The distant sound of the train whistle reached the ponies’ perked up ears, turning their heads. It was a ways off yet, but it would arrive soon. The station was relatively empty, the four mares standing on the platform, patiently awaiting the locomotive.
Rainbow looked back to the other three, turning around to face them again. “So, how long do you think we’ll be away? Twilight never really mentioned that.”
“Ah can’t imagine it’ll be short, Rainbow.” Applejack replied, tipping her hat a bit. “We got a whole lotta ground to cover, ya hear?”
Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I know…” She then flew up and punched at the air with her hooves. “But we’re gonna find ‘em all super quick! We’ll be home in a flash!”
Rarity smiled a little at hearing that, though she knew they had to be realistic. “I admire your passion, Rainbow, but Applejack is right; we each have such a wide range of area to search, this may take a few days… if not a few weeks.”
Pinkie hopped up and grabbed Rainbow into a hug, as well as AJ and Rarity. “No matter how long it takes, at least we’ll have each other!”
Sighing again, Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Pinkie that was sooo sappy.”
With a chuckle, Applejack hugged the pink mare back, as did the other two. “Ya got that right Pinkie,” She then glanced over to them while in the group hug. “We stick together, we look long and hard, and we’ll be find ourselves back home in no time.”
The four nuzzled each other, knowing this could be goodbye for a while. The sound of the whistle turned their heads once more. The Friendship Express slowed as it entered the station tracks. The doors slid open and a few ponies stepped off.
“That’s our ride!” Rainbow said, stepping towards the train and turning back with Pinkie at her side. “See you girls again soon!”
Both Rarity and Applejack waved as their two friends boarded the train. “Good luck!” Rarity called out.
Rainbow and Pinkie both got to their seats and propped themselves up by the window, where they waved back to their friends. “Good luck to you too!” Pinkie called out.
The conductor checked his watch and then boarded the train. The train whistle sounded and a puff of smoke rose from the engine cart. With a slow tug, the train began to roll, gradually picking up speed as it parted from the station. Both the pegasus and the earth pony stayed up against the window, waving to their friends until they were out of sight.
Sitting back in the seat, Rainbow let out a deep breath. “Well, we’re on our way.”
Pinkie hopped over beside her, bouncing up and down in place like a rubber ball. “This-is-so-exciting! Are-you-excited-cuz-I’m-excited-!” She said in a single breath.
Placing her hoof on top of Pinkie’s head, Rainbow halted her rapid bouncing, producing a squeaking noise. “Calm down Pinks, we may be going back to Griffonstone, but this won’t be like the last time. We have to be super serious if we plan on helping the griffons find those three rock-heads.”
“I know, I know!” Pinkie replied, rubbing at the seat cushion with her hoof. “I’ve just been really looking forward to helping everyone.”
Rainbow paused, lowering her hoof back down. She looked away for a moment. “Yeah, I get that, I’ve been pretty amped up for the past few months too.” She then looked back to the pink mare. “But now’s our chance, our chance to help bring everyone closer together by finding those jerks and dropping the hammer on ‘em!”
Pinkie perked up. “You really think we’ll be the ones to find them?” She asked, curious and anxious at the same time.
“For their sake they better hope we don’t.” The blue pegasus huffed, smacking her hooves together. “If I find them, Starfall’s injuries will look like a papercut compared to the ones I give ‘em!”
Stopping for a moment, Pinkie glanced out the window, watching the landscape whiz by. Thinking about all that had happened, and how much more of a mystery the future seemed to be becoming, she wondered about how all of this started. Turning back to her friend, she asked, “Rainbow? Remember how the CMCs said Stormclaw gave them those crystals?”
Rainbow looked over at her, head tilted slightly. “Yeah… what about it?”
Pinkie pondered a few more seconds before continuing. “And that how Celestia took them all and locked them away somewhere secret?”
“All except for that black one, yeah.” Rainbow replied.
“What do you think that thing was?” Pinkie asked, genuinely curious, but having not felt to ask since they saw it on that sad night.
