//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: My Little Pony: Lights and Shadows - Part III // by OmegaTale //------------------------------//                 The train whistle blew and the engine let out a plume of smoke as the Friendship Express slowly began to follow the tracks heading north.  Rainbow and Pinkie stuck their heads out the cart window, waving to their two friends on the station platform as the train pulled away.                 Applejack and Rarity remained waving to the two of them for a minute or so, until the train was a decent ways off and picking up speed.                 AJ let out a sigh, looking to Rarity.  “Well, ah guess it’s just you and me now.”                 Rarity chortled a small laugh.  “You, me, and my luggage, of course.” She replied, glancing back at the pile of suitcases and bags behind them.                 Shaking her head upon seeing the pile, Applejack looked back to the unicorn.  “Ya know… we’ve gotta work on this packing problem of yours.”                 With a scoff, Rarity replied, “Applejack, darling, I don’t have a problem.  I only packed the essentials this time.”                 Applejack rolled her eyes and looked off down the railroad tracks.  “Ah reckon we won’t be treated like royalty or nuthin’ with the dragons down south, so you’ve gotta lose some of that stuff, Rarity.  Otherwise it’ll take forever for us to even start helpin’ them search.”                 Making a small, pouting noise, Rarity turned her head and lifted her chin slightly.  “Fine, but if those dragons are half as brutish as I remember them to be, it would do them good to learn some manners about carrying a lady’s baggage.”  Using her magic, Rarity lifted several of the bags and returned them back onto the station baggage cart, where the service pony had just finished unloading them.  “Be a dear and return these to my boutique, would you?” She said to the stallion, batting her eyelashes like she usually does to get her way.                 The stallion blushed and took off his hat, nodding to her before putting it back on and racing off with the cart towards her residence.                 Rarity faced forward again, taking a few moments to notice Applejack’s deadpan stare at her.  “What?” The unicorn asked.                 AJ shook her head again, facing forward.  “Nuthin’.”                 Only a few minutes later, the two saw the next train heading their way.  To take into account the growing number of travelers in Equestria, there had been a few modifications to the railway system.  There had already been a new locomotive placed on the tracks a year or so back, but now the tracks themselves better accommodated these sibling trains.  The availability of two trains made the railway system twice as efficient, as it had plans to expand further into the surrounding regions such as the Griffon Kingdom and the Undiscovered West.                 As the train pulled into the station, its whistle sounded off.  Applejack trotted up onto the cart, glancing back and sighing as she continued on.  Rarity pranced onwards behind her, using her magic to carry her now 5 bags along with her.                 They both moved into the next cart and found a good booth next to the window.  Applejack’s saddlebag was easy enough to store away, but obviously Rarity’s took more time to stow away.  Finally when they were done, they both sat down and glanced out the window at the station.  The sound of the whistle filled the air once again, and the train slowly began pulling away from the station, headed south.                 Crossing over Ghastly Gorge, Rarity looked out at the massive chasm, deep in thought.  It wasn’t very often that she questioned Twilight’s decisions, but this one just didn’t seem to make sense in her eyes.  She knew Garble was different now than he had been, but that didn’t mean Rarity was completely okay with being around him for so long.  The dragon was a brute, the perfect image of an uncouth ruffian.  Taking in a deep breath, she sighed, her hoof holding up her chin as she continued watching out the window.                 Applejack noticed this and looked over at her.  “You okay, sugar cube?”                 “Honestly, Applejack, why in all of Equestria would Twilight send the two of us to help the dragons?” She asked, taking a moment before turning to her friend.  “It makes absolutely no sense at all.”                 The earth pony tilted her head.  “Now Rarity, you know that Garble feller ain’t so bad anymore.”                 Rarity stomped her hoof like a lady.  “Still!  Why not just send Spike to help him?”                 “Twilight wanted Spike and Starlight with Ember and Thorax, and that was the best option for ‘em.” AJ replied, shaking her head.  “And stop skirtin’ around the real reason, you just don’t want to be around that there red dragon.”                 Rarity looked up and away again.  “Maybe I don’t.”                 Applejack jumped over to Rarity’s side of the booth, sitting beside her.  “Look Rarity, remember when Starfall got hurt, and what’s-his-face was gonna attack Twilight again?”                 “Stormclaw.” Rarity corrected her.                 “Yeah, yeah, him.” AJ waved off her mistake.  “Garble broke free of the crystals and gave us the time we needed to get free too.  He protected Twilight just like the rest of us would’ve, but more importantly, ah think he broke free because he cares about Starfall too.”  Her words were getting to the Rarity, making the unicorn turn back to her friend.  “You saw how berserk he went when Starfall sacrificed himself, ah think there’s more to him than you think.”                 Rarity thought about that, remembering that night and what Garble did; holding back Stormclaw until the rest of them broke free and defeated him together.  It was a brave thing to do, but then again, dragons were never ones to run or shy away in fear.  Call it bravery or arrogance.                 “I still expect him to treat us like the ladies we are.” Rarity said, lifting her chin and brushing her mane.  “That’s not too much to ask of anypony… or any dragon for that matter.”                 Applejack nodded.  “Ah’m sure he knows that, ah mean, he did come to the gala after all.”                 Rarity remembered that as well, seeing him escorting Ember around much like Starfall escorted Twilight.  “Well, yes… yes he did.” She then scoffed.  “Fine.  I’ll give him a chance to prove himself, but don’t be too disappointed when you see what he’s really like.”                 That shook AJ a little, Rarity was really on edge about this Garble character.  Was he really that bad?  Rarity did have a knack for over exaggerating and being dramatic, but this time Applejack really couldn’t tell.  Dragons were a troublesome bunch, but it seemed like they were turning over a new leaf, sort to speak.  She hoped she was right, and that the red dragon was more than just putting on a mask of obedience around them all the time.                 It was a particular sight up ahead that brought the smile back onto Applejack’s face.  Although the train was now in a rather arid environment, the earth pony glowed with excitement.                 “Rarity, look!” She said with great enthusiasm, leaning up on the glass.                 Rarity leaned over and looked out the window.                 Appleloosa had grown bigger over the years, now hosting a much larger orchard of apple trees, as well as a few expansions to the town limits.  Even though she had been there recently to visit, it still amazed Applejack to see how quickly it was growing.                 As the train pulled into the station, a much more unexpected sight made AJ even happier.  “Braeburn!” She shouted, jumping down off her seat and galloping out and onto the platform.                 Her cousin waited for her with a wide grin.  “Howdy there Applejack!”                 AJ collided with him and the two hugged each other.  “How’d you know we’d be a comin’?”                 “Your gal Rainbow had Derpy bring me a message you’d be rollin’ this way.” He replied, the two separating just as Rarity stepped out onto the platform.  “Thought ah’d come by and see if ah could spot ya.”                 Applejack chuckled and tipped her hat to him.  “Well, that was mighty kind of ya, unfortunately, we can’t stay long.”                 Braeburn nodded.  “Ah know, ah know.  Just wanted to make sure y’all were alright before headin’ further south.”                 Rarity tilted her head.  “Whatever do you mean?”                 “Well, everypony hitchin’ a ride up from the south is talkin’ bout them dragons down there.” He explained, sounding a little worried for them.  “Ah know you two can take care of yourselves, and that them fire-breathers are s’posed to be friendly now, but be careful, ya hear?”                 Both AJ and Rarity nodded in reply.  Before anything else could be said, the conductor yelled out, “All aboard!”                 Braeburn shooed them with his hooves.  “Y’all be off now, and good luck!”                 Applejack hugged him again before boarding the train again.  Rarity nodded to him and followed after her friend.  Braeburn stood on the platform, waving to them as the whistle sounded off once more, the train taking off down the tracks towards the Macintosh Hills.                 Neither Applejack nor Rarity had ever been south past the Macintosh Hills before, save for when Chrysalis pony-napped them of course.  The Mysterious South was just like its name suggested, mysterious.  There was very little contact between the north and south, which made a journey to one of them both exciting and nerve racking.                 The high peaks of the Arimaspi Territory came into view from the cart window.  Rarity looked out at them and grimaced.  “Oh my, what a dreadful place that looks like…”                 Applejack glanced out the window at it as well.  “It is pretty creepy lookin’ huh?”                 “That’s an understatement if ever there was one,” The unicorn continued.  “Just look at those dark, jagged peaks… I’d dare to say it’s more ghastly than Ghastly Gorge.”                 “Sure ain’t no spa, ah tell ya that…” AJ added, turning her gaze from the mountains to the lands ahead.  A clearing came into view and beyond it was the beginning of a massive expanse of desert.  “There it is, Rares, the Great Southern Desert.”                 Beyond the darkened lands of the Arimaspi Territory and the lush green of the Forbidden Jungle lied the sea of sand known to the northerners as simply, the Great Southern Desert.  Having received a rundown of facts about it from Twilight and Rainbow, it was an enormous body of sand that stretched clear to the south-western shores of Equestria.                 Curving along the edge of the desert, the train began to slow down, approaching the first station along the dunes’ borders.  AJ and Rarity were told there were 3 in total, but that they would be getting off on the first one.  Unfortunately for them, the dragons’ base camp for their search just so happened to be a ways into the desert itself.                 Stepping off from the train, the two were greeted with a blistering spike in the temperature from the air-conditioned carts to the unrelenting desert heat.                 Applejack had been to the San Palomino Desert up north, so she had a bit of experience with desert heat, but Rarity kept fanning herself.  “Goodness me!” She said, taking a hat and sunglasses out from her bag and putting them on.                 AJ took off her hat and wiped at her forehead before putting it back on.  “Whoa nelly, ah forgot how toasty it can get in these here deserts.”                 “I know, right?” came a voice from afar.  The two mares turned to see a white dragon just now walking up to them.  His underbelly was light pink and the spikes on his head were a darker shade of it.  His eyes were a similar color to the spikes, with red irises.  “Not complaining, I love the heat, but this kinda heat is dry, you know?”                 