//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Over the Hills and Far Away 
// by Yip 
//------------------------------//

Sweetie Belle glanced over to Scootaloo, standing on her left, half-expecting a pang of worry or skepticism to appear on her face. Scootaloo merely turned her head and acknowledged the glance with a quick nod, promptly setting her eyes back on their charge walking closely in front of them. Apple Bloom—on Sweetie’s right—did not tear her eyes from their charge at all.

They walked alongside a river that was flowing to their right, a dark and threatening forest looming on their left. A dim silhouette most unlike any of the three was cast onto the grass they walked over, shaped by the vestments they wore. The silhouette was created by the lone light coming from the clear night sky—its characteristic red shine giving Sweetie Belle the worrying she had expected from her friends.

‘Blood moon,’ Sweetie remarked. Her three companions stopped in their tracks and stared at her, blinking. ‘We were supposed to be at Rambling Rock Ridge before the next blood moon came. We haven’t even reached the bridge leading up to it yet.’

The charge shrugged. He was a short, lightly-armoured stallion, and his dark-grey coat was barely visible from the weak moonlight beaming down from the sky. His own silhouette accurately described his physique, that is to say not stocky in the slightest—even with the brown leather covering his body, hooves, and the top of his head, he looked more inclined to stay at home than to journey with the three ponies he had as company. Despite his feeble look, though, an air of charisma and intelligence could be seen burning in his eyes—glowing even in the dark of the night.

‘I doubt it will be long before we get there,’ the stallion replied. ‘I didn’t want to use the path that led directly up to the bridge. I assure you, it’s just a safeguard in case the enemy was going to ambush us.' 

'Hey,' Scootaloo replied curtly, 'we're the ones on security detail. Don't go off changing the plan without alerting us.'

'But,’ he protested, ‘even if I have great protection like you three, it can’t hurt to be more safe, right?’

The three crusaders grumbled in unison. Without another sound, the group continued on their way. At the foot of a mid-rise hill, the stallion spoke up once again.

‘We should be arriving at a ruin site just beyond this hill.’ Their charge turned his head mid-step and smiled. ‘Oh, the things to be discovered and the places to be found! Cheer up, the journey won’t be long!’

The sentiment did not affect their moods, much to the stallion’s displeasure. ‘Alright,’ he said, curving his lips into a slight frown, ‘I guess this is all business. Fine, then; I’ll pay you when we get to the ridge. But I doubt you’ll get much satisfaction from the journey if you choose not to stop and smell the flowers.’

The group continued to walk silently as they reached the top of the hill, offering them a wider view of their surroundings. Looking northeast—to their right, close to where the moon was hovering—they could see the towering structure that was the Rambling Rock Ridge, blocking all view past its southern wall. To the west—the direction they were headed—was a clearly visible pillared circle, most of the supporting structures having fallen or crumbled into a heap after failing the test of time.

Not the most homely place, but several of the fallen arches still intact seemed large enough to fit the entire group under its encompassing stone.

‘There we are, our home sweet home—for tonight, that is.’

Sweetie’s shoulders and back longed for the security of the ruins; the light garb she had on hadn’t helped when she had been carrying them and a bag full of supplies strapped over her shoulder for many a night. She wore the familiar red cape bearing the mark of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and a star-studded purple wizard’s cap once worn by The Great and Powerful Trixie, a petty Equestrian magician the likes of which was not uncommon throughout the land. Emblazoned on the front of the cap was a flame that danced as its wearer moved about, matched by the cutie mark resting on her flank.

Though the light was dim, she could still see the struggles of her two friends as they went on with their heavy packs—dismissing their troubles as cramps and minor pains—made apparent by the beads of sweat escaping from all over their bodies. A helmet layered with thin, dull brass covered Scootaloo’s head and partially wrapped around her neck, reflecting a sliver of moonlight as the fillies gazed upon it. The brass extended to cover the base of her moderately-lengthed wings and reached further along some of her back. On her two front hooves were two shoes of the same metal that covered most of her body; her rear hooves, too, bore the brass alloy, but instead as boots rising up close to the lightning bolt cutie mark resting on her flank. And, like Sweetie Belle, a cape flew behind her as she walked—bearing the mark of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

As the group approached and finally reached their destination, a feeling of absolute exhaustion washed over all of them. They had been walking all day and some of the night only to face a rest stop with little protection from the elements besides a weak-foundationed stone arch.

