"What do you mean? I told you not to spoil the ending!" Tornado dropped the books she was carrying on the table and swiped the book containing the culprit story from her friend. Her eyes moved across the pages and she sighed. "Actually, that's about par for the course."
"Wait, you mean that the rest of the stories were just as sad?" Firelock was taken aback.
"Tornado just nodded and flipped through a few more pages. "Well, some were sadder and I think one story so far had the main character turn into a prince--"
"Well that's good, right?"
"--but then he got eaten by a dragon."
"Rats."
"I didn't like that moral. It basically said 'if you're an Earth Pony you'd better work or you'll starve and die.'" Half Note crossed her arms and harrumphed. Firelock chimed in.
"Well, I guess for the time it was made it made sense. They didn't have all the farming stuff we have now back then..."
"It's still dumb and mean. But at least they mentioned Earth pony magic, which, SURPRISE! It's growing stuff."
"And that Earthen Spirit. Whatever it's name was." Tornado tried to help as well. "That's why we have these other books, so we can see if they mention the others."
The pink filly turned her head away. "I don't think I wanna read anymore..."
Firelock groaned and grabbed her friend by the shoulders, making her look at her.
"So, what? You're just gonna pout? We spent a whole week reading that political jargon--heck, I even know what 'jargon' means now--and you're gonna quit because some old pony's tale made you sad?" Both ponies made faces, one a glare and one a hurt look to the side.
"...Fine. I guess there's no point in quitting. But I wanna read a different book, in case this one has all the sad stories." She reached for the new pile.
"Yay!" Tornado clapped her hooves together. "I wanted that one back anyway. I can't leave a book unfinished, it's like quitting a race early. It's just no fun."
Each filly grabbed a book and continued reading stories told to ponies before the time of Celestia. Stories were told of Pegasi falling to inferior opponents from underestimating them, of Unicorns outwitting their adversity, and of Earth Ponies generally getting it stuck to them unless they worked their flanks off. Unicorn princes were punished for their avarice and sloth with the removal of their horns, forcing them to labor in the fields, Pegasi warriors who committed treason or abandoned their loyalties often lost their wings, while if an Earth Pony failed, they died. Even some who succeeded, who had done all they could right, died--albeit perhaps a better death.
Repeatedly it was shown that you could fight fate by sticking to your virtues and your better natures--unless you were an Earth Pony, in which case you had better hope you were the maiden being rescued by the Pegasi warrior or the Unicorn prince. And with each fable that left the Earth Ponies sitting in the dust while the other ponies got their share of glory, every story that made it clear it was better to be a Unicorn or Pegasus, Half Note curled up tighter, wanting nothing more than to throw the book away. As she came to the close of a story in which two Earth Ponies had fought over a place to build their house, only for a Unicorn to explain that she had just finished building her house and if they would kindly leave her property, the scream she wanted to let out was cut short by an outburst from Firelock.
"Hey! I found one: 'Aestrak, who dries the water from Winter and endless Spring, who brings the seedling from the Earth, would not come that year, and many ponies starved--"
"Oh goody, another one where all the ponies die." Half Note slammed her own book shut. Firelock cleared her throat and continued.
"Er-HERM. T'was not until that brave Earth Pony set out, feeling in his bones that the magik within him had no spirit, that any pony had any hope. Many a mare and stallion bade him not to go--that to seek the Temple of Aestrak was to invite death itself. Markus acknowledged this, bringing nothing with him. He traveled far and long, stopping only to drink from the flooded rivers and to eat what roots and vines could sustain in a land without Summer. He traveled far, far south, into the land of the dragons and the phoenix, where he found the Temple of Earth's oldest and youngest Son, adorned with golden pillars and grapes of the vines.