Rainbow slowly shook her head. “Beats me, but whatever it is, it can’t be good if those goons broke into the castle during the gala just to steal it.”
Pinkie tilted her head, glancing out the window for another moment before shaking off the curiosity. “Sorry, just been wondering about it is all.”
Lying down on the seat, Rainbow lifted her hooves up under her neck. “We best get some shut eye, it’s a long trip to the Griffonstone Station, and we need to be well rested for the hike up the Hyperborean Mountains.”
“Do you think Gilda will be at the station waiting for us?” Pinkie asked excitedly.
Rainbow, having just closed her eyes, shook her head. “I doubt it, she’s probably hard at work searching the Griffon Kingdom like all the others.”
Pinkie went quiet, but then spoke up again. “How much different do you think Griffonstone will look when we get there?”
With a groan, Rainbow replied, “I don’t know, now get some sleep.”
Another few seconds of silence destined to be ended by the pink mare. “Dashie? Did you pack any snacks? I ate all mine already.”
The pegasus’ eyes opened into a blank expression. “No Pinkie… I didn’t pack any snacks.”
Again the silence came, but again it didn’t last long.
“Excuse me, miss-”
“PINKIE PIE!” Rainbow yelled, sitting upright in a flash.
Pinkie, having just curled up in a ball to sleep, jolted up and let out a short, surprised shriek as she lost her balance and fell down to the floor with a thud. Rainbow’s eyes then went wide when she saw that it was another passenger that wanted to ask her a question. The stallion back-tracked from the startled pair as Rainbow looked down and saw Pinkie looking up at her in the same position she fell in.
“Hehe… sorry pinks.” She said, helping her friend up off the floor.
“Rainbow!” Pinkie said, shaking her pegasus friend. “Rainbow, wake up!”
Dash stirred about, eyes opening lazily as they looked to Pinkie for a moment without a reaction. It took her mind a few seconds to reboot, but when it did, she sat up and yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Are we at the station already?”
Pinkie shook her head. “Nope, not the Griffonstone Station yet, we’re about to stop at Rainbow Falls before crossing the Crystal Mountains and into the Griffon Kingdom.”
“Then why’d you wake me up?” Rainbow asked, stretching out her back and unfurling her wings.
Pinkie jumped up onto the seat and looked out the window at the falls as they approached. “Don’t you think we should visit Starfall’s folks while we’re here? They come to visit him in Ponyville a lot now, don’t you think it would be nice to give them some company?”
Rainbow clearly wasn’t seeing that explanation coming, and her wings immediately folded up on her back. She lowered her head a bit and sighed. “I don’t think we should.”
“Why not?” Pinkie asked, bummed out by her friend’s response.
Dash looked at her, ears falling flat to her head. “It’s not like I don’t want to visit them, Pinkie. It’s just… we have a job to do, and…” The two of them went quiet, Pinkie waiting to hear what she had to say. “And I’m not sure that seeing us will make them feel all that much better, to be honest.”
Pinkie was confused by this, and didn’t understand. “Why wouldn’t it?”
Rainbow shook her head. “Just trust me on this one, okay?”
The pink mare felt her ears fall flat to her head as well. “Aww, alright…”
The train slowed to a halt at the Rainbow Falls Station, and the two stayed put, the both of them looking ill at ease because of it. Rainbow looked out at the city and felt a rush of regret as she remained motionless on her seat.
Nimbus Flare and Cosmic Lights had been devastated by the condition of their son. They came to Ponyville almost every week to check on him, and they always looked absolutely destroyed at the sight of him. Why wouldn’t they? To see their own son, that strong, awesome stallion trapped in a coma? What must that do to a pony? Auraglow came as often as she could as well. Rainbow remembered opening the door to Starfall’s room to find her humming softly to him and brushing his mane like the big sister she was. Slowly and quietly, Rainbow let them be, trying to imagine how the mare must feel to see her brother in such a fragile state.
She couldn’t bear to see them in their own home, knowing what had to be constantly haunting their minds. The fact that she was there, she saw it happen, and did nothing? That was what tore Rainbow and everypony else up the most inside. They saw it happen… and they would never forget.