‘Don’t be afraid,’ the stallion insisted, ‘the pillars and arches would’ve fallen by now if they were in rough enough shape to collapse. Cheer up! If we get a good night’s rest, we might even be able to reach the ridge by tomorrow afternoon!’

The crusaders said nothing, merely walking with little care and no energy towards the pillar to unload. The effort of that alone proved too much to handle as they deposited their packs on the ruins’ stone floor, not even bothering to take off their gear.

‘...Well, good night, I suppose,’ the once-chipper companion said, sighing as he unloaded his own gear from a leather bag that had been hanging from his shoulder. ‘I’d take your stuff off—not really good to wear metal and such at night.’

‘We probably won’t get sleep anyway,’ Scootaloo piped in. ‘Doesn’t really matter to me.’

Apple Bloom remained silent as she scanned the forest around them. She wore the crusaders’ cape with a small extension at the front, functioning as a short scarf of crimson. Besides some leather boots going up close to her thighs and a black fedora adorning her head, its brim twice as wide as her head, she wasn’t heavily fitted with clothing or armour as Scootaloo was.

Laying down a pack of gear beside her, Apple Bloom allowed herself a few moments to inspect every piece. There was a steel tower shield with two short swords crossing over it, all wrapped with three leather bands securing them together. The shield held a familiar ice shard symbol engraved in its center, matching the cutie mark resting on her thighs, and its back held the clamp that would secure to one of her hooves if its use was needed—as did both of the swords. One sword bore the same symbol embedded in the shield and a white, sharp coating, the other holding the same lightning symbol on Scootaloo’s flank and bearing a jet black coating.

Once Apple Bloom was sure everything was in place, she returned her gaze to the forest as the group prepared to fall asleep—to her surprise, however, several pairs of eyes were staring straight back.

‘Don't say a word or move a muscle,’ Apple Bloom cautioned in a hushed whisper, keeping herself rigid as she stared at the ever-still white eyes presenting themselves behind the darkened shrubbery. All traces of weariness disappeared in her companions as she ushered her warning.

‘I don’t doubt there’s more, but so far I can only see two pairs of eyes,’ Apple Bloom remarked. ‘I’m not sure if they know you’re all awake—’’

In a flash of speed and brass, a pony came rushing from behind Apple Bloom, nearly catching her off-guard—in the frenzy, she did not realize it was Scootaloo, her dark sword clamped to her hoof and still sheathed. In a swift motion, Scootaloo’s 9hoof whipped forward, extending the blade into its full length, glistening even under the dimness of the moon. Her wings began to flap rapidly and lifted her a couple of feet in the air. The pairs of eyes widened and fled the bush, leaving only silence and a certain emptiness in its stead.

Apple Bloom scoffed. ‘There could’ve been more than two, you know. They were probably planning a surprise attack, thinking that we were asleep,’ she continued, securing her own blade to her hoof. ‘Might as well get ready for an attack—I still hear them in the bushes.’

Scootaloo nodded and a noticeably irritated Sweetie Belle was rising from her attempt at slumber, replacing the hat on her head in a swift movement of her hoof. The stallion remained silent, obedient to Apple Bloom’s orders as he rested below the pillar with eyes actively searching for danger.

‘Light your sword up, Apple Bloom,’ Scootaloo insisted.

Apple Bloom whipped out her sword from its handle as Scootaloo had done, its white steel shining in the dark and illuminating the nearby vicinity after a quiet whisper was spoken. Everything was clearly visible, from the pillars, to the grass, to the ponies poised and ready to fight.

Out of the bush emerged three earth stallions, each a varying shade of brown and each with their chests puffed out.

The pony with the lightest shade of brown stepped forward from the group, lifting himself on his two rear hooves and patting a sheathed sword buckled to his side with a confident smile. He looked to the crusaders with a knowing gaze.

‘You must be the heretics Moonshine told us about.’ The stallion smirked and glanced over at the crusaders’ escort. ‘Normally I’d follow his rules and... exterminate all four of you, but you're too young for me to fight. I’d feel terrible about it later, I’m sure. Just hand over the speaker and we’ll leave you three alone to your little filly games.'

