The group made their way to the old castle. Before them was a bridge, the ropes used to construct it hanging on for dear life, dangled over the deep cliff below. Scootaloo trotted towards the edge of the cliff and a small pebble fell down to the bottom the moment she could no longer move any further, clacking against the cliff's walls as it descended. She looked down at the bottom, a lush green and a blue line running through it below her. Trees were mere dots from where she stood, which was enough to cause her to gulp and tighten her leg muscles. She bit her lip for a moment and then rubbed her mane as she stared at the bridge.

"This doesn't look so bad," Scootaloo said, her tone of voice a little apprehensive. "C'mon, let's cross the bridge."

"Hold on there, blank flank," said Silver Spoon, her eyebrows furrowed. "If we're going to make it across, there's no way that we can cross all at once." She pointed her hoof towards the bridge, which now swayed back and forth from the breeze as though it were a swing. "That bridge will probably collapse if we go through it together, so we should cross it one at a time."

"It doesn't look that bad." Scootaloo's face formed a confident smirk. "I mean, we can't weigh too much, right?"

"That's not the point." Silver Spoon trotted towards Scootaloo and glared into her eyes, the latter stepping back and withdrawing a bit. "Our best chances of success depend on us doing this one at a time. I don't want any of us getting hurt."

"Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said, raising her hoof high in the air. "Just let it go, because she does have a point."

Scootaloo grimaced slightly and looked over to Apple Bloom. "Whose side are you on?"

Scootaloo froze for a second. Maybe Silver Spoon and Apple Bloom had a point. She then looked over to the bridge, which still swayed side to side and creaked as it swung. The wooden planks that made the floor were a dark brown, its general shape looking fragile. The wind picked up, blowing her mane across her face and causing the bridge to swing about more intensely than before. Her mind returned to how big the drop was. She didn't want to fall down from that high, that much she knew. Where was Rainbow Dash when she needed her? She then closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and opened them up again. "Fine, let's do this one at a time."

"It's because it's the common sense way of doing things, like you said." Scootaloo stretched her forelegs and took another deep breath. "Let's do this one at a time."

"I just hope it's quick," said Diamond Tiara, her body shivering and her eyes wide open. "Not to mention that we'll have to do this twice if we're going to leave that castle." She then ceased shaking, shook her head, and grinned. "But it shouldn't be a problem. Only chickens would be scared of crossing a bridge."

Scootaloo's pupils dilated and her chest tightened. Such a thought of traversing the bridge twice never crossed her mind. She gulped and then formed a fake smile. "It better be," she muttered to herself. She then looked at her tiny wings and fluttered them about a bit. She sighed and looked back over to the group. If only she knew how to fly, everything would be much easier. Her heart sank lower, but she shook her head and ruffled her eyebrows. There was no time for self-pity. Now was the time for action. "Let's get this over with."

"Who should go first?" Apple Bloom asked with wide open eyes. She then shook her head from side to side. "I'm definitely not going first."

Diamond Tiara gulped, her body shivering as though a cold breeze rushed past her. "I-I'm not afraid," she said. Scootaloo turned to Diamond and raised an eyebrow, her lips forming a slight smirk. "I'll prove it!"

Diamond turned to the bridge and took a deep breath. Her lips moved, but nothing seemed to come out of them. She slowly lifted her left foreleg onto the bridge's first plank as she visibly clenched her teeth.

Diamond jumped up in the air and let out a high-pitched scream, loud enough for everypony else to cover their ears and cringe for a brief moment. Diamond's eyes shot wide open and her pupils dilated. She shook her body, mane, and tail and her teeth chattered. "Forget it!" She took a deep breath and whipped her tail around some more. "I'm not crossing that!"

Apple Bloom smiled a little, only for it to turn into a frown soon after. "How else are we supposed to get to the castle?" she asked, her shoulders sagging. She turned her head from left to right, tapping her hoof against the ground. "Hmm. There doesn't appear to be a way to the castle without crossing the bridge."