After a few minutes, the whistle sounded off and the train jutted forward, starting to pick up speed once again. Pinkie and Rainbow both sighed as they watched the city move by out the window.
Entering the mountainous terrain, the whistle sounded. The carts were empty, void of passengers apart from the two of them. Approaching the station, the train slowed until it finally came to a halt.
The princesses had been amidst negotiations with King Gale about extending the rail line further south, only to have those plans put on hold on account of the search. The idea had been to better connect Griffonstone, and even parts of the Dragon Lands, to Equestria. Until the current dragon menace was dealt with, however, the plans would go no further.
Stepping down and off the train, Pinkie and Rainbow were met by a small host of griffons. At their center, King Gale stood regally, having heard word of their departure and been awaiting their arrival.
“Whoa, talk about a welcoming party!” Pinkie said excitedly, her face lighting up at the sight of being met at the station by the once grumpy griffons.
Gale cleared his throat before speaking. “Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, we’ve been expecting you.”
The two mares stepped forward, and Rainbow felt obligated to ask. “How long have you guys been waiting for us?”
“Not long at all,” The king replied. “You are fortunate to have a means of regional transportation that is so punctual.”
“Well then, let’s not waste any time.” Rainbow said, holding her head up high. “I’m guessing Twilight filled you in on why we’re here?”
Gale nodded. “She has, and we have begun running back over our search grids.” He turned and gestured with the tilt of his head to his guards, who walked down and off the platform. “Miss Pie, my guards shall escort you on a chariot.”
Pinkie hopped up and down with a giddy smile and laugh. “Tee hee hee! Wahoo!” She galloped off to the edge of the platform and cannonballed onto the chariot.
Gale watched her reaction and went quiet for a second, which was a natural thing, after all, who even tries to understand Pinkie anymore? He then turned back to Dash. “Come, we must make haste.”
Rainbow and Gale both took off from the platform as the guards ferried Pinkie on the chariot. They were quick to cross Guto River and made great time as they flew into the Hyperborean Mountains. Rainbow remembered this trip taking absolutely forever that first time she came, but unlike the second time, she took more notice to the landscape as they flew.
“Huh, never really just looked around while flying up here.” She said to him as she glanced around. “Twilight was right, it’s pretty cool.”
Gale paused, and then looked around a little. “I suppose I haven’t gotten much chance to admire it either. It is rather beautiful.”
The guards were flying in a distant ring around the two, observing the environment for any threats as they kept pace, flying further into the mountains. Pinkie’s chariot was being pulled just in front of them, but the pink mare was busy talking to the griffons pulling it. For a few minutes, Rainbow and Gale just flew silently, the two of them having not been expecting a real chance to speak to one another.
Gale had heard about Rainbow Dash from Gilda on numerous occasions. Although things began rough between the griffons and the ponies, the king did actually take interest in the pegasus’ supposed loyal nature and fighting spirit.
Rainbow, on the other hoof, had spent most of the post-gala believing Gale was a killjoy, a tyrannical ruler that was too arrogant for the throne. This negative outlook changed when she saw him during the gala, but didn’t really improve much more until just recently when Twilight said he had dropped most everything to help search for Stormclaw, Chrysalis, and Sombra.
“So…” Rainbow said, finally breaking the silence. “How’d you become king anyway? The Griffon Kingdom hasn’t had a king before you in, what? Centuries, right?”
The griffon king glanced over at her, and then faced forward, his bold expression remaining unchanged. “Not long after Gilda began spreading the idea of working together around Griffonstone was there an idea that rose about rebuilding the Griffon Kingdom.” He explained, his black and silver feathers waving from the wind. “I was in charge of bolstering our military ranks while Gilda and her friend, Greta, took charge of the city itself. Close to a year after your first visit, there was a moot to decide who would lead our kingdom, the title of king or queen was one of controversy for many moons prior.”
Rainbow thought about that, having never really taken into account that it was she and, mostly Pinkie, who put the griffons on the path to rebuilding in the first place. “So, who were the choices?”
