//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 -- High Noon // Story: The Earth Ponies // by RomanCandle //------------------------------// After the incident with the train, the trio was infinitely more cautious, at the cost of their travel time. The first day following, Half Note had carried Firelock on her back until about noon, at which point she had been too tired to continue. Tornado Bolt spent the entirety of the day looking guilty and doing everything she felt was useful. She hadn't told Firelock what she had said while she was unconscious, but she still felt guilty about it. The unicorn had explained that her mother had been a student at Princess Celestia's school and had focused her education on emotion spells--they were among the harder classes of magic--but the particular one she'd used was rather simple; a motivation spell. Lots of the students would use it to help them study or get out of a slump. Firelock had tried to learn the spells that her mother knew, but for the most part they were too hard for her to manage. That was about the best she could do--pass out and magically incur about the same effects as caffeine and a motivational speaker. When her friends asked how she turned it off when she was in the state she was, she explained. "Well, when you're using magic, you can kind of feel where what you're doing is at--like how you know where your hooves are even when you're not looking at them. Once I felt Half Note close enough, I...well, I let go, I guess." The days following had passed in relative peace. The further they pulled from the Everfree, the fewer savage dangers there were--perhaps excluding a tribe of Buffalo they hid from, whose nature they decided to not research--and there was little of interest but the shades of fire at dawn and dusk. Now, though, they had reached the end of the arid grasslands and desert clime that made up Equestria's southern border, and the Badlands stretched menacingly forward. Bouts of steam issued from bubbling pits in the ground, and the sounds of Dragons in their nests carried over the open air. A gigantic volcano dominated the horizon, and silhouettes of the great beasts could be seen circling and spiraling above it, occasionally spewing gouts of flame. Any paths were obscured by the brief forested area that surrounded the fiery crater, nourished on volcanic ash. The three fillies gulped in unison. They were small. They were prey. They were alone. They were also determined. Half Note sat down and opened her backpack, pulling out the notepad on which they had noted what they felt they would need to remember. She sat down and looked at what was listed. Laccarentia --Fourth Spirit Aestrak --Summer Temple-- --Dragon Wastes --Phoenixes? --Gold and Grapes It was not the longest list. She made a face. "It didn't say much about where exactly the temple was. This might be harder than I was hoping." Firelock rolled her eyes and laid down. "We figured that out a while back. You know, with all the starving and murder trains." Tornado Bolt blushed and looked away. "We'll just keep heading south, and keep our eyes peeled for Phoenixes. Phoenexi? I dunno. Firebirds. There are dragons all over by the volcano but I'm not too interested in brushing up with them." Half Note sighed and nodded, putting the unhelpful notes away. "I guess that makes sense. We should probably also check the areas with trees first, because I don't think any grapes or stuff like that will grow well out there in the badlands." She stood up and shook herself free of dust. Firelock tilted her head and looked away to the trees. "Ya know, there's probably a bunch of places for predators to hide and ambush us in there..." "...As opposed to being out in the open where any hungry dragon could swoop down us because we have nowhere to hide?" Half Note shuffled her hooves. Firelock remained laying down, but turned her head to respond. "I thought dragons ate gems, not ponies." "Do you feel like betting your life on it?" A smirk from Half Note was met by a frown from Firelock. "No...Okay, fine. But can I just lay down for a little longer? I'm sick of walking." The Unicorn pleaded with her facial expression. The Earth Pony didn't buy it. "We all are, Firelock. Now geddup, sooner we find it the sooner we can go home and..." She trailed off. Home meant no more walking, sleeping in real beds, and eating real, Pony-prepared food again. It meant family and friends and safety--and a bit of being in trouble, surely. She shook her head, focusing on what she was saying. "...The sooner we can go home and stop walking so much." She nudged her protesting friend up. Tornado Bolt just waited, hovering and looking towards the volcanic nest of drakes till her friends began their trek again. She hadn't pulled out of her guilty funk, and spoke almost exclusively to point out potential dangers or points of interest. Both of her friends had asked her if she was fine, more than once. She would respond with a nod or an unenthusiastic "Fine." They were worried about her, but she was determined to be the best scout possible to make up for her failure at the bridge. The