Previous Chapters
Close
The Discovery2,882 words
To Troll or Not to Troll?4,282 words
Remember [ S ]4,755 words
The Caves3,269 words

The Caves

The Alternian Caves are scattered throughout Equestria, one cave, The Summoner's Cave, was found in Griffonstone. The Proud Kingdom of Griffons who hail The Summoner for his warriors strength and leadership as well as his tenacity for raising a strong rebellion against the 'highbloods' of his race and continuing the fabled Signless' rebellion, though this time with more action and seemingly with much needed violence. The griffon who discovered the cave was Prince Gil, first son of King Guto.

The Disciple's Cave was found in a capital of Abyssinia Panthera, the bipedal felines adore The Discple for her loyalty, ferociousness and her love for The Signless which was said to 'transcend all forms of labelled romantic quadrants' and being the co-leader of the original rebellion. The feline who discovered it was Princess Leonor the Second, daughter to Queen Leonor the First.

The Psiioniic's Cave was found near the village of Somnambula, just miles away and the villagers have taken to Psiioniic just as they had to Somnambula the brave pegasus who was the namesake of the town and saved a prince from the sphinx thousands of years ago. The young pharoah Bast, grandson to Pharoah Hisan from Somnambula's legendary tale, was the one to discover it.

The Dolorosa's Cave was of course, found in the mountain place that would become modern day Canterlot City where it is one of the crown jewels of the city's tourist sites and the Canterlot ponies absolutely love her. As was said, Starswirl the Beard along with both Princesses Celestia and Luna discovered the cave.

Marquise Spinneret Mindfang's Cave was found a few miles away from the beaches of Puerto Caballo, sailors and pirates of both land, sea and sky see her in respect seeing as she was a figure of piracy and more, sure she was rough around the edges at first but her love for The Summoner and her help in the rebellion made up for it. The firstmate of a griffon pirate ship discovered the cave together with one of the local ponies from Puerto Caballo's villages.

The Handmaid's Cave, the most recent find besides the newly discovered Signless Cave, was found in Neighpon near the city of Haysaka and is regarded as the most mysterious cave out of them all so far even with The Signless' Cave's discovery, it's littered with nearly lethal traps and the information was scattered and veiled in many secrets. The ones to discover the cave was a group of scholars that had figured out the clue of The Handmaid's whereabouts from the Dolorosa's cave where it seems that the Handmaid convinced Dolorosa to adopt The Signless as her own.

And lastly, the newly discovered cave of the Signless lies deep within the Everfree forest near Ponyville which was filled to the brim with clues and mystery and was discovered by Starlight Glimmer, Spike the Dragon and the Elements of Harmony.

The world went crazy at this fact as within weeks time, ponies and creatures everywhere were dying to have a look at the fabled and legendary figure of The Signless.

==> Come back to the present
Again, we try to come to the present but instead end up right now instead.

"I can't believe it!" Twilight squealed as she and the others gathered within the cave, it was just the Mane 6 today in the cave besides the numerous Royal Guards and a group of Archaeologists who were scattered around the cave today.

The Royal Guards prevented those without special permission to enter the cave out of the cave since the revelation nearly a week ago. Ponies, griffons and more ventured from their homelands to visit the cave, Ponyville was packed with creatures and ponies from all over and beyond Equestria! Twilight even had to let some of them rent a few rooms of her castle as hotels, inns and motels were full!

They were impatiently awaiting the day the new path towards the cave was finished from being constructed, Princess Celestia and Luna had been worried about the ponies and other visitors getting lost within the Everfree in their attempt to find the cave itself and so issued a path to be made, and even with magic and more, the Everfree's wild and dangerous nature made it hard to do it succesfully so it would take a full two weeks to have a safe path from Ponyville to The Signless' Cave.

"There's so many wonderful information in this cave alone! One of the archaeologists told me that there were more clearer clues to other undiscovered caves in here than anywhere else!" Twilight said enthusiatically as she flew up to a carving, carefully tracing the beautiful work with a delicate hoof, "We may be able to find all twelve of the caves soon!"

