Twilight inspected the object. It looked typical for a scroll-case, at least on the outside. It was an inch or two in diameter and had two sections of long copper tubing, joined in the middle where the case could be connected or rotated apart. Several decorative rings of polished silver appeared at the ends and at intervals along the length, and flowery designs were etched in twirls throughout the metal.
"This is what was on top of that thing?" Twilight wondered aloud.
"Yes, Twilight," said Fluttershy, glancing over at the wounded ponies. Twilight, caught up in this new puzzle, didn't notice the glance, but Applejack did. "The top was shaped like... like a bowl, and that was lying inside it. I grabbed it without landing or touching anything else." She pawed at the ground.
"Go on, Fluttershy, tend to 'em," said Applejack kindly. Fluttershy gave her an appreciative smile, then trotted away, kneeling beside the bandaged pony and soothing him again.
Hiccup-woooooosh! The scroll popped from Spike's mouth. Caught off guard, he tried to catch it as it fell, but fumbled. He quickly bent over to grab it, unfurling it to read. "From Princess Celestia," he announced; everyone nodded expectantly, but they were unsurprised.
"Twilight Sparkle," it began without preamble, "remain where you are and give the injured what aid you can. We are leaving immediately to come help. Signed, Princess Celestia," Spike finished.
"I think Fluttershy's giving the bestest help we have," piped Pinkie Pie. "Should we open the scroll-case?"
Twilight turned her attention back to the strange case. "I think we should, yes."
Applejack put a hoof to Twilight's shoulder. "This is all pretty strange, Twi. Maybe we should let the Princess look at it first."
Twilight considered that, but shook her head. "Whatever this is, Applejack, it's all very strange. I dreamed about this thing while I was unconscious; or at least, I knew something was up there. But none of it makes much sense. What was this doing up there; how could there be a bowl cut into crystal that just burst from underground? No, I need to see."
She aimed her magic, levitating the case, holding one section of the tube steady and giving the other a firm twist. It slid along the carved channels, spinning around until it came free with a little pop. She pulled that section away.
Inside was a scroll, but one that was heavier than normal. As Twilight unrolled it, something else appeared from the bottom of the roll, dropping onto the ground. They all looked closer, but whatever it was wasn't immediately clear. Twilight levitated it up in the air as well. It was a small piece of... some material, about six by six inches big; it had been tucked in with the scroll. The edges looked ragged and frayed, and in the middle it seemed like somepony had once drew or painted something on it. Although it looked as if it had once been darker, over time it had faded greatly, obscuring whatever it was meant to show.
"Looks like old canvas or something," said Applejack. "Maybe somepony's artwork?" None of them painted, so they couldn't hazard any better guesses.
The scroll itself revealed no useful information either. Like the other object, it had faded considerably, though the paper itself had remained sturdy enough not to crumble. It had obviously had writing of some sort on it once, but it was indecipherable now, especially under the bright sun. Moving it to Twilight's shadow didn't make it legible.
"Looks like you were right, Applejack," she said, re-rolling both items and tucking them back in the case. "We'll have to see if Princess Celestia has any idea what these are."
Rarity had finished whatever scavenging she had intended, and called out to them with a "yoo-hoo!" from over by Fluttershy and the two businessponies. She had taken the corners of some of their bunk blankets and tied them to the wooden pieces that separated the now-absent window panes of the fallen passenger car. The opposing corners were tied to long, thin poles from who-knows-where which she jammed as far out in the ground as the blankets would stretch. The whole thing served to shade the injured ponies, and Rarity beckoned the rest of them over.
"We should stay as cool as possible," she said as they walked to the makeshift shelter. "I don't think any drink containers would be unbroken here. Do we know if help is coming?"
"Yes," nodded Twilight, sitting down along with Applejack and Spike, laying the scroll-case next to her. "We got a letter to Princess Celestia and she responded. If they go at normal velocity, well, actually somewhat faster..."
"Good, good, darling," interrupted Rarity hastily. From the rear of the train, the line's staff appeared. One of them limped painfully, trying not to use a leg that was blistered and scorched, presumably from the burning coal as Applejack had mentioned. The other engineer and the conductor were carrying a few cases which they set on the ground as they joined the rest of the ponies in the shade.
