//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Tears for the Pearl // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// An hour later, dawn broke as the train pulled out of Ponyville station, headed south. Twilight and her team brought along all the camping gear they thought they might need, not knowing how long their search might take. The trip lasted all day and night, the sun peering over the horizon once more as the conductor called out “All out to High Noon!” and the train hissed to a halt. Trains didn’t run to Burro’s Crossing, and the tiny village High Noon in the middle of the desert was as close as the ponies were going to get. From there, they hired a stagecoach pulled by four sturdy stallions to take them the 30-mile trip to Burro’s Crossing. Noon drew near When Twilight and her friends stepped out. They stopped to take in the sight – an eerie calm hung over the village, the houses in various states of disrepair; mud caked on the walls, holes in the roofs, entire sections collapsed or missing. A couple houses even had holes in their foundations, but all of the homes were discolored, as if nopony had been doing repairs for years. The four coach ponies turned around and sped back for High Noon, the trailing dust cloud indicating they were all too eager to leave Burro’s Crossing behind. “This is where Luna told us to go,” Pearl said, feeling her heart sink, “but...” Starlight winced at the scene laid out for them. “I hate to say it, Pearl, but I don’t think anypony’s lived here for years.” “She’s right, sugarcube,” Applejack added. “This here sure looks like a ghost town.” “Oh, my.” Rarity winced, holding a forehoof aloft. “I doubt even ghosts would come to such a dreadful place.” Only one house showed any activity – an old, bearded stallion rocking in a chair on his front porch. The group approached him and he greeted them with a smile. “Well I’ll be,” the stallion said, stopping his rocking. “Don’t get too many strangers ‘round here. You’re free to look around, but I’m afraid there ain’t much here anymore. I’d stay away from the house at the far end, though. They say it's cursed.” Fluttershy wilted and shivered. “C-cursed?” “Yup,” the old pony continued. “Talk is, them ruins on the outskirts of the village were used as a fort during some ancient war. Supposedly a big battle took place there and a lotta ponies died. Some say vengeful spirits still roam its halls.” “Sir, there’s no such thing as curses and evil spirits,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “I was here, young’un. I saw it with my own eyes!” “Saw what? What happened?” Pearl asked. The old pony rocked in his chair again, stroking his beard. He seemed like a grandfather telling a story to his grandkids. “Must’ve been about 15 or 16 years ago. A little filly who lived in that house with her parents. One day she went off to them old ruins. Couple days later, she streaked off towards the north like a shooting star. Never saw anything like it in my life. Always was talk them ruins was trouble. Poor little thing never shoulda went there.” “So what happened to the ponies who owned that house?” Pearl asked. “They up and left not long after that. Suppose there wasn’t much left for them here. Most of the other ponies followed their example not long after. They thought this place was cursed, or maybe they just got too afraid of the ruins and wanted to get as far away as possible. Now there’s just a couple of us old folks who’re too stubborn to leave the ground we was born on.” “Any idea where they might’ve gone?” Applejack asked. The old pony shook his head. “Not a clue. ‘Sides, it was a long time ago. Probably wouldn’t remember even if they told me.” Twilight turned towards the house at the far end of town. “Let’s go check out that house, everypony. We might find a clue.” “You kids watch yourselves. Strange things went on in that house, and don’t expect me to come running to your rescue.” Twilight half-smiled back. “Don’t worry. We can handle it.” “Famous last words,” the old pony mumbled. Twilight shrugged it off and led her friends to the old house. The outside showed signs of a quality home, long-neglected. The creaking of the door and the dusty interior walls, decorated with cobwebs, told of a house that had long been vacant. “Cool!” Pinkie shouted. “It’s like a haunted house!” “Oh my, you can say that again,” Rarity said. “It’s certainly the home of my nightmares! Just look at all these spider webs.” She scrunched up her nose and sneezed. "Not to mention the dust. It's terrible for a lady's complexion." Spike shuddered. “Spiders. I hate spiders.” “It’s not so bad,” Fluttershy said, allowing a dangling spider to come to rest on her hoof. “These little guys just want a dark, quiet place to live.” Twilight looked around the room. “Is any of this familiar, Pearl?” Pearl shook her head. “None of it. It might as well be the first time I’ve seen this house.” The ponies split up and searched about the dark old home for anything that might lead them to Pearl’s parents. It was mostly empty save for a couch, dinner table and chairs; items too large for the previous owners to have taken with them on a spurt of the moment move. The searchers moved on to other rooms. “Hey, look at this!