Applejack was surprised to see a dragon there at the station.  She and Rarity weren’t expecting anyone to be waiting for them, if that was why he was there, anyway.                 “Ah’m sorry, but are you waitin’ for us?” AJ asked him.                 He stopped just a few feet away from them, scratching his head.  “Yeah, Garble sent me to meet you two here-”                 “Well ain’t that nice?  I reckon ya came here to escort us to him, huh?” Applejack looked impressed, feeling silly about being nervous before.                 The dragon froze in place for a moment or so, but then nodded, lowering his claw back down to his side.  “Yeah, let’s just go with that.”                 Rarity, while impressed as well, didn’t show it as she used her magic to levitate her bags forward and drop them in a pile.  “Oh good, you can help me with my luggage.”                 Applejack stepped up to him just after her friend implied that the dragon be her bag carrier.  “Ah’m Applejack, and this here is Rarity.”                 Rarity glanced over at him, lowering her head to spot him from over her sunglasses.  She then looked up and away into the desert.  “Charmed.”                 “I’m Fizzle,” he replied, straightening up a bit.  “It’s a bit of a hike to base camp since you two can’t fly, so we should probably get going.”                 Luckily, because it was a few hours past midday, the temperature was on a constant decline from when they arrived at the station.  About a 2 hour’s walk from it led the three to an oasis where there were dozens of dragons flying around and dozens more sleeping.                 There were a number of palm trees and the oasis itself had a rocky side and a sandy side more like a beach.  Dragons rested all over while others were on the move.                 Applejack and Rarity were quick to spot the red dragon at the rocky end of the oasis.  He stood surrounded by a few other dragons, pointing down at a makeshift map they had made.  Fizzle walked the two of them up to the group, waiting a moment for them to finish up their conversation.                 “G-Garble…?” Fizzle said nervously.                 The red dragon paused, turning around to face the three of them.  He squinted his eyes at them, huffing out a small cloud of smoke.  “I gave you one job, Fizz, ONE job, and you can’t even do that right.”                 The other dragons cleared off when Garble’s attention was pulled away from them.  Fizzle lowered his head a bit, his ears falling flat to his head.  AJ looked confused as the red dragon walked up to them.                 “Howdy there Garb-” She began to say.                 “Save it, pony.” He interrupted her, having also lifted his claw up before lowering it back down, eyes honed in on Fizzle.  “I thought I told you to send them back.”                 The white dragon shied away a bit.  “I thought they could help… and Ember said for us to start trying to trust the ponies anyway, right?”                 Garble let out a sigh and lowered his head to his claw, running it over and down to the spikes on his neck.  He then turned to the two mares.  “Look, I get that you ponies want to help, but seriously?  You aren’t even the ponies with wings, what do you expect to do, walk around in the desert searching for those three?”                 Rarity looked up and away with a “humph!” while AJ took a step forward.                 “Ah know we may not be pegasi, but we can still help best we can.” She assured the red dragon.  “And you can use all the help you can get down here.  It don’t matter how many of y’all are out here searchin’; it’s too wide a world to be searchin’ alone.”                 With another huff, Garble stood up straight, crossing his arms.  “Alright fine… but don’t expect any special treatment just cause you’re ponies.”                 “As if we’d expect you to be so noble.” Rarity said in an uppity tone.                 Garble grimaced, glaring over at Fizzle.  “You take 5 and then get back to searching.” He commanded, receiving an obedient, quick nod from the white dragon.  He then turned to the two ponies.  “You two are with me, I just thought of a way you can be of some use after all.”                 Rarity and Applejack had heard about Somnambula from Rainbow before.  About how she and Pinkie went there with Daring Do to quell lies about her adventures there.                 It was a humble, little desert town, with a big statue of a blindfolded pony at its center.  Even from outside its limits, AJ and Rarity could see the marketplace stalls, filled with exotic goods they had never seen in such inventory before apart from the occasional trip to the Trader’s Exchange at Rainbow Falls.                 Rarity looked over at Garble.  “So exactly what did you mean when you said we would be of use to you anyway?”                 “The townsfolk here don’t take kindly to us dragons,” Garble explained, the three of them drawing closer to the town entrance.  “This town is one of few places we’ve been unable to search because of that.”                 “Oh come now,” Applejack assured him.  “Ah’m sure they ain’t that bad about-”                 “DRAGON!” shrieked a voice from the town square.  The three visitors were halted when a crowd of ponies formed in mere seconds to prevent them from entering.                 Rarity lifted her hoof in dismay.  “Oh my…”                 Grable huffed.  “Told ya.”                 Applejack was quick to step between him and the disturbed townsfolk.  “Now listen here, y’all; we ain’t here to cause any trouble.  We’re just passin’ through looking for some folks, that’s all.”                 “Uh huh, sure he is!” shouted a sarcastic voice from the mob.                 “He’s just going to try and steal our glowpaz!” Another yelled out.                 Garble groaned.  “Again with the glowpaz, I’m not-”                 Rarity lifted her hoof up to his mouth, silencing him.  “Don’t talk, you’ll only make it worse.” She whispered harshly, making his face go blank in aggravation.  Stepping up in front of Applejack, she looked upon the crowd.  “I understand your concerns, I too would find it difficult to let a dragon such as him into my boutique.”                 “Their kind does nothing but pillage and steal!” Another voice rang out, making the crowd more riled up.                 Rarity frowned at hearing that statement and she lifted her hoof slightly.  “Is that so?  How many times have they asked to enter your little town?”                 One pony stepped up from the mob.  “They’ve been here countless times, sometimes alone, other times in groups, and they keep persisting to let them in!  All they want to do is take what we have!”                 “Oh?” Rarity asked, tilting her head.  “And how many times have they tried forcing their way in?  How many times have they, as you say, pillaged your goods and treasures?”  The crowd was silenced as they all got to thinking about it.  Rarity straightened up.  “Anypony?  How many times?”  Again, there was no reply.  “Exactly.”                 Applejack stood in silence along with them, Rarity was really pulling out all the stops this time.  She was good at using her charm, but that wasn’t the only weapon in her public arsenal.                 “Now, to show the dragons aren’t here to steal, we’re here with him.” Rarity continued, her speech taming the mob.  “Exactly how many times have you ever seen a dragon so willing to walk around and socialize with ponies?”  It quickly became a theme for the crowd to remain speechless against her logic.  She nodded, and then swished her mane back in a stylish way.  “That’s what I thought, now, let’s show him how we ponies greet our guests in Equestria.”                 The ponies applauded by stomping their hooves, the vendetta against the dragon kind dissipating as if it had never existed at all.  As the crowd parted ways for them and let them through, they showed their wares to the three of them, their red dragon friend specifically, as they entered the town.                 Garble watched in disbelief.  “You have GOT to be kidding me…” He said, looking down at the two mares.  “You ponies become that trusting just like that?”                 Rarity performed one of her graceful mane flips, closing her eyes as she walked.  “That’s what happens when you’re as fabulous as me.”                 The red dragon nearly hurled, covering his mouth as he shook his head.  “Ugh, let’s just search the place and get out of here before I lose my breakfast.”                 The sun had now begun to set on the horizon.  The desert was aglow with crimson light as the temperature had already begun to take a serious dive from its crazy heights to shivering depths of cold.  The streets of Somnambula had already begun to empty, most everypony wanting to get indoors.                 Garble shook his head as he took one last glance around town.  “This is getting us nowhere fast, and it’s getting late.  We need to head back to base camp.”                 Applejack didn’t look too convinced.  “We can stay out searchin’ a bit longer, is there anywhere else ya might’ve needed to look?”                 The red dragon gave the earth pony a blank stare.  “Don’t you think if there was somewhere then I’d tell you about it?” He replied in an aggravated tone.                 “No need to be so rude,” Rarity stated, trotting over to her friend’s side.  “Applejack is right, we should continue searching elsewhere.”                 Garble crossed his arms and shook his head.  “Not gonna happen.  You two haven’t seen how cold it gets out here at night.”                 “We are no strangers to cold.” Rarity scoffed, swishing her mane back.                 Now triggered, Garble growled at them.  “Oh yeah?  And where are we gonna search then?  We’ve already gone through every inch of this ridiculous town.”                 “How about there?” AJ offered, having trotted a few paces away as the two of them bickered and stood facing the pyramid, which rested to the light of the falling sun behind it.  Both Rarity and Garble walked over to her and joined in on the stare at the ancient pyramid.                 Garble waved off the idea.  “Nah, that place is empty too, besides, it’s got some creepy curse on it or something.”                 “Curse?” Rarity asked him.                 “Yeah, scouts said they couldn’t fly on the inside, that something kept their wings folded in.” He explained, shaking his head.  “There’s no one in it anyway, there’s no point.”                 AJ looked up at him.  “You mean you aren’t the slightest bit curious yourself?”                 Garble turned and began walking out of town.  “Got that right.”                 Both Rarity and Applejack watched him for a moment, then looked to the pyramid once again.  The sun had just vanished on the horizon, and the sky darkened because of it.  They then looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders, following after the red dragon.                 Garble was right, the desert really was cold at night.                 The oasis was lit up by several dozen fires here and there, offering halos of warmth to those sitting around them.  Whenever the fires began dying down, one of the dragons around them would breathe out more flames, lighting it up again.                 AJ and Rarity quickly grew fonder of Fizzle.  He sat just beside the two of them, the three sharing their own fire.  He alone breathed it back to life whenever it withered, turned out the other dragons still weren’t too keen on sharing a fire with the ponies.                 “Fizzle, that’s an interesting name, darling.” Rarity said, brushing some sand from her hooves.                 He offered the best smile he could.  “Strange name for a dragon, I know.”                 “Any stranger than Garble?” Rarity said in an attempt to lift his spirits.                 “You got a problem with my name?” Garble answered her, having walked over from another fire.  “I wouldn’t expect you ponies to understand our names, not when all of yours either have to do with rainbows or fruit.” He scoffed.                 “Hey!” AJ and Rarity both replied in unison.                 Fizzle laughed, cutting the tension, which led to the two mares laughing a bit as well.  Garble’s ears went flat to his head and he got a deadpan look on his face, sitting down in front of the flames.  After the laughter faded, there were a few moments of silence.                 “So… just how much of this here desert is there left to search?” Applejack asked, looking to the red dragon across from her.                 “Not much,” Garble replied, then breathing out a small plume of flames onto the fire.  “Four days of ground to cover, tops.”                 Applejack tilted her head.  “Then where do we go from there?”                 Garble gestured with his head to the south.  “There’s a mountain range south of the desert and a region just beyond it.  We weren’t able to stay there long, a big storm rolled in, so we came up north to search the desert again.”                 “A storm you say?” Rarity asked, curious about this region further south.                 Fizzle nodded.  “Apparently that area is known for its giant storms, be willing to bet it’s still there and raging just as hard as when we left.”                 Applejack took a particular interest in the topic as well.  “And you think the storm will pass in a few days so we can go search it?”                 “That’s the theory.” Garble replied, leaning back onto the sand.                 AJ then looked to the white dragon, who had his claws raised up for some heat from the flames.  “Say Fizzle, does that there stormy region have a name?”                 Fizzle shrugged.  “Sorry, couldn’t tell ya.  We didn’t run into too many natives there and, I mean, we were only there for a few days anyway.”                 Rarity yawned, having not realized how tired she was until now.  “Well I don’t know about the rest of you, but I say I need my beauty sleep.”                 Garble grumbled something under his breath as he lifted his arms up and underneath his neck.                 Using her magic, Rarity brought forward one of her suitcases which, when opened, created a makeshift bed with fashionable pillows and sheets.  Both Applejack and Fizzle watched in relative silence as the unicorn climbed up onto it.  She stopped just before lying down, tilting her head.  “What?  You didn’t expect me to sleep on the sand, did you?”                 Applejack chuckled, shaking her head.  “Course not, Rares, g’night.”                 With that, the unicorn placed a sleep mask over her eyes and tucked herself in.  Garble let out a few snores shortly afterwards, having drifted asleep while they talked.  Applejack was left sitting beside Fizzle in front of the blazing fire.                 “Your unicorn friend sure is something…” He told her when he was sure Rarity was asleep.                 “Hehe, ah know.” AJ replied, settling down on her stomach.  “Garble ain’t half as bad as everypony makes him out to be back home.”                 Fizzle chuckled at that, nodding.  “That’s Garble being Garble alright, always the charmer.”                 The two shared a light laugh.  The white dragon breathed more flames out to make the fire stronger as Applejack built up the ability to ask the questions she’d been wanting to ask him.                 “Fizzle?” She said, looking over at him.                 “Hmm?” He replied, looking over at her.                 “Do y’all dragons still not like us ponies all too much?” AJ asked.                 The question caused a temporary silence between them.  Fizzle rubbed his neck as he looked away a bit.  “Ehhhh…” He replied uneasily, trying to think of how best to answer.                 Applejack had been curious ever since the war had been averted, she wondered if the dragons had any respect at all for Equestria now.  “You can give to me straight, ain’t like it matters too much at the moment, what with us all havin’ to work together.”                 Fizzle looked back over at her, lowering his claw.  “I won’t lie and say dragons think highly of ponies… but there has definitely been a change ever since Princess Twilight came to help Dragon Lord Ember when she was attacked.”                 AJ’s spirits were lifted a little at hearing this.  “Yeah?”                 He nodded.  “Yeah.  It’s kinda like a mutual respect now more than anything else, I think.” He tried explaining, looking at the fire as he did.  “We used to think you ponies were weak, helpless, and waaay too caring.”                 The earth pony scoffed at that.  “And now?”                 He returned his gaze to her.  “Now… we know you aren’t weak, you definitely aren’t helpless…” He snickered a bit, leaning back and lying down.  “Well… you get the point.”                 Applejack took off her hat and lied down as well.  “You seem like you’re more willin’ to give us a chance than the others… if it ain’t too much to ask, I’m wondering why.”                 Fizzle was gazing up at the sky, his claws clasped together on his underbelly.  He took in a deep breath, contemplating the question.  “I guess a part of me always kinda wondered what it would be like to know a pony… Dragon Lord Ember befriending Princess Twilight made me more curious than ever.  So when she told us to try… I guess I just took it to heart more than the others.”  Applejack was left thinking about his response as he smiled just a little, eyes still to the sky.  “Maybe I’m just the odd dragon out… but this view is something else.”  Applejack looked to him for a moment, and then rolled over onto her back, looking up as well.                 The night sky in the middle of the desert truly was a sight to behold.  Thousands of stars, shining clear as crystal, dotting the pitch black above.  The fire had died down, but Fizzle was too enchanted to relight it.  The lack of light made the view even more stunning, the two of them feeling like they were on the crest of the world, gazing out into the unknown.                 AJ smiled as well.  “Sure is beautiful, ain’t it?”                 Fizzle nodded.  “Sure is.”                 Looking over at him again, she said, “G’night Fizzle.”                 The white dragon peered over at her, replying, “Good night, Applejack.”                 AJ turned her gaze back to the night sky and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.  Fizzle watched her for a moment, and then returned his eyes to the sky above.                 Garble stood in front of the dragons’ map of the desert, Applejack, Rarity, and Fizzle standing around it as well.  “Today we’re going to search this area here.” He told them, pointing around at a part of the desert to the south-west.  “It’s not far from the coast, but it’s a fair distance away, that’s why you’re coming with us, Fizz.”                 Rarity squinted at the map, seeing how far away they were from it.  “How are we supposed to get there in time to search any of it?”                 The red dragon spread his wings as he looked at her.  “We’re flying, that’s why I just said Fizzle is coming with us.”                 Fizzle nodded as Applejack looked down at the map as well.  “Ah’m guessin’ y’all haven’t searched there yet?”                 “We gave it a quick fly-over last time,” Garble replied, also looking down at the map.  “But while we didn’t find out anything about our targets in that town yesterday, I was told that there’s a canyon somewhere in that region, but I didn’t see it when last we went there.”                 AJ nodded at hearing that.  “Worth a look.”                 Garble looked around at the three of them.  “It’s a couple hour flight, we should get going now so that we have plenty of time to find and scout out this canyon.”                 Before Rarity could react much, Applejack had already walked over to Fizzle.  “You alright if ya carry me, partner?”                 Fizzle chuckled, nodding.  “I think I can manage.”                 Rarity and Garble then shot a look at one another.  “No, no, no, no, no!” They both said, turning to their respective companions.                 “You’re riding with me.” Garble said sharply, eyes fixed upon Applejack.                 “And you are going to be the one to carry me.” Rarity huffed, looking at Fizzle.                 Applejack snorted out her nostrils, glaring at the two of them.  “Now wait just an apple-pickin’ second.  You two have been fightin’ and bickerin’ practically non-stop, so now you’re gonna deal with it.” She gestured with her head to Fizzle.  “Ah’m flyin’ with Fizzle here, that way you two can get over this here feud y’all are havin’, ya hear?”                 Rarity looked up and away, turning her head so her mane swished out in front of her.  “Humph!”                 Garble groaned and lifted a claw up to his face in defeat.                 Fizzle stayed quiet during the whole ordeal, hoping he wasn’t dragged into it any more than he already was.                 Applejack gave a triumphant nod and turned to her white dragon steed.  “Now let’s get a move on.”  Fizzle lowered himself down a bit and the earth pony hopped on.  He stood up and the two now watched their hesitant companions.                 Garble and Rarity shared a cold stare that lasted a few seconds.  With a huff, Garble lowered himself to the ground, grumbling to himself.  Rarity walked over, taking regal steps as her head was held high in protest.  She carefully stepped up onto his back, sitting down when in position.  The red dragon then stood up, still mumbling under his breath.                 The two dragons beat their wings and took to the air, flying south-west.                 The fly took about two hours, each pair having a very different experience during the fly. Applejack and Fizzle talked about the search over the past few months, how much their homes had changed since the war had been avoided, and even some things they hoped to do when they went back. “So, my cave is kinda small,” Fizzle told her, glancing back at her every now and then.  “I was kinda hoping I could find a bigger one before the end of the summer, but it’s not looking like I’ll be able to find one.” AJ nodded.  “Ah know what ya mean.  Ah’ve been tryin’ to draw up the plans for a new barn on our farm, but with everythin’ that’s been happenin’, ah haven’t had the time or focus for it.” Rarity and Garble, on the other hoof, were caught in a cryptic, uncomfortable silence.  The few times they talked during the trip were brief and underwhelming. “If you spray that thing while on my back one more time, I swear I’ll drop you off in the middle of the desert.” Garble growled, keeping faced forward. Rarity had been occasionally applying her perfume, which was made difficult to smell for her because of how fast they were moving.  “Oh hush, as if my perfume can make you smell any worse than you already do.” Arriving at their destination, all four kept their eyes open for some kind of canyon.  They could see the coast from here, the blue of the ocean clashing against the glow of the desert sand.  It wasn’t long before Applejack caught sight of it. “There!” She said aloud, pointing her hoof down below. A few miles away, there was the slightest crevice in the sand dunes.  From this distance, it was easy to miss, and it was no wonder why Garble and the other dragons passed it over.  Unless one was looking for it, it would be extremely difficult to spot. Descending down to it, the two dragons landed on the canyon’s edge.  The ponies on their backs gazed with them down into the crevice.  It wasn’t too incredibly deep, but the canyon itself ran on for what looked like a few miles underneath the dunes.  Leaning and falling into the opening, both dragons glided down to the sandstone floor of the crevice, which was about seventy or eighty feet down. Applejack and Rarity got off from their dragons’ backs, all four now peering around at their previously undiscovered environment. Fizzle was the first to speak out, his voice echoing just slightly.  “This could definitely be a good place to hide, especially since we haven’t searched it yet.” Applejack agreed, glancing down both directions of the canyon.  “Ah think we should split up in twos and search it to both ends.” Rarity looked to her, somewhat worried.  “Split up?  If any of those three are down here, we should be together when we come across them.” The earth pony shook her head.  “If they’re down here and we search in one group, they could have more time to escape, and we wouldn’t even know they were here to be missed.  If we search both directions in twos, we have a better chance of finding ‘em.” Fizzle glanced over in one of the two directions of the canyon path.  “And if one group finds all three of them together?” “Ah saw Sombra up and leave after fightin’ with Stormclaw,” AJ explained.  “They ain’t gonna be together.” While Garble did agree with that, there was another part of that question Fizzle asked.  “What if we split up and run into the other two?  Might be tough to fight them off, would be better if all four of us were there.” “We can’t let ‘em escape without havin’ some kinda clue as to where they are.” AJ replied, looking around at the three of them.  “They should know that fightin’ ain’t gonna help ‘em hide, the other two of us would know they were here and be able to report it back to the princesses.”  She turned and looked down one of the paths.  “Think about it, they’ve been hidin’ this whole time, if anythin’, they’ll try to run, but at least then we’ll have a better clue as to where they are.”  She pressed her hat more firmly onto her head.  “Fizzle, you come with me and we’ll head on down this way.  Rarity, you and Garble go that way.” “Oh come on, Applejack.” Rarity said, keeping her voice suppressed in case the fugitives really were down there somewhere.  “Why can’t you and I be the ones to search together?” AJ looked to her.  “While ah still think they’ll run, what would be more intimidatin’, Rares?  Me and you, or one of us with a dragon?  Besides, Garble here kicked his tail to the curve last time, ain’t no way he won’t be scared of him, so you stay with him, got it?” Both Garble and Rarity grumbled again, turning simultaneously and walking down the canyon path.  Fizzle and Applejack then nodded to one another and walked in the opposite direction. “You really think they’ll try to run instead of fight?” Fizzle asked her, still somewhat hesitant at the idea of splitting up. “Ah sure hope so.” She replied, the two of them scanning the shaded area around the path as they walked. Rarity and Garble walked cautiously down the canyon path, senses honed in on their surroundings as they checked for small openings and hidden paths along the walls. As would be expected, they themselves were disturbingly quiet to one another.  They just couldn’t seem to get over this gap between them.  The first time they met, they were at each other’s throats.  The second time they met, they were just about at each other’s throats.  However, the third time they met, it was a situation where they had to work together.  Then came the gala, and now this. “I, for one, think you would find my company more enjoyable if you weren’t such a ruffian all the time.” Rarity finally spoke out, breaking the silence. Garble scoffed.  “And who says I want to find enjoyment in your company?” Rarity was appalled.  “While I can see you’re not as hotheaded as you used to be, you still have a long way to go until I ever consider you a gentle-dragon like Spikey.” He shivered at the comment.  “I tell you what, if acting that way gets me a dumb nickname like that, then I’ll stay just the way I am.  Besides, who says we dragons have to change to meet your standards?  You ponies could toughen up and not be so sensitive all the time.” The unicorn stomped her hoof.  “So says the fool whose lack of sensitivity got Ember put in fatal condition by the very dragon we’re hunting.” There was a long, bitter silence after that statement.  Rarity could feel the tension, and see just how critical that comment was to the scarred dragon. “I’m sorry,” She said, the two still not making eye contact.  “That was uncalled for.” “Whatever,” Garble growled.  “I’ve been trying to get along with you ponies best I can, the least you could do is try and understand how difficult it is for me.” Rarity thought about that, and it actually made much more sense than she would care to admit.  As she had stated, he had changed from who he was before, be it on his own will or Ember’s, it didn’t really matter. “Humph, maybe you’re not as bad as I thought you were…” She said quietly. Garble grimaced, still keeping his eyes busy searching.  “Yeah?  Maybe you aren’t either.” Spotting something out of the ordinary, Rarity was forced to postpone this in-depth conversation they were having.  “Hey, look there, a cave.” The two came across a sizeable opening in the wall of the canyon.  The entrance was inclined, and so, in the shadows, it would make the cave practically invisible.  They stopped just at the mouth of it, peering inside.  Garble coughed up a small flame, illuminating the dark for a fraction of a second.  It was clear enough, and so he stepped in, followed by the white unicorn. The cave tunnel wasn’t too long, and there was a smooth, flat wall at the very end.  Garble breathed out another flame, the two of them seeing hieroglyphics etched into the stone. “These are the same markings we found in the pyramids.” Garble spoke out, lifting his claw to them, curious if it meant anything. Upon looking at them more carefully, Rarity thought she recognized the pattern in which the symbols were made.  “Give me some more light.”  The red dragon complied, lighting up the tunnel more with his fire breath.  Now that she could see them clearly, she was able to confirm her suspicion.  “I remember Twilight showing me something like this when we were all talking about Daring Do’s adventures.  It’s a spell.” Garble squinted at her, and then looked to the wall again.  “What kind of spell?” She shook her head.  “I’m not sure… but it’s worth a try.” Her horn lit up with her blue, magical aura.  Her eyes read over the hieroglyphics, which began to glow faintly.  