‘Speaker?’ Sweetie Belle squeaked, stepping forward from her own group with a confused look on her face. ‘He’s a weapon salesman!’

‘Hah!’ the stallion replied, prompting a slight chuckle from his two companions. ‘Is that his story? No, he’s a criminal—a speaker for the Resistance, going from town to town in order to spread the word of his evil organization.’ The Cutie Mark Crusaders all looked at each other as he continued speaking, each of them surprised—but not upset. ‘You’ll be doing us a big favour by handing him over. Whatever he’s told you is surely just more of his treachery—’

‘No,’ Scootaloo said flatly, stepping past Sweetie Belle and nearly face-to-face with the frowning stallion. ‘He’s our charge and it’s our job to protect him. Either leave or face the consequences,’ she added, spreading out her wings and waving her sword in front of her.

The stallion pondered Scootaloo’s statement for several moments before shaking his head and motioning his hoof to the Crusaders’ charge. The darkest stallion on his left smirked and began walking towards his target.

‘I’m sorry,’ their leader continued, ‘but we’re not going to get pushed around by the likes of you. Make a move and I’ll have to listen to old Moonshine’s orders, hmm?’

Without hesitation, Scootaloo reared on her back hooves, concentrated for several seconds—while the intruders stopped and stared, puzzled and possibly even amused as to what she was doing—and her sword glistened with a yellow glow. She raised her blade into the air, prompting one of the stallions to reach for his sheath in defense—but it was barely a forethought before it was too late.

‘Leave this place!’ Scootaloo cried out, slashing her sword down to the ground in the direction of the approaching assassin, keeping it angled downwards as the ability took form. In an instant, an ethereal red eye appeared over him, sending a beam of red energy flowing down underneath it and through the stallion. Within the span of a few seconds, the target—paralyzed with fear at the terrifying sight—had a yellow bolt connect from the ground, flowing through his body and redirected towards Scootaloo.

‘W-What was that?’ the leader exclaimed, rushing over to assess the damage of the attack on his fellow stallion, his mouth agape in awe. ‘You’re one of those... things, aren’t you?’

‘Aliquatenus’, Scootaloo corrected. ‘Your friend isn’t going to die.’

The leader looked to the three with a horrified expression. ‘Your tone of speech, your abilities... you aren’t normal! You’re all freaks!’

‘We’ve been through a lot,’ Apple Bloom spoke up. ‘Did you really think we would just be regular school children? We’ve seen and done too much for that now.’

‘You’re still heretics; begone the notion that young fillies are innocent and helpless! I underestimated what you could actually accomplish—but rest assured, your covers as mercenaries are gone.’ The leader helped his fellow assassin up, nodded to the other and began bolting away as a group.

‘Not if I can help it!’ Apple Bloom cried out, standing on her rear hooves and copying Scootaloo’s ability, albeit with a cyan-blue glow surrounding her sword instead.

As she casted the spell, large chunks of ice appeared above the fleeting attackers, raining down on them at terminal velocity. The ice itself did not deal enough damage to severely injure any of them before they could escape—however, as they would not realize soon enough, they had frozen in place once the magic was finished being cast.

Apple Bloom huffed for a few moments as she sheathed her sword, allowing herself to walk comfortably on all four hooves. Sweat began beading on her forehead as the cost of the spell hit her; she panted and her legs began to quiver.

‘What... what just happened?’ the charge asked incredulously, stepping forward from the pillar now that the danger had ended. ‘Who are you ponies?’

Apple Bloom sighed. ‘Don’t worry about it. In case you were curious, those ponies there have been stopped in time, so they won’t be a concern any—’

‘Yes, I kind of gathered that when I was over there watching you in awe... but what I meant to ask was—’ the charge paused for a moment, ‘—what’s your story? Your conduct intrigues me.’

‘I think it is we who should be asking you questions,’ Scootaloo piped up. ‘You didn’t exactly tell is the truth, no matter how dangerous telling us about being a speaker for the Resistance would have been. That’s the point I’m trying to make—you put us in danger, and we weren’t exactly in Moonshine’s good books in the first place. I’ve a mind to kill you where you stand.’

‘W-Well, you just explained it right there,’ their charge replied, allowing a few drops of sweat to escape from his forehead. ‘It’s too dangerous for our group to reveal ourselves in public. I suspected that danger would come, even if I did take a different path, but that’s why I hired you three. For protection. But, pray tell, what is your story?’

