"Oooohh! This is so exciting!" Twilight Sparkle, Alicorn Princess of Friendship, flapped her wings with glee as a message levitated in her grasp. A smile that seemed to stretch beyond reasonable distance was etched on her face. A huff sounded from the kitchen, causing the exuberant Alicorn to turn towards her assistant, who was watching from the entryway.
"I guess you want me to pack your saddlebags?" Spike raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his apron covered chest. Twilight nodded, her focus now back on the letter.
"Yes please, Spike." She slowly walked towards the door, reading the rest of the message to herself in her head.
'...With this new find, we may be able to get a good lead on ancient civilizations. I have this gut feeling that whatever it is that is in this cave system, it holds an insane amount of significance. It might be the single greatest discovery in history! I have also invited Rainbow Dash as well. I'm sure she would like a good adventure. Head to the town of Stockholm, on the Western border. I will meet the both of you at the inn.
Your friend,
Daring Doo.'
Twilight figured she would go and find Rainbow. Her magical aura grabbed the handle to the front door... which proceeded to explode inwards, a rainbow coloured trail zooming in at impossible speeds. Twilight yelped as her friend hit the floor and screeched to a halt, leaving a burn groove in the wooden floor.
"Sorry for the entrance Twi! But I just got the letter and like, ohmygoshwegettogoonananotheradventurewithDaringDoo!" Rainbow zipped up to Twilight, nearly touching her muzzle. The purple Alicorn let out a chuckle and sat on her haunches.
"Calm down Rainbow! We still need to organize a ride there. Do you have everything you need to go?" Twilight chuckled as the Pegasus settled on the floor, the only indication of her excitement being her tail wagging back and forth rapidly. That and the ear-splitting smile adjourning her face.
"Hay yeah!" Rainbow pulled her previously concealed saddle bags off of her back with her teeth before dropping it to the ground. Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated the bag into the air and emptying the contents.
"Hey! Give that back!" Rainbow lunged forward but it was to late. A hat, a large book, a stuffed pony looking suspiciously similar to a certain Explorer, and a jungle hat all fell to the floor. Twilight proceeded to levitate the items of the ground as Rainbow snagged her saddle bags once more.
"You know, we are going on a very important archeological trip, not a fan service affair!" Twilight smirked as Rainbow blushed.
"Okay, yeah, I was going to get a few of those signed. But it will totally help on the trip." Rainbow crossed her hooves and pouted, causing Twilight to chuckle.
"How so?"
"....It'll improve my awesomeness by thirty percent." Rainbow looked Twilight dead in the eyes. After a second, the purple pony gave a huff.
"Fine, but I want you to bring a few more utilitarian and useful things if this is what you are taking." Twilight levitated all the items back into the bag before floating it back into Rainbows hooves, said mare giving a very obvious eyerole.
"I'm going to talk to Swifty about renting her balloon. We leave when I get back!" Twilight proceeded to trot out the door, a pip in her step. She heard rainbow grumble before flying off to grab some more gear.
If what Daring said was true, then Twilight and Rainbow were going to play a part in the biggest archeological find in Equestrian... no, world history! The very thought caused her to move faster.
With a smile brighter than the sun, Twilight went to rent a balloon. The possibilities of what they would find spurring her ever forward.
*****
A.K Yearling, better know as Daring Doo, sat at the bar table with a cup of cider. Her frame would seem relaxed to anyone passing by, but in reality, she was more tense than a bowstring. Her thoughts of what new excitement and danger she and her friends would find had riled her up beyond belief.
When the first reports of a tomb being discovered, Daring had ignored it. She had enough to deal with when it came to Caballeron and Ahuizotl. But after two Archeologists discovered a seal to the tomb more advanced than anything in Pony civilization, she knew she had to get on the case. Her imagination had gotten the better of her upon hearing the news. Was it an ancient and advanced pony civilization? Maybe the whole history of the three tribes was wrong? Her mind had gone so far as to believe that there might have been an ancient alien civilization that had landed there. She had cancelled that out immediately. There were myths and legends about alien like creatures that used to rule the planet. Machines so advanced that it seemed like magic to an average onlooker. Or that the beings were basically literal gods. Daring knew that all of this was false. If there was an ancient alien civilization that spanned the globe, then they likely would have found some remnants already.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was opened rather aggressively, resulting in a resounding crash.
