//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: It came from Froggy Bottom Bog! // Story: Before the Age of Harmony // by Ex-Nihilos //------------------------------// Chapter 2 “Spike! Take a letter,” Twilight said as she carefully wrapped the old tome in paper. From nearby the young dragon snapped into action and quickly found himself a quill and parchment. Dipping the pen into a well of ink his hand stood poised to dictate. “Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began as she had happily begun every message to her mentor, “recently I have found a strange book in my library detailing a story from long ago but I cannot seem to find any other record that acknowledges that the book or its story has ever existed. I’m not sure if it is a fairy tale or if there is any truth to it and I was hoping that your vast knowledge of Equestrian history could help me figure out the story behind this book and… well its story. You should receive the tome in question within a day and any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated. You’re student Twilight. You get all that Spike?” As she finished speaking she put the finishing touches by wrapping the paper covered book in string and tying it up. Scribbling the finishing touches on the letter Spike answered,”aaaand done,” putting the quill away he wrapped up the letter and placed a seal on it. Inhaling he breathed out a flume of green fire that burn the letter up and sent it on its way. “Hey Twilight, why is it I don’t just send that book along with the letter anyway?” the young dragon asked. Twilight, using her magic, took a quill from her own desk to write down on the package the address to the Princess’ castle. As the pen drifted back to her desk she answered, “Well Spike I’m not sure how old this book really is and it looks pretty fragile. I’m worried that using magic on it might ruin it or won’t work. Besides I don’t really like the idea of you burning one of my books up even if you’re sending it to the Princess.” Spike meanwhile shrugged as he followed Twilight outside. Just outside the door and on time as always was the mailmare Pegasus. Twilight never really caught the name of the grey pony with the bubbles cutie mark but she had heard before from other ponies her name might be Derpy. Twilight was reluctant to call her that because it might have been just a nickname of some kind for her, likely stemming from the mare’s lopsided gaze which the young unicorn tried her best not to stare at. “Here you are,” Twilight said as she passed along the package to Derpy as she floated in place, “please, I mean if you could, be careful with it? It’s sort of fragile.” Derpy gave a smart salute and quickly turned and flew in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner to deliver the Cake’s mail. “I hope the Princess gets back to us soon,” Spike commented, “I really want to know if that story is true or not! I mean to think I might have some great-great-great-great-great grandfather that lived with ponies too!” Twilight gave a light laugh at the young dragon’s enthusiasm, “Me too, Spike. To think such an old book like that escaped me all this time. I almost wished I read it more times before sending it off.” Spike snorted a laugh, “Twilight you read that book like four times yesterday and once again this morning. How many more times do you need to read the same thing?” Twilight smiled as she began to walk down the path towards Sweet Apple Acres, “Oh just until it isn’t as interesting anymore.” Both of them already knew the answer was that Twilight had yet to find a book that had ever stopped being interesting. --- “So what’s the plan for today Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Scootaloo happily asked the two other foals in the red wagon she pulled behind her trusty scooter. Hitting the breaks the scooter shrieked as it skidded to a stop right before the Cutie Mark Crusader’s clubhouse. From the back Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hopped out of the wagon. Sweetie Belle spoke first, “I’ve got an idea girls, what if our cutie marks are in rock climbing?” Applebloom frowned and shook her head, “ah don’t know Sweetie Belle, I think rock climbing be hard for any pony,” she said looking at her hooves. The three fillies gave a collective “hmmmm,” as they contemplated what they should try next to earn their cutie marks. The idea finally came from Scootaloo, “Ah I know!” she cried out, “we can try exploring the Everfree forest!” Sweetie Belle smiled widely, “hey yeah! Why we could be…” Both other ponies caught on to their friend’s idea and shouted out together, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JUNGLE EXPLORERS! YAY!” The three laughed together as they walked in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage to get to the Everfree forest. “So what exactly would we be explorin’ anyway?” Applebloom asked. Scootaloo shrugged and said,” well we could go visit Zecora and see if she needs any more herbs.” Appleboom grinned at the mention of their Zebra friend, the young pony always enjoyed visiting the rhyming Zecora and helping mix the different potions and brews that she was famous for. “Hey yeah!” Applebloom explained, “and maybe she knows any interesting places in the forest that we could explore!” Sweetie Belle though seemed unsure of the idea now as she began to