//------------------------------// // Castle-Mania Crusaders // Story: Direction // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// Scootaloo wandered through that dark corridor. Trying to fly up the trapdoor had been fruitless, the shaft resealed itself almost immediately after it had deposited her into darkness. She repeated to herself over and over again, "There's nothing else here, there's nothing else here, there's nothing else here..." Her mind knew that was logical. The Palace was given wards to keep dangerous creatures out when Celestia left it, but her terror was overriding her common sense. "Sweetie? Apple Bloom? Come on, if you're there, answer!" Nothing. She let out a sigh. The corridor was only getting darker, and she couldn't see another way out. That meant she was stuck going through pitch blankness. Not an appealing thought to anypony. Giving a gulp, she tried to think what Rainbow Dash and Soarin would do in this situation. They'd push ahead. Rainbow Dash would charge straight in. Yes. She would be brave. She'd push on. The sooner she ran through, the sooner she'd be out of there. Before she could give her brain time to object, she shot off, going through the hall at a great speed. She pushed through the darkness, smiling boldly. She was fast, anything here in the dark couldn't catch her. And even if it did, she was the apprentice of the great Rainbow Dash, she could handle anything! She couldn't be stopped! She... Pain suddenly erupted in her head. It felt like her skull was being split in two as she flew back. She skidded on her back, losing a few feathers on her wings. A warm stickiness was felt on her mane. "Ow," she moaned, not really feeling motivated for a more creative reaction. She felt her scalp. She was bleeding... but thankfully only a bit. After a moment, she got to her hooves and trotted forward, one hoof outstretched. Soon it came to a wall, the same she had run into. Scootaloo shivered. She had given herself time to think, and now the blackness seemed darker than ever. She pressed her hooves on the stone and began to feel to her left. She needed to find the hallway out. Then, suddenly, her hoof sank into the wall. She was spun around. She lost her balance and stumbled back, falling rump first on the carpeted floor. She stopped at that revelation. Carpet... and she could see it. Another hidden passage, she realized. Now she was in a well-lit hallway. There were strange orbs hanging on the ceiling, powered by some awesome magic. Scootaloo was surprised they still went. Even living as royalty, she didn't know any unicorn that could make a light last a millennium. She made a note to ask Twilight when she saw her next. It seemed to be a simple hallway, only a brilliant red carpet decorated it. Scootaloo looked to either side. On both, there was a simple wooden door, each with doorhandles that looked like they were in pristine condition. Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo went to the door on her left. She pushed it open. There was a near identical hallway on the other side. "Oh, come on!" Sweetie Belle was scared to death. She had no clue where her two best friends were, other than that it was somewhere within a castle she had never wanted to come within a hundred feet of. She wanted nothing more than to run back to Ponyville and hide under her covers. But she couldn't abandon her friends. So she put on a brave face and decided to go looking in the other chambers. For a split second she thought about jumping down after them, but she decided against it. If they were trapped, she wouldn't help them getting stuck herself. Maybe she could find something to lower down and pull them out. The room she chose was a hallway, it looked enough like a servant's quarters to have supplies. She traveled down it a bit, opening the first door that looked promising. It was a room filled with what appeared to be weapons. Spears, swords, and armor were strewn all over, dusty and rusted. She poked around a bit but could not find anything to be used as rope. She checked the next room. These were barracks, bowls caked with fossilized broth still on the floor. The next room was the kitchen across the hall. Here was something besides cookware. Old, broken crystals were on the floor. Some were whole, but dulled with age. She knew what they were, vaguely. She remembered Miss Cheerilee telling them that before more efficient storage was perfected, unicorns would place magic in crystals that could be accessed by other ponies, but for not much more than bringing on heat. They were used by cooks for heating and cooking food, starting fires in a fireplace, lighting rooms, and sending warning flares. All of these crystals had since leaked out, if they hadn't been broken during Celestia and Luna's battle. She didn't explore the area beyond this. She doubted the kitchen would have what she needed. The next few doors on the kitchen's side were simply more doors to the kitchen. On the opposite were several break rooms and supply rooms. She poked around each of them, but they had nothing to help her. It was in another room that she found something interesting. Here, there were thousands of shattered crystals, enough to give the floor an entire carpeting of shards. But even this Sweetie noticed second, because among the sea of grey, there was red. A few crystals were still whole, and still showing their glow. But they were blinking, as if holding onto their charge. They are, she realized. There must have been a scarce few that lived on to this day. But how? She shook her head, making a mental note to ask Twilight later. Then she decided that was stupid, because she'd want to know why she wanted to know, and then she'd find out she was here, she'd tell Rarity, and Rarity might get mad enough to take a manebrush to her flank. She had never done so before, but given how often she talked to Applejack about raising their younger sisters, she just might try it. Instead, she tried picking one up with her magic. