//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: South Zebran 
// Story: The Legend of Alanticorn 
// by Bolt McRunFast 
//------------------------------//

	A searing, dry desert wind whipped the Kessa Forelock’s mane into a frenzy, though it didn’t move her an inch. Her eyes were focused on the head of a large statue half buried in the sand.

The statue was definitely a mare. Her mane wound around an ornate crown that framed the long, sharp horn on her forehead. The statue’s eyes were fixed downwards, as if it held the ponies beneath her in absolute contempt. It almost bore a resemblance to the depiction she’d seen in books about Nightmare Moon.

Kessa dug deeper around the statue, ensuring the sand was placed so it didn’t fill the area back in. After a short time she’d exposed what she really wanted to see: the statue’s chest.

“Cander,” she called from the small hole she sat in, not wanting to disturb the sand around the statue. “Cander?” she called again, peeking over the top of the hole. She saw their wagon sitting nearby, but the stallion that was usually by her side was nowhere to be seen.

She climbed out of the hole, doing her best not to bury the statue, and trotted over to the wagon. Sand had piled up around the wheels and edges, though they’d only been at this one spot for a few hours.

“Cander!” she yelled as she walked over to the back of the wagon. A few seconds later, a yellow pegasus stumbled out of the back of the wagon. His forelegs tripped over the edge and sent him face first into the sand. A book landed nearby. 

“Sorry about that,” Kessa said. “What were you reading?”

“Oh...nothing,” Cander said. He got to his feet quickly and picked up the book, placing it back into the wagon.

“It was Daring Do, wasn’t it?” Kessa said.

“Maybe...” Cander said, kicking a hoof in the sand.

“I can’t figure out what you see in those books.”

“They’re fun,” Cander said. “You’ve never even given them a chance. Look-”

“Never mind,” Kessa sighed. “Can you just grab the bag?”

“The bag? Oh, right,” Cander said. He climbed back into the wagon and emerged carrying a brown saddlebag. “I take it we found-” he began, but Kessa didn’t wait for him to finish. She dug into the bag and pulled out a battered brown journal bearing a faded seal from the Manehattan Museum of Natural History.

“Is that a yes?” Cander asked as he looked over her shoulder at the notebook. Kessa flipped through half the book before she came to a page with a sketch she had done about a year prior. It was of a small ivory carving found in one of the displays at the museum.

Kessa carried the book over to the statue and jumped back into the pit. She looked from the sketch to the statue and back again. There was no doubt in her mind anymore, they were the same. Her attention turned to the phrase she’d scrawled below the sketch.

“At the temple of earth, the shine of the center jewel will light the way,” she read. That phrase had been buried beneath scrolls and stacks of books, all trying to point in different directions and most put forward incorrect theories.

“Look, I’m sure you’re all excited about this, but maybe we ought to just take a step back and remember last time that you just kind of went ahead without thinking,” Cander said. Kessa showed no sign of listening to him and dug into the sand until the statue’s chest was fully exposed.

Exactly as she had hoped, there was a missing space in the statue’s chest. She went back to the bag and pulled out a long cylindrical jewel. It had taken a lot of begging, pleading and bribing to get the jewel out of the museum, but she knew it’d be worth it.

“Hello?” Cander said. “Last time? Remember the spiders? I certainly remember the spiders...” Kessa lifted the jewel and carefully slid it into the space on the statue. It locked into place with a soft click. “And then, as if the spiders weren’t enough, there were the rats...all those rats...”

“Are you finished yet?” Kessa asked.

“Not in the slightest until you decide to drop this and-” he looked into the hole and saw the jewel. “Oh, never mind, not like I could have stopped you anyway.” He kicked at the sand. “So what’s supposed to happen now?”

“I don’t know,” she said. The statue was motionless and there was no way for light to hit the jewel enough to actually shine in any direction. She reached for her journal again. “There has to be something I’m missing.”

Then the statue started to shake. Slowly at first until the vibrations reached a point that the sand remaining on it returned to the desert. The statue rose out of the sand until it’s head elevated past the lip of the hole, then above it.

Kessa climbed as quickly as she could out of the hole and turned to look at the statue. As it rose, another object buried in the sand a few steps behind it began to emerge too. It was vaguely pyramidal in shape with a large, rectangular door in the front. Two statues similar to the one Kessa had exposed guarded the door.

