//------------------------------// // A direction to go // Story: Awakening // by punisher143 //------------------------------// It was one of Rainbow Dash’s weird guilty pleasures, these small moments of intense focus. Whether it be pulling off some kind of intense trick nopony else has thought of trying or, in this case, balancing a cup of coffee on both her nose and her wing, she relished it. She didn’t really need to balance the coffee on her nose, she just wanted the challenge. “Hey Twilight, I got some coffee for you,” Rainbow said when she stopped next to the table that her unicorn friend had claimed, “now can you take this off? I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” The coffee cup levitated off of Rainbow’s nose and flew over to Twilight, who gave her friend an odd look before taking a sip. “Thank you Rainbow,” Twilight said afterwards and set the cup on the table and returned to reading the book in front of her. Rainbow Dash picked up the coffee on her wing and sat down opposite Twilight. A few minutes passed in silence, broken only by the sound of coffee being drank and the occasional cough from them or the other ponies in the building, before Twilight sighed and said, “You have a question to ask, don’t you?” “Yeah, what are we doing again?” “Really? We’re studying Zacherle and Faust.” “I got that much, but can you tell me more than that?” Twilight sighed and, after marking her place, closed the book and looked Rainbow in the eye. “Look Rainbow, there’s very little for me to go on. It doesn’t exactly help that I don’t know what about them I’m even trying to find, hence the books.” “This still seems like a long shot to me. How long will this take?” Rainbow asked. “A while. If you’re so bored of helping me here, why don’t you go… I don’t know, go shopping or something. Find some boots to wear or something.” With that Twilight opened the book and started reading again. Rainbow let out a huff of irritation, finished her cup of coffee, and got up to leave Twilight to her research. She walked past several rows of bookcases, past the front desk, and finally outside into the sparse streets. As Equestria’s northernmost city, Stalliongrad didn’t really have the luxury of other cities like Canterlot or Manehattan. While this does extend to the culture of its citizens, the one that most ponies notice immediately is how the buildings look; as opposed to the shining marble of Canterlot, Stalliongrad’s architecture was a more simplistic and practical gray buildings that could withstand the harsh winters that occurred here. Yet, to someone with a keen eye for subtlety, it could easily be one of the most aesthetically pleasing cities you could visit. “Ugh, this place is so boring,” Rainbow said once she got a look at the buildings around her. With that moment of complaining done Rainbow started down the street at a steady place toward a small store they had passed on the way to the library. It was nowhere near the clothing store that Twilight has suggested, but honestly where could they possibly go where boots would be a necessity? ‘I’ll just buy a newspaper or something. It’s been a while since we got any news from around Equestria anyway, so that’ll help.’ Rainbow, deep in thought, continued along the street and into the store she had passed without noticing that somepony was watching her. Finding the newspapers in the store was easy enough, though the contents weren’t anything particularly interesting: odd blizzards to the north, plans for the second attempt at Princess Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s marriage, along with other stories that didn’t really catch Rainbow’s interest. Rainbow set the paper down once she was done browsing it and started looking for something to snack on, a task that lasted about five seconds before she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Fancy meeting you here, off all places huh?” someone asked from behind Rainbow, and the pegasus didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. She did though, and found herself face to face with Vinyl Scratch, who was sporting a couple bruises and bandages that did nothing to temper her smile. “I’d say the same to you,” Rainbow replied and turned to face Vinyl fully, “What are you doing here, and why are you all cut up like that?” “I still have a job to do. You know, doing DJ stuff?” Vinyl moved up to a cooler and pulled out an bottle of water before continuing, “And the bruises and stuff happened during my last job, which is now postponed.” “What, you insult some stallion’s hair or something?” Rainbow asked with a small smirk. “Nope, it was bugs,” Vinyl returned with her own smirk, gladly taking in Rainbow’s confusion. “I was in Canterlot for the wedding there. I happened to run into an old friend, and while we were chatting the whole Changeling invasion happened.” “You were? Why, that doesn’t seem like your thing at all.” “Pinkie asked me to come.” Rainbow looked shocked by that and felt her mood go down at the thought of her friend. “Yeah I felt the same when she asked, but she seemed to be doing alright so I didn’t push it. I heard you and Sparkles were in Canterlot too, but I must have missed you.” “Yeah,” Rainbow said quietly, “we mostly stayed around the castle for the wedding.” “And ended up at ground zero of the whole invasion,” Vinyl shouted excitedly, “I heard you two kicked all kinds of flank while up there!” “Well-“ “Come on, you gotta tell me about all that!” Vinyl then spun Rainbow around and started marching her to the register. “And you’re going to as soon as I pay for this thing.” “Hey wait, I never agreed to that!” Back at the library, Twilight set aside the fifth or sixth book she had picked out. With a sigh and a small mutter of “Nothing, again,” she picked up the next book and started again. After a couple of minutes of silent reading, Twilight looked up to find her mental twin sitting across from her reading from a book. “Oh, don’t mind me Twilight,” Cheshire said with a small hoof wave, “I’m just reading.” “I’ve been meaning to ask about something,” Twilight started and watched as Cheshire turned a page, “Are you… actually here when you do that? Like… physically?” “What do you think?” was all Cheshire replied before pushing the book she was reading toward Twilight, “In any case, this is a particularly good book. I’d recommend it.” Twilight looked between Cheshire and the book a couple of times before grabbing it with her magic and read the title. “This is a book of fairy tales,” Twilight said plainly and looked up at Cheshire. “Why would you recommend this?” “Sometimes the words of the Fae can carry more weight than the highest minister. Don’t discount something based on preconceived notions Twilight.” Cheshire gave Twilight one last grin before disappearing into thin air. Twilight sighed and looked back at the book hovering in front of her before setting it down and sinking into thought. ‘These Precursors are a mystery that just keeps going. But if they are as old as everypony says they are, then anything that could relate them to Zacherle and Faust has to be just as old.’ Twilight sighed and took another drink of her coffee, draining the cup entirely, and stood up to throw it away. ‘That would mean… before the three Pony Tribes got together? Would anything from back then have even survived up to now?’ Twilight paused in front of the trash can and ran that through her head again before coming to a rather hair brained conclusion. ