//------------------------------//
// The Hidden Stone 
// Story: Rainbow's Quest 
// by Zetriax 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 18- The Hidden Stone
Rainbow burst through the door of the library, chest heaving. Shadow and Scootaloo’s gazes snapped to her, wearing shocked expressions. Scootaloo flung herself at Rainbow, embracing her in a tight hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” she said.
Rainbow laughed. “Isn’t this the exact same thing you did the last time I walked in here?”
Scoots also laughed at that. “Yeah. But maybe I wouldn’t have to if you would stop getting yourself in so much trouble!”
“What a relief!” Shadow said, approaching the two pegasi. “I was so worried.”
Scootaloo snickered, “Literally! I had to block his path from going back when he realized you weren’t behind us! Thank Celestia he hasn’t mastered that teleportation spell!” Shadow cast her a harsh look and nudged her shoulder with his hoof.
“You tried to save me?” she asked Shadow. “You actually tried to save me?” She took a step closer to him.
Shadow Flare stuttered a bit, “I-I… well, um… maybe. Yes… but, um… I know you can take care of yourself, but I thought…” Then he faltered.
Rainbow was surprised. Did Shadow think she was mad at him for trying? That was the furthest thing from her mind. She was ecstatic that he had tried to go back to help her.
“Shadow,” she said, “Thank you.”
He glanced up at her, surprise flashing in his eyes. They stood there gazing at each other for several moments.
“Ooh!” said Scootaloo, “Rainbow and Shadow sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
Both Rainbow and Shadow flare shot her smoldering glares. She gave a weak laugh and shrunk into her pelt.
“You know?” said Rainbow, “I don’t think you’ve grown at all since I saw you in Ponyville ten years ago.”
“What? Hey!” Scootaloo stood straight, pelt bristling, glaring defiantly. Rainbow and Shadow laughed. Scootaloo cracked up as well. They laughed together for a few minutes.
Shadow said, “Alright, alright everypony. Let’s settle down.” They sat down, and got comfortable.
“So,” Shadow began, “What’s the new plan? The last one didn’t work out and they’re sure to keep a lookout now.”
“Um,” said Rainbow, “It wasn’t a failure. I have the book right here.” She brought forth the book, slightly dusty from its rough journey back to the library.
“You got it!? Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Shadow exclaimed.
“Because somepony decided it would be more fun to joke around!” Rainbow joked, giving Scootaloo a playful shove.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Read it,” said Scootaloo, rather impatiently.
“Honestly Scoots! You may look like a full grown mare but there is no way you’ve grown at all intellectually since we last saw each other in my time,” Rainbow said, in an exasperated voice.
“Well, I learned from the best!” Scoots shot back.
Rainbow narrowed her eyes, “Is that an insult?”
“To Dash, maybe!” Scootaloo and Rainbow laughed.
Shadow broke in. “I’m glad you two are having fun, but we seriously need to get down to business.” He seized the book using his magic and opened it to the chapter about Fate Stones, then began to read aloud.
“Starswirl the Bearded was a gifted unicorn. He created many spells and creations. One of the most notable of these creations is the Fate Stone. He originally made it so that anypony could see his or her future. But he couldn’t get the spell right…”
“Can you skip ahead? I’ve already read all of this,” Rainbow interrupted.
“Sorry, but I want to make sure to cover everything,” was Shadow’s reply.
Rainbow sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position as he continued, “He attempted to make a working Fate Stone but his attempts met with failure. After the second stone was created, he gave up. Starswirl thought the stones were too dangerous as it was and hid the two he had created. His failed experiments ended up bearing stones that transported the user into the future. There were two problems with this...”
Rainbow sat up straighter this was the part she had skipped when she had read it. She listened intently as he read the very warnings she should have read herself.
“The first was that, in the event of a time traveling, time itself can be disturbed. It is rumored that when time becomes disturbed, it can trigger the right conditions for a mysterious apocalyptic force, known as Ragnarok, to be summoned. The purpose of Ragnarok is to send the world to the Void to make room for a new world at the End of Times. Essentially, the End of Times will create a disturbance in the flow of time. Since a time-traveler is still a part of the time they came from, going into another time can also cause a disturbance in that time’s flow, causing Ragnarok to mistake that disturbance for the End of Times disturbance.
