//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: The Ruins: Part 2 // Story: Daughter of Magic // by Moon Glow //------------------------------// Chapter 11 The Ruins: Part 2 "Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Pumpkin Cake asked as she moved a branch out of her way. Aurora pulled out the compass while looking at Gareth and Safir's map. "If my calculations are correct, we are. Though I get why you're asking that, Pumpkin." The five youths had been in the Everfree Forest for thirty minutes and with each step, the foliage seemed to have gotten thicker. Pound Cake and Gareth used their wings to help the girls and Safir keep an eye out for predators and monsters like manticores. At this point, Aurora was beginning wish she had a machete to slice a path through. "A machete. Yeah, right. Like anyone would give a kid a machete. Still, it would've helped make a better path to and from town. Heck, I should've done what Theseus did and brought some twine with me." Aurora thought, reminding herself about the legendary Greek hero she learned about in school. Wanting to end the silence, Aurora cleared her throat before she spoke. "So…any idea what kind of treasure we'll find at these ruins?" The group's eyes widened at Aurora's valid question. What would they find? Thinking about it, Safir spoke. "Well, I'm thinking that this treasure is a mountain of jewels." The azure dragon licked his lips at the thought as his craving for sapphires made itself known. "That is definitely the kind of treasure I'd like to find." The ponies and pony hybrid giggled at Safir's idea as Pumpkin spoke. "Well, leave some jewels for the rest of us. If it is jewels, I'd like the citrines peridots." Safir's eyes widened and turned his head to Pumpkin, his tongue sticking out in disgust. "Eww! You like to eat peridots?! They taste terrible!" Pound and Aurora doubled over in laughter while Pumpkin became infuriated. "Only dragons eat gemstones, Safir! Some ponies, like myself, like to wear gems as jewelry. And I happen to like peridots." She then took a look at the group and let out a smirk. "In fact, I can tell which jewels could go with each of us." She then pointed to her twin. "Pound, for example, is more like a Smoky Quartz." She then looked to Aurora, who had given Gareth the compass and map. "Aurora's a combination of Amethysts and Rose Quartz. Maybe even Alexandrite." Pumpkin then pointed her hoof toward Safir. "You're Sapphires and Topazes." She then pointed toward Gareth, who was focused on the path ahead. "And Gareth's stone is Onyx." Looking up, the group saw that Gareth wasn't paying attention to Pumpkin's gem-labeling below. Instead, he kept his eye on the forest, hoping to find the ruins. Frowning, Aurora called up to him. "Gareth! Hey! Gareth! You still in your head?" Hearing Aurora's voice, Gareth snapped out of his thoughts and flew down. "Sorry. My mind was elsewhere." Aurora folded her arms, her eyebrow raised. "I can see that." She then thought of something and decided to voice her concern. "Something's up with you, Gareth. Since I've met you yesterday, you were hardly silent. Granted, it was because you were asking questions about me and my past. But now, there's something off. I don't know how to describe it, but it's as if I can almost 'sense' that something's wrong." Gareth gulped at Aurora's accusation, but turned his attention to the direction they were heading and muttered mostly to himself. "Uh…I think the ruins are this way." Aurora's frown was accompanied Pound's frown while Pumpkin and Safir continued to bicker about jewels, mostly about peridots. Wanting to drown the argument from her mind, Aurora decided to continue a task she had started since they entered the Everfree Forest. She gathered some nearby rocks and stone and proceeded to make a cairn. Her father had taught her about cairns and on how to make them to mark her way back. A trick she learned for her "Navigation Badge" in the Scouts. Look ahead, Pound got a song stuck in head and started to whistle. It was a song his Aunt Pinkie would sing when his sister (actually, it was him,) was scared of the dark. Hearing Pound's whistling, Gareth looked to the Pegasus colt as Aurora made little monuments with some stones and sticks to mark their trail. "I didn't think you were the kind of colt to whistle in the forest, Pound." Hearing Gareth's vocal curiosity, Pound spoke while trying to avoid blushing in embarrassment. "I-It's something my Aunt Pinkie Pie taught me and Pumpkin. 'Music and laughter are the best ways to chase away fears.' Pumpkin sings, I whistle." Gareth was about to snicker at Pound's confession when Aurora spoke up from her cairn-making. "Funny. That's something my Mom and Dad taught me when I was really little. Then again, Mom's friends with Pinkie, right?" Pound smiled and nodded while Gareth kept silent, the former having noticed the latter's vain attempt to taunt him. Looking to the griffin chick, Pound spoke. "What about you, Gareth? What did your parents teach you?" Gareth didn't say anything, causing the group to raise eyebrows (or ridges in Safir's case) at him. Pound was about to say something when Safir placed a clawed hand on his shoulder. He shook his head, letting the Pegasus colt know that it wasn't the time to ask about his home life. Wanting to kill the silence like Aurora did, Pound looked to Safir and spoke. "So, Safir. What's it like living in the Dragon Lands? There's barely any information on dragons here in Equestria. The closest we have is Spike and he was