//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5. Diamond caves. 
// Story: Silent Ville 
// by RoyalUnicornJohn1994 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5. Diamond caves.

Panting, John climbed the remnants of the bridge toward the other part of the sewer. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to him, sweat covering his head and his lunges taking sharp breaths, he reached the floor.
Once standing again, having recovered from his panic attack, he turned back to watch once again to the fog covering the chasm.
"There was nothing that could have been done." He told to himself as he sighed.
Turning toward the sewer, he noticed the stairs leading up, seemingly, to the upper part. Deciding for it, instead of the dark and creepy tunnel ahead, he reached for the stair, starting to climb.
Suddenly, the stair stirred for a moment, surprising him. John could see at that moment the upper part of the stairs, which was heavily damaged due the water.
After a few moments, the stair finally failed, sending the lower part, along with John, to the ground. Turning his head to the tiny light which passed through the top part, John sighed in defeat.
"Guess I'm not going that way."
With that, John was left with only one option. Sighing, he started to walk through the dark tunnel, the infinite darkness almost instantly surrounding him.

"Seriously, what happened back there? What was that thing in the cottage? Why did I saw my mother... and him? Why did that light wanted to absorb me? I haven't done anything bad in my life... right? I mean, sure. Who hasn't done something which they don't regret later? Nobody's perfect, after all... right? I can't understand.
What about Pinkie? First, she was this lively when I met her... but then again, back to the bridge, she seemed like if she wanted to kill me. But... why? What were her reasons to behave like that?
...
Maybe she had reasons..."

Still lost on his own thoughts, John suddenly felt his feet touching air. With no time to even react, he started to fall. Once again, his only choice was to close his eyes in order to wait for the incoming hit.
However, fate had other plans for him. John opened his eyes to see a small light coming from the end of the tunnel he fell from. The light shone brighter and brighter until it became blinding to his eyes. Thinking it was his end, he prepared for the worst.
When he reached the end of the tunnel, a sharp pain of friction ached on his back, as well as feeling a wooden sensation scratching his back. Stopping all of sudden, he managed to open an eye, just for a drop of rain fall on it. Suddenly aware of his surroundings, he found himself in some kind of wooden platform which hung from a wall in a huge chasm. However, this one didn't seem to be the same than he saw before.
Once on his feet, he started to walk toward the border of the platform. Now, judging by the binoculars installed in there, it seemed like it was used to be touristic stop. Once in the border, he glanced down to try to see the end of the chasm.
"Pretty big, huh?"
John turned as fast as he could after hearing that voice. However, not too far away from him, stood a stallion with brown mane and white fur. A golden coin flipping on a hoof that he didn't use to stand, almost in a boring stance. John didn't know if he should trust that stallion, so he just played along.
"Y-Yeah... pretty big." He only answered, waiting for whatever might happen to happen on that moment.
"They say that down there are snake-like creatures living in holes, which attack in the moment they see something on the eye of their caves... You know the whole city of Canterlot could fit in here and there would still be left space enough to fit Manehattan in here?" The pony said in a seemingly repetitive tone as he stared into the chasm.
"Uhh... yeah. Look, I'm looking for a way to get out of-"
"Get out!? What are ya saying!? It's impossible to get out of here! There's no way!" The pony abruptly interrupted John, seemingly annoyed for something. The pony just sighed as his gaze returned to the chasm. "... Sorry. It's just... We don't have too many visitors in here... and the only visitors we have don't stay here for too long. They don't even reach the half of the journey."
"..." John just looked at him with suspicion growing upon him. "... It's alright... I'll just leave and let you be." John turned around, instantly finding a set of wooden stairs leading to an opening in the wall.
"Hey!" John turned at the voice of the pony calling for him. "Maybe you can take the Diamond dog's cart to transport you to the other side of the city. I've heard there's a pony in there who knows something about an exit. What's her name?... Vinil... something... I think she might help you."
"What for? I could just walk to the other side."
"Didn't you see the huge holes all around Ponyville? There's really no other way but to go underground."
Not seeing other option, John just sighed and turned completely toward him.
"Thank you, mister...?"
"Grey... Grey Hoof."
John just nodded his head and turned to leave, not before seeing the pony one last time, who just stopped playing with the coin and tossed it in the chasm, still with that bored face of his.

After a time, and annoyed of so many stairs, John finally reached the end of the wooden road, revealing a metallic door hidden behind a rock on the wall. After pushing the rock away, John was able to reach for the handle of the door.
Pushing it open, John started to get nervous at the sight of the inside of the cave: darker than the darkest night.
Taking out his lamp, he turned it on, instantly lighting the cave. He entered the cave reluctantly, almost like if he knew something bad would happen in the moment he set a foot inside.
Seeing nothing bad happened, he stepped fully inside, lighting the insides. On the roof, stalactites hanging. On the ground, stones filled the place. There were some parts of the caves forming walls, almost seemingly like a wall. Entering deeper, he suddenly turned around in time to see a pink pony closing the door.
"Hey, NO! WAIT!!" He ran as fast as he could, only for the door to be fully closed in front of him. John tried in vain to bang at the door in hopes that it would get open. Panting and tired, he just sighed. "... Guess I'm not going back that way."
Turning around, he started to walk  through the dark tunnels, which seemed to close upon him, giving him the feeling of uneasiness. Still, it didn't seem to be another way. He gave himself a few hits in the chest for the courage and kept walking.

