The castle was an intricate maze, a labyrinth of unparalleled complexity, a milieu of elaborate- you know what who was I kidding I couldn’t blame it on the building, I was lost. You know that obscure reference of putting your hand on the left wall of a maze and following it, you would eventually reach the centre?
I tried that but turns out, quite blatantly, that it did not work for three-dimensional designs. In my haste to find out whoever had activated the vegetable chute I had dashed back not really paying attention to how I had even gotten there.
I face-palmed quite hard at that, leaving a red handprint and watery eyes.
The more I thought about it, the more convinced that my isolation away from humanity was starting to affect my judgement. Next thing you know I would be talking to a volleyball named ‘Wilson’ and I'd be doing crazy dances, singing lullaby after lullaby to comfort me as I drifted off to sleep.
Pfft, ha ha ha!
Soon after arriving here I felt a sort of emptiness that had pervaded my senses. It was much like after making pizza, so delicious and inviting and right after you bite into the soft crust and the smooth tomato sauce, only to find that the cheese and the toppings were missing. I soon realised that the emptiness clawing at my mind was the white noise of the missing extranet feed.
Though it had been a mess, the sheer web of humanity that was the Internet and extranet, combined to form a sort of comforting safety net. It was a place where you knew that your friends were only a keyboard, smart phone or gesture away and all you needed to know if someone was alive or not was whether or not their online status was set to available.
I felt a gnawing feeling in my gut.
I sneezed as I kicked up yet more dust in the confines of yet another dusty and long-forgotten room of the castle. Cheek smarting, eyes watering and nose running, I was getting closer and closer to looking like a kid who’d just lost their extranet privileges.
I laughed. In a way I had, hadn't I?
I have a rule against swearing excessively, so I didn’t do that, even silently. Instead I imagined that my situation was entirely due to a figure that looked vaguely like one of the horse-things in a painting nearby and imagined their reaction as I set fire to their mansion or house or whatever they lived in.
-----
Celestia shuddered. She felt a chill creep down her spine and end in a shiver that ran through her tail.
Luna looked up, with a concerned tilt of her head.
“What is it, Tia?” she queried, nuzzling her sister’s neck.
“I don’t know Lulu”, Celestia replied, her gaze far away. “I felt ill intent, like somepony walked over my grave.”
“Ah don’t be silly, Tia. Nopony thinks of you like that! You are one of the most beloved ponies in all of Equestria” Luna pushed emphatically.
Celestia nodded slowly, filled with a little confidence.
“Yes, yes of course, Lulu. Just getting old I suppose, maybe a little maudlin.”
Luna scoffed, “You aren’t young that is for certain.”
Celestia glared at her younger sibling, eyeing down the midnight blue alicorn.
“May I remind you, dear Luna, that we are not so different in age?” she stated rhetorically and in a dangerously low voice.
Luna swallowed and nodded quickly.
I better keep that weight joke follow up for tomorrow, she thought to herself, excusing herself with haste.
-----
I cast my vision at everything but recognised nothing. Frustrated, I clenched my fist and whacked it against the wall. With nothing to show for it but a painful gasp and a smarting hand, I continued to wander the hall. Stupid hard-enduring centuries-old wall.
-----
Pinkie Pie wandered over to the babbling stream where she took a delicious gulp of crystal clear water.
“Mmm Twilight! What makes this water taste so good?” she asked breathlessly, hopping with barely contained party energy.
Twilight shared in her friend’s sentiments.
“Well Pinkie, it’s actually due to-“ she paused to check the sky for the time “-that.”
Pinkie followed Twilight’s pointed hoof to a faint multi-coloured blur that grew more defined as it flowed down the river. She gasped as she witnessed a plethora of rainbow-coloured fruit bobbed past them.
“Zap Apples?!” she exclaimed, mouth watering.
“Actually, Zap Berries, or more like Weather Berries, or maybe Zap Weather Berries”, Twilight explained, snatching one from the river with an outstretched hoof. She offered the first one to Pinkie for inspection but Pinkie just ate it. She scooped another and waited for Pinkie’s reaction, grinning.
Pinkie’s face, initially enthusiastic of the prospect of eating the Zap Weather Berry, screwed up in an expression of disgust.
“Oh, yucky yuck yucky yuck yuck yuck!” she said, spitting out the remaining residues of the Zap Weather Berry and scraping her tongue with a hoof rigorously.
“Agreed. These berries taste horrible if you eat them alone but for some reason they make the surrounding water taste delicious!” scooping another hoof-full of water with her muzzle and downing it in a single gulp. Pinkie immediately followed Twilight’s example to purge the Zap Weather Berry bitterness.
Twilight continued as Pinkie drank mouthful after mouthful of water.
“I've found that the Zap Weather Berry bushes only flower and fruit during a change in weather. The phenomenon is similar to the Zap Apples, which require lightning to bloom. Since the Everfree forest changes weather by itself, it is a natural haven for these berry bushes. Imagine what kind of products you could make with these berries!”
Somewhere in Equestria, a pony bearing the cutie mark of a berry, twitched.
Pinkie was just as excited as Twilight.
“Imagine what kind of cakes we could make!” Pinkie exclaimed her tongue lolling out as she imagined all the sugary treats that would be made possible through Zap Weather Berry water.
“All right, all right, Pinkie, we'll come back for a sample for your baking later. We still need to get to the Castle of the Two Sisters and get back before evening”, Twilight told her good naturedly, setting off towards the path. Pinkie Pie took one last long look at the serene river before bouncing after Twilight.
----
Finding another dead end I blew out an annoyed breath through my teeth.
“These passages are a maze, all these passages! Are you taunting me?!” I yelled at the stone-built walls. The sound bounced hollowly down, echoing down the empty hallway. All around me were empty rooms filled with broken furniture and antique items.
