//------------------------------// // Font // Story: Courage // by scion //------------------------------// Luna, saddlebags secured just behind her wings, trotted down the narrow worn path through the Everfree. Ahead of her, with saddlebags upon her back as well, was Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash, wielder of Loyalty, flew a little off the ground with a pith helmet upon her head. The resemblance to Daring Do from the books was striking, but Luna barely noticed. Her mind was occupied by other thoughts. It had been an age since she had last seen a true horse tread upon the world. Simply seeing such a sight once again had brought a smile to her face- she was glad that the race of horses had not truly died. They had not deserved the end that had been forced upon them. That being said, time had colored her memories. She remembered that horses had been rather simple and carefree, but meeting Epona had brought back the simple truth that horses were not as smart as ponies. Were there any other horses around? Yes, she'd seen a few around. Did she know where they were? No. Where did she come from? The Everfree. And before that? Somewhere where there were cliffs of red stone and nice open fields of grass. Was there anything that she could tell them? Yes, but nothing that was capable of shedding light onto the situation. In light of recent events, it was an annoying, yet unsurprising, turn. 'Twas a most frustrating puzzle. Luna suspected that she did not yet have all the pieces. What pieces she did have seemed unrelated; they were, at best, unhelpful, and at worst, misleading. Still, if today's expedition bore fruit, another piece would be added. Perhaps from that, Twilight Sparkle may be able to draw a more comprehensive conclusion... "Princess?" Luna was jolted from her thoughts by the voice of Twilight. Both she and Rainbow Dash were waiting on her. "Apologies, I was lost in my thoughts," she muttered. Twilight nodded in understanding. "I was just wondering why we didn't go to the Castle of the Royal Sisters. You said you had visited it from there several times, wouldn't that make a better landmark to navigate from?" Luna kept her face a regal mask of calm. Inwardly, though, she cringed. She and her sister had lived at the Castle for centuries, but whenever she thought of the Castle these days, of her home, she saw only the destruction she had wrought as Nightmare Moon; the vine-covered stones, the ruined archways, the scars in the stone that magic had left. Her stomach twisted with shame and guilt whenever she thought of it; there were no happy memories there for her, not anymore. "Perhaps," she forced out. "But there are other landmarks which W- I can use to navigate to the Spring. One of which has been lost to time, and I wish to find again. It should be this way... somewhere..." Luna stopped, and looked around, ears cocked, listening for the slightest hint of something that was not birdsong. Nothing. "We should be getting close. Listen for anything out of the ordinary. It will be like a pony is whistling a tune," Luna commanded. The three continued down the path, ears alert as they attempted to find the mysterious sound. It was a few minutes later, Rainbow Dash stopped, her ears flicking and head bobbing as she tried to zero in on something. "You guys hear that?" she whispered, looking off the path. "Wha-" -SNAP- All three ponies started when Twilight stepped onto a pile of sticks that were sitting in the middle of the path. A very suspiciously spread out pile of sticks, that was matched by two other piles strewn about the path... Luna's ears twitched and swiveled as a faint tone reached them over the ambiance of the forest. The piles forgotten, Luna listened closely to the phantom sound. After a few moments, it became clear that what they were hearing was a phantom tune. Luna smiled. "We have found it. Come, we must find the source!" Rainbow led the way, walking instead of flying. She pushed her way through an overgrown trail, Luna and Twilight right behind her, and came upon a small clearing. In the middle was a stone, standing as tall as Princess Luna, with a hole through the middle top. The tune came from stone, as though a wind they couldn't feel was blowing through it. "The Whistling Stone," Luna whispered. --- In the fading twilight of the day, little Luna frolicked. She giggled and laughed as she chased a butterfly around in the green grass. The butterfly stopped to rest upon a colorful purple flower, and Luna stopped with it, her eyes wide as she watched with rapt attention. The butterfly alighted, and after a moment, landed daintily upon her little blue nose. Luna went crosseyed staring at her colorful