Apple Bloom looked up at the stars, to her friends—who were nodding their heads as they met her gaze—and over towards the barely visible Rambling Rock Ridge. ‘I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you. But I think it’d be best if we wait until tomorrow, so we can tell you along the way to that ridge. We shouldn’t sleep too long, though; those stallions could unfreeze at any given time. We need to cover some ground.'

‘Very well. Until tomorrow, then.’ The travelling party proceeded to settle down, anxious to get some rest and continue their journey. There was an open question in the air, with none of the ponies wishing to bring it up—why not kill the attackers?

The party did not sleep that night.


~|O|~


This tale is one in a special era, a place in time long forgotten by the denizens of Equestria in the modern day. It is a tale of adventure, magic and aliquatenus—it is also one concerning the Cutie Mark Crusaders. 

But the tale does not begin with any of these things, nor does it begin with the mysterious Moonshine the Great or what he has against the Crusaders.

It begins quite simply.


Over the Hills and Far Away


A river flowed south—only a twenty-second walk east from downtown Ponyville—and with it came treasures waiting to be discovered, as anything dropped anywhere from Canterlot Falls to the western sea would be picked up by its swift current. This fact was well known by three adventurous young fillies, eager to find whatever they could in the shallow waters of the river.

Three snorkels poked their tubes out above the surface of the water, their users lurking beneath as they hunted for hidden treasures.

‘Mmph!’ Scootaloo mumbled, splashing around as she emerged from the river. She was soon followed by the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders, anxious to see what their friends may have discovered. ‘Girls,’ she continued, removing the snorkel from her mouth, ‘I haven’t found anything! I’m not sure if we’re going to get any results here... let’s try doing something else!’

Apple Bloom groaned, removing her own snorkel from her mouth. ‘And what do you think we should do, Scoots? I say we keep trying, we’re bound to find something!’

‘Yeah!’ Sweetie Belle squeaked. ‘The current isn’t very strong, we should be fine!'

Apple Bloom and Sweetie nodded their heads and turned to Scootaloo, who sighed and prepared to put her snorkel back on. ‘Alright, I guess I’m outnumbered. If anypony finds something, just put your head out of the water.’

The three replaced their snorkels and slowly submerged themselves back into the river’s flow. Scootaloo eyes glazed over as she dunked her head in, taking no effort to look for hidden treasures; she was surprised to discover, however, that they were not alone in the river.

A flailing fish was swimming down with the river’s current, moving around in erratic patterns without control. It was on a crash course heading right towards Scootaloo’s head, who instinctively rose up from the water—in her hurry, she lost her balance against the current and fell right back in. Her hooves kicked as she fell, connecting with the fish and sending it flying out onto the riverbank.

As the Crusaders recovered themselves and escaped the river’s current, they all looked around to see what had happened. They caught sight of the flopping, out-of-water fish jumping to and fro in a frantic motion.

‘What happened, Scoots?’ Apple Bloom inquired. ‘How’d the fish get out of the water—wait, it can't breathe!’

'You think?' Scootaloo said.

Without another word, Apple Bloom rushed over to the flopping fish to diagnose the problem. It didn’t take very long. ‘Its throat is bulging... I think it swallowed something from the river!’ she deduced. ‘If I just press down here... slide my hoof across its throat...’

A hint of blue peeked out from the fish’s mouth, eventually revealed to be a jewel casting a brilliant sapphire shine in all directions. The edges were perfect; not a sign of a scratch nor a nick could be seen anywhere on the multifaceted crystal as Apple Bloom picked it up. Its length was about twice as long as her hoof and half as wide.

‘...Huh?’ Apple Bloom questioned, staring inquisitively at the jewel. ‘What’s this doing in a fish’s throat—oh, put the fish back in the water first!’

Scootaloo rushed over and began pushing the flopping fish with her hoof. As it reentered the shallow depths of the river, it recovered its bearings and swam along with the current. Scootaloo took one look at the rocks moving with the flow of the river and came up with the answer to her friend’s question.

‘Maybe the fish was trying to swim up the river and swallowed the jewel accidentally? I don’t think fish are the brightest things out there.’

