//------------------------------// // Deepening Mysteries // Story: Crazy, Clever and Cunning // by Fresnor //------------------------------// You know that the winter months are getting boring when you find yourself wanting to do something you’d normally hate. I find myself in this exact situation as I joyfully prepare to go out to examine Sunny Town to try and find out what is keeping it there. “I never thought I’d see the day when I actually wanted to confront some undead monstrosity. This has been the most boring winter I’ve ever been through, though I guess it is more preferable than trying to constantly find ways of staying warm.” I cinch up my packs after loading in the last few things I felt that I would need. Not knowing what to expect I packed a variety of things that I felt could come in handy in figuring out the town and its inhabitants. I took one more look through the things scattered around my attic until my eyes fell on my gem storage. On a whim I decide to add the diamond to my packs, just on the off-chance that I need it. “If that book is right then I should be able to put just about any kind of spell into this. Without a circle it would only be temporary, but it would at least last long enough for whatever I’d need it for.” As a precaution I also grab one of each of the enchanted gems as well, though it is doubtful that I’d need an emerald enchanted to help things grow. Sliding them into the lighter pack I make my way downstairs to grab a couple food packs I keep prepared, and then head out into the cold. “I really should get another door put somewhere in the back of the place. It’s kind of annoying to have to go through the front to get to the back all the time. Though I guess with how the previous owner dabbled in dark necromancy, having to only defend one doorway would have come in handy.” As I make my way around back I keep an eye out for any other ponies as I don’t want them to see what I am going to be doing this time. The field of white between here and the town is completely clear of any bright colors, and even the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage is empty. I look up to check for any flyers or low hanging clouds, having caught Rainbow Dash in them a couple times, before nodding to myself and heading towards my path to the Everfree. I do take a small detour by my garden to check up on how things are there, and am happy to note that everything is growing well, even the kumquats plants are starting to bear fruit now. I snag a few of them, the first few to test the taste, and the rest to store in my pack, before making my way into the forest. As soon as I am under the cover of the trees I make one more quick search around the area to be sure that I am alone. While I couldn’t feel anything nearby through my connection to the area, I felt it was better to be safe than sorry. Once I was sure I was alone I reverted back to my original form to better stay hidden in the snow, as well as not having to explain things if the townspeople spot me. It doesn’t take long for me to reach where I found the town before as the snow hasn’t piled up as high inside the forest as it did outside. I keep an eye out for any tracks in the snow, but it is still completely untouched in this area. I soon get to the edge of the area designated as my property, and I search for the place that I saw the town from before. It doesn’t take me long to find it as I had the area marked already the last time I was here. Looking towards the town I don’t see a sign of anything moving within it, and the eerie feeling I had the last time was missing as well. Being careful to be as quiet as possible, I slowly made my way from tree to tree towards the town. As I crept closer I couldn’t see anything moving within the town at all. Taking a chance I sneak up to the closest building and begin to make my way around it to a nearby window. Peering inside it I can see the presence of some old furniture and a lot of dust, but nothing else. Moving around the building so that I can see into the town I also see that the outdoor area is completely empty as well. This is really strange, Applebloom was sure about what she saw here yet it feels completely empty now. Even that feeling from the time I was last here is gone as well. Getting a little bolder, I make my way into the town in search of whatever I can find. Each building I look into after the first yields the same results though. Even the snow is completely undisturbed except for the tracks I left myself. Something is definitely not right in this town though. The fact it is still even standing inside of the forest is the biggest clue. I eventually find one house that is different from all the rest. Making my way inside, I notice a slight chill in the air, as well as that eerie feeling that I remembered from the last time. Well this is definitely the center of whatever is causing things in this town to happen. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but I don’t think it will be as easy to fix like the problem my house had. Inside I find that there are dark stains on parts of the floor, while the rest of the house is in various states of damage, as if something broke everything in here. Going off of a hunch I decide to check the fireplace and I find just what I expected. “So this is the house that Applebloom said that Ruby was killed in. It makes sense that whatever was done to the town originated from here.” Deciding that without the townsfolk around that staying would be pointless, I make my way back to the center of the town. Once there I proceed to dig up a small area until I reveal a patch of dirt and even a bit into that. I then take the diamond from my pack and place it into the hole before I start to cast a spell on it. “I’m not sure why this place is empty, but there do seem to be times when there is something here. Since checking the place every day would be a pain, a simple motion tracking spell to warn me when something appears should work.” After placing the spell on the gem I cover it up with the dirt and snow I had removed from the location. Once I was sure it was hidden well enough I made my way out of town again, but this time towards a new destination in the forest. Once I was far enough from the town I shifted back into pony form again just in case I was spotted. Making my way through the forest I eventually end up at the castle. “I guess if I can’t do much in the town itself, I can just search the castle library. Though considering some of the information that I’ve found in here, I’m surprised that it hasn’t been raided by somepony else yet. I guess the threat of the forest itself is enough to keep most away from it, but me being here and the fact that some of those in Ponyville have been