remember their last encounter with the forest with Fluttershy. She didn’t want to run into something like that cocka-doo things and be turned to stone. Then again it was still day out compared to the frightening night that they had entered the forest. They wouldn’t be that far deep into the forest too, Zecora’s hut is only on the edge of the Everfree forest and pretty safe. Besides, Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t afraid of anything! Talking and laughing with one another the trio made their way past Fluttershy’s cottage into the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy busy chasing after Angel with a carrot didn’t notice the three young foals enter the forest. “Just one more bite, Angel, please!” she cried as she chased after the hopping rabbit in and around her chicken coop. If only she had seen the three fillies and perhaps she would have gone with them and the Cutie Mark Crusaders wouldn’t have stumbled into the danger that awaited them in the forest. --- A loud resounding thwak! Was heard across the orchard as the tree was struck. Applejack turned around to see the apples fall into the waiting buckets below. Satisfied she smiled happily and loaded the buckets onto her cart, all the while humming to herself a tune. “Finally! Last tree of the day!” she said as she stepped in front of the last apple laden tree of her Orchard. Turning around she prepared to buck the tree’s trunk but stopped short upon hearing the sound of snoring up above in the tree tops. “huh?” she said, backing up to get a better view she caught sight of a rainbow colored tail and cyan colored leg. “Hey Rainbow Dash! You’re gonna wanna wake up if’n you don’t want to fall out of that there tree!” Applejack shouted up to the tree’s sleeping occupant. She should of guessed Rainbow Dash had been sleeping in one of her trees again though that pony always seemed to sleep all over the place. She was either up in the clouds or sleeping in a tree during the afternoon when her duties on weather patrol weren’t needed. There was a start and a shake in the tree, causing some leaves to fall. A second later Rainbow’s face appeared through the brush. “Oh, sorry ‘bout that, Applejack,” she said groggily. Her head disappeared again into the tree and it took only a split moment for her to bound out of the tree and land smoothly on the ground. Yawning she smiled, “Didn’t mean to get in the way there but your trees are just way too comfortable.” Laughing AJ went up to the tree and bucked its trunk. The tree shook and the apples fell from the tree easily, “don’t sweat it, sugarcube,” she replied,” just wanna get this orchard done fer today before our Pet outing later today.” Turning around she frowned,” say now where is Tank anyway? I hope I didn’t just kicked that turtle out of the tree just now.” “Tortoise,” Rainbow Dash corrected her while gleefully smiling at her friend. Applejack merely rolled her eyes as Rainbow Dash continued, “anyway I left Tank with Fluttershy for today. Busy morning moving the clouds so I figured I earned a quick nap before I went to go get him and Fluttershy for our outing. Hefting the bucket filled with apples into the last spot open on her cart Applejack spoke, “good to hear. Let me get these apples up to the barn and Winona and I ‘ll come join ya.” “Hey Applejack, Rainbow Dash!” The pair turned to see a purple pony approach with a little dragon following close behind. “Hey Twilight, hey Spike,” Rainbow Dash said, “what are you two doin’ here?” Covering the last of the distance Twilight answered, “Well I came by to see if AJ needed any help getting the last of her apples done before the picnic today but looks like I’m too late. Sorry about that, Applejack.” “No problem,” Applejack said, putting the harness on to pull her cart she offered the unicorn a smile, “I actually got done pretty early today. Guess you didn’t have much else to do, huh?” “Well not exactly,” Twilight said. Taking Applejack’s motion as a hint that she wanted to get moving she walked in step next to the Earth pony. Spike meanwhile took this opportunity to ride in the cart and inspecting the buckets in search for the perfect apple to snack on. Rainbow Dash meanwhile took flight and hovered slightly above the two. Looking confused the cyan Pegasus asked her friend, “what do you mean Twi?” “Well I found this very strange book yesterday that I’ve been reading all day. I’m not really sure what to make of it so I sent it off to the Princess this morning.” Twilight responded. “Yeah,” Spike said from the cart, “Twlight told me it was all about how Dragons used to live with ponies a way long time ago!” “Dragons and ponies?” Applejack asked, her face contorting in disbelief, “that sounds a bit farfetched there Spike.” Rainbow nodded in agreement with the blond pony, “yeah every dragon we ever met was just plain mean. I don’t think I could see them ever living with ponies.” “Well,” Twilight said, “if there is any truth to it apparently they didn’t just live with ponies but they taught the Pegasi how to control the weather and new ways for Earth Ponies to grow crops.” There was a moment of silence before the two other ponies started laughing. “Boy howdy!” Applejack said, “the very thought. I mean really? Since when did dragons grow apples or for that matter need to teach an Earth Pony how to grow anything?” “Pfft yeah,” Rainbow