Scootaloo looked around herself, gazing at the old bridge and her surroundings. She made a mental note of anything her eyes could see, which mainly consisted of trees, grass, and more trees. Sure enough, there didn't appear to be a practical entrance to the castle.

Or was there? She trotted back towards the edge of the cliff and squinted at the castle once more. The landmass that provided the foundations of the castle appeared to have a small sliver of land connecting the castle to the rest of the forest. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. There appeared to be a figure crossing this small land bridge to reach the castle. Was it the cloaked figure from before? She blinked once again, and the scene was still before her. There was a way.

"How so?" Sweetie Belle asked, shrugging and then raising an eyebrow. "You saw Diamond Tiara freak out from that bridge. Maybe we should just go home."

"If this involves launching me and Silver Spoon to the castle with a catapult, count me out," said Diamond.

Silver Spoon chuckled, covering her lips with her hoof. "I don't think they'd do that."

Letting out a groan, Diamond's shoulders then sagged. "Okay, let us hear it, blank flank."

Scootaloo smiled and nodded. "There's a land bridge around the other side of the castle. That's how we get there."

Diamond trotted closer to Scootaloo and squinted at the castle, seeing what Scootaloo saw. Her face formed a beaming smile and her eyes glowing like shining jewels. "Yes! We're still in this!"

"Let's get going," said Apple Bloom, trotting in circles with a skip in her step and a wide smile on her face.

The five fillies huddled together and trotted around the perimeter of the cliff. The land connecting the castle to the rest of the forest soon became visible. Scootaloo led the group, her hooves pounding against the dirt for what felt like an eternity. She gritted her teeth as her hooves ached more and more, feeling like she was stepping on needles instead of dirt. At least she knew it would be worth it in the end, but there was an uncertainty about such a claim that caused her body to tense up. Would it be worth it in the end?

After a long walk, the five made it to the front of the castle, Scootaloo's hooves crying out for rest. She turned to the rest of the group and noticed Apple Bloom, as well as Diamond Tiara, massaging their own hooves. Sweetie Belle was gritting her teeth, while Silver Spoon was panting loudly with her tongue sticking out and looking like the slightest breeze would tip her over.

Scootaloo then looked to the castle's entrance and as she gazed at it for a second, her mouth hung agape. Two statues of alicorns adorned each side of the front door, the dark oak door at least ten times as tall as she was. She felt her body shrinking more and more as she stared at the front door. Was it a castle for giants? Or did the princesses compensate for something long ago? Scootaloo blinked a few times and her jaw dropped, unable to comprehend what was before her.

"This is amazing!" Scootaloo shouted at the top of her lungs. Her eyes kept widening until they could no longer widen. "How could such a thing exist?"

"It is amazing," said Silver Spoon, who was still panting. "Scholars say that this castle was built during Discord's reign over Equestria, and that its size was so that it could provide shelter to not only the princesses, but refugees fleeing from Discord as well."

"I read a lot in the library." Silver Spoon smirked and stepped back a little. "It's something I enjoy."

Scootaloo looked over to Silver Spoon and chuckled a little. "I never took you to be an egghead."

"I have to have some hobby while I'm not perfecting my special talent or hanging around with Diamond Tiara." Silver Spoon sat down on the ground and her eyes gazed into Scootaloo's. "Look at all the things you do during your free time."

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you're never going to get your cutie mark like that."

"She's right, you know," Diamond said with a devilish smirk. "You should have given up at that long ago."

"I'm not giving up." Scootaloo's eyebrows furrowed and she clenched her teeth for a moment. "We may even get our cutie marks from this, as you said!"

"Well excuse me, I forgot about that. Thank you for correcting me." Scootaloo growled at Diamond, finding something rather vile in her tone of voice.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trotted towards Scootaloo, smiling and nodding. "We sure are," said Apple Bloom. "Ready to do our cheer?"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Castle Explorers, yay!" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all shouted in unison. Scootaloo's heart warmed after that cheer. Something about it revitalized her spirits as she looked over to her two friends, all with bright smiles on their faces. She then formed a smile of her own.