consistently entering the forest just shows that it isn’t enough. I eventually arrive at the library and set one of the food packs in the usual place. While I make my way to the tables I grin as I already hear it being taken from behind me. She really is getting brave if she’s taking the risk that I’ll turn around and catch sight of her. Setting the rest of my stuff down I face the many bookshelves and start to cast the search spell while focusing on Sunny Town. I start with the closest shelves and slowly shift the affected area back a row at a time. I start to frown as I near the back of the library without getting a single hit from my spell though. “This is strange, from what I understand the forest wasn’t always there so nothing was keeping ponies away from it before. Since this castle is so close to it I would have thought there would have been something in here about it, even if it’s just a map.” As the spell reaches the back of the library without a single flicker I sit for a second on this outcome. “Something is definitely strange here. I would have thought that there would have been something here, even if it was a tax record or even a warning about the place. You don’t just ignore something like that and hope it goes away, leaving it alone is a recipe for disaster.” Thinking back I remember the first time I cast the spell here and how I sensed more books elsewhere in the castle. Deciding to widen the area of the spell I cast it again in the hopes that one of those other books had the answer I was looking for. This time I was able to get a hit from a book in one of the upper rooms of the castle. I gather up my things and make my way through the castle trying to find the path to it. I eventually reach the floor that the book is on, though I have trouble actually locating the room. I have been able to find two of the outside wall bordering where it is kept, but after a quick search there didn’t appear to be any secret panels located on those sides. Eventually I come across a room that appears to have been a room for one of the owners of the castle. I thought I heard something scuttling around when I entered, but with a quick look around and finding nothing I just ignore it. This time I was able to find a panel on the wall that opened up a section of it leading to the room I was looking for. In it I find a single bookcase containing a variety of books, many of them giving off an odd aura of magic. Peering at the spines of the books I find that the titles on some of them seem to be penned by the same being. “Huh, this must have been the personal collection of the owner. Maybe they were also a writer of some sort as well?” Performing a quick search I find that the book I am searching for is one of those same books that didn’t have an aura around them. Looking at the spine I find that it reads ‘Court’s Judgements’ on it. “Strange title for a book, though if it really is the owner writing these, then they must have also had some sort of control of the area as well.” Flipping through the book I find that it is filled with a various number of dates, and under each is a name or town followed by a statement for each. Eventually I find the entry that pertains to what I was searching for. “I’m not sure what the date means, must be some outdated format or something. Anyways, ‘Sunny Town: Verdict: Guilty, Judgement: Enforced and Isolation Spell cast.’ Well that doesn’t tell me much more than what I already knew.” Sighing, I put the book back into its place. “So I guess whatever it was that happened to Sunny Town was put into place by whoever once lived here. It’s something, but it still doesn’t tell me much beyond what I already knew.” I hear a gasp behind me, and I start to turn towards the sound but stop when I hear the voice of the filly that’s been living here. “Sunny Town? Why would you want to know about a place like that? It’s a really bad town.” I’m surprised at first that she is actually talking to me, but I refrain from looking towards her just in case it would cause her to run. “Well I happen to live rather close to that place, and somepony I know found their way in there by accident and she almost didn’t make it out. I’m trying to find out what I can about the place and see if there is anything I can do to prevent anypony else from getting caught in that place.” She sounds surprised as she responds, “But that place is supposed to be sealed off, nopony is supposed to even be able to find it.” She sounds a bit scared about something, though I wonder how she even knows this much about the place. “I’m not sure how you know this much about the place; I’ve only found a tiny entry that doesn’t explain anything about the town. Either way the town isn’t sealed anymore if it’s supposed to be; in fact I just went through it today though it was completely empty this time.” “I’m… not sure how I know. I don’t remember much about myself but sometimes I just know things.” She sounds really sad and unsure about herself during this admission. “Don’t you have any family that could help you? I mean you couldn’t have always been out here alone, and I could try to get word to them if you want.” Her response to this is not what I expected. “No! Please don’t tell them that I’m here. I don’t know why but I know that they hate me for some reason.” This surprises me, and I don’t think she is faking it as I can hear her hooves rattling on the ground as if she is shaking in fear. “Okay, I won’t tell them about you, though I’m sure you must be pretty lonely out here.” It takes so long to answer that I was afraid that she ran off. “Well it has been pretty lonely. It’s been a bit better ever since you started coming here though. I’m sorry about stealing from you before but I was so hungry that I couldn’t help myself.” I had actually forgotten that she had been doing that until I started leaving food for her. “I had actually forgotten that you did that those first few times. I remember seeing a bit of movement that first time though so I was guessing you were pretty young. While I was annoyed those first few times I do understand what it’s like to not have enough food, so I started leaving it out for you.” I start to feel even more sorry for her, not only was she alone, but also abandoned and starving without even the hope of being able to turn to someone. “That really helped me a lot. All that other stuff you left was nice too; nopony had ever been that nice to me before. I’ve only ever been alone and hated by everypony I’ve ever known.” I really start to wonder what kind of monsters her family was to treat a filly like that. I start to wonder if there is anything else I can do to help her, though I really wonder who her family was so I can avoid them if possible. I sit there in silence as