//------------------------------//
// Mission Journal 
// Story: Just A Little Bit Further 
// by TP Night 
//------------------------------//

Mission Journal, Day 1 - Entry 1
I have begun my journey. Yesterday I met Princesses Celestia and Luna.
They told me about what I need to do - I am to go down to the Far South,
to the jungles. There, my mission, so to speak, is to locate and enter an old ruin.
In said ruin (most likely deep inside, in a lab or library), I should be able to find
what I am looking for - A piece of cursed jewelry, known as the ‘Alicorn Ring’.
It is, I was told, connected to the Alicorn Amulet that caused trouble in and around
Ponyville several years ago. Since this ring is similar, it needs to be destroyed
before falling into the wrong hoofs. That is probably why they sent me.


Mission Journal, Day 3 - Entry 1
Currently on-board a train, going from Dodge toward Appleloosa, and then down
through a valley in the Macintosh Hills, and then, straight down south from there.
The journey from Canterlot to Dodge was mostly painless, but I did receive some
suspicious looks near Dodge as I entered. My guess is that the citizens of Dodge
are not accustomed to seeing Griffins, and especially not ones wearing a camo-green
Patrol shirt and a worn-out old jungle hat. Nopony said anything though, and most of the
looks, now that I think about it, were actually more curious and surprised rather
than suspicious or hostile.


Mission Journal, Day 3 - Entry 2
Train has stopped, near the valley. Based on what the conductor said, I think
there was some over-heating, and we need to take a break to let the affected parts
cool down a bit before we can continue. This should mean approximately a one hour
delay from the intended arrival at the end station beyond the valley. Maybe two, at most.
So in the meantime, I will take a few more looks at the various scrolls and maps
Celestia had her scribes copy for me before I left Canterlot. The more I can memorize,
the better.


Mission Journal, Day 4, Entry 1
I arrived safely in a small town south of the valley, and stayed the night in a small,
worn-down inn. They were friendly, and the room was adequate to my needs, 
and relatively cheap. Although I do have unlimited credit from the royal bank,
granted by Celestia for the sake of covering expenses during the mission, 
I thought I would try to not over-use that privilege too much, and therefore,
I plan to stay in the smaller, cheaper hotels and inns, instead of the big fancy ones.
That is, assuming there even are any fancy hotels down in these parts.
There are no large cities, only small towns and villages, and expedition outposts,
and deeper in the jungles there are native tribes (which I do believe I may encounter
later on, once I enter the jungles.)


Mission Journal, Day 5, Entry 1
Stayed one more night in the Inn, while I looked around town to stock up on
some supplies. The train tracks do not go in the direction I need (at least not the
currently-in-use ones), and thus, I need to find some other means of transport
to the jungles. I’ve been asking around town, and my best option seems to be
to hire a cart pulled by bulls, sort of like a local taxi service, which can take
me part of the way. Then, I can take a walk for about an hour, until I reach a river.
On that river, according to a local bartender, I can travel by ferry. Specifically, 
there is a stallion there who sells small canoe-like riverboats.

I intend to take the bull-cart and the walk, and then buy one of those boats.
With it, I will then travel down-river until I reach the jungle entrance,
a well-walked path that can take me part of the way, at least.
Along that route, there should be a tourist camp, at which I then intend
to stay overnight, and continue further into the jungle after I get a nights sleep.


Mission Journal, Day 5, Entry 2
Miscalculated the strength of the river. My boat is smashed to pieces,
my clothes, feathers and fur are all soaked. Luckily however, my backpack is
enchanted to be completely waterproof, and thus (almost) all of my supplies, 
food, and so on, was not ruined by the water. I managed to swim to shore
and I am currently drying myself and my clothes at a fire I made.
However, I estimate I am roughly one hours walk south from where I originally
intended to go ashore. As soon as me and my clothes have dried up enough,
I will break camp and start moving. I can still make it to the camp site in the jungle
before the sun goes down, as long as I am not delayed any further today.


Mission Journal, Day 6, Entry 1
Yesterday, I arrived at the camp just as the sun started nearing the horizon.
There were a few campers there, a group of wild-life photographers, on a 
photo expedition. They had a large fire in the middle of the camp, so I spent
a couple of hours in their company, talking, eating, and having a couple of drinks.
I decided it was probably best to keep my true mission secret, so I instead told them
I was a ornithologist (bird expert) and that I am here to examine the local birds.
Luckily, I actually do know a bit on the subject, so I managed to sound believable,
at least enough so to avoid suspicion. The sun recently went up, and as soon as I
have had some breakfast, I will start walking further into the jungle.