"Let's try to stay out of trouble," said Silver Spoon. "We still need to work together, so let's do the best we can. Right, Diamond Tiara?"

"What?" Diamond asked in a raised tone of voice, covering her ears and cringing. "I'm ready to go! Just stop with the cheesy stuff!"

Silver Spoon let out a sigh. "I'm guessing Diamond Tiara isn't a fan of cheers. Let's get going."

Scootaloo pressed her hoof against the castle's front door. A chilling sensation ran from her hoof through her spine. She shuddered and then bit her lip as she pushed the door, which swung wide open as though it weighed the same as a feather.

Scootaloo giggled and then shook her head. "The door kind of just opened." She shrugged and raised both eyebrows. "Magic, I guess?"

Silver Spoon trotted up and raised her hoof. "Maybe there's some sort of pulley system alongside some mechanism to detect a hoof pressing on the door," she said.

The five trotted inch by inch into the dark corridors of the castle, the fluffy and soft material of the carpet beneath their hooves apparent. Once all five were inside, the door closed itself, causing the group to all jump up in synchronization and glance back at the closed door for a brief second.

"A-are you still sure this is a good idea?" Sweetie Belle asked, her legs quivering. "I'm scared."

"Of course I'm sure," said Scootaloo, her face adorned with a confident grin. "There's no way that we'll regret this."

The room then lit up, the light revealing the composition of the main hallway before them. A dark red carpet ran along the center of the hallway, making its way up the stairs and to a wooden door. The wooden door had an engraving of a sun and a moon, just brightly colored enough to be noticed back from the entrance. Stone pillars, colored a cold gray like the rest of the undecorated portions of the interior, rose up from the floor and kissed the roof far above. A series of doors lined the left and right sides of the castles. And for some reason, the whole room sparkled as though somepony had just cleaned it recently.

Scootaloo took another step forward and moved her head from left to right as though she was a guard on duty, her eyes shimmering at the sights before her. She kept on trotting, looking everywhere but forwards, until her hoof clipped the first step of the staircase at the far end of the hallway. She clenched her teeth and tipped over somewhat, blushing as she looked back to the four fillies behind her.

"Watch where you're going," said Apple Bloom as she rushed towards Scootaloo. "The last thing we need is one of us to hurt ourselves."

Scootaloo grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Just look around you! I've never seen anything like this. Heck, I bet none of us have!"

"It's good," said Diamond, who stared at Scootaloo with a blank expression, "but it's nowhere near the level of my mansion. Five out of ten."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and planted a hoof to her face. "Why did you have to bring your mansion into this?"

Diamond raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "You said none of us have seen anything like this, so I'm just saying that I've seen better."

Scootaloo sighed. "Whatever." She then placed her hoof on her muzzle. "Hmm. So what should we do first?"

"Let's check out the room behind the door with those sun and moon signs," said Apple Bloom.

"Then it's settled," Scootaloo said with a widening grin. "Let's check out that room."

"Um, Diamond Tiara," said Silver Spoon in a flat tone. "I like their idea, so that would make it four for five on wanting to check that room out."

Scootaloo nodded and then pushed the door open. A cacophonous creak echoed in the room, causing Scootaloo to cringe and cover her ears for a moment. A second later, the old door was open. The red carpet from before kept going into the room before her, and the columns running down each side of the carpet were in the exact same style as the ones in the entry room, only grayer with more cracks running along them. At the far end of the room appeared to be a pipe organ, the pipes extending far into the sky. Standing before the pipe organ was a cloaked figure. Was it the one from before? Scootaloo's legs tensed as she stood still, her spine frozen.

"Be quiet," Silver Spoon whispered, pointing at the figure up ahead with one foreleg and blocking Diamond's progress with the other. Diamond looked up at the figure and winced.

