The traffic on the streets of Canterlot was clearing out, the weather Pegasi decided to drop a surprise drizzle on the ponies below. Well dressed Mares and Stallions were heading for the awnings of various shops and houses, no doubt thinking of their expertly groomed manes...
I on the other hand was grateful for the sudden shower, it felt refreshing after a three day journey from Appleloosa by hoof. The dust covering every part of my body, was being washed away, though you couldn't tell the difference between the real dirt and mud, and my unbrushed, naturally dusty brown colored, coat and mane. I received disgusted glares from the stuck up ponies cowering from the rain. I wasn't the kind of mare who would normally live in Canterlot, with my muddy, black boots, and tattered utility jacket, but I really didn't "live" in Canterlot, my apartment just happened to be here. I truly lived in the wild, a place of adventure and excitement! I was always eager for an adventure, ready to take any job. Ponies say I'm a real life Daring Do! Though unlike Daring Do, my adventures usually end up as wild goose chases, but they still had that sense of danger and suspense.
My apartment finally came into view, it wasn't one of the lavish suites you usually find in Canterlot, but it was far from a peasent's hovel. It was well furnished, but nothing to fancy, except maybe my bed, I spent a bit of money on that... Totally worth it, that's the closest thing an Earth Pony like me would get, to sleeping on a cloud.
I walked in, and headed for my bed, I was exhausted... but something laying on the coffee table caught my eye. It was a letter, but that wasn't odd, I received letters all the time, requests for help, a new adventure, bills, or death threats... what made this letter demand immediate attention was the seal, the seal of the Royal Court of Canterlot. This had to be important! Maybe they accepted me as the new curator at the Canterlot museum, that was always a dream of mine... or it could be an invitation to the Grand Galloping Galla, its about time I was invited to that, about half of the artifacts in the main hall were found by me! Or... I could be in a spot of trouble... raiding burial tombs, and abandoned palaces might not be the most "legal" of hobbies... guess theres only one way to find out...
I undid the seal, and two sheets of parchment rolled out, a map of some kind, and a letter, I chose to read the letter first. It wasn't very formal, considering that this was from the Canterlot palace... it was written like any other letter i would receive, except it was written in an older style of Equestrian, I recognized it from the many old documents I have seen, the type of documents that usually starts a treasure hunt...
To my loyal subject Dust Streak,
I have heard, from many of the Noble-ponies, that tyou are a seeker of adventures and quests, and that you are an expert in Equestrian history, and archaeology. It is for these reasons, that I have turned to thee for help. It has come to my attention, that an artifact, of great historical importance to Equestria, has been located in the Zebrican Desert. I would like to bestow a request upon you, if you are willing, which judging from the many reports I have received, there in no doubt in my mind, that you shall accept. You shall seek out this artifact, and return it to myself at once! It is of great importance, that nopony else retrieves it! It must be returned to me, and nopony else, as the artifact may contain ancient, protective curses, that I alone, are able to disarm. It is recommended you seek help for this quest, as the deserts of Zebrica, are harsh and unforgiving. If you should complete this task, I will provide a substantial reward for your services to Equestria.
A map, with the supposed location of this artifact hath been included with this note, remember, this artifact is to be delivered to myself, and myself alone!
Signed,
Princess Luna
Wow, even Princess Luna has heard about me, and is actually asking for my help! That substantial award could help out a lot. But what really sealed the deal, was Zebrica, that place was full of adventure, it was a wild and lawless land! Perfect for me.
The included map showed most of Zebrica, it included all of Zebrica's towns and cities, which told me this map was written pretty recently... and as the letter stated, there was an area circled on it in pitch black ink, no doubt the location of this artifact. But what was this artifact? The letter didn't exactly say what I was looking for... That might be something I would want to know...
The circled location seemed to be on the edge of a mountain or hill, I held it up to the candle, to get a better look at the details, I realized a dark spot printed on the other side of the map... Turning the page over, I saw it was a set of ancient dark blue armour, it didn't look like any armour i have ever seen, it was a bit chilling to look at, almost disturbing...
I ran over to my bookshelf, and grabbed a book entitled "Equestrian Military History". I took about ten minutes to skim over the pictures and diagrams... Nothing...
I grabbed the next book, "A Complete Guide to the Canterlot Guards", I went through this one in a few minutes, again, nothing...
After three hours of research , I had gone through every book on armor and weapons I had.. from "Weapons of the Griffin Empire" to "Zebra Guerilla Tactics", nothing in any of them resembled this armor I was supposed to find... For something of "great historical importance" it seemed to neither be important, nor appear in history... Looks like I was going to have to trust Luna on this one...
I decided to set out the next morning, I would have usually grabbed my saddle bags, and dashed out the door the minute I finished my research, but my previous adventure in Appleloosa completely sapped my energy, I needed some rest...
I woke up at dawn the next day, I wanted to be out of Canterlot before the snooty nobles got up, and filled the streets. I packed up the usual supplies, food, maps, guide books, a few bits to catch a ship in Manehatten, and my trusty machete. I also packed a few supplies specifically for the Zebrican terrain, ropes, extra canteens, and a few books on Zebra culture, and legends. I plotted my route, I would take a road along the outskirts of Ponyville, to avoid traffic, I would then have to make my way to Manehatten, and find a ship to take me to Ze'bra-lex, a port city in Zebrica, from there on, it would be nothing but wide open deserts and overgrown jungles, until I reached my destination.
The letter recommended that I would need help for this journey. Luna obviously doesn't know me as well as she thinks, I don't need anypony watching over my shoulder getting in ma' way! Sure, I've had help before, but that was because the situation called for it, this was a simple "find and fetch" job, nothing that required a support team...
I set off just as Celestia's sun was just coming over the horizon, This was my favorite time of day, quiet, free of any other pony... just me, and this beautiful sight... But, I had to get moving, Luna did sound bit urgent in her letter...
I was out of Canterlot within an hour, despite being such a large city, you could get around pretty quickly in the early hours of the day. It was a long journey downhill to Ponyville by hoof, sure, the train would have been much faster, and much easier. But I don't do things the easy way, I do things the best way, walking kept you in shape, a necessity for my line of work.
It was about noon when I reached the outskirts of Ponyville, and as I expected, the streets were bustling with activity, ponies trying to sell their produce, heading out for lunch, or just clogging the streets chatting to one another. I wanted to avoid all of that, it's not that i didn't enjoy the company of others, I had my own circle of friends. I would just prefer to get on with my work.
I started on the small forest path that loops around the East side of Ponyville. It was a slightly overgrown, unused path, with only a trickle of sunlight reaching the dirt path. A rabbit or two would dart across the path from time to time, but other than that, it was completely serene and peaceful, just perfect...
I came to a statue that stood a bit off the road, It was nothing important, just a statue of a mystical figure from an old pony tale... I paid no heed to it at first, I've seen in many times, nothing to draw much attention to it. But as I was passing it, something caught my eye... I couldn't put a hoof on it at first, so I trotted over to the statue... and gave it a quick look over...
Nothing at all, just a statue of a tall, dark looking pony, with evil eyes, haunting wings, and some old spooky looking... armour... The exact same armour, on the back of the map! The same armour I was supposed to find!
I gazed over it again and again, there was no questioning it, this was the armour I needed to find! I noticed a plaque near the bottom of statue, on it was written, clear and simple...
"Nightmare Moon, Bringer of Eternal Night"