“Although Greta helped her with many of their accomplishments in Griffonstone, the public wanted Gilda as the queen.” Gale continued, then proceeding to nod. “I became the only other option, being as I had successfully returned our military power. When the moot was held, it was going to come down to a vote…”
Rainbow paused as the king did. She tilted her head, asking, “Was going to…?”
Gale sighed. “Gilda turned down the chance for the throne, said I deserved it more than her.”
There it was again, this was what puzzled Rainbow the last time she heard it from Gilda’s grandfather. “You didn’t do or say anything to her to make her decide that?”
The king looked over at the pegasus as they flew. “I know you ponies think me cruel, but I would never harm or threaten any griffon for an honor like the Griffonstone throne.” He looked away, looking almost disheartened through his strong façade. “If she had accepted, I have no doubt she would’ve been chosen as queen, while I would return to commanding the military underneath her.”
Rainbow noticed a definite change of tone in his voice, having become quieter when he said that. “…did you want her as queen?”
“I wanted our kingdom to choose, but she chose for them.” Gale replied, shaking his head slowly. “To bear the throne is an honor, but to know I have it only because one more worthy than I refused it… it isn’t the easiest truth to live with.”
This was something Rainbow would have never expected to hear. All that time thinking this guy was some heartless jerk who didn’t deserve the crown, to only now realize how awesome he really was. He was genuinely driven to be the greatest ruler for the griffons that he could be, and no part of it was for himself. Loyalty to his kingdom, that was something Rainbow respected greatly.
“You know…” She said, smiling at him. “You’re pretty awesome.”
Gale hesitated, but then offered the smallest of smiles in return. “I thank you, Gilda has told me many times what it means for you to call someone that.”
Rainbow chuckled, getting that cocky look on her face. “Has she now?”
Managing a chuckle himself, Gale faced forward again, resuming his usual expression of seriousness. It faded quickly, however, at seeing Pinkie in the chariot being pulled just ahead of them. The earth pony was chatting up the griffon guards as she leaned over the front of the chariot. Gale watched her for another moment, and then glanced over at Rainbow.
“Your pink friend is quite the spirited one.” He said, sounding hesitant.
Rainbow scoffed at hearing that. “Ha! You have no idea.”
Moving deeper into the mountain range, it wasn’t long before Griffonstone came in sight. As they flew closer, Rainbow was quick to notice just how much everything had improved. The houses were rebuilt, designed to be strong with stone likely from the mountain quarries below. The streets and perches were clean, even more so than the last time they were there. The castle’s construction had obviously been completed, it stood tall and vast, recognizable from miles around.
As they all landed, Rainbow became checked, once again, with the prideful knowledge that it was she and Pinkie that started everything that led the griffons to this point. Seeing how far the city had come since their first visit? It erased any lingering, negative feelings towards them.
Pinkie hopped out from the chariot and paused in mid-air, a scent catching her nose. She closed her eyes and floated in the direction of the smell to come across a certain old, senile griffon at a food stand. When she opened her eyes, she gasped and fell to the ground. “Grampa Gruff!”
The old griffon jumped a bit, startled by the sudden calling of his name. “Wha… who…?” He turned around and huffed. “Oh, it’s you again.”
“So great to see you!” Pinkie said excitedly. “I see you’ve taken up the griffon scone business!”
Rainbow and Gale walked over and the king nodded to Pinkie’s statement. “Gilda’s grandfather is quite the talent at making scones, although he could have a better attitude.”
Gruff shooed him off. “Bah, you’re one to talk!” He closed the gap between them in a flash and honed in on Gale with his faded eye. “Started any more wars recently?”
Gale grimaced, squinting a bit. Clearly the two of them had a difficult time getting along. Rainbow was sure it had nothing to do with Gale being chosen and not Gilda. Being the grandfather of a queen couldn’t be that great, right?
Rainbow got in between them and lightly chuckled. “Hehe… good one, eh Gale? Why don’t we just head on up to the castle and talk about the searching plan, huh?”
Grumbling to himself, Gruff returned back behind his food stand, stumbling over the top of it and falling down on the other side. Gale didn’t look at Rainbow, but listened and followed her while continually glaring at the old griffon.