"Let's just watch and find out," said Scootaloo, rolling her eyes. She gazed at the figure up ahead and crept towards it. Her hoofsteps produced the tiniest of noises as they touched the carpet. The figure became clearer in her vision to where she could make out a black foreleg. It was shaped irregularly, but for reasons she couldn't explain, it tightened her throat and made the air feel heavier the closer she got to it. Did it belong to who she thought it did? Or was her mind playing tricks again? The foreleg then touched the rightmost key of the pipe organ, and a second later, a portion of the right wall fell down into the floor, leaving nothing behind. The figure jumped from the pipe organ, its cloak fluttering in the wind, but the figure's shape still impossible to determine, and flew through the newly formed passageway at a rapid pace. As Scootaloo caught one last glimpse of the figure, all that she could do was tilt her head and raise an eyebrow.

"So now what?" Diamond asked as her eyebrows furrowed. "That was pointless if you ask me."

"Pointless?" Scootaloo, her eyes widened and her mouth agape turned to Diamond. "Are you playing stupid or something?"

"Of course not!" Diamond trotted over to Scootaloo, her face scrunching. "I'm no idiot!" She then turned to Silver Spoon, her lips forming a smug grin. "Right, Silver Spoon?"

Silver Spoon tapped her hoof on the floor and shifted her eyes. She stared at the secret passageway and turned to Diamond, who was glancing back at her with raised eyebrows. "Oh, um, whatever you say, Diamond Tiara."

"Let's follow that figure," Scootaloo said. She trotted towards the secret passageway, her heart racing and her body jittery. "There's no time to waste!"

"Scootaloo!" Diamond shouted at the top of her lungs. "You're going to get us all killed one day!" She galloped behind Scootaloo with a deep frown and fiery eyes.

"If she says these things, why does she follow me?" Scootaloo asked herself in a faint tone. She stepped through the secret passageway, where before her was a dark, narrow hallway, the walls visibly scarred by time and covered inch by inch with dust. Slowing down, Scootaloo coughed a bit and her vision blurred as she made her way through the hallway, the air around it more like a sandstorm the more she kept going.

Feeling tears run down her scratchy eyes, Scootaloo felt as though she was becoming blind. Then, after a few additional, grueling seconds, the air felt a little cleaner. Her lungs cried out in joy as they could finally breathe once again, but her vision was still a blur. She kept trotting forwards, only for her to slam into a flat, cold wall. Scootaloo shook her head and rubbed her eyes, and standing before her was a wooden bookcase, its colors faded. She looked to her left and then to her right, and more bookcases ran along the room. She rubbed her muzzle and then froze for a moment.

"Look at all of the books," Silver Spoon said, her eyes shimmering. "Who knows what kinds of things are waiting to be discovered here."

"They're just books," said Scootaloo, her voice still a little scratchy, but clearing up as time went on. "I wouldn't call them treasures."

"Do you even realize the undiscovered knowledge and history that might be in one of these books?" Silver Spoon trotted over to a book and pulled it out. She blew on the cover, revealing the title Letters of Clover the Clever on it, printed in a stylish, gold font. It's color was still faded, but it still had enough sheen to glimmer under the light inside the room. "Look at this book. It's supposed to be a collection of letters, if the title is anything to go by. Maybe it has something important inside of it."

Silver Spoon opened the book and turned to a random page. She made her way to about a third of the book's total length, and stared at the letter before her. She cleared her throat and her eyes moved from left to right, her lips moving as each word printed on the page was read.