They could now make out the statue in its entirety and it was better than she’d imagined. The statue’s legs were evenly spaced out and positioned in an aggressive stance. The wings were fully spread out behind her.

The whole building stopped shaking after a few minutes and revealed a temple that had been buried under the sand for centuries.

“All right, let’s go,” Kessa said, putting the bag onto her back.

“You can’t be serious,” Cander said.

“You expect us to let a brand new temple just sit there?”

“I expect you to show a little restraint for once,” Cander said. “Look, let’s mark the site, head back to town-”

“And wait for someone else to steal our find? Not a chance,” she said as she walked towards the temple. “This is three years of research right here. I’m not letting it go.”

The doorway was massive. Kessa saw something spark as she approached and one by one the torches lit around and past the door.

The temple itself covered a stairway leading underground. The walls on either side of the stairs were covered with carvings depicting various events of the ancient world.

She heard the sound of another pair of hooves on stone and turned to see Cander trotting behind her.

“What happened to restraint?” Kessa asked.

“Someone needs to be there to say ‘I told you so,’” he said. Kessa turned her attention back to the hieroglyphs on the walls.

“How old would you guess these are?” she asked.

“I’d say late Bridlering-era,” Cander said. “It’s far more ornate than anything I’ve seen before. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was carved with modern tools.”

“That era was known for its progress,” Kessa said.

“Not to the point of power tools,” Cander said. “At least, it’s not supposed to be.”

They continued down the stairs for a few minutes. Cander stopped every once in awhile to get a rubbing of some writing or a particular glyph.

“I really hate these kinds of enclosed spaces,” he muttered.

“You chose the wrong field then,” Kessa said.

“No, my field was language,” he said. “You were the one who said, ‘Hey Cander! I’ve got a fun idea! Just three words: rats and spiders.”

“You’re always complaining.”

“I can’t possibly imagine why,” Cander said.

“You’re such a foal,” Kessa said.

“Yeah, I’ll remember that next time we need several dozen request forms from the museum filled out in triplicate and you-” he walked right into her rear end. “Hey, what’s...oh...”

The stairs had opened up into a long hallway. The torches lit the way down to a massive stone door. There were small waterfalls on either side of the door. The water formed a small stream on either side of the walkway.

They slowly moved down the hallway, keeping watch for any surprises. The door ahead had a massive dial containing several rings with strange mismatched symbols on them.

“I think I’ve seen this before,” Kessa said as she grabbed her journal again. She flipped through the pages, keeping close to the torchlight. Cander moved towards the door, studying something written above it. Kessa turned to the page with a large sketch of the wheel.

“Only those bearing the true seal of earth shall enter,” they read at the same time.

“So we just have to make sure we use the right seal to open the door,” Kessa said. “Not a problem.”

“And what is the right seal?” Cander asked.

“I’ve got to have it somewhere,” Kessa said. She flipped through the journal, but couldn’t find any sort of reference to a seal. “Wait, read the inscription again.”

“Only those bearing the true seal of earth shall enter,” Cander said.

“True seal of earth...what’s the element of earth?” Kessa asked.

“Earth isn’t an element, it’s a mixture of various-”

“No, in the ancient times, it was considered an element, what was its symbol?” Kessa asked.

“I don’t know,” Cander said. Kessa turned her attention to the wheel.

“The wheel’s divided into sections, each one matching up with another,” Kessa said. “We just have to ensure that the picture in the center is the true seal.”

“So what is the true seal?” Cander asked.

“Let’s see...” Kess said as she leaned towards the door. She pressed her hoof against the wheel and began to spin them around, carefully aligning the segments until they lined up into three different pictures: three horizontal lines, an arch and a rugged sphere.

“Which one is it?” Cander asked. Kessa studied the pictures. After a moment she burst into laughter. The sound echoed through the dark corridor.

“Seal of earth, this is an earth temple,” she said. “Earth is an ancient element, but also a type of pony.” She reached for the wheel and started to turn it. “That’s not an arch, it’s a hoof. Can’t believe I didn’t see it-”

“Wait-” Cander said. “Are you sure? The horizontal lines seem far more likely...”

“If you were setting a puzzle-based trap, wouldn’t you be sure to make the wrong solution the obvious one?” Kessa asked.

