//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - The Book // Story: The Quill of Eternity // by Written Dreams //------------------------------// Twilight blinked her eyes and yawned, raising her head and looked around the room. She noticed the room was fairly bright and she felt herself smile softly as she looked over seeing Luna waking up as well, “So we‘re heading to the castle soon?” “Just as soon as we have our things sorted and in our bags.” “Why can we not simply read the book here? We were able to stay the night without anything happening.” The princess shook her head and slowly looked around the inside of the house, “We were lucky that nothing happened here last night but I do not trust how safe this place feels. We will be heading to the castle before we open the book. I apologize Twilight, but my senses tell me to get there as swiftly as we can.” Zecora trotted out into the room, wearing saddlebags like the two of them. She walked around to the shelves taking out vial after vial and slid them into her bag, “Twilight, Princess, we’ll be leaving soon, if we leave now we shall be there by noon.” Twilight stood and nodded towards the zebra. She, Luna and Zecora took a few more minutes to rearrange the items in their bags before the three of the departed. As Zecora passed through the magical barrier last, the magic dispelled, the zebra closing her eyes as the sound of decay and the smell of rot filled the air around them. They walked into the forest, the trees becoming steadily more dense as they continued walking down the path. The three walked in silence for a great number of minutes and soon the trees opened up. The ruins of the castle were nearly invisible in the thick fog before them. In front of them is an infinitely deep drop; the three standing at the edge of a cliff with a rickety rope bridge stretched across it to the other side. Luna looked up at the castle, an expression of deep contemplation on her face before she looked to the left, looking down at Twilight, “Twilight let us continue.” “Princess…” Twilight muttered as she watched Luna walk across the rope bridge carefully yet very swiftly. She reached the other side before motioning back to them. Twilight went next, her hooves shaking a little as she gulped, finding herself looking down into the infinite chasm below her. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she stepped onto the other side and gave Luna a light smile, the alicorn nodding to her before looking over to see Zecora trotting across the bridge. Luna paused as her eyes scanned the planks under the zebra’s hooves before her eyes suddenly widened, “Zecora run!” The planks of the bridge were already heavily rotted, Zecora’s eyes widening as they began snapping in half and falling into the fog below. She ran faster across the planks until her hoof hit the final one and the wood below her hoof snapped, her chin hitting the cliff edge hard. She gasped as her eyes went wide, letting out a yell as she began to fall. She suddenly let out a gasp as her descent stopped, looking up slowly into the determined face of the Princess, “Not getting away from us that easily Zecora!” The alicorn pulled her back up onto the earth and Zecora let out a slow breath before looking back up at her, “Princess you saved me from falling… I‘m sorry my level of care was appalling…” Luna shook her head as she and the zebra tapped their hooves together, “You‘d have done the same for me Zecora… I mean, if I couldn‘t fly that is.” They all continued walking up the trail towards the castle, Twilight looking down at the ground with her eyes wide, “Zecora almost… and I just stood there…” Twilight suddenly looked up feeling a hoof laying on her shoulder. She stopped walking and looked over to Zecora standing next to her with a gentle smile on her face, “Twilight you needn’t look on with such gloom, regardless I did not meet my doom.” They continued walking as Twilight’s gloomy expression disappeared, “Twilight, Princess, we‘ll be there in a few moments. Be prepared for anything, keep yourself tense.” Luna laid her hoof against the doors of the castle, the door giving way slowly and sliding with a soft scraping noise against the stone ground beneath them. The three walked inside and across to the large stone pedestal that once housed the Elements of Harmony. Twilight let out a deep sigh as she looked up at the empty spaces where the spheres once resided but blinked as she looked across seeing Luna hadn’t stopped walking and had continued across the room. Twilight and Zecora hurried after her, following Luna up further into the castle, ascending to the place the princess had been defeated such a short time ago. They shortly arrived at the tower, the three mares entering and walking to the center of the room, the unicorn and earth pony stopping as Luna stopped and turned back to them, “There is no way that Discord could know that we are here. Let‘s find out what‘s in this book.” Her horn glowed with a soft aura of magic, the book floating out of her bag and it sat on the cold stone before her. Luna laid down, looking down at the book as Twilight trotted over and laid down next to her peering down at the book as well. Zecora turned her head back as she smiled lightly to herself and withdrew a vial of glowing red liquid. She took it into her hoof and pulled off the lid turning her head and she let a drop fall to the ground, a light red mist growing from the ground radiating warmth that spread throughout the area eliminating the cold around them. Zecora walked over to Luna’s other side and laid down, the princess’ horn glowing softly as the book opened and she cleared her throat, beginning to read from the text. The Quill of Eternity is a legendary artifact, its creation can be dated back farther than 1000 years. It is said that the Quill itself was created from the quills of a single feather plucked from a golden phoenix. The Quill’s shaft has the properties and look of glass but it was forged from pure light condensed into a physical form before it was hollowed and the quills of the feather were threaded through it giving it the appearance of a feather. The tip of the Quill is a work of art in itself. It is said that the tip was formed from the tooth of a dragon, worked on for years until every aspect of it was