hatched in Canterlot." Though he disliked thinking about his homeland, Safir knew the question would've come up eventually. Sighing, Safir walked next to Pound while the girls and Gareth broke branches and other foliage to create a path as well as marker-making. "Well, up until a month ago, dragons took pride in their strength and fortitude. We looked out for ourselves, viewing the other races as weaklings. The size of our hordes are a sort of a status symbol. The larger the horde, the more respect you gain. Only one dragon has more power despite the size of their horde: the Dragon Lord." Hearing the conversation, Pumpkin spoke as she broke another low-hanging branch. "Dragon Lord? Is that the dragon version of the Princesses?" Safir nodded as he moved another branch out of the way. "The Dragon Lord is the leader of all the dragons. When he summons, we dragons glow through some sort of magic that even I don't understand. At least not yet. Anyway, last month was the day the old Dragon Lord, Torch, had to retire. So for a new Dragon Lord to be crowned, the dragons had to complete a gauntlet to get back a scepter that was thrown onto an island. The winner was, thankfully, Torch's daughter, Ember. She's the new Dragon Lord, now." "But what about you?" Aurora asked, though she was interested about the new Dragon Lord as much as the others were. Safir sighed as he looked onward to the path ahead. "I was the last one to hatch in my clutch of eggs. As the youngest, I was considered a runt. And runts usually are considered weak. Only the elder hatchlings can start their hordes after being given something from their parents. The rest of the hatchlings must find their own hordes, though it is race for the youngest of us. We are also taken the least seriously." Aurora's eyebrows jumped a bit when she recognized the last sentence from the day before. "Oh, that's right. You said you left the Dragon Lands because the dragons laughed at your ideas about meeting other creatures and learning to be nice instead of greedy." Pound and Pumpkin looked to Safir, remembering the story he, Aurora, and Gareth told them back at Sugarcube Corner. While they knew dragons from books and Spike, they didn't know much about dragon culture. Passing some more bushes, Safir sighed again as his friends waited for an answer. "Yes. I thought if we could communicate better with others, we could establish trade and thus create a better civilization for dragonkind. But as I proposed the idea, everydragon laughed at me. They called me crazy and a dreamer for proposing such an idea. The only who didn't laugh was Ember." Safir managed to crack a smile as he thought of the new Dragon Lord. "Ember woke me from my nest and asked to speak to me. She actually praised my idea! She said that despite what the other dragons think, our kind could use a change for the better. So, she gave told me to go to a land called 'Equestria' and learn about its people. I met Gareth and his mother on the way." Pumpkin thought of a question as she looked to the griffin chick in the sky. "I guess that means Gareth's the one who learned about this ruin we're searching for." Safir nodded. But before he could even say anything, the sound of Gareth's voice caught the ears of him and his companions. "I see it! I see it, guys!" Turning their attention of the griffin chick's direction in the sky, Pumpkin and Aurora followed on hoof while Safir and Pound took to the air where Gareth was. Pumpkin and Aurora made their way through the Everfree Forest, constantly changing views to keep an eye on the boys while watching their steps. Aurora used her unusual size to their advantage by pushing through for Pumpkin while the unicorn picked up the slack with her cerulean-colored magic. It took a while, but eventually, they came across a sight to behold. Deep in the Everfree Forest, a derelict castle stood covered in ivy. Unlike the Castle of the Two Sisters closer to Ponyville, this castle was smaller and looked more like a fortress built by the Normans. There were no spires like with Canterlot's castle, but circular towers with flat roofing so that soldiers could keep watch and fire arrows when needed. There was a stone wall circling the castle, though like the rest of the castle, it was crumbling and swallowed in ivy. The trees grew so tall that their canopy covered the area like a ceiling, though plenty of light shone through, giving a heavenly look to the castle. The girls gaped in awe as the boys landed next to them, equally in awe. "Whoa…" Safir whispered. "Awesome…" Pound Cake added in. Pumpkin was just as impressed as her twin. "I never knew such a place like this could exist in the Everfree Forest." Aurora was speechless, completely at a loss for words. Gareth grinned at the discovery. "What say we go inside?" The four youths nodded in agreement as they approached the large oak doors at the base of the fortress. The doors were ornate, yet sturdy. They were about fifteen feet high with the knockers at Aurora's eye level. And that was tall enough. Looking at her friends, Aurora spoke. "Ready?" "Totally." Gareth replied, feeling pumped. "I guess." Safir answered, feeling unsure. The twins looked at each other with knowing looks, smirked, and nodded simultaneously. "Let's do this." Seeing that her friends were on board, Aurora took a deep breath as she placed her hands on the doors. "Here we go." Shifting her weight to her arms, Aurora pushed, Gareth and Pound Cake adding their own to help. Pumpkin and Safir watched as the three pushed the door