"Are there really tweleve caves out there?" Fluttershy asked curiously, only having been gone to The Dolorosa's cave as well as Mindfang's cave for a brief time when she and her family went to Puerto Caballo. She would've loved to go to either The Summoner's or The Disciple's cave to be honest, she heard on how The Summoner was well versed in animals and that The Disciple had been The Signless' lover who transcribed many things about him and the rebellion they started.

But unfortunately, those two caves were beyond Equestria and as a filly she had been too shy and scared to leave and visit Griffonstone or Panthera, not to mention both of her parents were a little tight on money to be going beyond Equestria for a vacation.

Twilight landed beside her with a thoughtful but excited look on her face, "We think so at least! There are important names in every cave that gives us clues. Remember, we only know about The Signless in the first place when he was vastly mentioned by all of the caves themselves! Ponies theorize on each name and their whereabouts and we think that the remaining names are, Neophyte Redglare mentioned by Spinneret Mindfang, Orphaner Dualscar also mentioned by Mindfang, Darkleer or The Expatriate mentioned by The Summoner, Disciple and Mindfang, The Grand Highblood and finally The Condescension which were mentioned in all of the caves especially in The Signless' Cave as well as what we've found so far in The Handmaid's Cave."

"Well ah'll be, them's a lot of names. Ah don't think I like the sound of them to be honest." Applejack said, frowning along with her friends at the sound of the names.

Twilight shook her head, "You probably shouldn't. These Alternians are probably the antagonists to the protagonists we've found so far. I think these were the 'highbloods' that The Summoner and the others were rebelling against, actually, I'm sure of it!"

"Hey, what is a 'highblood' anyway? I mean, we've heard of them a lot throughout the story and stuff but what exactly do they mean? Sounds like a bunch of snobbish aristrocrats to be honest." Rainbow stated, hovering over the group like usual but also looking at a depiction of The Signless preaching to a bunch of Alternians.

"Well their terminology was a bit iffy and difficult to understand, like 'perigee', 'sweeps' and other words but we think that 'highblood' literally means or relates to blood, 'lowblood' too. I think the Alternians were on a hierarchy system based on blood somehow. A lot of ponies seem to think that somehow, somehow that every Alternian or at least a group of them had various different blood colors."

"After all this time they've finally theorized about the hemospectrum, I'm a little disappointed."
"Well you thhould've jutht outright told them or left the clueth clearer in tranthlation then."
"And where would be the fun in that? Still, I thought they would've figured it out faster."
"They're ponieth HM, peatheful fucking ponieth, what would you expect?"

Pinkie gasped, "Different blood color? You mean like they have rainbow colored blood?!" The party pony was about to continue when Twilight interrupted her before she could do anything.

"Not necessarily!" She said with haste, "I mean sure, somehow their blood colors are different but it's just a theory that sounds utterly ridiculous! I mean, different colored blood? That's a genetic impossibility! How would they even be the same species? It's highly unlikely." Twilight stated as a-matter-of-fact, "But that doesn't mean the blood theory isn't an impossibility, maybe they were just born from a wide family that were considered either 'high' to 'lowbloods'. Their status in the world depends from which familyline they came from, like an Alternian born a highblood because of their highblood parents, it's obviously a nobility of some sorts so that must be it."

"Mmm, good theory but wrong."
"Thoerieth on uth are really amuthing to hear, I think the dragonth thtill think I came to life from a drop from the thun or thomething. It changeth every generation."
"You spur them on in every generation of hatchlings, they're frustrated really but know you won't answer them clearly."
"Pretty much, fucking with the entirety and hithtory of thith world wath fun, if a bit fruthtrating at how thlow everything wath getting to thith point. Though I don't regret it becauthe thith wath better then getting turned into thtone to be honetht."
"Yep, turning into stone did not sound fun. Especially if your consciousness was still active and your just sitting there watching everything go by... I would have honestly one insane, even with you around."
"Thame."
"Though technically we did do that in a doomed timeline, poor alternate timeline us'. May they rest in peace."
"May they retht in peathe, the unlucky bathtardth. At leatht they warned uth before we went on that path though."