forest was almost a jungle, filed with lush plants that thrived in the humid atmosphere. Despite the shade, it was uncomfortably warm, heat rising from the ground. Tornado Bolt reluctantly gave up her position above to walk through the brush--it was too thick and tangled for her to fly through. However, they saw no animal larger than a squirrel, though many were far more reptilian than the fuzzy animals of home. But no sign of a Firebird nest. The day drug onwards and their canteens emptied faster than ever, the heat and humidity making them sweat futilely. When Firelock pointed out that the light filtering through the trees was fading, Half Note and Tornado sighed and collapsed with a sigh of relief. Firelock only abstained out of some sort of pride. The vote to abstain using a tent was unanimous. The slight breeze through the forest was their only reprieve from the heat. The fire, however, won out on a vote of safety. Firelock and Half Note both curled up on their blankets and fell asleep quickly. Tornado, however, stared into the fire until her eyes hurt. She then turned her eyes towards the stars, falling backwards with a sigh. She couldn't see enough to pick out any constellations--not that she remembered most of them, but it was saddening to only get a snapshot of an otherwise familiar sky. Guilt ate at her heart. If she hadn't been so distracted by the thermals, she might have seen the train sooner, and then they could have turned back or moved across a little faster. If she had seen it coming, Firelock wouldn't have had to hurt herself pushing her magical limits. And to think what she said to Firelock, her best friend. She had called her a coward when she had really been trying her best to help. The Pegasus blinked her eyes and looked away from the sky, and rather to the forest. If she couldn't sleep, might as well do something useful and keep an eye out for predators. This wasn't Everfree, but that didn't automatically mean it was safe. She blinked again, trying to clear the fog of moisture, and once more to clear the glowing lights imprinted within her eyes. The first one succeeded and her vision cleared significantly. The second did not. The lights remained, obnoxious reds and yellows and oranges. Actually, they were really pretty. Glowing like little specks of fire in the trees... Another blink as her brain worked. She sat up and spun around, tangling her blanket around her hind hooves. She rubbed her eyes with her front ones, making sure she wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, there was a little path of living torches stretching out and towards the south, growing thicker the further they went. Watching carefully, they moved and flickered like fire, but her suspicions were confirmed when one flew down and settled with another. Her wings buzzed with excitement and pulled her up and out of the tangled blanket. She flew between her friends, shaking and poking and prodding and shouting to wake them. "Guys guys guys guys guys guys! Look look look look look LOOK!" Firelock groaned and pulled herself up, shaking herself like a dog in an attempt to wake up. "What is so important that it can't wait till morning?" Half Note was a little slower on the uptake, but transitioned faster. "Is there danger? What's wrong?" She looked around wildly till Tornado Bolt took her head in her hooves and pointed her towards the pathway lit by living light. Tornado's face lit up to match. "Phoenix Nests! I bet if we follow them south, we'll find the temple! See how they get thicker the further you go? It's gotta lead there cuz the story said something about it being "surrounded by firebirds resplendent" and LOOK at all of them! It totally fits!" Firelock's attention had been grabbed, and she let out a whistle as Half Note just stared, mouth agape. "Wow, that's really bright. I bet you can't see their nests during the day, and they're all out flying anyway. But at night, they glow and make a path that's so easy to follow..." She grinned. "It's the best bet we got, and it'll be a LOT nicer walking at night. As much as I hate to give up sleep, we can sleep when it's too hot to walk." She took off running excitedly down the path, and Tornado wooshed after her, choosing to fly close to the ground. Half Note gaped for a moment more before joining them. The Firebirds squawked as the three fillies tore through the underbrush and into the heart of their nesting territory. The relative cool brought on by night invigorated them, and their bags had been left behind. But the thought did not cross their mind--who would steal their meager possessions way out here anyway? The night passed by in a blur of laughter and excitement. The trio had not played much since leaving home, and the light brought to their journey by the Firebirds was too much for the fillies to ignore. They teased and skipped and laughed even after they were too tired to keep running, for the concentration of the Phoenixes kept increasing, and soon it was nearly as bright as day but half as hot. The fillies did not notice the sun rise, but the Firebirds did. Wings ruffled and birds crooned as the golden