open, allowing the five entrance to the fortress. Upon entering the fortress, the youths were met with nothing but darkness with shafts of light coming from the windows. It was enough to give them a lead, but not enough for detail. As a precaution, Pumpkin used her magic to light the way while Aurora found a torch scone. The centaur took the torch and sniffed it, remembering what her father had taught her. "Tree sap. Pretty basic, but I think I can light it. I just need to find a flint and steel." "How about me?" Safir asked as he approached the girl. Holding out the torch to him, Aurora leaned back as he used his blue fire to light the torch. Aurora grinned as she replaced the torch with another one. "That's quite handy. Think we can light the rest of them?" Safir placed his fists on his waist, smiling proudly. "Just pick them up and I'll light 'em." As the pair worked on illuminating the room, the twins gazed in awe at the size of the chamber. "This is a huge hallway. The ceiling's practically a mile high!" Pound exclaimed as he looked up toward the ceiling. Pumpkin nodded as she looked at the crimson rug below their hooves. "Whoever lived here must have been royalty. Or at least nobility. Aunt Rarity would get a kick out of seeing this." Though he was anxious to find the treasure, Gareth couldn't help but admire the architecture himself. This was definitely better than the castle in Griffinstone. Of course, Griffinstone Castle wasn't exactly in good shape, either. His raptor eyes caught a glimpse of something at the other end of the hallway and, curious, he approached the archway at the end of the hall. What he saw caused his eyes to widen. "Guys! Over here!" Hearing the griffin, the four youths raced to the archway. Upon arriving, they found themselves sharing the same look of awe. Before them was a large circular chamber illuminated by the ceiling-high windows. Though dusty and decorated with cobwebs, the chamber looked pretty good for not having been used for a long time. There were doors and archways that no doubt led to different parts of the ruin that they would have to look into another time. But what caught their attention was a large round table in the center of the chamber. It sat on a circular red rug and had chairs around it. However, only six appeared to remain usable. Curiosity in control, the five youths approached the table. Pound flew over the table noticed intricate designs on the table. He couldn't make them out other than they resembled Celtic knots. However, there was a marking that circled the table that caught his eye. "'United we stand. Now and forever. In truth, divided we fall. Hand upon hand. Brother to sister. No one shall be greater than all.' Weird. Sounds like a song from a movie I watched once." Safir approached one of the chairs and sat on it. Surprisingly, it was comfy. As if it was made for him. "Whoa! I've got to get me one of these." The twins took to sit opposite of Safir and Gareth sat on his left. Aurora found a bench with a tall back, making it look like an L-shaped chair than a bench. Raising an eyebrow, Aurora carefully lifted her right legs and sat down. "This kinda reminds me of King Arthur." She spoke mostly to herself. However, her friends heard her and raised some questioning eyebrows. "King who?" Pumpkin asked, tilting her head. Remembering that she was in another world, Aurora sheepishly scratched her head and spoke. "Oh! I guess you wouldn't know. There's a famous legend in my world about a king named Arthur and his knights. The legend states that they sat at a round table like this one, the table being a symbol of equality." Safir and Pound found themselves interested while Gareth gazed at the map, looking disappointed. What if this table was the "treasure" the map went on about? Or the fortress? But…even fortresses had treasure rooms, so maybe the treasure he was looking for was somewhere else. Still, it was a cool fortress, despite the lack of treasure. It was then Pound got an idea. "Hey! Why don't we let this place be our hideout?" His sister and their three new friends gave him confused looks, not understanding what he was talking about. Seeing this, Pound went on. "I mean, everypony our age had clubhouses. Who has their own castle as a clubhouse? It can be our secret place! We can meet up and explore the place, maybe clean it up here and there. I, for on, would like to tell my future foals that I had an actual castle for a clubhouse instead of a regular old clubhouse." As Pound spoke his idea out, the group found themselves starting to like the idea. Safir thought about his living predicament and if he needed to find a place of his own, he could stay in the castle. It was clearly big enough for him when he grew up, so why not? Of course, he'd had to deal with the scary Everfree Forest first. Gareth found himself on board with Pound's idea. He loved his mother and great-grandfather, but they tend to get on his nerves from time and time again. And this castle was the perfect hideaway. Heck, he could pretend to be a griffin knight or even a king in a place like this. Not to mention the treasure that could be hidden in the castle's walls. Pumpkin was hesitant at first, her thoughts on the trek to and from the castle. But strangely, the beasts of the forest did not bother them while they followed the trail. Perhaps if she learned the layout of the land, she could find safe places for the way over. She would've said 'no' completely, but found herself too curious about the ruin. Not to mention she'd be outvoted