//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Wings 
// by The Infinity Doctor 
//------------------------------//

"That's a load of horseapples and you know it, Featherweight" Applebloom said.

All of us were standing in the schoolyard during recess- Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Twist, and I were gathered around Featherweight, listening to what he'd apparently 'seen' sneaking around the forest.

"I'm telling you! I saw it! It's real!" he argued.
"Yeah right" Scootaloo said "Something like that couldn't exist" 
"Wait! Wait!" he pleaded, seeing us turning to leave "I got pictures"

I rolled my eyes and turned back as he pulled a few photos out of his saddlebags, he set them on the ground so we could get a good look at them. The black-and-white photos were a little blurry, an effect the forest's lighting had on Featherweight's camera.

"See? Proof!" he said, pointing at the pictures.
"I...still don't see it..." Sweetie Belle said, tilting her head.
"It's right there!" he said, pointing to one of the photos.
"I think I see it now..." Scootaloo conceeded "that kinda looks like a horn"
"Dang, look how tall it is..." Applebloom said.
"I know! It's probably taller than the princesses!"
"What did it look like?" 
"Like a normal pony, but it only walked on its back hooves"
"Yeah right" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Maybe he's onta somethin' here, Rumble" Applebloom said, pointing to the photos.
"I don't think so...it's probably just a tree branch" 
"It's not- I've-"
"Seen it, yes, I know, that still isn't any reason for me to believe it"

Featherweight sighed as he placed the photos back into his saddlebags- just as he did, the school bell rang, Ms. Cheerilee calling for us to come back inside.

'This is going to be a long day...' I sighed to myself, walking back into the schoolhouse. I sat at my desk as the rest of the class trickled in, it was always the same thing, everyday. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle would always try to come up with new ways to get their cutie marks. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would always put them down, teasing them as they did. Twist would sneak a peppermint stick or chocolate into her mouth before Cheerilee trotted in. Featherweight would sit at his desk, staring out the window as he daydreamed about...something...and then, Dinky was always scribbling something on her paper, what it was, I don't know.

'It's the same thing, everyday' I moaned silently 'It's boring...'

Ms. Cheerilee trotted in and stamped her hooves, getting the class' attention.

"Alright class, we're picking up from where we stopped before lunch, now can anypony tell me how the foundation of Equestria came to be?"

'I swear we go over this every other week...'

Sweetie Belle raised her hoof.

"Yes, Sweetie Belle?"

"The leaders of the three tribes met, and then when the Windigoes came, they were driven out by the ponies, because of their friendship?"
"Very good!" she praised "Now, the reason I bring up the foundation of Equestria, is because of an ancient legend said to have been around since before then"

I perked up.
'This is new...'

"The legend says that King Sombra, known for being one of the most tyrannical kings in history, had hated that the three tribes had united, and had stolen the artifacts closest to the three leaders, the Chancellor's Compass, Princess Platinum's Quill, and the helmet of Commander Hurricane's armor, then framed each of them, hoping to dissolve the pact they had made"
"What happened?" Twist asked.
"Well, Sombra's plan was discovered, and the bond between the tribes had been strengthened" 
"So...that's it? That wasn't a legend" I said, somewhat quietly.
"That's true Rumble, however, the three artifacts belonging to the leaders were never recovered, they are said to have been lost to this very day"

'Whoa...'

"Which brings me to tonight's homework, I want all of you to write a report on what you think would happen if you found one of the artifacts"

Half the class groaned as Cheerilee passed out blank papers, I received mine and passed the rest back to Dinky. I took the pencil in my mouth as I thought...

Maybe it'd be pretty cool to find Commander Hurricane's helmet...but Princess Platinum's quill could probably still have some kind of ancient magic in it...but then again, Chancellor Puddinghead's compass could lead to some ancient treasure! 

I groaned as I buried my head in my hooves.

'This is going to be harder than I thought...'

The school bell rang, and the other colts and fillies rushed excitedly out the door, I gathered my stuff and put it in my own saddlebags as I trotted out the door.

X X X X X X X 

"Hey there, little bro" Thunderlane said as I walked through the front door of his cloud-home.
"Hey..." I said.
"Something the matter?" he asked, sitting down at his table.
"Nothing...just a school assignment" 
"Oh...well, mom and dad said it was cool if you slept here tonight, they had some big thing over in Manehattan"
"What do you want to do first?" I asked.

It was always fun hanging out with Thunderlane, he actually wanted to be around me, and vice-versa, it's been like that ever since I can remember.

"Well you-" he said, ruffling my mane "-need to finish your homework"
"Aww..." I groaned.
"Then, I thought after that, we could go down to Mane Street and grab a pizza for dinner"
"Alright!" I cheered.

My two favorite things- Thunderlane, and pizza!

I shot up the stairs after a hurried goodbye, eager to finish my homework- the faster I finish this, the faster I get to be with Thunderlane, right? I whipped out my pencil and paper...and immediately hit a roadblock...

This was going to take longer than I thought....