in a near-instant. All it took was that final push, and the magic crumbled to nothing; it was both beautiful and heartwrenching to witness, much like a tragic tale of unrequited love. My hasty and ill-advised plan had worked, but the result had left me with conflicting sentiments and though I was wary of possible consequences that might yet be brought about by such a disruption, these worries and mixed emotions would get me nowhere. Schooling my features and shoring up my convictions, I approached and entered the cabin, Chrysalis following along close behind me. At first glance, the interior looked much as I had expected the home of a reclusive mage to look. There was little in the way of actual decor or creature comforts within. The large singular room that was the entirety of the cabin had mostly been taken up by the many bookshelves that lined the walls and a sizeable if rather simplistic wooden desk pushed into one corner. Beyond the long-dead fireplace, what looked to be a ratty makeshift low profile bed and small wood stove, there was nothing more of note to see. Utilities were scarce if not completely non-existent, and the place had been stripped of anything and everything that might've had any value attached to it. There were no books upon the shelves, nothing atop the desk, no provisions to be seen at a glance, no paintings or pictures adorning the walls... nothing. Given how small the cabin was and the fact that I'd only seen one bed barely large enough for one pony, it was hard to imagine anypony other than Star Swirl taking up resident here. There certainly didn't seem to be any room for the two would-be students he'd taken in, even as foals. Though much of the cabin's exterior and all of its interior remained intact, there was an obvious air of desolation and decay that was felt more than seen. The thick and musty stench of mildew and dry rot that filled my nostrils was evidence enough that not all had been spared from time's wrath. Whatever the cabin might've been in the past, it was nothing more than a moldy and abandoned old hovel now, or so it appeared. Even if Chrysalis hadn't told me of Star Swirl's hidden vault below the cabin, I wouldn't have believed for a moment that this was all that remained. There had been only one way into the vault once according to the corrupted mare in question. Star Swirl had etched a hidden teleportation sigil of his own creation upon the floor, one which could only be activated by way of a certain incantation that only he knew. It was old magic—again, not dissimilar to the seal covering Daring Do's cellar, but far more arcane and complex, just as I would've expected of a mage of Star Swirl's caliber. Unfortunately, the old stallion had—at some point after my friends and I released him and the other Pillars—returned to his home and destroyed the only means by which the vault could be entered. Of the complex sigil that had once been etched into the floor, there was no trace. Our path forward had effectively been sealed off. I wondered at both the true depths of the mad Queen's insight and Star Swirl's reasoning for his actions. There would've been no purpose in removing the sigil unless he knew somepony would try to take what he'd hidden below. He'd already hidden his cabin from prying eyes so why the additional precaution? The only answer I could come up with looking back on the events that had led me to this point was that Star Swirl had returned and removed the sigil as a precaution once he'd heard about the incident involving the doppelgangers and the Tree of Harmony. I'd given a fairly detailed account of the horrifying event, but at the time I hadn't considered the fact that Celestia or Luna would tell Star Swirl of what happened or how Star Swirl would've reacted to such news. Of course, knowing what I do now about the stallion and his history, it makes sense, but knowing the likely reason that he removed the sigil didn't help me in the slightest. Even with the rites I'd learned at my disposal, I could no more transport myself to my desired location than if I were to use a simple teleportation spell. Like a teleportation spell, I still needed some kind of idea of where I was to go—a detailed description or pinpoint accurate directions at the very least. Despite the vast font of knowledge at her disposal, Chrysalis was also of no help in this regard, but thankfully I had another ally to guide me past this roadblock in the form of Sound Mind. The stallion had always, up until this point, shown himself when I needed his assistance and this time was no different. I expected Sound Mind to appear before me as he had in the past, but to my surprise, I was the one who was whisked away through the same means the stallion had used to spirit me away from the cathedral below ground. Briefly fighting off the nausea that threatened to overwhelm me, I regained my senses only to find that I was no longer in the old cabin. I found myself in a small enclosed underground chamber that immediately brought to mind the tomb-like cavern that was my resting place within my most recent vision. There were several differences, of course; natural grey stone had replaced the black walls that shined with an unearthly luster and the entire chamber was lit with brightly burning