//------------------------------// // The ruins // Story: Ancient Awakening // by Mr Tinkertrain //------------------------------// It was a warm and sunny day in Equestria. Everypony in Ponyville had to be somewhere. Everypony – besides of a pegasus of a light cyan color and a mane colored in the glorious colors of the rainbow. The Pegasus slept on a cloud on the border of the city. While Rainbow Dash slept, somepony came looking for her: A bouncing pink pony which looked everywhere for her and started to yell Rainbows name immediately as she saw the rainbow colored tail hanging from the cloud. „Rainbow Dash!“ Pinkie yelled at the cloud, continiously bouncing off the ground. She smiled as Rainbow lifted her head over the clouds she was lying on. Pinkie didn’t wait till Rainbow answered, she just went on. „Twilight is looking for you. She wants to meet you at the library.“ Rainbow blinked and asked „What is it about?“ Pinkie stopped to bounce for a second and looked puzzled, like she forgot something. She started hopping again as she shooked her head. „Oh, she didn’t say why. She just told me that she needs you and that it is important.“ Rainbow just sat on her cloud and sighed. „Okay … did Twilight say something about the time when she wants to meet?“ Pinkie shook her head again. „Nope. But if it is so important you should visit her as soon as possible. Oh, look at the time! We’ve got an order to fulfill at Sugarcube Corner, I should be going now!“ The pink pony waved a hoof at Rainbow and started to bounce away into the direction of Sugarcube Corner, leaving Rainbow on her cloud. Rainbow thought about what Pinkie just told her. She weren’t sure if she wanted to go to the library. She just couldn’t imagine why Twilight would need her help. „Whatever“, she said to herself, „I guess Twilight will explain it all.“ She looked into the clear, blue sky above her and enjoyed the warm sunshine a moment longer before she stretched her wings and took off. The cloud below her disappeared because of the power of the take-off. On her way to the library she did what she loved the most: Flying for the sake of it. She flew high up into the sky, enjoyed the wind rushing through her mane and wings. During the flight, Rainbow felt as alive as she possibly could be. She lived to fly. She dove down to the ground again and opened her wings just moments before she hit the ground, performing a perfect landing in front of Twilights library. The Pegasus knocked on the door, until Spike opened up. “Hi, Rainbow. You’re looking for Twilight, aren’t you?” “Uhm … yeah, Pinkie told me that Twilight wants to meet me at the library. It kinda sounded important.” Spike let her into the library. “She told me that she found something in the Everfree Forest, I think. Wait a second …” The little dragon went on the upper floor of the library and came back within a minute, with a folded piece of paper. “Here. Twilight told me I should give you this when she isn’t there when you come.” He quickly unfolded it. It was a crude map of the Everfree Forest, the only points Rainbow actually knew where the old castle of the royal sisters and the border of Ponyville. A red cross was painted somewhere between them, but neither Spike nor Rainbow could tell where exactly it was. “I think it is closer to the old castle.” Spike mentioned. “No, it is definitely closer to Ponyville than to the old castle. Looks like I’ll have to check. Besides, are you sure Twilight already went there and isn’t just somewhere around here?” “I’m quite sure. Else she wouldn’t have asked me to give you this and would have done it herself.” Rainbow thought about this and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Well, I should go then. Maybe I can catch up with her, if I can see her through the trees.” The Pegasus went to the door, and Spike followed her. “Sure. Good luck!” He waved at her when she stepped outside and took off to fly into the direction of the red cross on the map. While Rainbow Dash got on her way into the Everfree Forest, Twilight Sparkle walked between the trees of the forest towards her target. The trees of the forest still gave her the creeps after what happened last time she went into the forest and almost were turned into stone, if Fluttershy wouldn’t have been there. Still, Twilight couldn’t wait for Rainbow to arrive. She just hoped that her friend would find the place where she was heading to. She didn’t know what would wait for her there. She found a reference to some kind of magical place in the forest in an ancient book she found at the library and just couldn’t wait get it out of her head anymore. She just had to find that place. So she decided to check it out herself, but not without leaving a message for Rainbow. If something unexpected would happen, the Pegasus would be the only one who could arrive in time. Fluttershy couldn’t fly fast enough while the others would have to walk like Twilight. It made her feel a bit safer in the forest to have Rainbow as backup. She finally reached her goal: A glade was in front of her. She hopped over a last tree stump and stepped onto the glade and looked around her. Everything seemed normal. She walked disappointed into the middle of the glade and almost fell flat on her face as she stumbled over an obstacle on the ground. Onto further inspection it appeared to be a part of an ancient structure, which once might have been here. Twilight focused on the ground in the hope of finding more ancient relics as she wandered around in the glade. After some time, she noticed an ancient stone plate, not far from the piece she stumbled upon first. The plate was covered by grass and moss, but Twilight could see some old carvings on the stone, but she didn’t recognize them. She would have to take the plate back into her library to decipher what was written on it long time ago. She tried to lift the plate with the magic of her