passenger. It opened and closed its patterned wings for a time, then took off again, climbing into the darkening sky. "Wait Mr. Butterfly! Don't go!" Luna called out to her little friend, but the butterfly did not respond to her voice and fluttered into the canopy. "Luna! Luuuunnnaaa!" came a call from behind her. Luna recognized the voice of her sister, and abandoned the search for her butterfly friend. "Luuuunnnnaaa!" Celestia called again. Luna leapt out from the underbrush, her little wings spread regally. "Here I am!" Celestia started, her wings flaring. "Luna don't do that!" the older sister chided. "Now, come on, it's time to raise the moon. You want to do it tonight?" "Yes!" Luna scrunched up her face and lit her horn, reaching out to the heavens with her magic. She found the moon there, just below the horizon, waiting to rise. RISE! she commanded. Ever so slowly, the moon began to appear in the sky, as Luna poured more and more of her magic into the moon. Raising the moon wasn't as hard as the Sun- Luna had tried that once, the Sun was HEAVY!- but it did require a bit more concentration, to set the stars in the sky as they rose simultaneously. She lost track of time as she continued to push the moon through the sky, as she set the stars into a pattern she liked. It was hard. Once or twice, she almost thought about giving up and letting Celestia finish... NO. I can do this! After what seemed like an eternity, Luna sensed that the moon was in the right spot. She let go of the great orb in her magic, and collapsed, panting, to the ground. "I... Did... It..." She got out between breaths. The next moment, she was picked up in a warm and gentle hug. "Mmmhmmm! Good job, sister!" Celestia congratulated, swiping a strand of blue mane out of Luna's face with a white wing. "First... time...." *YAWN* "All... by... myself..." Luna's eyes drooped even as a blissful smile appeared on her muzzle. She was only vaguely aware of riding on her bigger sister's back. Her head tilted upwards. The moon.... the stars.... HER moon and stars... Luna's ears swiveled as a sound reached them. A tune, like a whistle, faint but steady, carrying through the air. Luna, draped over her sister, opened her eyes just as they came into the clearing. In the middle was a large stone, thick around as a hydra's leg, taller than either of them and rounded at the top, with strange markings on it and a hole through the middle, whistling in the wind. Flowers and grass grew short around the stone, with no trees enroaching upon the small space. On the far side, set between two trees, was a small hovel. Golden magic opened the door, revealing what lay inside. Built by the little hooves and magic of the two sisters, the mud and wood hut was small, but cozy and homey. Within lay everything the sisters had managed to scavange or transform- a pair of blankets, beds of straw, a small chest to store their things in. Luna closed her eyes as Celestia lifted her off her back and onto her bed. She snuggled into the comforting softness of the straw as Celestia drew a blanket up over her. "Goodnight, Luna. Good job," Celestia told her, kissing her forehead. Luna smiled as she snuggled into her bed. "Goodnight Tia." Luna heard Celestia settle into her own bed. With one final yawn, she closed her eyes, smile upon her muzzle, and let the whistling tune of the stone outside lull her to sleep. --- Luna found her eyes beginning to water as memory after childhood memory flashed into her mind. Celestia and Luna had lived in this very spot through most of their childhood; the potency of the memories here was overwhelming. Blinking back tears, Luna took a step forward- only to be stopped by a cyan hoof. "Wait! There's always a trap around ancient artifacts," the cyan pegasus muttered suspiciously. Luna closed her eyes and shook her head. Now was not the time to be nostalgic! The Everfree was not so kind anymore, and even if it was, they had not come here to waste time! She could do that later, with her sister by her side. While the pegasus scouted about the stone, and Twilight examined the area for traps as well, Luna removed a map from her saddlebags. Using her magic, she levitated her sextant from her bag and took a reading on her sister's Sun, and noted the angle and time on the map. She then proceeded to sight on the Canterhorn, noting the angle for that as well. Finally, she cast a small direction spell, and added the angle between North and the Canterhorn to the map. Now, with a few simple geometry equations and an abacus (or perhaps she could use one of those newfangled calculating machines everypony used these days...) she could pinpoint the location of the Stone. Luna smiled. It would be