She stopped and backed away for a moment, causing their glow to fade. Garble gestured her forward.  “Do it again, we might be onto something.” Rarity stepped up and repeated the spell in her head.  The glow returned to the symbols, which grew in intensity until they lit the tunnel better than Garble’s fire breath.  Once read to the final hieroglyphic, the entire chasm shook for a moment, the symbols having reached a glow as bright as the sun. Both Rarity and Garble shielded themselves from the light, and then heard a loud grinding noise.  Able to peek out from under their arms, they saw the smooth wall sliding across the cave floor to reveal a hidden passage behind it, which looked far different from the cave they were in. The walls and floor were finely cut sandstone, and there were lit torches on them, which gave the new passage an ancient tomb kind of lighting.  Hieroglyphics and intricate paintings covered the walls, telling the two that they just found something of importance. Applejack and Fizzle came running through the tunnel and up to them, having felt the canyon shake and went in search of them when it did. “What in tarnation…?” AJ asked, all four standing and looking into temple-like hall. Rarity was the first to step forward, followed by the other three.  The hall looked much like those inside the pyramid, only less eroded and faded from time. “What is this place…?” Fizzle asked, looking around just like the others. The hall eventually opened up into a wider chamber, which was better lit by braziers on the floors, as well as more decoratively designed, with white stone paths and statues along the walls.  Pillars reached from the floor all the way up to the vaulted ceiling, which loomed about forty feet above them.  There were flowing fountains of water running through the chamber in a systematic way, the room having clearly been designed to last the ages given how old it must be. A single, massive statue rested at the chamber’s center.  When the four drew closer, they could see it was of a sphinx, and it looked as if it were sleeping.  Reaching the statue, Rarity tilted her head.  “Why would somepony make a chamber like this?” She reached out a touched the statue.  A gust of air then became emitted from it, as if it were a breath, which startled the unicorn and made her back up with the others.  The statue trembled slightly and then began to move.  The head of it lifted up and, after a few moments, its golden eyes opened.  Light rippled out from it when it opened its eyes, making the colors of the sphinx return to it; the purple fur, and gold/black of the accessories it was wearing. Both ponies gasped and backed up to the dragons, whose mouths were dropped open and eyes were wide.  The sphinx took a moment to seemingly take in the fact that it was awake.  Looking down at the four of them, the sphinx stood, and her golden eyes squinted slightly. “Who dares enter my domain?” She said lowly, her voice deep and foreboding. Applejack remembered Rainbow and Pinkie talking about the legend of Somnambula… was this really the… “A-Are you… the sphinx from the legend of Somnambula?” She asked the giant creature. The sphinx gritted her fangs upon the mentioning of the name, but being that she was now finally awake, she managed to keep relatively calm despite it.  “I am.  Now I ask again; who are you?” “Ah’m Applejack,” AJ introduced, lifting her hoof to her companions.  “This here is Rarity, Fizzle, and Garble-” “Dragons?” The sphinx said, tilting her head slightly.  “What are dragons doing in the Sea of Sand?” Garble then spoke up.  “We’ve come in search of another dragon, a black one named Stormclaw.  Does the name sound familiar to you?” Fizzle turned to him.  “How could she know if she’s been down here for so long?” “I know a great many things, little dragon.” The sphinx answered, looking deep in thought at the question.  “Stormclaw… Stormclaw the black dragon.  No, I know not of a black dragon named Stormclaw.  The only black dragon I’ve ever known was back far beyond any pony of your time could remember.” “What about Chrysalis?” Rarity offered.  “Queen Chrysalis?” The name immediately warranted a response.  “The Changeling Queen?  Yes… yes I see now, she lost her kingdom not long ago… and all of her subjects.  What is it you wish to know?” “Where she is.” Rarity replied. The sphinx returned deep into thought, but then shook her head.  “It would seem this is something I cannot know, a powerful force is keeping the knowledge from me.” Fizzle just had to ask, he was too curious.  “So… you’ve been in here for… how long?” “A very long time.” The sphinx answered, eyes peering around at the chamber.  “I was awakened once before, but I’ve been within this chamber for the past seven-hundred years.” Rarity looked to Fizzle to answer his question.  “Sphinxes are magic, Fizzle.  That’s why she knows so much, they were said to be able to know anything.” The sphinx offered a light chuckle.  “My turn to ask a question; though I cannot see who or where this Stormclaw is, I am now very much interested in knowing more about him.  How, pray tell, was he able to use the Etherus Diamond the way he did?” “Etherus Diamond?” Garble asked. Applejack turned to him.  “That there crystal he used to become stronger, the black one.”  She then turned back to the sphinx.  “We’re not sure… what do you know about the diamond?” The sphinx rested back down onto the floor, crossing her paws with her head still held high.  “The Etherus Diamond is one of six ancient stones that caused The Great Cataclysm over 9000 years ago.” Both Rarity and Applejack remembered Celestia’s story about Equestria back that long ago.  “You even know that…?” AJ asked her. “Of course I do, I was there.” The sphinx replied. Another question had been built up in Fizzle’s head and, like always, he just had to ask.  “E-Excuse me… you said you only ever knew one black dragon… a long time ago.  Who was it?” The sphinx looked upon the white dragon, and then down upon all of them.  “His name was Gelder.”