The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Tunnels

"I call this..." Arambai grunted, shoving his weight against a stack of boxes that were slowly sliding out of the way. "The best-kept secret in Riverfall!" He jumped aside as they finally ground into place, revealing another set of stairs leading beneath the ground. "Don't ask me why that is. It's hardly one I try to keep. It's like everypony just wants to forget about it, or something."

Gerardo, Amber, Maple and Starlight hesitated at the top of the stairs as he began descending. "Come on, you lot!" Arambai beckoned with a hoof. "It's a bit of a walk, but it ain't dangerous."

With some initial reluctance, they followed. However, as the stairs morphed into a tunnel that continued sloping downwards, the area took on a very well-used feel. The gray stone walls were clean, hewn into the bedrock yet free of wall drippings, stalactites and distant watery echoes. Manatorches winked on snappily at their presence, giving the air that the place was in perfect working order.

After three or four stories of sloping downward, the tunnel came to a four-way intersection, widening out significantly. Arambai paused and leaned against a wooden support beam, waiting for the others to catch up.

"Arambai?" Maple asked, eyes more on the ceiling than the floor. "What is this place?"

"Back when the boats were around, this was a tunnel under the river," the yellow stallion narrated, a light shining steadily above. "Industrial stuff. The ponies didn't really want to build a bridge, because it would get in the way... but being able to cross the river on hoof is useful, you know?" He winked back at them. "It doesn't see much use now, of course."

"Wow," Amber remarked, surveying the crossroads chamber. "I can't believe I never actually knew about this from back when we used to haunt the docks."

"Eh. It's not the most impressive thing. Besides, I've made some improvements." Arambai turned again and continued walking, pacing in a circle around the room. "I got dibs on the house I did actually because it was connected to this place, thinking I might be able to use it for something." He passed by an opening and indicated. "To the left, here... that's west, by the way... it leads to some other old openings. Not much good for anything other than pranking an unexpecting stallion."

He continued walking. "Over here, then, to the east, there's an old storeroom. I'll tell you what I use that for in a moment. But right now, we're going north, under the river!"

The north passage continued to slope downward, a sudden chill invading the rocks as they drew underneath the river. Eventually, it flattened out, and then began to slant back upward. For the duration of the dip, Maple's imagination was held hostage by the idea that the rocks were glass and she could see through, walking in an air-filled tube through the depths of the ocean. Then, as quickly as they had descended, they reached another crossroads.

"More storage," Arambai lectured, pointing to the north. "West heads to some spare docks further upriver that were used when things were really busy. If you think Riverfall at present has a decrepit harbor situation with that crane and all... heh. Well, let's just say you wouldn't want to go up that way. But we are going east!" He leaned back and smiled knowingly. "That's the entrance Gerardo found."

"No offense," Amber muttered, scratching her head, "but all this north-south stuff isn't really easy to follow when we're underground."

"Eh. Sorry about that." Arambai shrugged and moved on. "I just try to visualize what they'd look like if you drew them on a map, from above. Makes it a whole lot easier, that way..."

"If I may..." Gerardo asked, walking on his knuckles to prevent his talons from clicking annoyingly against the stone floor, "what about this makes it the best-kept secret in Riverfall?"

"Oh, it's not these tunnels. They're just boring." Arambai waved a hoof. "It's what's on the other bank that no one ever notices because they don't come down here!"

The tunnel widened again, spare crates and boxes stacked around the edges. Soon, the rocks grew rockier and more rough-hewn, and eventually traces of natural light began to filter through before blossoming into a full-fledged curtain. A few plants and vines drooped their way over the top of the entrance, and then everyone was outside.

"Well, this is indeed where I was," Gerardo observed, glancing around the forest clearing they had emerged in. "I'm not sure whether that was more or less impressive than what I was expecting."

"Save your impressions for when we really get there," Arambai growled. He then kicked at a slightly-overgrown trailhead and pressed in, the ground below winding its way upwards and further east.

The path continued its gradual upward trend, until it suddenly spiked sharply, leaving the ponies climbing a carved set of stairs. Gerardo flapped slowly alongside, eyes keen in case anyone should slip. "Where are we going?" Maple huffed, pulling herself upward. "We're gaining so much altitude..."

"Probably another reason ponies don't care to come here," Arambai answered, apparently not winded in the least. "Too much work. Why go to all this effort for a reward when you've got a paradise down there, free for the taking? It's not the most sensible of options, when you think about it..."

"I still don't know," Maple grunted, "what that means!"

Abruptly, the ground dropped away, the group having reached the pinnacle of whatever rocky spire they had been climbing. The path continued, however... in the form of a bridge spanning to a nearby tree trunk, where it was anchored in a platform. Another bridge was visible on the far side of that, though mostly obscured by the tree.

"Well?" Arambai asked, stepping out onto the wooden structure. "You like it?"

"That can hold my weight, right?" Maple asked nervously. Starlight, still on her back, eyed the bridge dubiously.

"Well... it couldn't, for a while," Arambai admitted. "Or, at least, it wouldn't have been safe. But I had a go at magically reinforcing it a while back, and now it's as solid as dragon hide."

Gerardo poked at the bridge from the air, and it didn't sway. Amber trotted out onto it, and it continued to hold fast under her and Arambai's combined weight. Eventually, Maple stuck a hoof of her own out... and sighed in relief at the solid feeling beneath it. The bridge had nearly as little give as the bedrock in the tunnels.

"See?" Arambai shrugged. "What did I tell you? Anyway, it's just a little further." He stepped out toward the tree platform, the rest of the group still in tow.

Around the tree, the bridge did continue. But only one more link... and after that, they abruptly reached the edge of the forest.

Perched on the border of an extremely sheer drop, Maple, Amber, Gerardo and Starlight found themselves on some kind of lookout platform. Below was the river, inching by at the bottom of a veritable canyon made of trees. The canopy stretched above them so close that Maple could hit it with a a thrown stone, lending a palpable greenness to the air that was completely absent in the town below where everything was red and brown.

In the distance, to one direction, the corner of Riverfall was visible, the waterfall pouring downwards and the northbound tributary intersecting the river a moment later. The outlook was directly perched on a bend in the river, providing visibility in the other direction as far as possible.

"You like it?" Arambai asked, turning to the rest of the group. "It's the prettiest place in town, and for some reason... not a soul knows it exists but us."

Comments

[Boopers]

Arambai showing off his Minecraft world ;)

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

"Well... it couldn't, for a while," Arambai admitted. "Or, at least, it wouldn't have been safe. But I had a go at magically reinforcing it a while back, and now it's as solid as dragon hide."

OH goodie, there are dragons in the Olden World.

[AppleTank]

Buildin' a tunnel
Buildin' a tower
Gotta mooove that gear up

[Alot Master]

"You like it?" Arambai asked, turning to the rest of the group. "It's the prettiest place in town, and for some reason... not a soul knows it exists but us."

[Merula]

Goddammit Arambai get out of creative mode you filthy cheater >:(

[bronyheat]

Well hey, I've been, I don't know, trained? From reading Skirt's stories to expect Bad Things™, especially if caves are involved. Glad to see this town might not be so horrifying after all.

So of course I'm going to remain paranoid and suspicious....

[Venlinelle]

I know it has to change eventually, but for now I’m enjoying the lack of tension in this story. Things are happening, and they’re nice things, and they’re described well, so I’m happy <3