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She pried a dusty frame from a hallway and presented it to the others. “They left this picture behind. Check out the filly in the middle.” In the photograph were two grown ponies, a mare and a stallion, the former of whom resembled Pearl. They stood between a filly who looked exactly like Pearl, but younger. “Is that… me?” Pearl asked. “Sure looks like you,” Spike said. Pinkie looked over Rainbow’s shoulder and smiled. “Awww, look how cute you were, Pearl!” Pinkie wiped her face and sniffed. “They grow up so fast.” “We’re on the right track!” Twilight said. “Keep searching, everypony.” “Well, at least we know what they look like now,” Fluttershy said. While the others split up to search for more clues, Pearl stared at the photo, trying to sort out the obscure pieces in her head. She was sure she’d never laid eyes on the ponies in the picture, yet somewhere in the back of her mind she felt she knew them. “I found something!” Starlight yelled, emerging from a small office-like room carrying an object with her magic. The other ponies crowded around her, all trying to get a peek. “It looks like an old journal or diary. It was half-buried in the corner.” Starlight dusted the book off and handed it to Pearl, who skimmed through a few pages, then stopped, her eyes focused on a particular page. “Well? What’s it say?” Pinkie asked. “Read it out loud already. I can’t take the suspense!” “May journal entries…” Pearl began. “5-3: Lilac brought home some kind of old scroll today. When Astral questioned her, she admitted to going to that old ruin. Haven’t we warned her often enough to stay away from that place? Whatever are we going to do with this kid? Her curiosity is going to get her in a lot of trouble one of these days.” “Lilac?” Pearl wondered out loud, “that must be my real name. Princess Luna said she heard that name when she went into my dream.” Rainbow shot Pearl a mischievous wink. “So, read on, Lilac.” Pearl scowled. The name meant nothing to her. “My name is Pearl.” “Just trying to break the tension.” “5-4: Astral says Lilac might have found something of great significance in that scroll. Supposedly it’s a spell ancient unicorn wizards used to enhance their magic, but even Astral has heard little of it. I suspect he’ll be busy the next few days researching it. Good luck getting him to leave his office!” 5-5: I knew Astral shouldn’t have taught Lilac how to read ancient Ponish. That little pony got into Astral’s office and recited the spell, and we’re not even sure what it does yet! I hope it’s nothing bad, and I hope Astral can find a way to reverse it.” 5-9: I write this with a pain in my heart that only a mother who has lost her child could know. My worst fears have come true. Astral was very close to finding the origin of the spell when our beloved little Lilac sprouted wings and shot off towards the north in a blaze of magical fire. I was in such a state of shock I could not write yesterday, and I’m barely able to hold it together now. What has become of our child? What sort of spell did she unearth? I can only hope she’s safe. She must be so frightened. I cannot be sure what has happened to her or where she is, and it’s tearing my heart into a hundred pieces.” 6-1: It has been decided. After nearly a month of the village searching, fliers sent out and hopeful leads withered, Astral and I are moving. We can’t bear living in the shadow of those ruins anymore, not after what happened to our dear Lilac. We’re departing as soon as possible. I will leave my old life, and this journal, behind. If you happen to read this and value your life, heed my warning and stay well away from that old unicorn fort.” The next page and all the pages after were blank. Pearl dropped to her haunches, biting her lip. “That’s it. Those ponies were my last hope.” “No,” Twilight said. “There’s still hope as long as they’re out there. The only settlements nearby are to the northeast. We’ll try there first.” “Yeah!” Rainbow chipped in. “I don’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit!’ So let’s go, we’re wasting time!” Pearl nodded and followed the rest of the ponies out of the house, affording one last parting glance at the home she never knew.