"Hey! You break that door, you pay for it! You better not be in here to... to... Daring watched as the barkeep suddenly bowed his head. "Princess! I meant no disrespect!"
Daring heard a familiar chuckle behind her and swiveled her chair before hopping down. She too bowed before the purple Alicorn before her.
"Please rise, I don't need you all hurring your backs on my account." A few chuckles sounded throughout the room, the mood instantly relaxing. Daring stood up and ruffled her wings, only to find a prismatic mare suddenly in her face.
Daring's ears folded slightly as she stepped back, a nervous chuckle escaping her muzzle. Rainbow Dash was a great friend, especially after helping her stop Ahuizotl's ritual, but she still needed to know the meaning of personal space.
Twilight seemed to get that to and quickly used her magic to lift Rainbow away. The prismatic mare struggled before being plopped down beside Twilight.
"Hey guys! I wasn't expecting you for a few more hours." Daring immediately perked back up and smiled at the duo, both of which smiled back gleefully.
"Hey Mrs. Doo! We actually left shortly after getting your letter. It's not everyday somepony gets invited to make one of the biggest archeological finds ever! I wonder what will be in there? Maybe priceless artifacts? New technologies? Maybe aliens! Oh but what if- Hrf!" Twilight found a blue hoof clamping her mouth shut, causing her to stop trying to talk. After a moment, Rainbow removed her appendage and smirked. Twilight blushed and looked at the ground. "I was rambling again, wasn't I?"
"Yep." Rainbow confirmed with a chuckle. Her attention soon went back to Daring. "So when are we gonna go on this adventure? I hope there are booby traps we have to skirt around, or maybe even evil robots patrolling the halls, ready to capture us and-" Rainbow's voice suddenly went quiet, though her rambling continued. A lavender glow was enveloped around her muzzle: a silencing spell.
Just like Twilight, rainbow suddenly stopped. Her eyes betrayed her confusion when nopony responded, but upon looking down she saw the glow and smiled sheepishly. Twilight ended the spell, allowing the Pegasus to talk freely.
"Sorry 'bout that." Rainbow also blushed, causing Daring to laugh.
"I can see you are both very excited. Sadly I am going to have to tell you that we are going to the tomb tomorrow morning after breakfast." Rainbow let out a groan and flopped belly first onto the floor. Daring chuckled at her antics. "Oh stop being so dramatic, it's only one night!"
"Ugghhh... fine!" The three mares began making there way to the stairs. The sun was setting outside, it's rays casting an ambient but calming light through the inn.
"You guys can come in my room, I already have two extra cots set up." They trotted up the stairs and entered the third door on the right. The room itself wasn't very impressive, just a small bed and two cots lined against the wall. A dresser and lamp sat beside the bed, a window just above it.
"Thank you, Mrs. Doo. I-"
"Just Daring is fine Princess." Daring smirked as Twilight huffed.
"Okay Daring, but to you I am just Twilight."
"Alright, deal."
"As I was saying, thank you Daring for letting us share the room!" Twilight smiled brightly.
"It's no problem. I had the extra room so I thought I'd put it to use! Plus, this way we can all talk about what might be in the cave!" Daring said the last bit in a conspiratorial manner, causing both Twilight and Rainbow to squee' in delight.
As the three settled down, the last rays of sun fell past the horizon, bathing the land in darkness. However, one spot in particular, barely ten kilometers away, was bathed in a menacing shadow. Unlike the town of Stockholm, which was happy and secluded, this spot held malice and despair. If anyone were to wander past it at that moment, they would likely be paralyzed with fear.
Something was in that cave, that... tomb. And whatever it was, it did not hold the best intentions for ponykind, or the world...