"At any rate I think we'll find out in either this cave or one of the other caves!"

Twilight and her friends continued to chat as they moved through the cave, observing again each carving and statue. Even at some point entering the sad room that made them tear up every time they went in, the one with the statue carving of The Signless' execution and demise.

"I wonder if Signless would have liked Equestria." Fluttershy suddenly spoke, sniffling as they left the room.

Pinkie grinned at her, "I'm sure old Signy would have loved Equestria! It's practically the place he's been preaching about." She told her, bringing a smile on the yellow pegasus' face. The others nodded in agreement, they've all at some point read one of Signless' preachings and they felt a bit proud that their home was something that the Signless would have enjoyed if he had been alive and in the present.

And they'd be right, though they wouldn't know that until later.

Suddenly Twilight blinked as something caught her eye and abruptly stopped walking, gaining the attention of her friends as she turned to a certain part of the wall carving, they were in the main room where the biggest statue of The Signless stood tall and preaching to a non-existent audience.

Twilight narrowed her eyes as she trotted closer to the wall, "Um, Twilight?" Rarity questioned as the purple alicorn stayed silent and looked at something on the wall. "Twilight? Is something wrong?" She asks with worry as she and the others go to her side with obvious worry.

Twilight shook her head, "No, it's just," she pauses before gesturing to the wall. The others followed her hoof to see a familiar six pointed starburst symbol with five little stars around it carved right on the wall underneath a slashed symbol with three droplets escaping the slashed line. "I... I'm pretty sure that's my cutie mark." She says stunned , shock on her face and in her tone of voice.

"How?! These caves are like thousands of years old, how in tarnation and why is your cutie mark here?!" Applejack asked, just as shocked and stunned as the rest and Twilight were.

"Don't ask me that because I don't know!" The princess of friendship cried out, mind racing for a possible and logical explanation.

Pinkie gasped all of a sudden, "What if you went back in time?! Twilight, what if you went back in time and helped carve the caves?!" She thoerized excitedly, "I mean, you and Starlight went back in time right? What if you used the spell and helped carve the caves or was the one to carve them?! That would be so awesome!"

Twilight shook her head frantically in disagreement, "No, that's impossible!" She said, shooting the theory down quickly and causing Pinkie to deflate slightly in her excitement.

Rainbow looked at her confusion, "Why not? You and Starlight went back in time right?"

"Yes, we did but that still took a lot of magic for both Starlight and I. We were lucky our magical stamina were much more than way above average! Or well, alicorn stamina for me I guess but when I first used the original Starswirl spell as a unicorn it still drained a lot out of me even when my magic stamina was as big as Starlight a couple of years ago. A normal unicorn would have instantly felt drained the moment they casted the spell and only manage to travel a day into the past!" Twilight explained, an apprehensive frown on her face.

"For me to travel that far back into the past? A thousand years into the past? I would have needed Cadences' as well as Princess Celestia's and Luna's combined magic inside me again to get that far!"

"Oh..." was the collective reply of her friends.

"But then, what do you think this means?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight paused before narrowing her eyes in determination, "Only one way to find out. I think if I..." she trailed off as her horn lights up with magic and lifting a hoof to touch the carving of her cutiemark on the wall.

A beat passes and Twilight tilts her head in confusion and putting her hoof down again, "Huh, maybe I was wro--gah!!!" She yelped as she jumped back, her friends exclaiming their surprise as suddenly the carving glows white and suddenly the ground trembles slightly as an outline of a hall appears.

Guards and archaeologists exclaim their surprise as they come running to see what was causing the slight tremor, only to see a section of the wall lined with white in the shape of an entrance and the carvings splitting in half and sliding into secret sections of a hollowed wall to reveal a hidden hallway.

"Princess Twilight, what happened? Are you alright?" A guard asks as the trembling stops, Twilight snaps out of her awe and gives the royal guard a firm nod.