“That would depend on if I wanted someone to actually solve it.”

“Exactly,” Kessa said as she spun the wheel until the hoof clicked into place. A harsh grinding noise rang out from the other side of the door until it quickly slid open. “See, I told you it was-”

“FOOLS!” said a voice from the other side of the door. Both ponies stumbled backwards. “The buried secrets here are not for mortal eyes. Know that if you disturb the tablet, you will meet a watery grave...” the voice slowly faded into the darkness.

“Hello?” Kessa called into the door.

“What are you doing?!” Cander said, his voice a panicked hush. “That voice just threatened to drown us.”

“Probably just a magical ward, no big deal,” Kessa said. She looked into the next chamber. The entire room was pitch black. She walked over to one of the torches and slid it off the wall with her mouth.

“No big deal?” Cander said. “I don’t know about you, but for me, drowning would be a pretty big deal.”

When she entered the next chamber, the light from the torch filled the area. The walls had been carved from a type of very reflective stone. Kessa could dimly see her own reflection in the wall.

She took a step forward and felt her right hoof slip into nothing. The torch fell out of her mouth as she started to fall. At the last minute she felt something grab hold of her hind legs.

“What happened to watching our footing?” Cander said as he slowly pulled her back up.

“Hey Cander, grab a torch and stay back here with it,” Kessa said as she got back to her feet.

“Why?” Cander asked. Kessa pointed towards the pit. There was a very narrow walkway leading to a short pedestal. With the exception of the walkway and the ledge they were standing on, everything led down into the pit.

A sharp hissing and clicking rose up from the pit itself. Cander started to lean over the ledge to look but Kessa reached out with a hoof to hold him back.

“Don’t look down there,” she said. “Just get the torch.”

“You looked,” Cander said. “I don’t think there would be a problem with me doing it.” He pushed past her and looked down into the pit.

Hundreds of large black and orange scorpions were crawling around the pit. Their claws and tails clicked against each other's exoskeletons while their multiple eyes stared up at what they hoped was a meal. Cander stumbled backwards and slammed his back against the wall, his eyes wide.

“Those aren’t spiders...at least the spiders...didn’t have claws...stingers...poison...well, they did have poison, but-” Kessa put a hoof over his mouth.

“Just stay here,” she said.

“You’re not-”

“Someone has too,” Kessa said as she turned towards the walkway. Cander grabbed her by the tail and forcefully pulled her back.

“I’m not letting you do this,” he yelled. “This is crazy, even for you.”

“Don’t be such a foal,” Kessa said.

“M-maybe I could fly and-” Kessa shook her head. She pointed up towards the ceiling. Hundreds of jagged spikes pointed down towards them. They were most concentrated over and around the walkway.

“Not to mention, one glance down and you’ll be flying about as fast as a boulder,” she said. “No, this is an Earth temple, I think you’re supposed to walk it.”

Kessa turned towards the walkway and took a deep breath. The floor was made out of the same reflective stone as the rest of the room. It made for an eerie sight as she put one hoof in front of the other.

“Nothing to it,” she muttered as she made it closer to the pedestal with each step. The scorpions below continued to watch her with glowing red eyes. The pedestal was just large enough for her stand on. As she placed her last hoof on it, the pedestal shook slightly and a portion of it rose to meet her face.

A slot appeared at the top of the new object and ejected a flat piece of sandstone. Kessa picked it up and placed it so she could read what was on it. The first lines grabbed her immediately:


“The catastrophe destroyed not only our home, but our future. We don’t know if the surge cost us our magic forever, but if it did so, it would be a blessing, we-”


The stone was clearly designed so another piece would fit into it, continuing the tale inscribed on it.

“Kessa...” Cander said.

“One second,” she said.


“-islands remain. Each is marked with an inscription directing the placement of the stones. The stones-”


“Kessa, you might want to-”

“Not now.”


“-pray to the heavens, the land remains washed away forever. A testament to our arrogance-”


“No, I think now is a very good time,” Cander said.


“-sank beneath the ocean. Result of vengeance or sabotage. But whatever the cause, the city...our city is gone until such a time that we can safely wield-”


“KESSA!”

“What?!” Kessa said. It was at that moment she felt the pedestal shake. “Oh buck me over a barrel...”

“FOOLS!” the magical voice screamed. “EMBRACE YOUR DOOM!”

