//------------------------------// // Goats & Tigers & Snakes, oh my! // Story: The Mystery of the Old Ponyville Time Capsule // by GrangeDisplay //------------------------------// “Trixie has no intention of spelunking around in some nasty swamp.” Various books fell to the floor as Trixie threw up her hooves in exasperation.  Starlight rolled her eyes as she left her seat to tidy up their workspace, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “I thought that a quest to unearth some hidden bits was more, ‘befitting,’ of Trixie’s time?” “Well mucking around in a swamp certainly isn’t ideal.” Starlight knew that Trixie’s apprehension was valid, but at least one member of this duo had to be optimistic. So, Starlight took on the burden of pretending that she had no issue with their impending adventure.  The pair had spent the first half of their day rereading Cloudy Whistles’ message, primarily focusing on the first two lines.  Where moss and acid meet In a place filled with peat It didn’t take long for them to infer that Cloudy was describing some sort of swamp, so they had spent the last few hours in the library combing through maps of the greater area of Ponyville. Starlight had hoped that finding a swamp to study would be an easy task, but when one’s little town sits next to the Everfree Forest singling out a single swamp became a tall order.  Starlight rubbed her forehead as she flipped yet another page in yet another encyclopedia, “How could there be so many acid swamps in such a small geographical area?”  Having given up on studying any more maps, Trixie stared aimlessly across the room. “Here’s an idea, why don’t we just give up and get a snack.” Starlight promptly shot the magician a glare and the other mare readjusted her sitting position.  Starlight sighed as she crossed her front hooves. “I’m surprised to see that you still have an appetite after you spent all of yesterday sick due to that doom twinkie.” She leaned in as she pulled a sly expression. “And let me remind you again that I warned you about eating it.”  Now it was Trixie’s turn to rub her forehead. “You should just be happy to see that Trixie survived the whole ordeal and that she is taking the time to entertain this little conspiracy!” Trixie picked up the deciphered note with her magic and tilted her head from side to side. “Starlight? Do you have any guesses about what this might mean?” She placed the paper down between them and pointed to the third and fourth lines. A grand treasure is hidden Where solar drops have fallen Starlight looked at them and shrugged. “I was thinking that it might just rain a lot even when it’s sunny. But lots of swamps get a lot of rain.”  Trixie tried to process her thoughts as she rolled her hoof. “Well, the message also mentions the night, so maybe it’s a sun and moon thing.”  “A sun and moon thing?” Starlight mumbled as her eyes gradually grew wide. She slammed the encyclopedia shut and grabbed Trixie’s shoulders. “Trixie you genius!” Trixie brought a hoof to her chest in a moment of genuine surprise before her characteristic pride set back in. “Well of course I am! Uh… what did Trixie do exactly?” “You solved the riddle.” Starlight pulled out a map of the Everfree.  Trixie tried to get a look at what Starlight was drawing. The other mare was drawing a circle on a specific swamp. “Wait, what? Trixie is confused. Explain Trixie’s brilliance to her this instant.”  Starlight faced Trixie with an ecstatic smile. “Look here. This is the closest swamp to the Castle of the Two Sisters. It belonged to Celestia and Luna. You know the sun and moon ponified.”  Trixie nodded along despite still feeling confused, “Okay… Trixie is following.”  “This might be a wild guess, but the time capsule is from a few years ago. Back when Luna and Nightmare Moon were just myths and stories. Is it possible that Cloudy Whistles knew about Luna’s return?”  Trixie raised an eyebrow as she thought about her friend's words, but Starlight wasn’t done. “Think about the ninth line, ‘Below is a counter to the night,’ what if this is some sort of weapon or even a plan B to stop Nightmare Moon? The solar drop line might reference Celestia falling to or getting defeated by Nightmare.”  Trixie smiled for her friend’s sake and nodded again. “That is certainly feasible. But if there was a pony that hypothetically built a weapon to destroy an alicorn, then buried it underground, and left it to be discovered by some unsuspecting creatures in the future. Don’t you think that Twilight should be aware of it?” Starlight scoffed as she rolled up the map. “Trixie we’re still not sure of what we’re doing, it’s best not to bother Twilight with this right now. Anyways, if Twilight helped us find the treasure, we’d probably have to give her a share.”  Starlight took Trixie’s silence as a sufficient answer as she stomped her front hooves in determination. “Alright! Let's put our galoshes on and get to mucking!”  