"Some food in those, but not much," the unburnt engineer said. He looked at the group, not knowing who had taken charge.
"Help is on its way," said Twilight, before they could ask. The three of them looked visibly relieved.
"How badly are they hurt?" asked the conductor, indicating the two injured ponies.
Fluttershy spoke up, a look of concern on her golden face. "He's been knocked out," she pointed at the unconscious pony, "I don't think we can do anything more than keep him cool. The other one," she said, gently touching the moaning, bandaged one, "he's been cut badly... he'll need stitches... "
Rarity leaped to her hooves. "Stitches? Fluttershy, my kit! I brought needles and thread; you never know when a dress will need a quick touch-up. Pinkie Pie, our things?"
"You betcha!" Pinkie cried excitedly. "I know just where it is." She nearly dove into the pile of pony packs she had brought from the wreckage; clothing and personal items and packs flew aside as she dug into them.
Fluttershy looked dubious. "Rarity, I don't know. Shouldn't the medic ponies... "
"We don't know exactly how long til they arrive, Fluttershy... "
"As I was trying to say, if they go at least 60, no, 65 hoofs per minute... wait, they're flying, so... "
"... aaaand if he keeps bleeding through our bandages," Rarity trailed off the thought.
The pegasus gave a little sigh, but looked down at the blood-soaked leg and steeled her resolve, changing to a look of determination. "Okay, somepony will have to help hold him still... "
"You got it." Applejack moved to the injured pony's side.
"... and thread the needle... "
"Here it is!" Pinkie bounded back with the kit in tow.
"Allow me, Fluttershy." The kit popped open as Rarity's horn glowed a soft blue. Numerous compartments slid out with needles and many hues of threads showing within them. She pulled out one needle and a spool, quickly threading the end through the needle and tying it off, then levitating it towards Fluttershy, who grabbed the non-pointy end in her mouth.
Twilight held onto the stallion's leg while Applejack pressed her weight on his body. Spike, at a word from Fluttershy, used his claw to slice away the accumulated bandaging. Blood welled up from the wound, though not as strongly as before. Rarity, flinching just a mite, patted at the wound with a bit of cloth, trying to wipe it clear. Pinkie Pie had broken off the tail of one of the fireworks she had packed, placing the wooden stick in the stallion's mouth for him to bite down on. She sat near his head, and the two of them touched hoof to hoof as she smiled at him.
Fluttershy inhaled, then let out part of her breath. She lowered her head, biting down to keep the needle steady, piercing the pony's flesh at one end of the long gash, pulling the needle through along with a long trail of the attached thread.
After several minutes of patting down the wound and trailing v's of thread across it, Fluttershy let another breath out in a big puff. The bleeding had greatly diminished, though the injury still looked rather unpleasant. She stood up, visibly shaking but looking pleased. Rarity and Spike measured, cut, and wrapped fresh bandages around the leg while Twilight held it up.
The ponies opened up the food cases and split some hay sandwiches between them, leaving second servings for all of them and two for the unconscious stallion, if he should awaken. They nibbled and swallowed the food appreciatively. All they could do was wait.
~ ~ ~
The sun continued to blaze down, inching across the sky, but the ponies stayed relatively cool in the shadow of the blankets. They lay on the cushions Rarity had brought out, and some of the ponies rested their heads and their eyes.
Suddenly, Pinkie called out. "There! They're coming!" Roused by the noise, the ponies got to their hooves, trying to look where the piny pony pointed, and they moved out from under the shelter.
Three specks in the sky took form, drawing closer and showing themselves to be three chariots, each pulled by two pegasi in royal guard armor. The first chariot landed; it was empty of ponies but had a few cases tied down to it. The second chariot had three ponies sitting abreast; they wore white outfits brightly emblazoned with a red medical cross. As their chariot landed, they bounded from it, hastening to the first one to grab the cases. They approached the group, two of them rushing to the side of the bandaged stallion who was visibly injured. Fluttershy spoke to them, her quiet voice explaining the severity of the situation.