sconces whose magical flames cast an eerie blue glow. I stood in the center of the chamber and could see beneath me a complex sigil etched into a large grey stone platform built into the ground. I could tell at a mere glance that without the connection to its counterpart above ground, the magic within the sigil had gone eternally dormant. There was no way for me to tell how far down below the surface this chamber had been built, and if Sound Mind hadn't come to my aid there would've been nothing I could do to enter this place, as there were no exits or entrances to be seen save for the currently inert teleportation sigil. As I observed my surroundings I also noticed with slight bemusement that I had arrived here alone. Neither Sound Mind nor Chrysalis was anywhere to be seen and I stood in complete and utter solitude and silence save for the constant crackle of flames above. While somewhat disconcerting, I was quickly learning to accept the unexpected and given the wonders and horrors I'd seen thus far, I refused to be shaken or deterred by my sudden isolation. Sound Mind was a being beyond my current comprehension and Chrysalis was no longer a creature who needed my pity or concern. I put them both out of my mind and instead focused on what lay before me. Where I expected to see a veritable treasure trove of forbidden artifacts and tomes, there was very little, much to my disappointment. Compared to Daring Do's many shelves of esoteric tomes and ancient artifacts, Star Swirl's collection was severely lacking—a fact I found rather odd considering his vastly longer lifespan. I saw, lining the walls of the chamber, many pedestals and altars of varying sizes. Atop those pedestals and altars were displayed a multitude of objects, one of them I recognized as none other than the Alicorn Amulet worn by Trixie what now seemed like an age ago. That he'd hidden such a thing away from the world was no surprise, and I could even surmise that he may have learned of the foul treasure from Zecora, whom Rainbow Dash had given the amulet to after the incident involving the reformed showmare. What baffled me was when he'd collected the thing and why. Had it been around the same time he sealed off his vault? I had no answer and the question was irrelevant to my current objective either way. For a brief moment, I wondered if this was in actuality the amulet I'd come here for, but dismissed the notion as I approached the pedestal it sat on. I felt no desire to wield the amulet knowing that it would only be a matter of time before I became a slave to its will. Vile though my actions thus far may have been, they had been mine to take and I refused to let that amulet distract me from my purpose. I was deafened to its call by a greater power, and so it held no interest for me. I turned my attention to the other artifacts on display and found another artifact I was surprised to see. Though I had only seen it once before in old texts, I was quick to recognize the small grey talisman in the shape of a bell. The Bewitching Bell, a talisman just as dangerous as the Alicorn Amulet if not more so. From my past foray into ancient artifacts, I had known the Bewitching Bell to be lost to time after it was taken from its original owner Grogar by Gusty the Great. How and when Star Swirl had obtained it, I did not know, but though the talisman took the form of a bell, it was not the object I sought, so I let it be. I continued to search the pedestals, and while I did see a few other strange and exotic artifacts, talismans, and fetishes, I could tell through some queer seventh sense—as with the Alicorn Amulet and Bewitching Bell—that none of these treasures were the key to controlling the Bells of Awakening. Furthermore, many of the pedestals held nothing atop them, leading me to the possible conclusion that if there had been more here, those missing objects may have already been pilfered by some thief or taken by Star Swirl himself to another location. Whatever the case might've been, it looked as though the specific amulet I had come here for was not here. A rage wholly uncharacteristic of somepony like myself threatened to consume me, just as it had when I'd confronted Star Swirl. It was a growing fury fit to tear down the chamber around me, my own safety and the artifacts that remained be damned. Before I could make what may have been one of my worst mistakes yet, however, that fury was quelled by the sight of a singular tome. Something about it had caught my eye and that detail had been enough to calm my mind to the extent that I could once again think clearly. Upon closer inspection, the tome appeared to be a journal, a journal which bore on its worn brown cover the image of a cutie mark strikingly similar to my own. Adorning the cover was the familiar shape of a six-pointed star. Its cool magenta hue was offset by the many smaller white stars encircling it. Completing the image were two stylized wings of a brilliant golden hue overlayed atop the circle of white stars on either side. Beneath the mark on the lower left side of the cover, in a small, heavily faded golden cursive font were words written in Old Ponish. Sufficiently fluent in the archaic language, I was able to translate what was written as 'property of Shining Dawn'.