October, Year CCXVIII: Discord's Betrayal
To whomever it may concern,
I write this letter because I have had a horrible vision. Emperor Discord will betray us all in approximately 1300 years in the future. He will work with a horrible demon and send Equestria, nay, the entire world, towards a melancholic future. This demon has sharp, gray horns, a sinister smile, an ever-growing posture, and magical abilities that make even the strongest of ponies look like flies. While this demon did lose in my vision, Discord managed to escape unharmed and claim that he had learned his lesson, but the world would be set on a path of depression and hopelessness that may be unsolvable. As such, I believe we need to stop Discord by any means necessary to prevent him from ruining the lives of future generations. Meet me at Platinum Mountain and we will discuss how to stop him.
Clover the Clever

Silver Spoon's mouth hung agape and her eyes twitched. She then remained perfectly still as her face became pale. Apple Bloom, biting her lip, waved a hoof in front of Silver Spoon's face, her hoof's motions becoming more frantic as time went on.

"Silver Spoon, are you in there?" Apple Bloom asked. "Say anything if you can hear me."

"The description was too accurate to be a mere coincidence. I'm afraid that the world might be entering in a horrible state. Either soon, or now."

"Wait a second," said Apple Bloom as she raised her hoof in the air. "Wasn't Discord always chaotic or something?"

Silver Spoon tapped her hoof against the floor. "Hmm. Good point. Either this letter isn't telling the truth, or there's a lot more to this than just the vision."

Silver Spoon nodded. "I agree. Anyway, should I read the next letter?" The four fillies all nodded together. "Okay then."

December, Year CCXVIII: Discovery and Allies
I've gathered the other founders of Equestria with me, but something horrible has happened. Discord has found out of our plans to overthrow him, and he has gone on a rampage, plunging the world into a chaos even we were surprised to find out he was capable of. The landscape is plaid, gravity is no longer constant, and all sorts of strange creatures have been running across the land. Not to mention the chocolate rain, which Chancellor Puddinghead seems to enjoy. We need something of our own to counter his power.

We went to an old, crystal tree, extracted six different gems, and filled them with some of our magical essence. Together, we called these the Elements of Harmony, and they could only be used under specific circumstances as to prevent their misuse. Only there was one problem. The six of us couldn't use them. It seemed like our efforts were for nothing, but then something miraculous happened. Two mares with incredible manes appeared, and they were like nothing we've ever seen before. Both had a horn and a pair of wings, something we all thought was impossible. One called herself Celestia, and the other called herself Luna. They supposedly came from a distant community and served as their rulers, and they were both very kind to us. Maybe they were the ones able to use the Elements of Harmony we forged. It was worth a shot.
Clover the Clever

"So now what?" asked Diamond, tapping her hoof against the floor and producing a clicking noise. "What do we do with that letter?"

"Well, it is known that the Princesses Celestia and Luna used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord and afterwards became the two rulers of Equestria," said Silver Spoon. She gently closed the book and rubbed the cover, a little extra dust flying away. "There's probably even more in here, so I think we should show it to Princess Celestia and see if she knows anything about it."

Diamond groaned and rolled her eyes. "But Canterlot is so far away," she whined. "Can't we just show it to Princess Sparkles or whatever her name is?"

Apple Bloom glared at Diamond, her face scrunching. "It's Princess Twilight Sparkle," she said in a forceful tone. "She might know what's going on, but she's still youngish, so what if she doesn't?"

"She's lived in a library for a whole year, so she should know what it's about."

Apple Bloom nodded. "True, but Celestia probably has personal knowledge. That's why we should ask her."

Diamond groaned and then froze for a moment. She gazed at Apple Bloom for a few seconds and then let out a sigh. "You've got a point." Diamond shuddered and her left eye twitched. "Let's keep that book for now."

"Still though," said Scootaloo, her body trembling somewhat. "I would like to know if it predicts anything else." She gazed at the book and its thick binding. It would take forever just to read the thing, so what were the odds of finding something else within it? That letter only mentioned the Tirek incident, so was that all there was to it? Or was there something else it foresaw? Scootaloo tapped her hoof against the floor and closed her eyes as a tingling sensation sprung up in her mind. There had to be more to it than just that.