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “STARLIGHT HELP ME!” Trixie screamed as she struggled to untangle herself from the thorns that trapped her. She wasn’t exactly sure of how she descended into the pit, but she did know that the chimera following them would find her much easier to apprehend while stationary. Pain followed every movement as the thorns stuck into her skin. She heard the pounding of hooves approach as Starlight’s face appeared above her.  “Trixie, what are you doing? We have to move!” Starlight could see the chimera growing closer.  “Well, I am waiting for my friend, Starlight Glimmer, to help me!”  “Why! You’re a unicorn just teleport out Trixie!” Trixie’s mouth formed an ‘oh’ as she powered up her horn. She reappeared next to Starlight in a blue flash and got to work straightening out her mane.  “I tell you Starlight, adrenaline can really do things to the mind.” She chuckled as she plucked a thorn out of her flank. Starlight was stunned, “Aren’t you an escape artist too? Shouldn’t you know how to deal with this?” “Wel-” A deafening hiss sounded out from the distance as the chimera’s snake head protruded forward.  Starlight grabbed Trixie at the haunches and corralled her to a nearby tree. “Climb! Climb!” She watched Trixie scramble up the branches before taking one last look and ascending herself.  The chimera breathed heavily as it encircled the tree from below. Its snakehead occasionally snapped up at the mare’s hooves, while its other two heads taunted them from below. The tiger head spoke in a low growl, “Why don’t you come down? We just want to talk.”  The goat head smiled sweetly at her captives. “He’s telling the truth. I can vouch for him, we’ve known each other our whole lives.” The beastly trio cackled while continuing their prowl. Trixie threw up her hooves, “Why are we even up here? Whatever happened to ‘just teleport!’”  Sweat beaded on Starlight’s forehead while she dug through her saddle bags. “We don’t need to do that Trixie! That was just a minor hiccup in an otherwise magicless journey. I can keep us safe. You think I really brought us into the Everfree without any protection?” Starlight let out a little ‘ah’ when she found what she was looking for, she pulled out the wooden crossbow that was buried with the time capsule. The crossbow had definitely seen some action, Starlight ran her hoof over the carving on its handle and eyed her target.  Trixie watched Starlight load an arrow into the crossbow and pulled back the string. She was completely stunned. “I thought that everything was supposed to be returned to the time capsule safely and intact. Why is Trixie having to tell everypony else the rules!”  Starlight used her shoulder to support the crossbows as she rested her head on the stock. She drew in a deep breath, “This is your last chance to back down. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I must.”  It was now the snake's turn to speak. It slivered up as high as it could and locked eyes with Starlight. “My, my. Isn’t this an interesting development.” Its smile caused a shiver to go down Trixie’s spine as she curled in on herself. The snake opened its mouth and ran its serpentine tongue over its fangs, “I hope you know how to use that thing. We have three heads after all. You don’t seem to have too many arrows on you. Three perfect shots at the least. Perhaps you’ll aim for the heart? Or is it hearts? Do you even know what your target is?”  Starlight gulped and readjusted her grip on the crossbow. She glanced at Trixie and took another deep breath. “Trixie. Pinkie Promise me that you won’t tell Fluttershy about what I’m about to do.”  Trixie placed her hooves over her eyes as Starlight mumbled out, “Celestia rest your souls.”  “Did you just say Fluttershy?” The tiger head looked up at Starlight then eyed the goat head suspiciously.  Starlight relaxed and looked at Trixie. The magician found her words first, “Yes, yes she did. Do you… know her?”  The three heads exchanged glances before the goat head spoke up, “Yes we know Fluttershy. She took care of us when we were sick a couple weeks ago. We owe her our lives.”  Starlight regained her wits. “Oh, that's nice. We’re friends with her, so we’ll make sure to tell her thank you on your behalf.”  Trixie rolled her eyes and pouted a bit. She whispered to Starlight, “Well you can call her your friend, but I’d say that she’s more of an acquaintance to Trixie.” “Friends you say.” The tiger scratched his head with his paw. Whispering could be heard as the three heads came together in a huddle.  The tiger cleared his throat and spoke in a significantly less predatory tone than moments prior, “Now that we know that you are friends of Fluttershy. We have decided that we will not rip you apart and devour you.”  The mares could only look on in disbelief as the goat continued, “We owe her one for helping us. Consider this a favor.”  