From the third vehicle stepped the graceful co-ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, lacking her customary smile and charm, instead appearing deeply troubled. Rainbow Dash had been sitting beside the Princess; Dash leaped out, using her wings to drift down to her friends. At the chariots, the six royal pegasi guards huffed heavily, worn from the fast pace, and sat on the ground to rest.
"Ran into them while I was flying for help," said Dash.
Spike and the ponies, except for Dash (who had arrived with her) and Fluttershy (who was intent on the wounded), gave the Princess brief but respectful bows, stretching their front legs to lower their heads.
"Twilight," said Celestia, looking over the group. "Tell me about the injured before we discuss anything else."
"There's two businessponies who took the most damage," said Twilight. "One's been out cold this whole time; the other was badly cut, but we helped Fluttershy stitch it up. Hopefully good enough for a first try," she added.
"This is well done, actually," called out one of the medics. "We may only have to adjust it a bit."
Celestia walked closer to the shelter, and the group followed. "Fluttershy, thank you for your kind action."
Fluttershy blushed a light pink. "Any... anypony would have done the same," she murmured.
"One of the engineers was also burned by the coal furnace," Twilight continued, but the engineer was already being attended to by the third medic. "Everypony else was only bruised up."
"Medics, please load the wounded onto two of the chariots when you feel they are safe to move," commanded the Princess. "There are three more coming that will carry the rest of us and your things," she explained to Twilight and the others, "but slower, since we had to get here quickly for the injured ponies. Twilight, will you explain what occurred here?"
The pair ambled apart from the group as the others went to help move the stallions and gather up belongings.
Twilight explained to the Princess what had happened: about the sudden quake; how the black crystal had sprung from the ground and destroyed the track, causing the wreck; how she had shielded her friends and been knocked out. She hesitated, but skipped telling the Princess about the dream, although she wasn't sure why she did so. She settled for relating their efforts to care for the hurt ponies, to find food or water, to build the shade-providing shelter, and lastly she spoke of the discovery Fluttershy had brought down to the group.
The Princess looked very concerned, but Twilight added one more thing. "Princess Celestia... this tower - it looks like something from the Crystal Empire, only... not quite. It's not the only thing, either, there's this... goo. Could King Sombra somehow be responsible for this?" She pointed at the ground which led to the tower, over which the splashes of black crud had landed.
"Twilight, my faithful student... I must be honest when I say I have never seen the likes of this before. The crystal resembles those he controlled, yes, but as for this - substance, I cannot give you an answer. I have faith that the King was banished by the actions of you, your friends, your brother, and Princess Cadance. Even if that were not so, the Crystal Empire is far, far away to the north. Tell me about this scroll you recovered."
Twilight eagerly twisted open the scroll case, levitating the scroll and canvas piece out of it.
The Princess stared for a moment at them, but shook her head. "I cannot make manes or tails out of this. The artistry and writing has faded too much from both."
Twilight's head drooped. "So we don't have any answers or explanations, then."
"Do not despair so soon, young one." The Princess raised a hoof to gently lift her student's head back up. "There may be a spell that can help in the Canterlot library. If," she raised an eyebrow and a little grin, "you are up for some research?"
Twilight almost reared up in excitement, but bowed to the Princess again. "Absolutely, Princess!"
"That's what I like to hear," smiled Celestia. She turned to the wreckage. "Before we left, I sent a messenger who will inform the Ponyville branch about this incident. Unfortunately, until we learn more about this crystal and why it has shown up here, we will have to keep the line closed. I do not want to risk anypony tampering with it yet. I will see about assigning some more ponies to aid in recovering what salvage is left here."
They rejoined the group just as two of the chariots took off, each one bearing some of the medics and the injured. The other engineer, the conductor, and Twilight's group remained. They sat in the shade once more, speaking with the Princess to pass the time, explaining their versions of the events in greater detail. Most of them kept giving anxious glances towards the tower or the sky, but they had only about fifteen minutes to wait before the rest of the chariots arrived.
The nine ponies split up into three of the chariots, placing the bulk of their possessions into the fourth before departing.