//------------------------------// // 1. Silence and Mystery // Story: Garden of Shadows // by Night_Shine //------------------------------// It is so hard to learn in the darkness of the night; the only colors to discern are either black or white. Drip… Drip… “Now tell me again, Twi, why are we explorin’ this creepy cave at night?” Applejack’s voice, usually smooth and confident, shivered with fear as it echoed off of the jagged walls of the cave. “I thought since you have a lot to do on the farm, I’d do this at a time you weren’t busy. Don’t worry about sleep—I promise we won’t spend any more than an hour down here.” The darkness receded further down the freezing stone tunnel as a bright light advanced further and further. Obnoxiously spilling over into the cave, the light bathed the two intruders in violet fire as it shone around Twilight and around the notebook she held in front of her. Another noise dared to break the silence: the unceasing scritching and scratching of her quill. Drip… With every tiny splash of water from the moist stone of the ceiling above them, Applejack grew more and more nervous. She had only agreed helping Twilight to explore the cave because it was on Sweet Apple Acres land…and with every wisp of frozen air that emerged from her muzzle she regretted that decision. “Could we make that a li’l less? ‘Cause…y’know…I do have to get up early, and it’s chillier than an ice cream in winter in here.” Twilight stopped; the infernal scratching of her quill ceased for a blissful three seconds. “Hm…I don’t think we’ll be able to do very much in that time, but then again, we wouldn’t be able to do much tonight anyway. I just want to take a few more pages of notes…” The scratching continued. Drip… Applejack rolled her eyes, pretending not to notice the shadows sneaking up behind her. “Can’t you use some fancy spell of yours to speed this up a bit?” she asked, wearing the false mask of simple annoyance. “Actually…I suppose I could use a spell to light up the darkness of the tunnels ahead. I can’t make it too bright, though; we don’t want to wake up anything that might live down here.” She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated, sending the inferno of violet light even further into the corridor, stabbing it deeper into the broken earth. Drip… “I know I’m gonna regret asking this, but what in the world would live down here? There ain’t sunlight, or plants, or…or anything, really.” “Well…I don’t know. The Diamond Dogs are only known to live really far away, in the badlands that are filled with gems…but I’m sure there’s something in here that would be cranky if we woke it up. You would be surprised how few books there are about caves in Equestria. That’s why I want to explore here so badly.” The irritating whine of the scratching quill doubled its speed and its volume, sending the alien noise down the black corridors ahead. Drip… Suddenly, from further inside of the stone jaws of the cave, a deep growl resonated with the air. A series of powerful vibrations rushed past the two mares, sending a cold shiver through their hooves and up the back of their spines. The scratching came to a stop. “Twilight…? What was that?” A few threads of fear snuck into the thinly woven veil of confidence in Applejack’s voice. “I don’t know.” Twilight replied, finally shocked out of her oblivious excitement. “…I think I have enough notes; we should probably leave now.” “Ya think?” Applejack backed away slowly, too infected by curiosity to turn tail and run. Likewise Twilight did not move; rather, she stared deeply into the eyes of the darkness. With bright yellow eyes, the darkness stared back. “RUN!!!” shouted Applejack, startling the pair into action along with the roof of the cave. A deafening noise shouted like thunder in their ears, vibrating through their whole bodies as they sprinted back towards the brilliant light ahead. Ear-splitting explosions rocked the cave as the ceiling began to collapse, finally exerting its revenge on the meddlesome intruders. Spears of stone and ice crashed down from the cave ceiling, bursting into thousands of projectiles that pelted the two as they raced to the exit. Roaring with fury, the beast gave chase. The ground shook beneath it as it stomped ever closer to them. Its claws scraped against the bare stone as it barreled forward like a train off its tracks, plowing through the rough ground beneath it. Twilight began to pant and lag behind Applejack as they sprinted still further towards the exit. “Applejack…” she wheezed, her legs on fire from exertion. The light of freedom shone brightly ahead of them, growing, growing...so close…! Applejack raced towards the exit. She could see the brilliant light of the cave entrance growing larger ahead of them, first a pinprick, then a window, then a house-! All of a sudden…the entrance began to shrink. An avalanche of boulders broke loose from the ceiling above and blocked off the entrance, and the jaws of the cave snapped shut. Darkness and noise surrounded them as the roaring of beast and of the boulders came closer, charging towards them. Twilight turned slowly around, watching the black silhouette grow rapidly larger in her vision…only to be cut off as she was grabbed and dragged to the side. Whirling around, she had just enough time to see a crazy glint in Applejack’s eyes before she was in free-fall, with the farmpony not far behind, falling, falling, falling… Two screams broke the air, and were suddenly cut off, replaced with a low groan as two ponies fell into the black void of unconsciousness. Silence fell over the cave once again. Now the only noise that dared break it was the tranquil murmuring of an unperturbed river as it washed quietly over the two sleeping mares that laid silent and asleep on its bank. Slowly, patiently, the river drew the two into its murmuring waters and carried them into the darkness.