from the look of the boys' faces. Aurora, not knowing well enough about the dangers of the forest, found the idea intriguing. Her inner explorer was beckoning her to explore the place from top to bottom. Her Dad would've had a field day were he still alive and in Equestria with her, not as ashes. Heck, her mother would geek-out once she saw the place. That is, if she saw her again. Shaking her head of such thoughts, Aurora noticed another feeling. It was subtle, but noticeable. For some reason, it felt like the castle was calling her, beckoning her to discover its secrets and uncover a connection between her and the place. Though wondering why she was feeling that way, Aurora brought her mind back into reality and spoke to her companions. "How about we put it to a vote? Those who say we should turn this castle into our clubhouse, say 'aye.'" "AYE!" echoed a chorus of voices, though Pumpkin's was more hesitant. Grinning, Aurora spoke. "Then I guess this castle will be our clubhouse." She then looked to Gareth. "Still got the map with you, Gareth?" Gareth, confused, held up the map. "Yeah? Why?" Aurora answered as she left her seat and approached Gareth. But as she got close, Gareth felt his heart race. Was it adrenaline? Or something else? Whatever the reason, he unfurled the map while Aurora looked over his shoulder. "Once we get back and have some free time, we should make some better markers so we won't worry about getting lost finding this place. Those cairns my Dad taught me how to make are good, but will vanish with the growing grass." Pumpkin agreed as she thought about making the markers. "Maybe Pound and I should sneak into Aunt Pinkie's Party Cave for ideas and supplies." Pound agreed with his sister while Safir contributed. "Maybe there are books about different markers in the Golden Oaks Library. I can read up during my stay there." Trying to ignore the thumping in his chest, Gareth spoke an idea. "Maybe I can get my Great-Grandpa Gruff to tell me about how griffins navigated back in the day…" The memory of Rainbow Dash's lessons and her 'job' got Aurora to remember that they had to get back ASAP. Backing away from Gareth, she spoke. "How about we meet back up sometime tomorrow? I got a Phy-Ed lesson with Rainbow Dash today and I can't miss it. Especially since I can't get these legs to work with me when I'm jogging or running." Remembering that they had to get back town, the other agreed to meet again the next day (after Pinkie Promising to keep it secret.) Using the cairns Aurora made, the group made their way back to Ponyville without any hassle. Although Pumpkin did wonder why no creatures came their way during their adventure. In the end, she shrugged her shoulders as she and her brother returned to Sugarcube Corner. "Guess the Everfree Forest is having an off-day today." That evening… That night, when Aurora went to bed (sore from Rainbow Dash's lessons and full from dinner), Applejack was enjoying a book when she heard a knock at the door. "Hmm. Wonder who could that be…" Applejack stood up from her chair and opened the front door. At her doorstep was a very surprised Spike, holding a scroll in his claws. "You're not going to believe who sent this." Applejack tilted her head at Spike in confusion. "Who, Spike?" Spike gulped and answered the Apple mare. "Princess Cadence." Hearing the name, Applejack allowed Spike inside and offered him some cider. After taking a couple sips from the mug Applejack gave him, Spike unfurled the scroll and read its contents aloud for Applejack to hear. What he read made Applejack's mouth drop in surprise and shock. "Dear Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, & Spike; I hope this letter reaches you well. Normally, I'd ask 'how are you' and 'what is new in your lives.' But this time, it's different. A few of days ago, Shining Armor & I learned about our niece, Aurora, from a letter sent by Princess Celestia. She explained to us what had happened and what we are to do. A couple of days ago, Twilight Velvet and Night Light came to the Crystal Empire for a visit. They told us more about Aurora and I must say, I can't wait to meet her. Shining Armor & I are both shocked and horrified at what had happened to her mother, Twilight Sparkle, and are willing to do whatever it takes to help our niece adjust to Equestria. We are preparing a room in the Crystal Palace for her when the time comes for her to live with us. However, before then, we want to meet Aurora. However, it will be a while for Shining Armor can come. He still feels guilty over what had happened at the wedding rehearsal twelve years ago and I fear he's afraid Aurora would hate him if she found out what happened. I think it's silly, but his fears are justified. I, however, do not wish to wait any longer. This Saturday, I will arrive in Ponyville on the first Crystal Train that morning. I will take the entire weekend off so I can spend it with Aurora. I really want to meet her and I want her to know that she has family that won't just care for her well-being, but to show her that she has family that loves her, despite not having met us. I have made arrangements at the Ponyville Inn for my stay, so you don't need to worry about accommodating me. However, I do have a request. I want my arrival to be a surprise to Aurora. So I ask that you do not say anything until I get there. I shall meet you at the train station on Saturday at 5:30 AM sharp. Looking forward to seeing you all soon, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Princess Cadence)"