"Yes, I'm okay. Sorry for that everypony, but it seems we've found a hidden hallway." The ponies whispered to each other in excitement for the new hallway only to stop as Twilight continues, "I as well as my friends will explore the hallway first, just to make sure it's safe for everypony. Two royal guards will accompany us but I suggest that the rest of you resume what you were doing until I or the others return okay?"

A few protested but agreed reluctantly and followed Twilight's words, returning to what they were doing but keeping in mind of the newly found hallway. Twilight sighed before choosing two royal guards to come with her and her friends.

"Ready girls?" Twilight asks with a small grin, the rest of the mane 6 cheers and whoops, "Yeah!!" and together with two royal guards, they venture into the hallway.

The hallway was lit with torches just like the rest of the cave, on the walls were vague carvings that seemed... different, compared to the carvings outside the hall. It felt a little ominous for the ponies as they travelled through the it, but they continued onwards as they were determined and stubborn little things.

It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the hall, at the end was a solid stone door with the Signless' symbol, the horizontal 69 but instead of grey as it usually was seen in, the symbol had been painted bright eye-catching red.

Twilight had a feeling something was going to happen the moment they entered the room, she shared a look with her company and they all nodded seriously and firmly. Taking a deep breath, she used her magic to open the heavy stone door and trotted into the room, the rest closely following her.

Only to stop and freeze, shock and disbelief stunning everypony as they looked at the one thing that stood out the most at the room, in fact the rest of the room was looked over as their eyes immediately strayed to one figure right there in the center of the room.

The figure was tall, taller than even Princess Celestia as they stood on two legs. They smiled at the ponies, amused at their reactions.

The reason why they were shock though, was because this figure that stood in a secret room of the Signless' Cave.

"The Handmaid," breathed one of the guards, and he was correct. There, in the middle of the room stood a legendary figure that was mentioned throughout history of the Alternian Caves and whose cave was found a couple of decades ago. And she was the real deal, not a realistic statue, not a carving or anything, she was real; given the fact Handmaid was floating inches above the ground encased with some kind of magic or energy while her eyes flashed various colors.

She further proved that she was real as her smile widens and her hand reaches to cover her mouth, giggling soundly before making an obvious wink, curstied and then twirled in place.

A strange sound filled the air as she disappeared from sight, the sound of a gong and the tick tocks of a clock and she disappeared, leaving the room to the ponies.

"Somepony please tell me I wasn't the only one who saw that. I wasn't hallucinating was I? Because I clearly saw The friggin Handmaid." Rainbow begged, panic coloring her voice and the others shook their heads.

"If you were hallucinatin' then we all were, because yeah, we saw her too." Applejack mutters, before taking notice to Twilight, "Uh... Twi? You alright there sugarcube?" She questioned worriedly as the purple alicorn looked completely frozen. "Twilight?"

The Princess of Friendship let out a garble of noise before flopping over.

"Twilight!"

"You were alwayth tho dramatic, before becoming HM or even more tho now."
"Oh hush, like you could do any different. Besides, you love their reactions."
"I do, look at the purple printhetth jutht hyperventilating there! Hahaha!"
"Mmm, perhaps the curtsy was a bit much."
"Nah, it wath perfect, actually you thhould have done more, Twilight'th reaction might've been more entertaining if you did more."
"You were just saying I was being 'so dramatic'. Also, I think Twilight nearly having a heart attack is a good of reaction enough. You never did like her and Starlight, especially after what they did, did you?"
"Of fucking courthe, their actionth hurt you."
"It needed to happen, you know that."
"I don't care, they hurt you tho they can take a nithe thtroll through Tartaruth for all I care."
"TB!"
"Hehe, at any rate dethpite that I thtill can't wait to meet the ponieth like thith after like, forever. I mean like, finally!"
"True, I can tell this is going to be fun."

Both shared a smile as they watched the ponies flounder and freak out in the room they made.

It had been getting a bit boring for them.

Author's Note:

A/N: There we go! Chapter 4, hope you enjoyed.

There are a lot of things I have planned for this and I can only hope you guys can stick along for the ride! Later~

1,031 views

Previous Chapters