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she risked clutching one in her teeth. She needed the light. The next few rooms dug up more of the same. She was getting away from the castle wall, which meant no windows, but her new found light source was providing all the light she needed. She came to another room. Setting the crystal down on the ground, she turned the knob with her teeth. There was another crystal inside still holding a charge. But Sweetie only saw it for a moment before its light suddenly brightened to a blinding flash. And then, just as quickly as it had come, it faded. Sweetie felt shivers go up her spine despite the fact that she was sweating in every other regard. She stumbled forward, her legs still feeling weak from the shock. She ended up stopping in front of something, catching a front hoof on it. A crate. And on it... an unlit crystal. She blinked. That must have been it. A crystal, finally losing its grip and letting what little pent-up energy it had left all out in one final flash. She laughed as her heart struggled to keep up with her body. Then she threw up. She felt sick. What was she doing here? This was Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's fault. She should just run off and leave them here. Immediately she regretted thinking that. She was just angry. She just needed to get her bearings together. She took a few deep breaths before she remembered the crate. Maybe this would be it. She swept the now dead crystal off it and lifted the lid. After a moment of feeling around, she felt it. A rope. She bit down on one end and pulled it out, then ran out of the room, the rope untangling behind her. Apple Bloom had found herself in a library filled to the brim with books that would likely impress even the Princesses with their age. The filly was really starting to wonder why Celestia had chosen to leave them behind when the castle was abandoned. Did she really not want any reminder of her sister during her banishment? She passed by another row of books, and stopped when she saw something. It was a bookstand with a rather large tome open across it, and it was open to a picture that she recognized. It was Discord, being turned to stone by Celestia and Luna. Apple Bloom walked up to the book and just looked at it. This page was near the end. She flipped it back a bit. It was the first Hearth's Warming Eve, with the Founders creating the Fire of Friendship. She flipped farther back. The time of the Three Tribes. She flipped farther back. She blinked. She hadn't had any history lessons on this one, but every schoolyard foal knew the stories. It was Megan, the warrior from another world, who was said to return home once the greatest evils had been eradicated. According to legend, without common foes to unite them, the three Tribes had fallen back on hating each other. Apple Bloom tried to read the text, but it seemed to be in a foreign language. No... it was Equestrian, it must be. Twilight mentioned once that languages change over time, so if this was a millennium old... She shook her head. She was sounding more and more like the nerd that Diamond Tiara kept calling her. She shut the book and began to move away. She stopped. She went and checked the cover. Most of it was unintelligible, but she recognized a large V on the cover. That was the old symbol for five, wasn't it? There could be other volumes like that, history even Celestia didn't know about. Apple Bloom may have been just a country filly, but she knew how valuable that would be to Twilight and the Princesses. Maybe I can tell her when I get back, she thought. Then she looked around. If I ever find my way out. Grumbling, Apple Bloom began backing away from the book. When she turned, she accidentally bumped one of the shelves. Dust flew everywhere. She ended up coughing quite a bit. She looked at the books on the shelf she bumped into. It looked the same as any other. Still, just looking at those spines, she felt a chill. She shook her head and began walking again. When she got to the next row, she looked down it. There, to her relief, as a stairway that led up. Her way out. Scootaloo opened the next door. It was another hallway. "What. Is. This?!" Scootaloo wanted to tear her mane out. She had been going on for what seemed like hours, and all she found in either direction was hallways! What was this, some kind of joke? Then she stopped. Was it? She came down here by trap door, and that sounded like an excuse to get rid of somepony. Maybe this was all a trap... this hallway was much too well lit... She looked up at the orbs, still glowing. Maybe... She crouched down and, pushing with all the strength her little legs could muster, she leapt into the air and began flapping her wings. Her flying lessons had left her with enough skill to manage this much. Huffing and puffing, she reached up and grabbed an orb. There was a large flash, and she fell onto her back and hit the ground. She let out a yell and bit her lip, tears coming out of her from the pain. When she came to, she was no longer in a hallway. In fact, she could hardly tell where she was. It was dark, and she could hardly make out anything. Steadily, she felt around a bit until she felt something. It was wood, a door. Carefully, she pushed it open. It was a hallway with windows high up, allowing light to pour in. She realized where she was now. She was in a dungeon, the room she had just been in had been a prison cell. She blinked. It was a trick... some kind of illusion. But how long had she been in it? Had it been the minute she fell down the trapdoor? Or... was it still going on? She looked around. At the end of the hallway, there was another door. She hesitated only a moment before running forward. Or at least, she tried to run. In her current state, it was more like a quick hobble. She pushed the door open. It was a stairway, her way out. As Celestia lowered the sun, a pair of chariots whisked the remaining Bearers of the Element of Harmony back to Ponyville. She sighed before returning to the castle. Instead of her chambers, she entered the room with the mirror. She looked at it again, her reflection looking back at her. Then, on one side, a young Sunset Shimmer, with wings to accompany her horn, appeared on the reflection’s right. Then Twilight Sparkle on its left, with the same upgrade. Her reflection bent down and kissed them both. “Sister?” Celestia looked away. Luna was standing in the room’s entrance way. “I’ve made all the arrangements necessary in case of another invasion. This isn’t going to go over well with the population. Luna walked up beside her sister. Celestia sighed. “I know. With everything going on. Ever since the Elements have returned, dangers keep popping up.” Luna looked into the mirror a bit. “I have faith that Twilight Sparkle will bring in Sunset Shimmer. And in that time, the other Bearers will find her conspirators. Do you have any idea how they are communicating between the worlds?” “I have my theories, though each is more absurd than the last. Perhaps there’s another mirror...” “Was there ever any word from the ponies who gave it to us?” “I’m afraid not... not that I looked very hard after you left. I was... too distraught over the whole mess. Perhaps I should have...” And then she stopped. It was like something had entered her brain in the most abrupt manner possible and was demanding all her attention. “Luna...” “I feel it too,” she said. “I didn’t think... how is it still holding?” “I don’t know, but I’ll tell the guards we’re leaving immediately.” She sighed. “Now on top of everything else, something is setting off the securities of our old castle. Then again, this could be the lead we’re looking for...”