horn, but it didn’t move. It was somehow sealed to the ground. She sat down in the grass, hopefully waiting for Rainbow to arrive. Maybe her friend would be able to move the stone plate out of its place. And so she waited. Rainbow flew across the forest. She looked down on the trees while she flew over them. She loved the view of the land rushing away below her and the feeling of the wind in her mane. Rainbow could see the old castle in the distance and pulled a turn. She flew too far. Suddenly, she could spot a place in the forest without trees. She guessed it was a pond or a glade. It was also possible that this was the spot Twilight wanted to go. Rainbow flew straight to the place. As soon as she reached the edge of the glade, she spotted Twilight sitting in the grass there, looking up to the sky, on the watch for a certain Pegasus. Rainbow dove down and landed next to her friend. “Here I am, Twi. Now you might tell me what this is about.” Twilight, who was looking into the other direction, spun around as she heard the voice behind here. “Oh, hay Rainbow. Could you help me to get this stone plate back to the library? It got some carvings on it which I want to study.” “I don’t see a stone plate around here.” Twilight pointed on the plate she discovered earlier. “There it is, under all that Grass and moss there.” The athletic Pegasus just looked at her friend. “Can’t you lift it with your magic?” Twilight just shook her head. “No, I can’t. It is somehow sealed in its place. I hoped you could move it.” Finally, Rainbow just sighed and took a look at the plate. She placed her hind legs on the side of the plate as good as it was possible and kicked against it. Nothing happened. She kicked again, and they could hear how stone scratched over Stone. “Come on Rainbow, you can do it!” Twilight cheered at her friend, who placed a final kick against the stone, which finally glided to the side. Underneath the stone plate was a deep, dark tunnel. Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other, then they stared down into the darkness. Rainbow picked up a nearby rock and dropped it down into the darkness. It hit the ground almost immediately. “So, I guess this isn’t so deep. Maybe we should check out what is down there.” The unicorn looked at her friend, who just shook her head. “So, can you create some light with your magic? Else we would be blind.” Twilight concentrated for a moment and casted a spell, which let a little ball of purple appear above her head. “That will have to do it. Let’s go!” By that time she completely forgot about the carvings on the stone plate and hopped down into the dark. Rainbow looked down into the tunnel. “Come on, Rainbow! There are stairs down here!” The Pegasus sighed and followed her friend down. Twilights spell just caused a small radius of sight , everything else got swallowed by the darkness around them. “Well, let’s see where those stairs will take us!” As soon as Twilight said that, she started to follow the stairs deeper into the earth. Rainbow followed her close up to not lose orientation in the darkness. Silence fell over the ponies as they walked down the stairs. Rainbow was the first of them who spoke again. “Soo … you don’t have any idea what this once could have been, no?” Twilight thought a bit about this question. “No, I don’t know. We’ll see.” “Maybe we should go back and just leave this place.” Rainbow hoped that Twilight wouldn’t hear how nervous she was. “Oh, come on. Don’t be scared. What could possibly happen?” Twilight smiled at Rainbow in the dim light, and then she continued walking. Rainbow looked behind them. She couldn’t see the opening anymore. She sighed and followed Twilight on their trip into the unknown darkness. Soon, they reached a cave, and Twilights spell wasn’t strong enough to light up to the ceiling, nor they could see the walls to their left and right. Twilight walked straight into the cave, not looking left or right. And Rainbow followed her. As they reached the opposite side of the cave, Twilight started to stare intensively at the wall. “Err, Twi? What are you doing there?” said Rainbow Dash “These carvings, Rainbow, they’re the same as on the stone plate!” “Yeah, that’s nice. Can we go back now?” Twilight didn’t listen to her friend. She tipped her hoof against one of the carvings. A click sounded, barely hearable. But what happened afterwards would still haunt them days after. There was a rumbling, and then the cave started to collapse. Rocks fell down from the ceiling and almost buried the two ponies under them. They could just watch as the carving on the wall started to glow in a deep red, and a roar echoed through the entire cave. Rainbow, who reacted first, took off and grabbed Twilight under her fore legs in the same move. She couldn’t see far, but they made it through the rain of rocks and to the tunnel again. At least she believed that it was the tunnel they came in through. She flew into it and up the stairs in a rush and almost hit the ceiling more than once. Finally she reached the exit and flew up into the cool air. She dropped Twilight on the earth and laid down next to her friend and breathed heavily. “Do you mind explaining what this was?” Twilight turned to her friend. “I have no idea.” “Well, then let us get out of here.” Twilight pointed at the stone plate. “And what do we do with this?” “Try to put it back on the opening with your magic. If it doesn’t work, just leave it. You can come back later to decipher it.” This time, Twilights magic worked on the plate and she put it carefully back in place. “Ok. Fine. We’re done here now. Let us go home.” Rainbow was eager to get back to Ponyville again. Twilight nodded. “It’s also evening already. We should hurry up.” “Yeah, you’re right. Then let’s get going!” Shortly after they left the glade, a fine, dark mist crawled out under the plate, vanishing into the depths of the forest.