an excellent birthday present for Tia. Both Twilight and Rainbow were examining the stone. A parchment and quill were in Twilight's grasp as she copied the pattern. The pegasus, having found no traps, was examining the stone in more detail as well. And she found one thing particularly puzzling. "There's no wind. How is it whistling?" Rainbow asked. Twilight frowned. She closed her eyes and focused upon the stone, attempting to sense if there was magic within. The puzzled look upon her muzzle said everything. "There's... magic, but it's like nothing I've ever felt before," Twilight stated, puzzled. She contemplated this for a moment, before shaking her head and continuing to sketch the paterns she saw. "And like nothing you will ever feel again, Twilight Sparkle." Luna walked over to the stone and touched it. Her eyes had a faraway look to them, and her lips twitched upwards in the slightest of smiles. Then it was gone- but a twinkle remained in her eyes. "The magic within this stone is unique to the Everfree. No other place in Equestria, nay, the world, will you find it," Luna stated. "And it is why we are here. When Ponyville was trapped, We sensed the magic in the wall that held you, and W- I believe that it was fundamentally similar to the magic you sense within the stone." Understanding dawned in Twilight's eyes. "You want to compare the magical signature of the wall to that of the Everfree..." Twilight frowned. "But... the magical signature here is so faint, you couldn't be sure of an accurate thaumatalogical reading..." "Correct. However, as I have said, we are here for the Spring, not for this. The Spring has a far more concentrated magical signature. While interesting, this is nothing more than a waypoint to our destination." Luna looked around suspiciously for a second, before gesturing for both mares to come close. "And W- I, would appreciate it if you did not tell Celestia that we came here," she whispered. "At least, not until her next birthday." Luna smiled as both ponies went through the motions of what she recognized as a 'Pinkie Promise'. "We should proceed to the Spring. Come, this way." --- Calling the route they took through the Everfree a ‘path’ would be generous. It was, in fact, a relatively rarely-used game trail, if Twilight’s knowledge on the matter was correct. It was barely wide enough for them to walk in single file, and was often overgrown to the point where Princess Luna was forced to cut a way through using her magic. It was also long- they had been walking for nearly an hour at that point through the jungle of the Everfree, barely making a sound- Twilight and Rainbow knew better than most the dangers of the Everfree, and talking in such a small group was dangerous. Even with Princess Luna near her, Twilight’s eyes darted to every sound, and her ears were constantly swiveling. The logical part of her mind knew it to be the herding instinct inherent to all ponies. That the more ponies there were in a group, the safer they felt; conversely, the fewer there were, the more agitated and alert the ponies became. She had read several studies upon the subject before moving the Ponyville; for a pony, the smallest number where a pony would feel ‘safe’ in an unfamiliar or hostile environment was six. And three was definitely less than six. Just ahead, Twilight saw the Princess stop. She held out a wing. “We are here,” the Princess whispered to the two mares behind her. “But we are not alone. There is a hydra at the Spring.” Twilight blanched. Beside her, she saw Rainbow blanch as well. Luna lowered her head to the two mares. "Turn out your fears; there is no need for it here." And with that, Luna retracted her wing and strode purposefully into the clearing. Twilight looked on, horrorstruck. Too late, she thought to grab the Princess and pull her back- but her hoof merel passed through Luna's ethereal tail as though it was mist. She could only watch in terror as her Princess walked over towards the very dangerous creature as though it wasn't even there. It had seen her now- all five of the heads turned towards the Princess. Twilight cringed and prepared herself for the worst. Luna dipped her head towards the hydra. The hydra dipped all five heads, one at a time, in acknowledgement to the Princess. The hydra turned back to the spring, as though nothing had happened. "What.... was that?" Rainbow whispered in her ear. Twilight's mind went into overdrive as she recalled every scrap of knowledge she could think of on the subject. Every single source on hydras agreed they were bad tempered, nasty, foul smelling and dangerous creatures that considered ponies a rather tasty snack. There was no logical reason as to why the