Mission Journal, Day 6, Entry 2
Shortly after I started walking, a middle-aged stallion in a hat similar to mine
came running after me, excusing himself and introducing himself. 
He is a guide, and noticed that I was leaving the “tourist road”, which according to him,
and I quote his actual words - “Is a mighty dumb idea if ya’ll intend to come back alive.”.
Judging by that accent, I assume he comes from Appleloosa or the Valley Town
where I stayed earlier. He says he is a certified guide, and for a small price,
he is willing to come with me and make sure I do not get lost, or end up in the
deadly parts of the jungle, which include, and I quote again, “Them quicksand pits,
ya know? an’ also, veeeery deep holes, migh’ be bottomless even... oh, an’ there’s this
poisonous swamp, but that one ya can’t miss, stinks like death for a mile around it”.

So after some thought, I decided to bring this stallion with me. I do not know if I can
trust him yet, but I would rather have somepony with me who knows the jungle,
than go alone. Worst case, I have to fight him, and I’m clearly stronger and faster
than him. Best case, he turns out to be a really nice, trustworthy guy.

For now though, I will sleep light and always be on my guard, just in case...


Mission Journal, Day 9, Entry 1
Ran out of ink, so I was unable to continue the journal for a few days.
So here is a short recap of what I have learned during these days:

- My guide can in fact be trusted. He saved me from a poisonous snake
yesterday, and without him I could be dead (or slowly dying) right now.

- There is a small, blue mushroom here which “bleeds” an ink-like liquid when squeezed.
My guide assures me it’s perfectly safe to use as ink. It’s only bad if I swallow it,
in which case it’s still not lethal, but it does cause mild nausea and stomach ache.
He speaks from both personal and second-hoof experience. (or so he claims at least.)

- the poisonous swamp mentioned earlier really does smell for a mile around, 
and the smell is indeed similar to dead animals. We walked within smelling-distance
earlier, and as expected, it was not a pleasant half hour, but later we found a clearing
with sweet-smelling flowers and decided to set up camp there.

- We are getting closer to the Temple. My guide tells me It was once part of an
entire village, or small town, made entirely of stone buildings. Very fascinating, I wish I had time to explore it more, but the temple - Specifically, the ring inside it - is my only priority right now. I must find it, for the sake of Equestria.
Some day, I could return for the rest of the ruins

Mission Journal, Day 11, Entry 1
We have found some ruins of what (probably) used to be the outskirts of the
stone town. Most likely, the temple entrance should be located in the middle of town.
This was once a thriving community of Mayan Zebras. When they abandoned the town,
it stood empty for centuries, and then the black mage cult found it, and turned the
temple into their own laboratory in which they did their research and rituals and
whatever else they did, including the creation of the Alicorn Amulet and Alicorn Ring.


Mission Journal, Day 14, Entry 1
Found the entrance yesterday, but obviously, it was sealed. I believe we can get it
opened, it’s just a matter of understanding the mechanism and unlocking it.
There are pillars in a circle around it, with inscriptions. Perhaps they contain
information on how to open the door? They might also contain other useful knowledge,
or warning of traps and other dangers inside. I do know some of the symbols,
and as an archaeologist, I have some experience translating and decoding old
runes and hieroglyphs. I believe I can translate this, but it will take some time.
Meanwhile, I have told my guide most of the reason why I am here. He now knows
I was sent by Celestia, and he knows I am looking for a potentially dangerous item
from inside the temple. I thought it best to not specify what the item is or what it can do.
He knows enough to help me, but not enough to betray me over it.

We have set up camp in the town ruins, a real base camp this time since we expect to be
here for a long time. As for food and other supplies, my guide is a skilled gatherer,
he knows which plants can and can not be eaten safely, and as for myself, I also found a
small river nearby. I can catch some fish there, and we can also drink the water.
We made sure to test it, and it is clean, most likely from a spring or small lake up north.
Firewood and other burnable plants are easy to find, since we’re in the middle of a jungle.
It’s summer, so we do not need to worry about cold, and the rain season is still months
away, so we do not need to worry about that either. And even if it does rain a bit,
our tent is rain-proof. 


Mission Journal, Day 24, Entry 1
Ten days... It has taken me Ten days, but I have managed to translate most of the texts.
I started by translating the alphabet itself, and then the texts on the pillars. 
I figured it would be useful if (when) we come across more texts inside the temple.
With the alphabet translated, I can now translate texts relatively fast.

The pillars are, as I hoped, instructions on how to open the door.
If I understand it correctly, it can only be done at night, when the moonlight shines
on the pillars. My best guess is that they have been enchanted, and the magic in them
reacts to moonlight, allowing the entrance to be opened when the moonlight energizes
the pillars. I have seen similar magic used in many old ruins in other places.
Tonight, when the moon has risen, we will make our first attempt to open the door,
and find a way to keep it open so that we can enter during the day.


