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// 9 - The World of Fire 
// Story: The Wild Goose Chase 
// by Theevina 
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There was definitely a chirping sound coming from somewhere. Twilight thought it sounded like a bird. She opened her eyes and saw herself wrapped in a warm blanket and lying across the sofa in Discord't tent. The subtle light of the morning was seeping in through the fabric of the tent. There were birds outside busily working on finding food and completing their morning tasks

Since last night, her entire perspective of their journey was changed. She was actually excited to continue and was hoping the day she returned to Equestria would never come.

While Discord was away she prepared herself for the day ahead, wondering what exciting places they would see or what creatures they would find. A delightful scent reached her nose, one that she didn't recognize. She wondered if he was cooking.

While looking around, she saw a scroll on the table near the sofa. It looked like a message from Princess Celestia. Twilight remembered that her magic had returned and so she used it to unravel the scroll and hold it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
How has your progress been so far? Are you safe? I am looking forward to your return soon.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia

She wrote a response telling the princess that they were fine and including all the things they had seen and done so far. She also said that they would be home soon without telling her how long that would be (because she honestly didn't know how much further there was to go). But she omitted the events of the previous evening. The princess didn't need to know those details, and in fact, she might not be happy knowing she is a friend of her enemy.

Twilight sealed the scroll and set it on the table. Then she heard his voice. He was singing a strange song.

"Trolololo la, la-la-la, la-la-"

"What are you singing?"

"Oh, nothing important..." he replied as he strode into the room. "But I made you some breakfast."

"What is it?"

"I don't know, I just sort of threw it together from what we had collected." He handed her the plate and sent the scroll away with a flame.

It looked sort of like an omelet. Twilight tried it nervously. It was different, but not bad at all. "It's good. Thanks. But, uh, what are we going to do today?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked. According to the map we are getting very close to Neighberg."

"Where?"

"An ancient alicorn city where the royal family originally lived. And it is the most likely place to find the goose because the princesses were raised there from birth. It was a charming little place, until that volcano erupted."

"A volcano?"

"Yeah, that's why all the survivors moved away. The princesses headed to the mainland and made a home in the Everfree Forest where Luna became Nightmare Moon and you and your friends discovered the Elements of Harmony. Then they eventually established Canterlot as the capital when they united the tribes and officially organized Equestria. Anyway, I hope some of the ruins are still intact so we can find that goose."

"Yeah, me too. Are we ready to go?"

"Yes!"

They exited the tent and Discord cleaned it up. The air was cold but refreshing. They pushed their way through the snow to the other side of the mountain where another peak could be seen a few miles away below them. There was some smoke coming out from a large chasm at its top.

Discord sat down on the hill and slid down. It was a long slide to the bottom and there were trees that he could hit, but Twilight followed him anyway. She slid down the mountainside and gained speed. Trees and rocks zipped by and although it was frightening, there was an exhilarating feeling that came with it also. She laughed as the wind blew through her mane.

Eventually they slowed to a stop near the volcano.

"Where is the city?"

"Oh, Twilight, I regret to have to tell you that it is in there."

She gulped. Now that they were closer, she could see how colossal the volcano was. The snow all around its base wasn't very cold, because it was actually mostly ash.

The two of them cautiously approached the rim to take a look inside. There was a low rumbling sound coming from the ground. Occasionally, a vent would spew a loud and dark plume of smoke. Most of the lava had hardened, but there were still a few red glowing streams moving like snakes among the ruins.

"Oh, it looks lovely..." she joked. But before she could take a step further, Discord held her back.

"One does not simply trot into Neighberg!"

"Oh, and why not?" she asked.

He thought about it for a moment. "I really don't know, but that's what they all say. I guess we can go in now."

They climbed down into the volcano from stone to stone. Twilight was getting covered in ash and dirt, but she didn't care. It was warm inside, almost like the jungle, but not at all humid.

As they walked past stony ruins, Twilight could see that most of the signs of civilization had been erased by the disaster. They were heading towards a huge building which she could only assume was the royal castle. Out of all the buildings, it seemed to be the least damaged. It looked even larger than Canterlot Castle with many tall and wide towers coming from it. And it was ornamented with gargoyles and other things that she did not know.

They passed through a large rusted gate into an empty yard surrounding the castle that may have been their garden. Then they approached a giant door bordered by cobwebs. The royal crest was engraved into the front of the door. Discord pushed it and it swung open with a loud creak. The inside was dim and looked like it might be haunted.

"Ladies first?" he asked.

"Oh no, you may go first if you like." she said.

"Alright then," he said, leading the way into the castle. "Let's split up and find that goose."