Princess was simply able to walk up to it without even provoking a territorial response. There was no logical reason.... Twilight blinked. The legends of the Font of Harmony were well known. Supposedly the birthplace of harmony, and the source of the Elements themselves, it was said that those who found themselves at the edge of the Font knew not violence or death. That nothing, be it pony or beast, would ever dare to sully the sacred waters by spilling blood, or raising a hoof or paw against another creature. That harmony itself would not allow such a thing. She had dismissed it as myth... Could... could the legends really be true? Twilight gulped, preparing herself for what she knew she needed to do... but was beaten to the punch by Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, pith helmet tilted low over her eyes, stepped out of the underbrush towards the spring as well, to the approval of Luna. Her face was a mask of impassivity, but her eyes darted back and forth across the hydra very quickly, and Twilight could see the tension in her wings and legs. Rainbow jumped slightly as the hydra turned to regard her. But she held her ground. All five hydra heads regarded her inscrutably for a few seconds, before dipping in acknowledgement. Rainbow bobbed her own before heading towards Luna at a pace that was a fair bit quicker than normal. Luna smiled warmly at the mare, then turned her attention to Twilight. Twilight gulped, screwed up her courage…. and stepped into the clearing. She deliberately kept her steps slow and calm, forced herself to breathe normally. The hydra was not there, it was not there and she did not need to worry about it… it was normal for it to look at her, no need to panic, it wasn’t about to attack her! NO, she could do this, just nod back and keep walking calmly over to Luna… Twilight collapsed to the ground, hyperventilating, when she reached her Princess. The beautific smile upon her face, so reminiscent of her sister that Twilight suddenly imagined it was Celestia smiling at her, set her at ease. “Well done, Twilight Sparkle. And you as well, Rainbow Dash. It took great courage for you to do what you just did. To approach a full grown hydra, in the middle of the day, alert…” “It’s the Font, isn’t it?” Twilight asked as she got her breathing under control. Luna nodded in acknowledgement. “It is. Not every legend about this place is true, but there is indeed some magic that calms mind and beast alike; now that you are closer, and your head is not screaming at you to run, you should feel it. Not in your mind; in your heart.” “Like… like calmness?” Rainbow Dash asked. She seemed uncertain. “Peace. Contentment. Harmony.” As Twilight calmed her breathing and stilled her heart, she found herself relaxing quickly. An easy smile found its way onto her muzzle. Luna smiled back at her. “I see you can feel it as well, Twilight Sparkle,” she stated. “The Spring has a way of soothing the emotions of pony and beast alike. My sister and I have seen dragons, manticores, lions, even great Ursae and star-bears upon the banks of the Spring. Not once have we ever witnessed an attack. I assure you, you will never have to fear the beasts of the Everfree upon these banks. You are safe.” Rainbow didn’t look so sure, eyeing the hydra with a bit of unease. The hydra ignored them as one head drank from the spring; a fish darted into the open jaws, but the hydra waited patiently until the fish lost interest before closing its mouth and withdrawing its head. Twilight was a bit unsure herself. She lived on the edge of the Everfree, and had adventures into its depths many times; she knew the dangers well. But if Princess Luna said it was safe… she’d trust her. “Come,” Luna said, standing to her hooves. “Let us begin.” --- Rainbow Dash was bored out of her skull. When she’d signed up to go on this trip to find an ancient artifact- the motherbucking FONT OF HARMONY no less!- she been ecstatic. It was going to be just like Daring Do! There’d be adventure in the jungle, some traps to get through, and a lost temple of some sort. Maybe even a cult of Nightmare Moon worshipers that were plotting to resurrect Nightmare Moon using the powers of Harmony so that she was immune to the Elements this time or something. She’d get captured, have to escape and rescue Twilight and Princess Luna, then save the world from the cultists all while being awesome in the process. Instead, she was dipping her forelegs into the Font and watching the ripples while Luna and Twilight ran so many magical experiments with this and that and this over here that she wanted to throw up. They’d seen a total of one other ancient artifact, and all they’d used it for was a