The beast turned its heads and trudged away. It took a moment for Starlight to register what exactly had happened. She looked down at the weapon she was gripping and let out a sigh of relief. She wrapped her hooves around Trixie’s shoulders, and the pair shared a hug in silence as their heartbeats slowed down. Starlight wiped her eyes with a hoof and sniffed. She had come so close to doing something irreversible, something that could haunt her for a lifetime.  Trixie placed a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Don’t be upset with yourself Starlight. I'm sure that if it came down to it, you certainly would have been able to kill that beast in three shots or less.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strangely enough, Starlight was actually relieved to find the swamp. A quick look around showed no signs of large imminent threats. The rays from the midday sun shined through the canopy above as various critters sang a sublime chorus in ribbits and chirps. On a hillside not far from the swamp, sat the dilapidated Castle of The Two Sisters, a monument to a bygone era. The two ponies stood on solid ground as they overlooked the ‘water.’ At the end of the day, this swamp was a possession of the Everfree Forest, it only made sense that the wetland encapsulated the Everfree’s wild and dangerous spirit. Gas bubbles boiled to the water’s surface and burst in an acidic splash. The ponies backed away from the banks as they considered their next move.  “Well, we’ve finally made it to the nasty old swamp. What now?”  Starlight checked over her map one last time before placing it back in her saddle bags. “Well, I guess we have to think intuitively. Assuming that Cloudy wasn’t so cruel, or insane, as to bury the treasure underwater, we should check the dry patches for clues.”  The two made a point to always remain in each other’s eyesight but reasoned that splitting up would speed up the process. They tread carefully as they checked trees and overturned stones. They watched the sun gradually make its way across the sky as they worked. Despite all of their efforts, both of them knew that they had no idea what they were doing here.  Trixie sighed and finally allowed herself to sit down, risking the chance of sitting on something unsavory as she leaned against a tree. Starlight threw the rock that she was holding to the side and made her way over to Trixie. She slumped down next to her and rested her head on the blue mare’s shoulder.  Trixie’s eyes watched the fragments of sky peeking through the leaves and let out a low whistle. “You know, this would be a great time for a very powerful unicorn to search the area quickly with… I don’t know. Maybe an x-ray spell?” Starlight’s ear twitched as a bird flew overhead. She spoke quietly, “That would be a reasonable solution, wouldn’t it? But it's not about the practicality, it’s about the principle.”  The tranquility of the swamp was briefly disrupted as the sound of two mares laughing rang out. It seems that they held a mutual understanding of the absurdity of their situations. They had taken it upon themselves to risk their lives over a bad poem stuffed into a twinkie. Trixie let out one last snort before standing up and taking in her surroundings. She put on her best showmare smile for Starlight and swallowed her frustrations. “I guess if we’re doing this for the principle, we ought to go all out.” She turned to the greater swamp and bellowed out, “Does anycreature here know where the Great and Powerful Trixie can find some buried treasure!”  The showmare’s plea was answered by a swarm of frightened birds taking flight. Starlight giggled as her friend turned around and shrugged playfully. There was a temporary rise in chirps and ribbits as creatures awoke to the sound of talking. Trixie helped Starlight to her hooves. “Thanks Trixie, I really needed that. It seems like we struck out, so I think I owe you a snack.”  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If Starlight learned anything today, it was that hayburgers tasted heavenly after a life-threatening adventure. She was already onto her second #12 with no pickles and saw no sign of slowing down. Trixie sucked up her soda as if it were the sweetest drink known to ponykind. Not much conversation was had between the two mares regarding their day’s events, but it seemed that the two were at an unspoken agreement that the great time capsule mystery was probably better left buried away. Starlight greedily devoured the remainder of her hay fries as she spotted a familiar gray mare ordering at the cash register.  