//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Follow your heart... // Story: How Equestria was made. // by BritishAmerican //------------------------------// The sun rose once more on Ponyville. Dawn woke up as a knock at the door was heard. The creaking of the hinges were heard as Duskshine answered. "Hello?" "Hey, Is Dawn in?" A familiar voice asked. Dawn's eyes widened. The CMC was already there to pick her up and she was a mess. "Oh yes, she is, you must be Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell and Applebloom. Please come in, I'll go fetch Dawn for you." The three thanked Duskshine as he went to Dawn's room. "Dawn" He asked, knocking on the door. "Your friends are here." "Just one minute!" Dawn cried from the other side of the door. "Where's the brush? Why is it always hidden when you need it most?" She said to her self. "Dresser!" She shouted remembering where it was. Pulled the draw out and combing her hair quicker then a flash she burst out her room. "Ready!" "Whoo, Lets go!" Scootaloo said, pointing to the door. They all hopped into the wagon as Scootaloo took her usual scooter. As they went speeding off Dawn looked to them. "So, where we heading?" Scootaloo turned her head slightly to look at Dawn while keeping an eye on where she was going. "We're heading to this cave system in Everfree Forest." Scootaloo replied, turning her head back to normal stance. "Yeah! We're going to try and see if Cave Exploring is our special talent!" Applebloom said, quite happily and a tad bit loud. "Well, at least one of ours." Sweet Bell added. "Well, alright, as long you're sure you're up to it." Dawn said, in a jokingly playful tone. "Up for it?" Scootaloo repeated looking a Dawn. Her face in the same joking manner but saying challenge accepted. Suddenly the Scooter shot off. It took five minutes for them to get there. "Okay, let's make this interesting." Scootaloo said to the others as they were getting off the wagon. "Okay what you got in mind?" Dawn replied. "I was thinking a challenge" Scootaloo stated. "Whoever can go the deepest everyone has to buy ice-cream for." Everyone looked to Scootaloo. "You're on!" Everyone shouted to her. "Well what we waiting for, let's go!" Applebloom shouted, with her front legs kicking in the air. They all entered the cave together. Only two feet in and they saw how dark it was. "We're going to need some torches with us really going to do it." Dawn said to them. "That's why I bought these!" Scootaloo reached into her bag and pulled out lanterns for each of them. "How long did she have that bag with her?" Dawn whispered to Sweetie Bell and Applebloom. "No idea." They both replied. Putting each lantern on their necks, Scootaloo cleared her throat. "If you think you can't go any further just head back here and wait for the others by the wagon" The others nodded agreeing with her terms and they set off to go deep into the cave. "So, Dawn, when did you stop being so shy?" Scootaloo asked. It had been five minutes and they walking down a stone corridor-like tunnel. "You know what they say. Don't judge a book by its cover" Dawn said, with a cocky tone. The group stopped when they heard rumbling. "What was that?" Applebloom asked. "Probably nothing caves do that all the time" Scootaloo said with confidence. They carried on walking down the tunnel. Ten minutes had passed and rubble was heard. "I think we should leave" Dawn said but then suddenly the tunnel on the other end started to collapse in. "Run!" They all called out and started to bolt down the tunnel. They near the entrance as Dawn could see the light. Suddenly she heard Sweetie Bell trip. "Sweetie Bell!" She called and ran back to her. She helped up. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, thanks" Replied Sweetie Bell. And she ran after the others. Dawn wasn't far behind her till suddenly the floor underneath her dropped. "Dawn!" The others called as they saw her disappear amongst the rubble. "Quick, we got to get help!" Applebloom shouted, already running towards town. Scootaloo ran to catch up with Applebloom. Sweetie Bell was looking at the now closed entrance of the cave. "I'm...so Sorry, Dawn." She said like Dawn was standing there. She sighed and then tried to catch up with the rest. It was dark when Dawn awoke. Cuts, bruises and a sprained leg was all she got from the fall. She was lucky. She looked up and saw where she dropped. "Uh, great." She said, slowly standing up. Her back leg twitching from the pain. "No way am I getting back up there." She said, looking at the large hole. Then a glow caught her attention. It lit up the corridor faintly. It wasn't her lantern as the glow was pure white. "What's that?" Dawn asked. She wanted to check it out but was unsure if she should. She thought about how the others would be going to fetch help. "Guess if I'm quick, I'd be here when they try and save Me." he was determined to find out what was causing that glow. She limped down the corridor towards the glow. The glow fading in and out. It revealed a corner that Dawn would have to turn round on. If she could make it. She managed to limp her way to the corner and turned to be facing a door. It was made out of metal and had no handle. Just a line in-between. She looked at it confused. "A door?" She asked herself. She placed a hoof on it and the glow faded and shined around her hoof then lighting up the door's decor. The line between became a gap and the door opened slowly. "Okay..." Dawn said unsure how to react. She limped in and the door shut behind her faster then it did open. The floor lit up with the light shooting down the corridor lighting the whole place up. Dawn begun questioning if she was actually awake or not. Following the path the light went she came to a dead end. "Well that was disappointing." Dawn said seeing nothing but a wall of rock. "Now what?" She said, leaning on the wall. Only for the section to slowly move in. Standing on her legs again, she looked to the pressed in wall. The once silent room now filling with the sound of cogs turning. The floor begun to lower itself. Dawn began to fear for her life. Did she set off a trap? She thought. The floor continued to lower till something became clear. The rocks in front of Dawn stopped showing and in their place was a glass tube that she was in, revealing something much bigger. A room. So large you couldn't see the other end of it due to fog. You couldn't see the floor or ceiling either. In the room dotted ruins of buildings of all shapes and sizes, much taller the average pony buildings. These were towers made of concrete and glass. The floor stopped and a door opened. Dawn limped out onto a platform. It lead to spiral staircase that went down into the foggy mists at the bottom. "Where in Equestria am I?" Asked Dawn to herself. She thought she must be crazy about thinking about going down those stairs. But Dawn's heart just wanted to know more about this place.