perfect. The tooth was shaved down to a fine point and worked until it was thin and could easily be mistaken as a thick needle. It was attached to the end using powerful binding magic and the Quill was complete. Given that the Quill was hollow, it could easily be filled with ink that could allow the one writing with it to complete several large paragraphs before it needed to be refilled. However, the Quill itself was only filled with normal ink a single time according to legend. Once the ink inside of the pen had been used up the creator of the artifact took the remaining years of his or her life to create an ink with an incredible amount of magical potential. From what little is known about the creation of the ink itself it is said to have been made from a fine powder created from the horn of an alicorn and the very essence of a rainbow that was not created by a pegasus. Many more ingredients exist within the ink but they are unknown. Before the passing of the unknown crafter of the Quill, he or she sealed it within a magical case and stated these words: “The power of the Quill must never fall into the wrong hands. Because of this I have to seal it away but one day it will be recovered and I pray it is used for a good purpose.” These words were cataloged by the only one that The Forger believed they could trust with the Quill but not even he could open the box containing the artifact. Years passed, the existence of the Quill falling into legend, then myth, before it seemed to disappear from existence until one day, old scrolls, the diary of the apprentice pony who took on the responsibilities of keeping the Quill safe were found. These entries detailed the making of the Quill along with its powers, or so the finder claimed although only a single entry was able to be copied. The entry read like this and is believed to be one of the final entries in the diary: Diary, Dated December 19th the year is unreadable I have spent my entire life guarding the Quill of Eternity but in my vigilance I have failed to find a successor to watch over it when I am gone. Before I die I will use up the strength left in my body to travel as far away as I can and leave the Quill where it can remain undisturbed till the end of time or until someone is able to uncover it. During my travels I will leave clues that anyone with a sharp wit will be able to decipher although if anyone is reading this, I will do what I can to lead you both towards the Quill and cause you to stray and find nothing should you not correctly decipher my words. The first clue is located where the sisters dwell. The diary entry ends abruptly there. It is believed that The Apprentice completed this journey before his death and secured the Quill far beyond the reaches of normal means. At the end of the entry it is stated that the first of what is believed to be hundreds of clues is located “Where the sisters dwell” This area has been confirmed to be the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. The dwelling of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The clue itself has not been documented in any way in an attempt to keep the legend alive and ponies continuing the search for the legendary Quill of Eternity. Many ponies have gone on the quest to find the Quill but none have been successful in recovering the artifact. Some believe it only to be a legend and have given up their quest and others have been lead astray by a single clue and have lost their path never being able to find the correct way again. The powers in the Quill are unknown and many have used their own imagination to decide what it might do when words are written with the maddeningly powerful magic within the Quill. Among searchers it is widely believed that the Quill grants the wish of those who write out their desires on any surface but this is unconfirmed. Some believe that it gives the one who writes with it untold power and the ability to rewrite history and change the course of time itself. Another guess as to the power of the Quill is a much darker fate stating that the bearer of the Quill must forever catalog the events of time until their own passing, this is thought to be the only guess that cannot be true given that the previous owners, The Forger and The Apprentice, were not under such a fate during their lives. One final speculation is that when a word is written on an object the object changes into whatever the written word is. Many things about the Quill are unknown and until the Quill is finally recovered they will forever be a mystery. Luna paused as she closed the back cover of the book, “Short story…” Twilight nodded to her, already pacing slowly around the outside of the room, “Yes it is a short book… but it gave us a start and that‘s what matters… right now what‘s important is finding that clue…” Twilight said sighing as her eyes darted around the room. Luna stood up and shook her head, looking over to Twilight as she raised her hoof, “Twilight… I was here when the clue was planted although at the time I thought nothing of it.” She trotted over to Twilight, followed by Zecora, and the princess stepped onto the pedestal at the end of the room. She paused and looked down, “You know… I was Nightmare Moon the last time I stood here…” Zecora raised a hoof laying it against the princess’ shoulder and the wise zebra smiled softly towards her, “Fear not about the actions of old, your story still is being told.” Luna seemed to smile softly, letting her expression of guilt drift away as her hoof touched the pedestal, shifting away the dust before she hung her head low and let out a quick breath making the dust scatter. Below them were a few words elegantly carved into the stone below them: The Sunny Ruby. The three paused as they contemplated what the words could mean. Twilight being the next to speak as she looked over to the princess, “Princess do you--” Twilight stopped as she saw Luna’s face. Her smile had faded and she was staring down at the words, a drop of sweat sliding down her face and splashing on the ground. Her expression was that of absolute dread, “Princess what is it?! Where do we have to go?” “Twilight… Zecora… I am unsure that we should follow this clue. I feel as though it would be safest to abandon our search for the Quill!” Twilight took a step back looking to the princess