"'He entered with reverence, for he knew whom he approached. Surrounded by dragonlings and firebirds resplendant sat a great drake, whose golden scales and wings of greenery smelt of the freshest grain. Markus had to hold himself steady, as he swayed from the hunger brought on by such a sweet scent. He bowed low to the Spirit, and waited to be acknowledged. The booming voice spake like wind over a field.
'"What do ye wish from me, younger brother?"
'"Great one, spirit of Fire and Harvest, I come to speak for my tribe. Long have we awaited your coming to dry the fields and let our harvest grow--but you have yet to spread your wings for us, and my kin starve. Is there that which I may do, to spare those for whom I care?"
"'I have waited just as long for one such as yourself--one to acknowledge my importance. For so long the praise was given all to my sister and mother, and so many curses upon me for my harshness. I feared I would rot away in her till my younger and older brother came round once more. What is your name, child?"
"'Markus, great one."
"'Markus, your bravery and reverence shall not be forgotten as long as I live. Return to your people, and I shall be there before you. You will be met with great jubilation, for all shall know of your true self.' And lo, the great dragon bestowed upon the young stallion a mark unseen amongst the Ponies of the Earth--a great sheild, with a sword through it, was adorned upon his thigh. And he returned on his trek, to see the labors of his cousins had borne fruit unlike any known to the season, and the unusual mark upon his hide rang through to all those who saw it, and they knew he had brought the Summer Harvest back to them and yadda yadda yadda then he was the chief of his tribe for a really long time I guess. That was kind of longer than I expected wow." The unicorn leaned back and sighed. "I think I need a glass of water."
Half Note blinked. "So wait a minute. They're saying a Dragon is an Earth Spirit thing? I thought Dragons were all about flying and fire and...hot stuff."
"They do eat gems." Tornado chirped."I can't think of anything else that'll eat any kind of rock."
"Okay, I'll give you that one. So where did it say they were...?" Half Note took the book and looked at it. Firelock spared her the trouble of reading it.
"South, far south--as in the Dragon Wastes. That's a loooong way away." Firelock tapped one hoof on the table and held her head up with the other, her face scrunched up in thought.
"Yeah, didn't Twilight and Spike and a couple other of the Elements head down there some time? They were gone for weeks." Tornado was buzzing her wings excitedly. "Wouldn't that be neat? Seeing some ancient temple? It'd be just like a Daring Do book, those were my favorite when I was little..."
"It's our only lead--but how are we gonna get there? It's not like there's a train like there is to the Crystal Empire, and no way our parents would take us." Firelock messed with her mane again.
The table was quiet for a while, no pony wanting to speak up. Half Note broke the silence.
"Well, we don't have to tell them..."
"WHAT. We're supposed to just leave and let them call out the Wonderbolts for a search and rescue squad or something? What if somepony in town gets accused of foalnapping, or a slave trade ring, or murder, or all of the above? And we just come waltzing back in after Ponyville has been split in two over the legal trials and accusations and worries and say 'oh sorry we just wanted to research magic and stuff.' No way, man!" Firelock crossed her forehooves and harrumphed.
Half Note blinked. "I meant we tell them we're going on a field trip to Canterlot or something. Maybe we fake a note from Cherilee and then we tell Cherilee we're visiting a friend. Or something. Don't listen to me, I'm just a dumb Earth Pony." Firelock shrunk back under the blue, accusatory, squinted eyes her pink friend leveled at her. Her mouth worked around, like it was trying to form the words, before she sighed.
"You're right, actually. That's not a half bad plan. From what I heard, Spike was fine until he started messing with the Dragons themselves, and there's three of us. We'll have to tell someone where we went though, in case something goes wrong and they do need to send a rescue squad."
The other two foals nodded in agreement. Tornado stroked her chin.
"Yes, but who can we trust to not tell anyone unless we're gone too long?" She eyed the ceiling. "Who is the best pony at keeping secrets?"
All three fillies looked at each other, nodded, and deadpanned. There was only one pony they could trust with something so important. They spoke in unison:
"Pinkie Pie."