orb rose high. The fillies slowed down to enjoy the peaceful noise, now quite tired and wondering if leaving all they had brought with them behind was such a good idea. They stopped to catch their breath, and the Phoenixes chose that moment to take off in unison. The fillies ducked and covered their heads as the birds tunneled through the forest, moving deftly through the branches and creating a glowing river of flaming color. They moved all in the same direction like an unstoppable flood of feathers and fire. The girls watched in awe till the tail end passed by. Captivated, they watched as the flock spiraled around a great pillar of stone, and settled upon it. It was beautiful, a sight unseen. Half Note was the first to tear her eyes away from the shimmering spire, and then prodded her friends and pointed. At the base of the tower was a golden gateway, draped with vines that held delicate flowers. The sunlight shone off it and dazzled their eyes, making the interior seem impossibly black. No words were said--none were needed. The three approached the gate, caution, awe and weariness tempering their speed. They stopped dead in their tracks as a massive shadow passed overhead, and a dragon larger than they could have ever imagined landed in front of the gates--which were larger even than him. Smaller, younger dragons clambered off their elders back and gathered around his feet. The horns on the larger one curled back like a rams, and a pair of tusks jutted from near his jaw. His scales shimmered almost as green as the grass, and his spines and horns and claws blue like the sky. He moved with an uncanny grace for one so large, and bowed to the assemblage of Firebirds. Those closest to the rainbow of youngsters he had deposited kept a wary eye on the drakes. The great green one rumbled something in a strange tongue, one that very much felt ancient. The youngsters with him seemed cowed by the words, and the Phoenixes calmed and resumed their regal stature. He began to speak in a rhythmic manner--perhaps chanting, perhaps reciting some ancient spell. The words were foreign to the three fillies, but they could feel the tempo and emotion in them nonetheless. They remained still, out of equal parts fear and reverence. The chant drug on, still the sun was directly overhead. No shadow was cast by the rock, and the dragon ended his chant. He stood in silence for a moment, and the fillies briefly wondered if he had died. They jerked back in shock as he shot a bout of flame from his mouth into that of the cave--a bright blue flame that should have in all rights melted the golden arches. It did not, and the younger dragons at his feet each added their own flickering fires, though they were unable to maintain them as long. The Firebirds took off in a spiral and dissipated into the sky, taking their glowing presence with them. Only when they were all in the air and gone did the elder dragon stop the torrent of fire, and he bowed low and spread his wings taking off into the sky. The drakes mirrored him, acting in unison and spiraling up and away. The fillies were rooted in place. The rock around the gateway was glowing red. Minutes passed and the rock faded in color before Half Note tentatively stepped forward, watching carefully for any remaining dragons. Tornado and Firelock followed with equal care and silence. They were not privy to the ways of dragons, but they knew they had just witnessed something sacred. Half Note approached the structure, still feeling residual heat emit from the rocks around her. The glint from the golden arches was nearly blinding this close, and the interior of the temple dark as night by comparison. She stopped just outside, afraid to enter a place where a dozen dragons had recently emptied their gullets in some unknown ritual. She turned around and looked at her friends, trying to get an indication of support or encouragement or direction. She saw Tornado gaping and Firelock gulp, both of their pupils shrunk from the bright light. She forced a smile, trying to encourage them herself. She blinked when they did not respond, and instead shook her head and turned around. Her blue eyes met even bluer ones--deep like the clear skies of summer, set in a wall the same blinding gold as the pillars of the gates in which it was set. The pink Earth Pony gasped and backpedaled, falling on her flanks as she tripped on a rock, landing near her friends. All three of them watched as a dragon at least three times the size of the one who had previously astounded them uncoiled himself from the golden gates. He spread wings adorned with gold and green feathers like brilliant leaves and stalks of grain. He stretched and shook himself, yawning deeply. The fillies caught the scent of grass and grain as he unfurled. He turned his bright blue eyes back on them; not accusing, but inquisitive. The three fillies couldn't speak. The dragon blinked and exhumed smoke from his nostrils. The smoke itself was golden, and smelled of dandelions. Half Note gulped and managed to stammer out one thing. "...Aestrak?" The great golden dragon smiled, bearing a mouthful of serrated teeth.