Mission Journal, Day 27, Entry 1
Turns out I was only partly correct. Opening the door is literally a whole days work.
All four pillars must be turned into specific directions, like a lock mechanism.
All four pillars are enchanted and can only be turned under specific conditions.
The one I translated can only be turned when the moon shines upon it.
The second one can only be turned under sunlight, and also only after the moon-pillar
has already been turned, which means we first need to wait until moonlight to do that, 
and then wait until sunlight to turn the second one, and I am still translating the other two,
so we don’t even know what we need to do for those to be turned, and we don’t know
yet in which order the two untranslated ones come - before or after the sun and moon?
Or in between maybe? 
While I work on translating the pillars, my guide takes care of food and water gathering,
and keeps his eyes open for dangerous animals. 


Mission Journal, Day 27, Entry 2
A small monkey invaded our camp, trying to steal our gear. 
It managed to steal some fruits, and my quills. Luckily, I am a Griffin.
However, it does feel kinda weird using my own feathers as replacement quills,
and that mushroom “ink” has a distinct, sour smell after it dries. The smell goes away
after some more time passes though, but while it’s there, it’s not very pleasant.


Mission Journal, Day 30, Entry 1
Finally, I have translated all four pillars. They all correspond to the sun and moon,
at different positions.

The first can be turned at high noon, when the sun is at its peak.
The second one at Dusk, as the sun crosses the horizon and the moon rises
on the opposite side.
The third, when the moon is at it’s peak, 
and the fourth at dawn, as the sun rises.

So all in all, it will take twenty-four hours just to open the main entrance
to the temple, and after that, we’ll simply keep it open. To be sure, we will also
make sure to put some large rocks there to block the door from closing again.

As an extra security, I also intend to go inside alone, and leave my guide outside.
if the doors close, I do not know how to open them from the inside, or if there
is any other way out, so I could get trapped.


Mission Journal, Day 32, Entry 1
We got it open! We got the temple entrance opened! Inside, we found a spiral
staircase leading downstairs about two floors, and I also found a mechanism to keep
the doors open. We will leave it open for a day or two before we enter, to make sure
the keep-open-mechanisms still work.


Mission Journal, Day 35, Entry 1
This place is amazing. The old temple are filled with all sorts of strange machines.
clockwork contraptions, magically powered by crystals. Some of them are still moving,
despite being at least a few hundred years old. I have seen alchemy laboratories,
what I assume was a blacksmiths table and tools, and an entire library of scrolls.
I managed to translate some. They contain astrology and astronomy, advanced
mathematics, maps and blueprints, biology, magic spells and rituals...
I do not understand most of it, it’s all beyond my levels, but it all seems
ahead of its time. One of the maps was a detailed overview of an area that was
not officially discovered until decades after the map was dated.

They also seemed to have a great understanding in how magic is channeled through
the body, and focused via unicorns horns. The Alicorn amulet and ring was
apparently designed to increase that focus, and thus enhance the users own magic,
like a magnifying glass focusing sunlight into a beam.

So far, I have not found the ring, but this place is big, so I imagine the search can take
days, even if I do it systematically room by room - which is how I plan on doing this.


Mission Journal, Day 38, Entry 1
This is bad. This is really bad. I did find the ring. I also found notes, which I thought
best to translate, since the ring was lying on top of them, so they seemed related.

After translating, I discovered that the amulet and the ring was only two pieces
of a larger set of Alicorn artifacts. There is the amulet, four rings, and a crown.
The rings are wide, and most likely intended to be worn as hoof-rings,
together with the amulet around the neck, and the crown on the head.

The other rings and the crown are still unaccounted for, Celestia did not even mention
them in our discussions when she sent me on this mission. However, There are some
good news too. I searched the room, and translated more documents. 
I found detailed maps of other locations across Equestria, where they hid the other
rings and the crown. Throughout these weeks, I have been sending Celestia letters.
She gave me a small crystal that produces a green flame, which I use to ignite
the letters. Instead of being destroyed, the green fire somehow transfers the letter
to Celestia, some kind of teleport spell. I have sent her word about all of this, 
and I included that I am willing to extend my mission, and go find all the relics.
They are far too dangerous to be left where they are.


Mission Journal, Day 38, Entry 2
I have received a reply from Celestia, who was as shocked as me when learning
about the other relics. She also agreed to my offer to find the rest of them,
and therefore, I am now already preparing to break this camp in the morning,
and set off on my new journey to the next location.

Mission Journal, Day 60, Entry 1
Been a while since I wrote in this journal... I kinda forgot it.
So much going on. I left the jungles behind me, along with my guide, 
whom I payed a large sum for all his work and help, and company.
Without him, I would have been dead.