At the moment I was trying to reach the same library room I had slept in so I could orientate myself. Unfortunately, the sun had crept a little closer to the horizon and I judged that I only had perhaps four maybe five hours before sunset. By then, whoever had taken the vegetables could have left. I didn't have nearly enough time. Redoubling my efforts, I jogged up a flight of stairs and ended up at familiar place.
Leaping for joy, I ran into the courtyard and spotted the old tapestries depicting the winged unicorns. Excited, I dashed to the library and found the same secret room, safe and comforting as I had last left it. I noticed something gleaming on the floor. It was a shining silver bowl with lettuce and carrots in it. I took a bite out of a carrot I picked out of the bowl.
----
Twilight gazed impassively at the rotten decomposing mush that was her food provisions. She sighed levitating it out a small stone window. A surprised chatter from an innocent squirrel standing underneath the window prompted a quick apology, but Twilight still focused on the failure that was her spell.
“I don't get it! I spent four days researching the food preservation spell, what was wrong with it?” she said exasperated. She ran a hoof down her mane trying to think of the particular spell that would boost spell time duration.
A pink party pony was lying down on one of the cushions scattered around the small room. Pinkie pointed to Twilight’s saddlebag, pumping her eyebrows in an overly suggestive manner.
Unwilling to simply give up, Twilight scanned the cupboard for any traces of pony sustenance. The cupboard didn't stare back and just sat infuriatingly empty-like.
“Ugh, okay we'll refer to Celestia’s notes. I really thought we'd be able to find something I kept here earlier... sorry Pinkie”, Twilight apologised, slightly downcast.
“It’s okay Twilight, no biggie, I have another cupcake around here somewhere…” she muttered pulling various objects out from behind her. An anvil, two balloons, a streamer, candy and a half eaten cake were one of among many items Pinkie had.
Twilight forced herself to have a micro-amnesia episode so as to avoid having a mental breakdown formed from the thousands of questions and queries that sprang to mind when trying to analyse Pinkie.
Activating a levitation spell, she brought out a thin sheaf of papers detailing some notes that Princess Celestia wanted Twilight to have for the expedition, the Princess suggested it was optional so Twilight took it as a challenge. Reluctantly, Twilight brought the sheaf of papers in front of her but was almost unable to begin reading. It smacked of defeat.
My Dearest Most Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,
Enclosed are some notes regarding what to look for within the castle. Remember! If you encounter any trouble simply send me an emergency message through Spike. You will remember to take him with you?
Twilight face-hoofed.
I have details on getting food and water whilst visiting the castle should it take longer than a day and you wish to camp out in the castle. I trust your judgement on whether or not you will visit the castle or simply take up residency in one of the rooms for the night.
To that end see the other notes I have attached.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
P.S. Please ask the Cakes to send another batch.
P.S.S Luna asks if you’re done reading the article.
P.S.S.S Shining Armor sent a message, he wants to know why you have stopped writing.
P.S.S.S.S Cadance says hello!
-----
“I do not know why you let other ponies write in your letters”, Luna commented, as Celestia was writing the note.
“Oh shush you”, she replied.
-----
Twilight read the note and rolled her eyes, she mentally added a note in her internal calendar to send Shiny a letter. Sorting through the loose parchment she found the addendum on food.
2. Food
If you would like some carrots and lettuce there is a magically suspended garden that supplies these to my secret chamber. The secret chamber is activated through the Organ to the Outside-
Twilight stopped reading and switched to the first parchment containing information on the unfamiliar names that Celestia had mentioned. She glanced at Pinkie who seemed content to nap quietly, occasionally her leg or tail would twitch and she would grunt at some imaginary dream stimuli but was otherwise peaceably quiet. Grateful for her silence and Pinkie’s rare patience she continued with the letter.
1. Places and Objects of Note
Within the castle are two important chambers of note.
The first is the Organ Chamber, which contains the Organ to the Outside, a musical instrument that is fully functioning but also triggers a variety of fun contraptions around the castle, principle of these is the ‘Fast Food Delivery System’, which conveniently delivers food to the Secret Royal Chambers.
The Organ Chamber is outlined on the map and will be immediately identifiable due to the scores and musical notes that outline the red carpet leading to the old organ itself. The Organ should be fully functioning if the spells have not degraded or the Wellspring has not been depleted. Simply press the key corresponding to the trigger mechanism for the Fast food Delivery System as Marked on the diagram attached and you will receive the food momentarily.
Twilight hesitated. Wellspring?
She shook her head, file for later.
The second is of course the Secret Royal Chambers, which contains a journal WHICH YOU ARE TO LEAVE ALON-
Twilight saw a line dashed across the page.
My apologies, that was Luna. I’m not fussed if you read it but perhaps err on the side of caution and retrieve it without reading it while I negotiate with Luna on permission for you to read it.
Puzzled, Twilight just locked the out of character behaviour into the ‘Pinkie Vault’.
The Secret Royal Chambers can be accessed by locating a table with two chairs at the opposite ends and pushing back on the chair, such that it tilts back as shown in the third diagram.
Though tempted to read more Twilight felt she had read enough. She gently nudged Pinkie.
“Pinkie, wake up”, Twilight cooed. Twilight was amused to see Pinkie briefly snort and blink with bleary eyes at her purple companion.
“Oh wassat? Cake mountain cream coating candy valley…”, she mumbled sleepily groggily getting to her hooves.
Twilight chuckled heading to the door, “Come on, I know where to go!”
Twilight turned her head to beckon Pinkie but her friend was no longer there. She heard Pinkie call to her in front.
“Come on, Twilight what are we waiting for?”
Vault. Vault. Vault, she thought furiously, joining Pinkie.