Starlight shone through the clouds, spilling a pale glow across the Badlands. As she stood amongst the jagged silhouettes of cliffs and crags, a cool breeze fluttered through Moonbeam's cloak and mane. The Unicorn pony did not move. She had not moved for five minutes.
Her eyes were closed, her head raised, and the hood of her cloak sliding back over her ears. Fwoosh. The soft crackling of Unicorn magic broke the night's silence as her horn ignited in shimmering electric blue.
"There it is again," Moonbeam whispered to herself. "The strange magic energy....it's coming from that cave!" She opened her eyes. Set deep into the base of the Dustmane Ridge, the mouth of the cave loomed before her, and a powerful magic presence pulled her towards it.
A brilliant ray of light from Moonbeam's horn pierced the pitch black interior of the cave, casting strange flickering shadows against the rock walls. Illumination did nothing to make the cave look more inviting.
Moonbeam felt a flicker of doubt, but quickly dismissed it. "No, I can't stop now; not after everything I've been through," she thought. "I have to find the source!" The clopping of her hooves against the stone echoed down through the cave as she crossed the threshold.
Moonbeam soon lost track of how much time she was spending in the cave. Wandering through countless caverns and passageways, she descended deep beneath the mountains, stopping every few minutes to pick up the trail of the magic source. Deeper and deeper she went, passing pools of inky water and thick patches of unfamiliar fungi. She began to find small trinkets and stone artifacts engraved with strange carvings. "These look old, ancient even," she whispered. "Looks like nopony has been here in hundreds of years!"
Her horn lit up once more as she felt the magic drawing her near, more powerful than ever. "Soon that power shall be mine, and then nopony will be able to refuse me again!" Her determination bolstered, Moonbeam pressed on into a deeper cavern.
Suddenly she gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. Towering before her, built into a high cavern wall, was a great circular stone door carved with intricate patterns. Standing before it, Moonbeam could almost feel magic power humming in the air around her. The door glowed gently as if in greeting. A grin spread slowly across Moonbeam's muzzle and her eyes grew wide.
"I've found it..."
Welcome to our next installment of our Pony Adventures in Equestria.