For once on his life, he started to fear the darkness around him. It carried such an air of death and craziness. And it didn't help the fact that he felt like something was following him.
crack
John turned around at the sudden noise of a stone hitting the floor. As he kept walking backwards to see what made the stone fall, his feet suddenly, instead of stepping in dirt, stepped in wood. Turning around, he suddenly found himself in some kind of underground cabin. On a sign in the top of the cabin, it read:



Diamond Dog's cave.
A place to learn about diamonds!




"Diamonds, huh?" He said as he leaned closer to see another tunnel going further. "I have to see it by myself."
As he walked further through the tunnel, he realized that the tunnel was actually designed to be some kind of boardwalk. Seeing it, he actually could see that it had been a touristic place.
"Wonder why they close it... " He wondered to himself as he started to walk closer to the central point. Once in there, he found some wires on the floor, leading to a small cabin next to a souvenir shop. Getting in the cabin, he instantly saw some kind of power source. Pulling the lever up, sparks flew from the box, but in the outside of the cabin, lights could be seen.
Smiling at his current luck, he was suddenly distracted by a distorted voice.
"Is anypony there?" A female voice asked from a small radio in a small table. "Please... somepony... anypony... answer... My name is Vinyl Scratch... I'm trapped inside the mayor's office... if somepony can hear this... please... answer..."
John just stood in there as he thought about that pony he just heard. Grey had mention something about some Vinyl, but could this be THE Vinyl he spoke of?

As he got out from the cabin, he suddenly looked at his surroundings. In the center of the cave stood a huge stone that seemed more like a pillar than a stone. Getting closer to it, he saw a sign just in front of the stone.



Tartarus' obelisk.
This huge rock (standing at 14 hooves and 3 feathers) was found by the diamond dogs living on these caves. Not too long after finding it, the diamond dogs left, saying that the rock was a divine signal that they had dig far too deep, and now, they were at the Tartarus' doors. However, myths talked about the huge stone having a huge resemblance to the obelisk that stood in front of the Tartarus, receiving its actual name.
Unicorns are already investigating this stone, due to it having strong magical properties. It is highly recommendable not to touch it.




John just turned its head toward the stone, watching it intently. However, something in the wall caught his attention, for some glimmers could be seen on it. It was then that John realized that the whole cave had diamonds showing on the walls.
He couldn't help but stare in awe, admiring the beautiful show of titillating gems on the walls... that was until he caught sight of a reflection that wasn't made by diamonds, but by eyes.
John could feel all the hairs on his back standing at the sight of a pair of yellow eyes watching him from a hole on the wall. Slowly, a huge figure emerged from the hole, revealing what could have been a wolf or a dog, but with its skin completely bare. Its eyes lacked of life as drool dropped from its lipless mouth.
Soon, what john assumed to be a diamond dog, finally got out entirely of the hole, revealing its bulky figure, making a roar than made even the cave's foundations to tremble. Scared, John started to walk backwards, trying to stay away from the beast. The dog seemingly had other plans, for it started to run after him.
John, seeing that his life was in danger, turned around and ran.
"Oh, SHIT!!!"
The beast made another roar and started to chase after him through the endless caves. John tried his best to stay away from the beast, but it soon became hard, for the tunnels started to get smaller.
"Crap! oh, no!" He shouted as he started to crawl quickly through a tiny tunnel. Glancing back, he saw the diamond dog digging its way past the entrance of the tunnel. John started t crawl faster as he realized that the dog wouldn't stop until it reached him.
Finally, seeing some light at the end, he started to crawl even faster, the sounds of the claws of the diamond dog digging on the ground, getting closer to him, sounded on his ears. As soon as he got out of the tunnel, he started to glance around to try to find some way to get out of there. Suddenly, a huge boulder caught his attention, for it was just above the end of the tunnel. Picking a wooden plank, John quickly made his way to the top of the boulder.
With no time to lose, he put the plank between the wall and the boulder and started to push. Sweat started to drop from his forehead, trying desperately to close the entrance between the monster and him. Suddenly, the boulder was free from the stone wall, making John to fall backwards, along with the stone.
The dog didn't even had time to notice what happened, for the boulder dropped just as it was starting to get out of the tunnel. All John could listen before he hit the floor was the pained yelp of the beast as the boulder fell on it. As for him, his head suddenly hit the floor, knocking him out. The last thing he could see was the shadow of a pink pony standing next to a sign that read:



Diamond dog's cart.
The ultimate attraction for the family!
Follow this tunnel to the next checkpoint.
Be sure to ask the manager, Grey Hoof about the touristic travel.