A great rushing sound merged with the sound of the eager scorpions. Portions of the walls opened and water rushed into the chamber, knocking piles of scorpions aside.

Kessa grabbed the tablet with her teeth and started down the walkway, but the shaking made every step treacherous. A wave of water slammed into the walkway. Some of the spikes above became loose and fell towards the ground.

One spike slammed into the walkway directly in front of her, breaking away the stone. Kessa leaped over the debris, but her hooves slipped as she landed, sending her towards the scorpions for the second time in less than ten minutes.

Kessa reached down and grabbed the rope attached to her bag as she fell. She threw it towards Cander seconds before she hit the ground. Cander grabbed it in his teeth and backed towards the door, trying to keep his footing. He pulled the rope around the door, using the frame as leverage. Cander used every ounce of strength to pull Kessa up and just out of the reach of the scorpions.

He lifted her onto the ledge just as water exploded from the walls around the pit. The resulting wave knocked the two of them further down the hallway. They scrambled to their feet as the water pooled around them. The clicking of their hooves was drowned out by the rushing water.

They reached the stairs and started to climb, the water roaring through the hallway behind them. The force of the water rushed through and slammed into both ponies, surrounding them in a torrent.

Kessa held onto the tablet as tightly as she could while the water carried them up into the bright daylight.

They landed with a soft thud on the sand outside the temple. The water continued to flow out of the door for a few more minutes, soaking the sand around them.

“‘No big deal,’ you said,” Cander said as he sat panting on the sand. “‘Just a magical ward,’ you said. Those were SCORPIONS.” He rose to his feet and stretched his wings, grimacing. “I think I sprained something.”

“Thanks for that back there,” Kessa said as she tucked the tablet into her bag. "I guess you did tell me so."

“Yeah, well, I told-,” Cander began, but stopped mid sentence and glared at her.

“At least we got out of there,” Kessa said.

“So did they,” Cander said, pointing to the crowd of Scorpions approaching them.

“Just back up slowly...” Kessa said.

The largest scorpion leaped towards them but a blur from the sky slammed into it mid-air. Then two more slammed into the remaining scorpions.

“What now?” Cander said.

“Kessa Forelock and her sidekick backed into a corner,” said a smooth, regal voice from the dune above them. “Why is this situation not surprising?” The owner of the voice slid down the sand towards them. He was a fuchsia unicorn bearing a very smug smile.

“About as surprising as you following me and trying to steal my find, Coifur,” Kessa said.

“Oh, so ungrateful,” Coifur said. “And after I saved your precious lives too.” The three blurs that had attacked the scorpions rose to their full height, revealing them to be large griffins. The largest griffin was heavily scarred and one of his back paws was replaced by a wooden peg.

“I see you still have an impeccable taste in friends,” Kessa said.

“They may appear somewhat course, but they’re effective,” Coifur said. “Unlike some Pegasi I could mention.” Cander snorted.

“What are you doing here?” Kessa asked.

“Why, exploring my dig site of course,” Coifur said. “The local town signed the paperwork this morning. You can check.” His horn flashed and sent the remaining scorpions flying in different directions away from the temple. “So nice to have magic, isn’t it?” he said, glancing sideways towards Kessa.

She felt rage boil within her and she took a step towards him, but Cander held her back.

“Now, since this is my find, you would, of course, share with me any discoveries you made while exploring it, correct?” Coifur said. “I would hate to have to report you to the proper authorities for grave robbery.”

“I’ll bet you would,” Kessa said.

“If not, then please vacate my site before you do any more damage,” Coifur said. They locked eyes for a moment until Cander nudged her.

“Let’s go,” he whispered as he turned towards the sand dune.

“See you in Manehattan,” Coifur said. Kessa snorted at him before walking away from the temple.

Coifur watched as they disappeared over the dune back towards their sad little wagon. He turned and walked towards the temple. The large griffin landed next to him.

“Tear this place apart,” Coifur said. “I want to know what they found.”

“It’ll be done,” the griffin said. “Anything else?” Coifur stopped as his hoof landed on something. He looked down to see a battered and wet leather bound book.

“Make sure the ship is ready for immediate departure as soon as possible,” he said, lifting the book into the air and opening it. “We’re going to the museum.”


-To Be Continued-