Pinkie stuffed her mouth full of griffon scones before hopping off after them.
The guards opened the gates for the three of them, the entrance halls having been redesigned to look more like a castle and less like a crumbly old ruin. Stained glass windows had been put into place, much like the ones in Canterlot. Only, these ones depicted the griffon kings of old, all leading to the ones in the throne room, which had a giant mural of King Grover behind the throne.
Entering a giant chamber with a mapped floor, Gale immediately moved to the eastern borders, where the kingdom met the ocean. “This was our last searched zone, and so we figured we would sweep back across the kingdom in the opposite direction. We have sentries posted at numerous outposts to watch for movements between regions while we go through each one individually.”
Pinkie walked out onto the map, seeing several locations marked with small, griffon idols on top of them. She bent over and examined one of the idols. “Oooh, what are these?”
Gale looked over at her. “Each of these represents different points in the regions where I have the sentries placed. It took a while for us to figure it out, but we can actually keep a near perfect watch over the lands if the guard details are in the right places and are kept in shifts to keep a constant eye out for the three targets.”
Rainbow looked around at the map, easily able to figure out how Gale and the griffons had been conducting their searches. Wonderbolt training gave her a pretty good grip on flight patterns and efficiency, allowing her to work out in her head how the griffons went about searching the regions.
“Hmm… so which one are you searching now?” She asked the king.
“Garder Zone,” He replied, stepping over to a region on the map just one zone away from the ocean on the kingdom’s eastern side. “Gilda is there organizing the search as we speak. The two of you shall meet her there and help her sweep through each of the regions.”
With a nod of her head, Rainbow looked over at Pinkie. “You ready to go, Pinks?”
Pinkie was lying down on the map floor with two of the griffon idols in her hooves as she giggled, moving them around like they were flying. She then stopped, glancing up at Rainbow. “Absolutute-a-lutely!”
“Great, then come on! There’s no time to lose!” Rainbow then spread her wings, rising up into the air. “Don’t you worry, Gale, if those numbskulls are here, we’ll find ‘em!” With that, the pegasus zipped out of the room in a flash.
Pinkie perked up and hopped over towards the exit. “See ya Gale!”
“Pink pony,” The king said to her, making her stop just before reaching the door and look back at him. Gale hesitated, but then nodded. “Good luck.”
Pinkie offered a cheerful smile and nodded back. “Thanks!” Without another word, she galloped out after her friend, where she sat in wait upon another griffon chariot.
Travel by winged chariot was much more efficient than hoofing it across the mountainous terrain of the Griffon Kingdom. The two of them reached the Garder Zone in little over an hour, whereas trekking would have most definitely taken days.
Rainbow and Pinkie peered over the edge of the chariot to see the mobilized, griffon task force combing through the region. There were easily over a hundred griffons, all combing the areas in a systematic sweep, searching for any signs or tracks of the three fugitives.
Touching down at the rally point of the task force, Pinkie and Rainbow both stepped off to see Gilda with a dozen or so griffons around her. She pointed to a map she had placed on the ground, looking around at them and pointing at several of them individually. The two ponies waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt her, even though they were both clearly excited. They hadn’t seen Gilda since about a week after the Gala, when she came to see Starfall before heading off on the search.
As Gilda glanced around, she caught sight of the ponies and her face lit up. She dismissed the other griffons and hurried over to her friends as they flew off to resume the search. “Dash! Pinkie! I didn’t know you were coming!”
Rainbow trotted over to her and the two did their secret hoof/talon shake, chest-bumping at the end. “You didn’t think we’d let you try and finds those three alone, did you?”
Gilda scoffed, shaking her head. She then looked over at Pinkie. “What’s up, Pinks?” She asked, having picked up on Rainbow’s nickname of her.
Pinkie immediately hugged her. “We’re here to help, so, where do we start?”
Taking the hug from the pink mare for a moment, Gilda pushed her off, like she usually does. “I was just telling the leaders of each squad to move onto the last bits of this region, we’re just finishing up, there’s nothing here.”