"Look!" Sweetie Belle shouted, her hoof pointing forwards from where she was. Scootaloo opened her eyes and galloped towards Sweetie Belle, the rest of the group following suit. "There's something behind that door!"

Scootaloo stared at the partly open door, the image of a horn and two wings printed on it with some sort of writing below it that looked impossible to decipher. A turquoise light flickered behind the door, and the longer she stared at the light, the more her heart raced. Why did she feel this way? It was just a light. Scootaloo stepped closer to the door, feeling like her body would sink into the earth the closer she got to it. She unconsciously lifted her hoof towards the door. All that she could hear was the beating of her heart.

Scootaloo's head pounded as though a jackhammer was hitting it. She cringed for a moment and placed a hoof on her forehead, clenching her teeth. The world became blurrier the longer she stared at the door. She felt like her body would float away.

"Huh?" Scootaloo turned her head from left to right, her vision becoming clear once more and her heart rate returning to normal. "Where am I?"

"We're at the castle," said Sweetie Belle, her eyes shimmering. "I thought you were possessed, so I kept shouting at you until you snapped out of it."

Scootaloo turned back to Sweetie Belle and her shoulders sagged. She didn't know what that sensation was, but as she replayed the events leading up to Sweetie Belle saving her, the more her body shook. Her leg muscles tightened and she looked over to the group, her vision a little blurry. "I-I want to go home now."

"What happened to the brave pony that ran into something without thinking?" Diamond asked in a mocking tone. "Are we just going to leave and only take a stupid book back with us?"

"Um, Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo," said Apple Bloom, pointing towards Scootaloo's hooves. "What book is that?"

Scootaloo looked down and, just as Apple Bloom suggested, another book was before her. She jumped up and shivered a little before blushing and then rubbing the back of her neck. "So where did that thing come from?" she asked.

"When Sweetie Belle got you thinking again, the book sort of just appeared." Apple Bloom shrugged and both of her eyebrows rose up. "I don't know what happened. Magic? Maybe it fell out of the bookshelf."

"I thought I heard a thud." Scootaloo closed her eyes and placed her hoof on her muzzle. Her mind recalled the events once more, her ears twitching as she tried to remember the noises she heard. There was a thud. Maybe the book did fall from the bookshelf. Scootaloo opened her eyes, looked back down at the book, and stared at its cover. The words The Secrets of Equestria were printed on the brown, leather cover, its violet colored font adding some mystique to it. She rubbed her eyes and lowered her head closer to the book. The faint outline of a clock seemed to be printed on the cover. A lone bookmark, colored a light lavender, was placed around a third of the way through the thick book. Scootaloo picked it up and shuffled it around in her hooves. Was her trance related to this book's appearance? Was there something about this book that made it stand out? Whatever it was, a ticklish feeling in her gut told her that it was important, but her mind failed to find a rational explanation as to why it was.

"Seriously, we need to get out of here," Scootaloo said, gazing at the rest of the group. "It's not safe here."

"Well, duh!" Diamond shouted, rolling her eyes. "What do you think I was trying to say?"

"You were right." Scootaloo grimaced, a sharp pain piercing her heart as she muttered those words. "Let's get out of here?"

"What about the cloaked figure?" Apple Bloom asked. "He or she was the reason we went over here."

"Do you mean me?" an ominous, feminine voice asked. A figure wearing a ragged, brown cloak leaped out of the shadows from the room's roof and landed before the five fillies. She adjusted her hood, and as Scootaloo gazed at the figure, all that she could see was the general shape of a pony. Her entire face was covered in a pitch black and her hooves were covered in black boots. Scootaloo felt the air pushing down on her more and more and her spine froze. She shuddered for a moment and gulped.

Scootaloo's pupils dilated and her body shook faster and faster. Her breathing was louder. Her leg muscles tightened.. Her teeth chattered. She just wanted to go home, but such hopes were fading by the second.

The Secrets of Equestria

by Manaphy

Scootaloo: Castle Exploration