I hear her start to cry, trying to resist the urge to go to her as it would probably scare her. This continues for a while until she eventually settles down into the occasional sniffle. I levitate a spare piece of cloth from my packs and levitate it back to her without looking and release it when I feel a tug. A moment later I can hear her clearing her nose with it so I decide to let her keep it. “Are you feeling a little better after that?” It takes her a moment, but she eventually answers. “A little, I just wanted to be liked by somepony but nopony ever did. I don’t even know what I did to be hated so much either.” I don’t know how to answer to this, though I am reminded of my own situation. “Who knows, some ponies just seem to be like that. My mother told me about somepony pretty important that would hate me if they ever met me and may try to hurt me, yet I never knew the reason for why.” We sit there in our respective silences for a while, thinking on what we’ve just said. Eventually I decide to ask the question that had been bugging me for a while. “This has been bugging me for a while. I can’t keep just thinking of you as ‘that filly’ all the time, do you think I could be allowed to know your name?” She stays silent at this for so long that I believe she may have really left this time until I hear her voice say in a tone almost too quiet for me to understand. “I… don’t know my name…” This truly surprises me and tells me that something is seriously wrong with what happened to her. I wonder how to go about getting more information out of her until she interrupts my thoughts with a question of her own. “You say that somepony really important hates you, who would hate you so much that they’d want to hurt you.” I wonder if I should really tell her, but with her being isolated out here there shouldn’t be too much harm in her knowing. “Well I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you, the pony’s name is Celestia, Princess Celestia in fact.” Her reaction to this isn’t surprising, what is though is what she says next. “Why would my sister hate you that badly?” This literally floors me and it takes me a while to recover enough to get my hooves under me. “Um, are you alright?” can be heard from the filly before I respond. “Wait, you mean your family includes the Princesses Celestia and Luna? How is that possible?” Her response is along the same lines as her previous ones. “I don’t know, but I know that they are my family.” She sounds a bit indignant at me not believing her, so I try to calm down. “I’m sorry; it’s just a lot to take in. The one pony I’m trying to avoid, yet I somehow stumble upon part of her family. Granted, being around a purple unicorn that is also her student would be just as bad but I still visit her.” Yet again she says something to surprise me. “A purple unicorn? Did she have a sort of star pattern for a cutie mark and travels with five other friends?” I can hear the fear start to creep into her voice. “Wait, you’re afraid of them too? While I know a couple of them can be a bit abrasive I can’t believe they would do anything to harm a filly, two of them especially.” The thought of Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy doing anything of the sort is just impossible to comprehend. “I’m not sure; I just remember seeing them with my sisters when they left me here all alone. Please don’t tell them that I’m still here.” I can hear the tears starting to come back in her voice, so I decide to comply with her wishes, for now. “Well if that’s what you want, though I think you might enjoy being around some of them.” I’m still going to talk to them about what happened here, but refrain from mentioning the filly in any way just to be safe. “You still never told me why my sister would hate you though.” I contemplate trying to deny knowing why, even though I really don’t, but I do have some suspicions. “I’m not really sure myself, I can only guess it’s because of what I am. You see, I’m not really a pony, this is just a disguise I’ve been using since I came into this area.” She really seems curious about this as she tries to find out more. “Really? But you look like a pony, are you really a changeling then?” I feel a tad insulted at being compared to one of those, granted I hadn’t met too many of them in person but the ones I did were rather unpleasant. “No, though I should have guessed that a comparison like that would come up. Give me a second to show you, just promise not to tell anyone, pony or not.” I slip back into my usual way of talking, though saying anypony instead of anyone had been starting to become a habit. Focusing on myself I trigger the shift back into my real form. I can hear her gasp behind me, but it sounds more like surprise than fear. “What are you? I don’t think I’ve seen something like you before?” I wonder at this as she seems to have known other things that she shouldn’t have known. “Let’s just say I’m different and leave it at that. I haven’t met anyone else like me before since I lost my family. I’ve searched for a few years now and haven’t found anything, though if I wasn’t avoiding your sister she’d probably have an idea.” I shift back into my pony shape again as well as the speech pattern to cover it. “I really should be heading back home for the night though. I have a lot of things to think about now. But before I go…” I levitate out the small fruits I had brought with, wrapped up in another cloth. “Here’s a small treat I was able to get growing recently in my garden. Take them and then let me know when you are hidden somewhere so I can head out. I know you don’t want me to see you for some reason and remember your promise to not tell anypony.” I feel her take the fruit, followed by the sound of her rushing off. She soon calls out to me and I make my way out. Paying a little more attention than I was before I notice that they toy I gave her before is sitting on the bed by the pillows. Huh, I accidentally stumbled on to where she was sleeping this entire time. I soon reach the exit of the castle and the path towards the forest exit. Luckily I don’t run into anything as my mind is definitely not on what is going on around me. I have no idea how to deal with all of this, but something doesn’t quite add up here. From what I can gather though, both of the Princesses and those six were somehow involved in all this, though the only time they were all together that I know of was… I realize that this must all have been connected to the event that happened when I first arrived. The six entered the forest together, but when they came out it was with the Princesses, one of them who had been rumored to have been lost for a thousand years. When I have the chance I need to find out exactly what happened that night.