“Then what should do?” Rainbow asked her.
Gilda thought about it for a moment. “You know… you could head on over to the next region; Goma. I’d say we have an hour or two, tops, before we move onto it with our squads, you two think you can handle that?”
The pegasus beamed with determination, especially at seeing her friend in such a take charge kinda mentality. “You know it!”
Pinkie perked up. “Hey! Why don’t you come with us?”
Gilda hesitated, looking back at the few mobilizing griffons at the rally point. “Uh, I don’t know, Pinkie, I think I should stay here.”
“You just said the squads were wrapping things up,” Pinkie replied, hopping up and down a few times. “Once they’re done, you can just meet up with them at the next rally point in Goma after taking a quick look around with us.”
Rainbow paused, but then nodded. “Yeah, I like that idea. What do you say, Gilda?”
The griffon looked back at the others again, who were all preoccupied with setting up the final search of the region. She then turned back to her friends, smiling. “Yeah, sure, why not?”
“YES!” Pinkie said, hoof-pumping the air.
The Goma Region rested near the center of the southern areas of the Griffon Kingdom. It had high peaks and low valleys like the others, but this one supposedly had a unique trait in its history.
Gilda carried Pinkie on her back as she and Rainbow flew towards the rally point near the center of the region. As they flew over the cliffs and forests, Rainbow scanned the area like a sentinel, watching for any signs of movement as she had now entered hunter mode.
“So Gilda,” Pinkie asked, her hooves dangling just over the griffon’s shoulders. “Anything particularly fun about Goma? Any super-secret, amazing griffon legends about it?”
Gilda glanced up at her for a moment before facing forward again, chuckling. “Actually, Pinkie, I have heard a cool legend about this region before.”
Rainbow’s ears stood tall and she looked over at them. “Yeah?”
“Apparently this was where King Grover grew up.” She replied.
Pinkie went wide eyed. “Really!? You mean the first king of the Griffon Kingdom was from here!?”
Gilda nodded. “That’s what Grampa Gruff told me, long ways back.”
Rainbow tilted her head slightly. “Huh, I would’ve guessed he was born in Griffonstone.”
“Yeah, me too.” Pinkie added in.
Gilda looked down at the lands below as they flew. “There are 9 regions in the Griffon Kingdom, not just the one with Griffonstone in it.”
Pinkie thought about that for a moment. “Say… why is the kingdom split up into regions anyway?”
“Oooh, I know!” Rainbow blurted out, waving her hooves as she flew sideways, looking at them. “Daring Do explains it in Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet! King Grover divided the kingdom into regions to make ruling them a little easier. He appointed 9 griffons as like regional managers, to attend to a lot of the issues that he wouldn’t have time for. That way, he could keep tabs on all of the regions while focusing mainly on shaping the kingdom itself, since he was the first king after all.”
Gilda looked impressed. “Not bad, Dash.”
Rainbow then spun over and flew upside-down with her hooves tucked in under her neck. “Yeah, I know I’m awesome.”
Pinkie was about to ask another question when something caught her eye below. It was a shimmer, of sorts, but it disappeared the moment she tried honing in on it. “Hey, wait...” She told them, earning looks from both the pegasus and the griffon. “I think I saw something down there in that canyon.” She pointed down at a large, dark crevice in the land.
Gilda and Rainbow halted, all three of them now looking down at it. “You sure you weren’t just seeing things?” Gilda asked the pony on her back.
Pinkie tilted her head with her hoof tapping her chin, thinking about it. “Well… I saw this sudden flash down there, like somepony turned on a flashlight or something.”
Gilda looked over at Rainbow. “Might as well check it out, right?”
Rainbow looked down at the chasm, and then back up at her friend, nodding. The two glided down towards the canyon, landing right along the rim, where there was an inclined slope leading down into the dark.
“This place got a name?” Rainbow asked.
Gilda shook her head. “I don’t know, if it does, I’ve never heard of it.”
Pinkie hopped off from Gilda’s back and pranced down the slope. “Come on girls, let’s do some investigating!”
