Chapter 6
The Dig Site
It is in the interest of the better pony to help those under them. It is in the interest of a businesspony to expand infrastructure to places with out, to bring civilization and order to those who do not have it.
Raging Night sighed softly as he looked over the small dig site around the ruins where Draken Claw's team discovered the artifact. He looked over it, from the cliff-face that many of the ponies dispatched rom Canterlot were digging into. He didn't exactly understand, but both Celestia and Luna had agreed with the tribal leaders of the Griffons that excavating the ruins, which according to Princess Luna, who had snuck out of Canterlot to follow Raging Night and Draken Claw, were indeed ruins of a Temple City from the Before Age. "So, what now then Mr. Night?" Sunny Meadow asked, smiling at the Pegasus. "We've been here for a few months now, and the ponies have uncovered a few pillars, and what looks like to be the entrance of a tomb complex."
"It seems we'll be here much longer then I had originally hoped." Raging said, sighing softly as he looked over the excavation site. Over the past few weeks, it had grown from a small band of four or five ponies, into a small town of 200 ponies and griffons. He didn't expect that many ponies to have gathered as quickly as they did, but upon the news of a new Before Age site having been discovered, many ponies had gathered in an effort to have their names put into the history books having helped unearthed the possible last remaining Before Age ruins. "The complex goes on for what the geomancers to believe for miles, weaving back and forth in a multi-leveled maze."
"It could take months to map out something that large..." Sunny said in a bit of shock. "Let alone discover what the Ancients needed it for. Have they found edges to the maze yet?"
"Not as far as I know." Raging replied, sighing softly again.
"Interesting..." Sunny said, before smiling. "Oh, I came up here to tell you they got the general store up and running. They even have a few casks of Apple Family Cider."
"Is that so?" Raging asked, looking down at the town that was slowly forming on the outskirts of the dig site. From his vantage point, he could see the entire valley before them, including the town. "I just might go and have some... I take it that the miners have all elected to go on break, to have some cider?"
"Yup." Sunny said, smiling as her horn began glowing. "I just came up to tell you about it, before they drank it all." She added, with the familiar popping sound following, indicating she had teleported away.
After she left, Raging sighed softly once again, as he looked around the valley once more. He wasn't worried about the dig site, or the town that was forming due to the dig site. He was more worried about the assassin who had tried killing him, and the Pegasus mare who seemed to be more reptile then pony. Both of these two ponies had since vanished since the Ambrosia was discovered, which worried Raging Night. Draken Claw and Sunny Meadow both insisted that he was being paranoid, and to relax. "I can't relax... not until the dig is done, and we're back in Canterlot." He said, before spreading his wings, and gliding down to the town.
Raging nodded slowly at the ponies he passed on the way to the general store, which he had heard was going to be run by one of the Apple families relatives. "If so, then that explains how they got their hands on a few barrels of the cider..." He mumbled to himself, as he used his wing to push the Appleloosa styled door open. This caused many of the ponies, some of which worked directly under Raging as Night Guards, to quiet down. "Don't worry, I'm not here to berate you on not working..." He said, sighing again.
"Raging's addicted to Apple Cider!" Sunny almost screamed out from one of the corners of the general store, which caused the entire room to burst out laughing.
"I do not..." Raging mumbled softly, as he slowly worked his way towards Sunny Meadow. "It's you that drank most of the cider we had on the trip here."
"I know," Sunny said, patting his back a bit, as she handed him a mug. "I just wanted to alleviate the pressure." She continued, giggling a bit. "After all, your probably the most strict sheriff anypony has seen."
"Would you stop calling me that? I'm not the sheriff of anything."
"Yeah, well tell that to the townponies, and the miners, and the scholars, and the..."
"I get your point Sunny." He said, sighing softly, as he shook his head. "Forgive me for wanting some semblance of order here while we worked."
Sunny giggle a bit again, taking a sip from her mug. "I get that Raging, I do... but seriously... you need to lighten up. We got here safe and sound did we not? The Relic is back where it belongs, and there's more then 200 other ponies here who's lives revolve around this site. You don't have to worry about any assassins or crazy psycho ponies anymore." She continued, writing a few things into her journal. "Am I wrong?"
"No you are not wrong Sunny Meadow." Raging said, admitting the fact to her. "It is true, that we made it here with out further incident, save for finding out that Princess Luna followed us here. And it is true that due to the increasing number of ponies, it will be harder to get artifacts away from here, in particular The Relic." He added, shaking his head. "Beyond that, I still have my job as Night Guard to keep the ponies in line, and to protect what ever spot the Princesses need me at, namely the Dig Site."