guide. It didn’t even do anything cool, like throw up rainbows on command; it just sat there whistling since… since forever! And then, they go to the Font of Harmony, one of the most legendary shrines ever actually known to exist, and all it is is a pool of water in the middle of the Everfree! Sure, it was a cool pool of water, it could tame a hydra just like Fluttershy, but still, no crumbling temple, no mysterious pictograms or passages to explore, nothing. And not a single trap of any type to test herself against! Even the hydra had left hours ago now. Rainbow thunked her head against a convenient stone. She couldn’t decide if she was trying to wake herself up or knock herself unconscious with that. Unfortunately, the pith helmet on her head ensured that she barely even felt it. Rainbow got to her hooves. She couldn’t take it anymore, sitting around on her rump. She wanted- she needed!- to be active! She had to do SOMETHING! “Hey, I’m gonna… go look around for a little while,” Rainbow called out to the two eggheads. “Do not stray far, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Luna called out. “Do not stray far, Rainbow Dash,” she parroted to herself with a snort. “Thanks, Dad.” Rainbow trotted a short distance away, then decided on a better direction. The thicker jungle around to one side held more appeal to her than the direction they had come from. Maybe she’d actually find something interesting or fun in the trees. She had just finished that thought when she saw something in the corner of her eye- a flash, like sunlight on a mirror. She took a step backwards, and saw it again, coming from under a bush a few yards away. Rainbow’s pulse quickened. Could this be…? Could she have actually found something? She was cautious. Her eyes darted every which way, her ears swiveled, her nose smelled, attempting to detect any traps as she approached. Nothing. Rainbow snorted. But she kept going, curiosity pulling her towards the object. It was mirror-like, and black, but most of it was obscured by the bush. Rainbow fished it out with a hoof, then sat down and held it up into the light to examine. It was a piece of what looked like obsidian stone, as black as night. It was clearly hoof made- she identified an outer edge, a smooth curve like it was once a circle, and a pattern of circles and lines was inlaid into the flat surface that had been polished to a mirror shine. It was also quite clearly broken- somepony had snapped whatever this originally was into pieces. Squinting at it closer, something about it seemed… off… “What did you find, Rainbow Dash?” Princess Luna’s voice behind her startled Rainbow. “Ah… nothing… ummm..” she said, wings twitching nervously. Luna ignored her words in favor of studying the stone in her hooves, a frown of concentration upon her muzzle. Her horn lit as she examined the piece. “Most… interesting…” Luna intoned. “What is it, Princess?” Twilight asked. “Rainbow Dash appears to have found an artifact of some sort… something which I believe warrants further study.” Twilight sighed. “Alright, I’ll take it back to the Library and…” “Nay. You have enough to investigate already, Twilight Sparkle. I shall investigate this, and report my findings to you, just as you are reporting your findings to my sister.” Twilight frowned but said nothing. “I know you wish to investigate everything yourself, but I believe it would be best to split the responsibilities here, so we may cover more ground. Rainbow Dash… could you, ah, let go of the artifact?” It was at this point that Rainbow Dash discovered that she was hugging the black stone to her chest protectively. Her one find, the one interesting thing she’d done all day, and it was gone just like that? She found it, she should be the one to keep it- “Rainbow Dash?” Jolted out of her thoughts, Rainbow was too flustered to think straight. She held out the artifact in her hooves as commanded, and Princess Luna’s blue magic enveloped it. She watched, longingly, as the Princess secured the artifact in her saddlebacks. Rainbow sighed and hung her head. Back to the pool for another few hours of boredom before- “I believe we have enough, Twilight. Besides, according to this invitation, the party will be starting in a few hours now, and we shall need time to properly organize this once we return to your Library.” Rainbow’s ears perked up. “Party?” “Yes, W- I do not know how the Element of Laughter managed to get us this invitation, but-” “No time! We gotta get back to town! C’mon!” Rainbow Dash, happy to be moving again, trotted into the forest at a fair pace, with Luna and Twilight right behind her. This treasure hunting stuff wasn’t as awesome as Daring Do made it out to be.