‘Maybe, maybe...’ Sweetie Belle said passively, staring at the gem. ‘We should get this appraised—it’s a word for checking the value of jewelry, I learned it from my sister,' she added, looking to her friends' incredulous expressions. 'She’s too busy out having fun with Twilight to do it—let’s head to the jeweler’s store instead!’

The suggestion was met with two agreeing nods, prompting the trio to turn and walk towards one of Ponyville’s many buildings a little more than a stone’s throw away. There was a sign out front with a painted diamond necklace artfully drawn onto its rough wooden surface. The Crusaders did not hesitate to walk straight in, with Apple Bloom carrying the jewel in the clenches of her jaw. As the door opened, a bell sounded, bringing their presence to the attention of a light-grey stallion polishing an amber stone behind the store’s counter.

‘Welcome!’ the stallion said warmly, looking to the fillies with the friendly smile. ‘And what brings the town’s crusaders to my humble little shop?’

The shop was, indeed, small. The space was mostly taken up by display cases, but even without them, there would be little space. On that day in particular, only one other pony—a moderately-sized stallion dressed in a trench coat that dragged down almost to the tips of his white hooves—was in the store, carefully perusing the display of jewels.

‘We just wanted to get this jewel... thing, appraised,’ Apple Bloom answered, holding out the gem. The jeweler grabbed a tool from the table vaguely resembling a magnifying glass on a thin rod and held it up to his right eye, slowly inching closer to Apple Bloom’s hoof until they nearly touched.

‘I’d like to inspect this further in my backshop, if you would be so kind as to lend me it for a little while,’ the storekeeper requested. Apple Bloom willingly deposited the object in question on the store counter—soon after snatched with excitement and delight by the jeweler. ‘It looks rather fascinating!’ he exclaimed, widening his eyes. ‘Where did you find it?’

‘Over in the river.’

The stallion to the side stopped perusing the gallery of stones and cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, leaning his ear in towards the commotion.

‘I’ll be right back with my thoughts! You fillies sit tight!’ The appraiser turned, walked to a table in the back covered with various complex tools and equipment and set to work. The other customer began walking slowly towards them.

‘Hast thou discovered a gem in yonder river, young fillies?’ the stallion questioned in a high-and-mighty tone, keeping his face partially hidden underneath a worn-out fedora. ‘Thy discovery intrigues me tenfold from such petty rocks set on display herewith.’

‘I heard that!’ the jeweler grumbled from his desk.

The crusaders looked to each other, shrugged and looked back to the stallion in confusion. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak. ‘Mister,’ she began, ‘I don’t think any of us can really understand you—’

‘He was talking to me earlier, I understand him,’ the shopkeeper interrupted, keeping his gaze upon the jewel. ‘He was asking if you had found this beauty in the river.’

‘Ah, that makes more sense!' Sweetie remarked. She puffed out her chest and stuck her chin up high. 'True, our statement is! We, as proprietors of the benefactory establishment enacted therein would henceforth—’

‘I don’t think you’re making any sense,’ Scootaloo whispered, interrupting Sweetie with a gentle nudge. ‘Where’d you learn those words?’

‘My sister! And why are we whispering? Everypony can hear us!’

‘I can’t hear you!’ the storekeeper said aloud. ‘...Whoops. I’ll just get back to work.’

The stallion coughed and cleared his throat. ‘I know not what hath just occurred, but if thy stone from yonder river proveth to be what I think it is, then I shamefully request, O humble souls, that ye return it to its owner true—that is, to say, myself.’ He raised his fedora enough for the Crusaders to see his face—a white, almost regal visage that commanded authority even as he bore a friendly smile. ''Tis an ancient family heirloom passed down from generation to generation, and it would be much appreciated lest you allow me a look.'

'How do we know you're not lying to us so you can get a free jewel?' Scootaloo questioned. 'Prove that it's yours.'

The stallion smirked and reached into the depths of his trench coat, soon holding a dusty, worn-out tome in his magenta-coloured magical grip—the same colour that emanated out from the sides of his hat.

'Very well. ‘Tis a sapphire-coloured gemstone with a beauty and perfection not likely seen in this corner of the world, and with it, light seems to shine from nowhere; in addition, should thou givest up the stone, I shall impart onto you this magical tome. It hath... magical properties.’ The stallion paused for a moment. ‘I’d wager that thou hast found the bauble in the river—I was in Canterlot prior, ‘twas possible that I misplaced it somehow.’