Dash said in kind, “I mean Pegasi have known how to control the weather since…. Well like forever!” Twilight laughed too, she could understand how they felt and for that matter she wasn’t sure she believed it all herself. Spike meanwhile wasn’t so amused,” hey! You’re forgetting I’m a dragon too. I like to think there was a time where more dragons lived with ponies like me. I bet you’re not giving us a lot of credit here. “Ah’m sorry Spike,” Applejack said after she had stopped laughing, “it’s just that ah can’t begin to imagine any dragon making one of them nests of theirs out of hoards of gold and gems down here in Ponyville. Why that’d be as out of place as an apple among oranges!” Soon enough the trio of ponies plus one dragon reached the Apple farm’s barn. With the help of her friends AJ took out the apple filled buckets from her cart and lined them up with the rest of the day’s harvest next to the barn. They joked with one another and laughed together preparing to leave for their picnic today when suddenly Applejack stopped and frowned. Twilight turned to her friend and tilted her head, “Applejack? What’s the matter?” “Hm? Oh nothing, I just thought that Applebloom would be here to do her chores. Looks like there’s no sign of her.” She said. Rainbow Dash waved a hoof, “Ah I bet she’s out with her friends trying to find their cutie marks again.” Applejack, still frowning, had to agree, “yeah guess’n you’re right. Hope she and those little fillies don’t go getting into trouble again…” --- “I must thank you again, my little fillies, for helping me restock my shelves oh so quickly.” Zecora said. Placing a jar of freshly gathered mint onto its spot on the shelf she turned to smile at the three of them. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were smiling back though Scootaloo looked bored. “Our pleasure Zecora! Now that we helped ya you think you could point us in the way of someplace in the forest that we could explore?” “Places to explore, why whatever for?” Zecora asked perplexed with the question. Scootaloo looked up from the mask she had been staring at for a good part of her time, “We want to try and get our Cutie Marks.” “Your cutie marks you say?” “Yeah!” Scootaloo said, rejoining with her friends they shouted together, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS JUNGLE EXPLORERS! YAY!” Zecora winced at the volume of their cheer and looked around at her shaken ingredients but breathed a sigh of relief when the jingling ended and nothing fell. Frowning at the trio Zecora shook her head, “Now, now little ones. The forest is far too dangerous for little fillies to go exploring. You should run back home now and forget about such venture, perhaps another adventure.” The three little ponies looked like their hopes had been crushed. Downtrodden they filed out of Zecora’s hut. Applebloom sighed and looked to her two friends, “now whatta we do girls?” Scootaloo thought for a moment. Struck with an idea she exclaimed, “I know! When we were out gathering the herbs for Zecora I saw Froggy Bottom Bog through the trees. I say we go back there and see what we can find!” “Didn’t Zecora tell us to go back home though?” Sweetie Belle asked with a worried frown. “Hmm,” Applebloom hummed, “well if’n we took the long way home- why we’d have to go right by Froggy Bottom Bog anyway. What’s the harm in stoppin’ by?” Sweetie Belle grinned and nodded, “hey you’re right! Well let’s get going then!” Turning off the path the Cutie Mark Crusaders went deeper into the forest on their detour to Froggy Bottom Bog. Just as Scootaloo said she found the way there easy enough. The three of them had never been this deep into the forest before and the sense of excitement and adventure was with them all. They were slightly disappointed though that all they found though was mud and muck. “Wow,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, “this place is a page right out of one of Rarity’s nightmares. Is there a word stronger than uncouth?” “Beats me!” Scootaloo said as she hopped from one swamp bubble to the next. Applebloom meanwhile was enjoying herself by bouncing on one like a trampoline. “Uncouth or not!” Applebloom said, “this is great! Come on Sweetie Belle!” Giggling, Sweetie Belle jumped onto the same bubble as Applebloom and hopped with her. Scootaloo in her run did not realize she was getting some distance away from her friends. When she turned to see where they were she didn’t see the giant brown rock that jutted up from the swamp. “Oof!” She cried, hitting the rock hard and fall back down onto a bubble. The bubble although nearly popped managed to bounce back and hold the small pony stand on it. Shaking the stars from her sight Scootaloo got back up to see what exactly she ran into. Going back up to the brown rock she admitted she found it to be strange. It looked soft and scaly, squishy instead of a rock. It almost seemed like it was part of some great creature instead of a rock. The little pony’s thought quickly turned to reality. Backing away from the ‘rock’ Scootaloo saw from behind it five long scaly trunks rise up from the swamp. The ‘rock’ shifted away from her and rose from the much, dragging a scaly claw with it to the surface. There was a hiss as the creature’s five massive heads turned to look down upon Scootaloo. Each of the Hydra’s heads smiled with wicked intent.