Both Rainbow and Gilda rolled their eyes, but managed chuckles before following the pink mare down into the dark canyon.
There was no light for a while, because of how the walls of the crevice were curved, the sunlight never touched the areas below. Rainbow lit a torch with some flint from her saddlebag, giving them a moderate amount of light to see their surroundings.
“Dude, talk about freaky.” Gilda said as they walked. “This place is as dark as the Abysmal Abyss.”
Rainbow looked to her. “You mean, you haven’t searched this place yet?”
Gilda looked around as they walked. “I mean, I’m sure it was listed to be searched, but looking at it now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the sentries skipped it. We could walk right past those three fugitives and we’d never even know it.”
Pinkie glanced around, head lowered just a bit. “Perfect place to hide then, huh?”
It wasn’t long after they had this talk that there was a glow just ahead of them. The three paused, taking notice to the blueish glow and wondering how best to proceed. Rainbow handed the torch to Gilda and snuck up along the wall, peering around the corner where the glow was coming from.
Pinkie and Gilda saw her go deathly still, her mouth dropping agape. “Whoa… Pinkie! Gilda! You’ve gotta come see this!” The two of them rushed over and turned the bend.
The massive, underground chamber was filled with scattered, blue-glowing crystals on the walls and ceiling. There was a large lake with water so clear, they could see straight to the bottom, which also had crystals down in it. There were a few stepping stones, across the way, leading to an island at the center of the lake. On that island stood what looked like an ancient temple of sorts. It wasn’t enormous, but for being in an underground cave, it was still rather large, standing at about 30 or so feet in height, and maybe 60 in length.
All along the temple-like building’s walls jutted out luminescent crystals, much like the others, only these ones glowed a hue of purple, emitting a rather beautiful looking aura of colors when combined with the blueish light from the area around it.
The three explorers stood speechless for what felt like hours, looking around at this, what could be one of the more awe-inspiring sights they had ever seen. And to Rainbow, this was like a picture-perfect place for a Daring Do story, which she would totally read.
“…have you ever…?” Rainbow asked Gilda without looking away from the temple.
Gilda just shook her head slowly, also not looking away from it. “…never.”
Pinkie was the first to step forward, followed by her companions. Together, they walked across the stepping stones, looking down into the perfectly clear water as they went. “This place is amazing…” Pinkie said aloud, unable to keep from smiling at seeing such beauty. “Imagine if Rarity were here to see this.”
Reaching the small island at the lake’s center, both Gilda and Pinkie walked off onto either side of the island’s edges, looking out at the lake and the rest of the chamber. Rainbow approached the temple, feeling like she was in one of her storybook hero’s epic tales again.
The opening to the temple had no door, the whole building was made from some kind of stone that seemed to amplify the colors of the glows around it. Entering the temple, she froze. Pinkie and Gilda followed after her when they noticed she was about to walk in. Coming on either side of her, they too froze.
The entire temple was a single, solitary room with a pedestal atop a small platform off the floor, with a set of stairs leading up to it in a spiral. Rainbow led the three of them up those stairs, which twisted around until they reached the top. The pedestal was directly beneath an expertly placed hole in the ceiling, making a ray of light shine down upon it and its possession. Rainbow’s eyes shimmered at the sight of it.
A stone book, unscathed and clean, kept in perfect condition by the underground chamber and temple’s locations. The type of stone it was made of remained a mystery to the three of them, even Pinkie, who had a sister with a rocktorate. On the cover, there was an etched depiction of a dragon and a griffon. The dragon was in the background, and it looked like it was spreading its wings protectively. The griffon was in the foreground, looking up at the dragon. All around the two were what looked like flames falling from the sky.
Gilda glanced over at Pinkie and Dash. “What… what is it?”
Pinkie kept her eyes on the book, admiring the designs on the cover. She shook her head, looking to Rainbow.
Rainbow reached forward and slowly grabbed hold of it. She lifted it from the pedestal even slower, bringing it closer to the three of them as they all gathered and looked down at it. Dash went ahead and read the title at the bottom.
“A Breath of Wind and Fire.”