The Cutie Mark Crusaders retreated to the side, much to the stallion’s dismay. ‘Let’s keep this quiet,’ Sweetie Belle commented, whispering. ‘He described the gem perfectly; giving it back is the right thing to do. I don’t really care about whatever book that is, but we can still make the exchange so he doesn’t think we’re giving him a fake.’

‘I agree!’ Scootaloo said aloud. ‘I mean, I agree. Maybe Twilight will want the book too! It looks pretty old, she seems to like that kind of stuff.’

‘So it’s settled,’ Apple Bloom concluded. Just as the huddle broke away, the jeweler returned from his work table and laid down his monoglass.

‘I honestly have no idea what this is,’ he said, sighing in defeat. ‘I’d like to say that it’s a sapphire, but the gem seems to create light on its own. Normal gemstones don’t do that—’

‘You can give it to the stranger!’ Sweetie Belle squeaked, startling the jeweler. A smile crept up on the stranger’s face. ‘It’s his, he deserves to keep it!’

The trench coat stallion held out his hoof to the counter, and after several of the storekeeper’s doubletakes from the jewel to the crusaders, the stone was placed onto the stranger’s hoof and quickly stashed away into a lone pocket. ‘If you insist...’ the owner said hesitantly, looking to his mysterious customer with suspicion. ‘It really is quite a valuable-looking bauble.’ He put on a fresh smile and looked around his shop. ‘And maybe some of you fine ponies would like to do a bit of shopping here now that that’s done!’

‘Sorry, but no thanks,’ Apple Bloom replied. ‘We were just here for the appraisal; we don’t have any money.’

‘Nor do I,’ the stranger added, his hooves shaking. ‘I shall take my leave now—but ye three hath done me a great service today. My family shall be delighted to see this beauty once more; I hope that thy tome shall satisfy you for many a year!’ He carefully set the tome still held by his magic on Apple Bloom’s back, promptly trotting away from the group and towards the door—as he began disappearing from sight, he was seen hopping with giddy excitement.

‘I’m not sure he was telling the truth,’ the storekeeper commented. ‘His voice sounded a little funny, don’t you think? We don’t get too many ponies like that around these parts—especially ones that don’t have any money. Might be up to no good.’

‘I don’t know, he seemed pretty trustworthy,’ Apple Bloom replied. The Crusaders turned to the shop door’s window panes, startled to see the sun’s orange glow beginning to shine through.

‘Huh, it’s getting late. We’re sorry to have bothered you over nothing, mister Jeweler!’

‘That’s quite alright; I get plenty of business from your sister, miss Belle!’ The merchant chuckled and withdrew to his work table. ‘See you fillies later!’

The trio left the store, Apple Bloom carrying the book on her back. ‘Hey, might as well take a look at the book, right?’ Scootaloo requested as they trotted down downtown Ponyville. ‘It wouldn’t hurt—maybe we’ll even find it interesting!’

Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded their heads, prompting Scootaloo to grab hold of the tome with her jaw and set it down on the grass beneath them. The cover was blank—only a bit of dust and a faded brown trim adorned it. As she flipped through the pages with her hoof, the crusaders were surprised and dismayed to find that the pages inside were completely empty; no images, no words, no diagrams were found at all. The Crusaders looked expectantly at the pages, but were left with empty sighs.

‘Are you serious?’ Scootaloo groaned. ‘Guess we got fooled. Maybe Twilight can use it like a journal or something?’

‘I guess so,’ Apple Bloom replied. ‘It’s getting late though; I’ll bring it home and hand it to Twilight tomorrow. Meet at the library at noon?’

‘Yeah!’ the other two Crusaders cried in unison. They soon parted ways to their respective homes, Apple Bloom beginning her trek to Sweet Apple Acres with the tome replaced on her back.

As she headed west, the orange glow of the sunset took everything in sight within its all-encompassing hold.

'Beautiful,' Apple Bloom remarked. 'Has it always been like this?' She paused for a few moments in thought, up until the sun disappeared from sight, leaving only darkness in its stead.

'I wonder where that jewel came from... or even this book.' She took a glance at the text on her back. 'Far off lands, I bet.  Cutie Mark Crusaders... adventurers! That'd be fun.'

Apple Bloom chuckled and continued on her way home.


~|O|~