Starlight raised up a hoof and called out to the older Pie in town, “Hey Maud!” The duo watched as Maud casually turned around and solemnly waved to Starlight, she trotted over to their table after receiving her order and sat down. Cyan eyes examined the two ponies before them. Maud’s voice was as somber and serious as ever, “Wow, you two look like you’ve been mucking around in a swamp.” It was a fair, if not oddly on the nose, deduction on Maud’s part. Neither Starlight nor Trixie had taken any measure to clean themselves up before grabbing dinner. Their manes and coats were dirty and in a disarray, and they smelled a little more swampy than usual. The pair knew Maud well enough to recognize that she meant no harm or judgment with her statement, so they felt no shame or hurt. If anything, they became more animated as they regaled the rock farmer with the story of today’s adventure.  Maud read over the original message from Cloudy Whistles as she finished off her onion rings. The two mares waited for her comment on the ambiguity of the riddle; she looked up at them with a dull expression. “Why did you two go to a swamp?” Starlight looked at Maud with a quizzical look. “Because peat, moss, and acid all sound like swamp things?”  Maud placed her hoof on the message, “Really. Peat, moss, and acid sound more like bog things to me.”  Trixie struggled to understand why Starlight and Maud were staring so hard at each other. She placed both of her forehooves on the table. “Bogs! Swamps! Trixie sees no difference. They’re both nasty and gross.”  Maud looked to Trixie and nodded slowly. “You’re right Trixie. Both bogs and swamps can be nasty and gross. But they are different, I was required to take an ecology course in order to get my rocktorate.” She blinked. “It was boring.”  Starlight was beginning to feel itchy. She rubbed the back of her neck. “And what exactly are the differences, Maud?”  Maud seemed to consider her answer for an eternity. “Swamps usually form from the overflow of large bodies of water. Because of this, they can have saltwater, freshwater, or a mix of both. They can act as a transition between land and water.”  Maud looked around before carrying on, “Bogs usually formed in depressions from acidic foundations. Therefore, acidic isn’t a special variation of a bog, but its general state. They can call it acid swamps, but acid bogs are just regular bogs. Although I do think that the word acid is being thrown around with little regard to what it actually means in specific circumstances, but that's not the point. Bogs can also form in a type of moss that works well in peat. The moss colonizes the depression and creates a bog.” Starlight could have sworn that she heard the sound of glass shattering as she mentally evaluated Maud’s words. She licked her lips. “Maud? Do you know of any bogs in the area?”  “Yes. Foggy Bottom Bogg is south of here.”  “Trixie?” Starlight asked. Trixie placed her face into her hooves as she began rocking back and forth.  “Trixie. I need you to be strong.” Starlight pleaded. “Please Starlight! Please! I am so tired! I can’t keep doing this!”  “Remember what you’re doing this for Trixie! The bits! Those precious bits sitting underground, waiting to be found!”  “Oh, Fine!” Trixie turned to Maud with teary eyes and took her forehooves with her own. “Maud, if you have anything more to tell us about this, please do. Trixie can’t survive another fruitless endeavor! No matter how trivial, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Maud took another eternity to think before looking down at the paper, “Line four mentions ‘solar drops.’ I might be reaching here, but that sounds like a synonymous naming for sundew, a common plant type found in bogs.”  Starlight slammed her head against the table and groaned. “This makes so much more sense! I can’t believe I didn’t get it right.”  Maud shook her head sympathetically, “No Starlight. I don’t blame you for being confused. Based on the clunky rhyme scheme alone, I’d assume that this Cloudy Whistles is some sort of a foal instead of a mastermind.”  Starlight looked up at Maud with a grateful expression, “Well at least you drew a logical conclusion. Trixie and I literally thought that we uncovered some conspiracy put together by an organization of ponies working to defeat Nightmare Moon if Celestia and the Elements failed.”  Maud stared off into the distance at nothing in particular. “You know Starlight, there were organizations that foretold Luna’s return. Some even worshiped Nightmare Moon. I believe that organizations were working directly under Celestia herself. Ponies hiding in the shadows. Plotting. Scheming. Waiting. Pulling the strings of everypony and everything as if fate was a marionette waiting to be manipulated. They’d foalnap your loved ones and convert them into lunatics, twisting them into agents of a master plan that none of us could comprehend. They lay dormant, asleep, walking among us as friends and family. Waiting for the inevitable Day of Last Light.” Maud said plainly.  Maud wiped her mouth with a tissue before compiling all of the tables’ trash onto her tray. She got up to throw out the trash and head home for the night, but turned to say one last thing, “With that in mind Starlight, I can guarantee that this message was not written by any of those ponies.”