“The second problem rests within the timeline and disturbances themselves. When one travels time against their predestined fate, it causes a Temporal Distortion, or a break in the timeline, causing an entirely new timeline to appear. However, this Temporal Distortion will sometimes manifest into creatures known as Fallen. According to some of Starswirl’s findings, a Fallen will have a clock imbedded in its chest. The reason for this is unknown. However, there is one exception to this phenomenon. Occasionally, the Temporal Distortion may go erratic and create a different type of Fallen. These Fallen look, act, and think like every other pony out in Equestria. Starswirl dubbed these ponies ‘the Tempest’. There is no way to tell if a pony is actually a Tempest. There has only been one Tempest in recorded history. During the first Fate Stone’s test, Starswirl the bearded accidently went into the past, before Celestia and Luna’s rise to power. He found a way to correct the timeline with the help of a pony who was never supposed to exist. When he returned to his time, he tried to bring this Tempest with him but he faded away with the elimination of the Temporal Distortion.”
“As interesting as all this is, I don’t think it’s helping us find the other Fate Stone,” Scootaloo pointed out blithely.
Shadow shrugged. “If we read further we may come across something.”
“Wait,” said Rainbow, “I think I might know where to find it.”
Scootaloo turned to face her. “You do? I’m utterly lost.”
“Of course you would be,” Rainbow joked. Shadow snickered and Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
“Please, elaborate, oh great, all-knowing Rainbow Dash,” Scoots retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Luna’s words rang through her mind as she reflected upon the tale. “The key to the future often lies hidden in the past. You see, I think this Tempest that helped Starswirl was a close friend of his. It’s possible he created the second Fate Stone to bring him forward in time.”
Scootaloo flicked her magenta colored mane. “That would explain the reason he created two failed experiments. However, that doesn’t help us in locating the Stone.”
“Ah, there you are wrong!” Rainbow said ecstatically as the pieces fell into place in her mind. “You see, when he returned and the Tempest faded, Starswirl didn’t destroy the Fate Stones. He hid them instead. That is probably because he wanted another Temporal Distortion to meet with his friend again.”
Scootaloo and Shadow wore blank expressions. “And?” Scoots pressed.
“The fact that the stones were still here suggests that he probably died before getting the chance to use it again. And where was he living at the time of his death?”
Shadow’s eyes widened as realization struck him. “Canterlot Castle…” he whispered.
“How did you… I mean, how did you know… When did you have the time to figure that out?” Scootaloo stammered, dumbfounded.
“I’m fast in more ways than just physically,” Rainbow boasted.
“So, tomorrow we go to Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked.
“To Canterlot,” Rainbow agreed.
“I’ll set up a force field. Dash and Chrono are starting to get a little bit creepy; it’s making me a little paranoid,” Shadow announced, pulling a spell book from a nearby bookcase.
“Shadow, do you mind if I stay here tonight? I’m not a huge fan of sleeping all alone back at my place with all this going on,” Scoots asked.
“Sure,” Shadow said, half distracted as he searched for the spell. “I’ll sleep downstairs. Give you ladies a little space.”
“Ladies?” Rainbow asked.
Shadow looked up from the book. “What? You prefer to be called ‘guys’ or ‘dudes’? I was only trying to be respectful.”
“We aren’t the most lady-like mares you’ll ever meet, but I guess you can call us that,” said Scoots.
“Whatever makes you happy,” said Shadow, returning to his book.
Rainbow and Scootaloo laughed quietly amongst themselves as they trotted up the stairs. Rainbow reflected the night in her head as they crawled into the beds. Although, she had had a rough morning, the night was quite something to be admired. She had friends here: Scootaloo and Shadow Flare. It made her wish she didn’t have to go back. She wanted to be here with her newfound friends. If it wasn’t for the sake of the world, Rainbow could easily have a future here. She and Shadow would sit together…
What was that? That wasn’t Rainbow talking. She didn’t get all sappy over some stallion. And certainly not one she had only known for a week! She was supposed to be strong, and not need others like she had been since she was small. Had she really changed that much in seven days? She pushed the thoughts from her head. She would need to get some sleep for tomorrow’s journey.
---
Rainbow was dreaming again. She stood in a wide chamber, resembling that of a castle’s throne room. All around her were pipes spewing spurts of steam, gears whirring, and chains clanking. Though, there was the slight background noise, it was eerily quiet.
Rainbow was so absorbed in her surroundings that she had almost missed the centerpiece of the room. It was a grand throne. It was heavily adorned with gears and carvings, but what stood out the most was the clock embedded high on the back. The enormous clock went to thirteen, and was counting down, just like Rainbow’s watch.
Then her vision drifted to either side of the throne. Celestia and Luna stood to each side of the grand seat. Their eyes were closed, and they spoke not a word.