with a shocked look, Zecora sharing this expression as they looked at her, the princess soon hyperventilating before Twilight stepped forward and ran her hoof down the princess’ back, “Luna… it‘s alright just calm down and slowly, tell us what the clue means.” Luna’s breath slowed and she shakily sat down, watching as the zebra and unicorn stood in front of her with worried looks, “Zecora… you live in this forest. Have you ever come across a place called Sunny Town?” The princess said with a frightened voice as she looked down, not meeting the eyes of the mares before her. Zecora paused as she thought for a few moments, “Although this forest I have been up and down, I know nothing of this Sunny Town.” Luna nodded to acknowledge her, falling silent for almost a minute before she spoke again, “Sunny Town is a place that almost no-one has been to. It is almost impossible to find unless you discover it by accident… getting lost in the forest or something like that. The ponies of that town… they‘re very friendly and kind… in the day time.” her face returned to one of deep dread, “But at night… how can I describe it… they stop being alive. Their bodies turn to decaying flesh and bone and they want nothing more than to add to those forced to suffer their cursed fate.” Twilight took a step back with an expression showing she had become very frightened, “Princess… regardless of how dangerous it is we have to go!” Twilight looked scared, but her face was a mixture of fear and deep determination. Zecora stepped forward as she nodded towards the princess, “She is right princess, although this town causes distress. We must go to find this Ruby, finding that next clue is our duty.” Luna looked from Twilight to Zecora before nodding to them both, “Very well. We shall go to Sunny Town. Ruby is not a gem or an item of any sort. She is a pony among the cursed and is the only one with a cutie mark. The rest… are simply blank. Whilst we are there I will use my magic to conceal our cutie marks from being seen so they will be more welcoming towards us…” Twilight tilted her head as she took in the princess’ words, “Do they have something against ponies with cutie marks princess?” “Neither me or my sister know very much about the town itself but… the ponies were cursed to their fate after… they murdered Ruby. We don‘t know why and we‘re unsure if she‘s a ghost or cursed like the rest of them but she dwells within the village… although when me and my sister visited that town… we did not meet her.” “Then how do you know she‘s even in the town?” “One of the mares there told us about her… and how the villagers… ended her life. She will be the one we talk to because she will be the one who can help us to find her. We‘ll be looking for Mitta. She will be able to lead us to Ruby.” Luna took a slow breath as she stopped talking, looking seriously at the girls. Zecora looked at her curiously before she nodded, “Well then the three of us should be going, the whereabouts of Ruby we soon will be knowing.” Luna shook her head in response and turned looking up at the broken glass windows behind the pedestal, “Absolutely not… it is far too risky for us to go to that cursed place right now. We will spend the night here and leave for Sunny Town in the morning. If we left right now… we would undoubtedly be there at sun down… and we may not be able to get out.” Hours passed and Luna fell asleep, laying on the cold stone with Twilight and Zecora near her. Twilight lifted her head as she’d been laying down and looked over to Zecora, “Zecora… could you tell me about the second time you met Written Dreams…?” Twilight asked and watched as the zebra raised her head and looked over to her, “Our second meeting was simply a chance, although I must say it was more than a glance…” Twilight turned towards her, laying her head down as she quietly listened. Written Dreams burst from the trees around Zecora’s home, looking around quickly and then behind him before pausing, “Whew… lost them…” He then blinked and looked across to see Zecora staring at him wide-eyed and startled, “Erm… hello there Zecora. Funny running into you again.” A drop of sweat slid down his head as he raised up his hoof and scratched his hair, “Could I possibly trouble you for a cup of tea by any chance…?” A short while later Written Dreams took the cup of tea from the zebra and smiled. He was sitting on her couch and nodded to her gratefully, “Thank you very much…” “Written Dreams you seemed so startled, it seems to me there‘s a story to be told?” Written Dreams paused for a moment in consideration before shaking his head as he looked towards the zebra, taking a drink of his tea, “Trust me… you wouldn‘t believe me if I told you. I would stay and tell you the story but I‘m in a bit of a rush. I just found something I needed to find and I really need to get going and follow the trail it has opened up for me.” Written Dreams watched as the zebra looked at him curiously, no doubt wanting to hear the story of what had happened in the forest, “That is alright, I know you are busy--” “I‘m feeling better now, I was a bit dizzy.” Zecora paused as the pegasus chimed in before a light smile appeared on her face, “From what I can tell that adventure was dark.” “I am sure that encounter left its mark.” Zecora’s intrigued look only grew along with her smile, “You‘ll have to return and tell me that story.” “Perhaps when I‘ve returned from finding glory.” Her face then turned to a smirk, “Would you like something, perhaps an orange?” “When I look at your door I see no door-hinge.” Zecora blinked before giving an impressed nod and a happy smile, “You truly are a master of rhyme.” “We shall have to do this again some-time.” Written Dreams stood after he finished his tea, Zecora taking the cup from him before they shook hooves and he waved to her before departing from her home and the Everfree Forest. Twilight smiled gently as she left her eyes closed, “He‘s a smart Pegasus… he didn’t pause at all when you were rhyming?” Twilight tilted her head a little looking across to Zecora, “Indeed he did not whilst we were rhyming, his words were quick with excellent timing.” “Sounds like he was coming from Sunny Town… I hope we don‘t have the same experience… I wish we could find him and just continue from the clue he’s at right now.”