After that, I traveled north-west, and I am currently looking for a new guide,
as I am going on a mountain hike in the areas north of Manehattan.

Somewhere in the mountains is a hidden entrance to a cave, in which I should
be able to find the second ring.


Mission Journal, Day 63, Entry 1
Found a guide, an old stallion named Head Lamp. Silly name, I know, but ponies
always tend to be named after their talents, and Mr. Lamp is a cave explorer
and hiker, so for this job, he is the perfect guide. Together, we already located the 
secret cave, and even got it open. Once inside, I’ll search for the ring personally,
while Mr. Lamp will wait outside as per our agreement.


Mission Journal, Day 63, Entry 2
Found the ring, and another set of notes. They’re written in the same language as
the ones in the jungle - which I can now read without needing my old translation notes.
It’s a simple language once you learn it, I’m a fast learner, and I’ve had months to study.

These notes said something interesting though...(included quote follows)

“The Rings, when combined in pairs of two or more, increase their power.
The power of Two alone is great enough to transcend unicorn exclusivity.
It is our belief that all pony races, and even other creatures, should be able
to use the rings to gain power beyond their dreams”

I am curious, but I am also very strong-willed. I will not wear these rings.
I have them stashed in my backpack, safely tucked away in rolls of fabric.
As long as I do not wear them, they can not affect me.


Mission Journal, Day 64, Entry 1
I have set out on my next journey, this time continuing further north. 
The crown is in the Frozen North. Once there, I will also meet with the Prince
and Princess of the Crystal Empire. Celestia has informed them of the situation, 
and I have been promised their assistance - They will provide me with a skilled
guide, and any other supplies I require once I get there, a few days from now.


Mission Journal, Day 68, Entry 1
Headaches... I’ve been having them for a couple of days now...
Probably nothing serious, just stress and the fact I haven’t been drinking enough water
the last few days.. I’m just tired, that’s all. 

I have arrived in the Empire, and had a short audience with the Prince.
He was a rather friendly stallion, less regal than I had expected from a prince.
The way he talked was more like a “civilian”, so to speak.

In any case, he did as promised, and provided a guide and supplies.



Mission Journal, Day 70, Entry 1
Just a little bit further now, and I’ll have the crown.. and then I can leave this
frozen Tartarus. It’s far below freezing. Even though I am wrapped in special
blankets and sitting next to a fire, I am still shivering from the cold winds.
The steaming hot soup helps, but only temporarily.


Mission Journal, Day 71, Entry 1
I located the temple, inside a wall of ice on the side of a mountain.
Inside, I found the crown, as expected. But as I held it, I felt a sudden urge
to try it on. I resisted, and instead packed it in my bag. I need to keep my focus.

But, why did I feel that urge? These things should not affect me unless I actually wear
them, which I have not done. 


Mission Journal, Day 74, Entry 1
It fits so nicely upon my head...
And the rings, they... they shifted size! They shrunk from hoof-rings,
and now they fit perfectly on my claws.. One on the left talon, and one
on the right, on the middle claw. I feel so much better now. 
The headaches stopped, and the cold doesn’t bother me.

Anyway, I need to keep moving... I feel the other two rings pulling..
and the Amulet.. I need that too... I need them all... all the pieces...


New Mission Journal, Day 1
From now on I do not care about Celestia, and her little silly mission...
I have more important things to do! I must find them all! They will be mine!
The Crown, The Amulet, and all four rings! With them I will become superior
to all others, and I will make Equestria MINE!!!
... Writing this journal... Still feels good though... something soothing
about it, something... relaxing. I will continue it.


New Mission Journal, Day 2
That worthless piece of crap is dead now. He tried to take my rings and crown from me,
once he noticed me wearing them. pitiful mortal, he didn’t understand that I will
become a GOD! His blood is quite sufficient as ink though....


New Mission Journal, Day 3
Headaches returning... pulsing... can’t--- to much knowledge...
I....----  [several lines of untranslatable symbols]

GODS JOURNAL!
PEASANTS! YOU ARE ALL MY WORTHLESS LITTLE PEASANTS!!!
SEE THIS? THESE ARE THE BONES OF A TRAITOR! HE DISOBEYED ME!
TRIED TO TAKE MY CROWN! MY CROWN!

[several more rows of symbols]


Final Entry.
I have, somehow, come to my senses again... I am lying in a cave,
in the frozen north, surrounded by unspeakable horror.
the cave is painted red, and decorated in pieces of his remains...
all of them... except his heart, which.. I believe I... ate...

I am dying... the Crown drained my powers, my strength...
I just need to write down my final thought...
I just... need too... go on... a ... little.. bit.. further...


[Journal ends]

The End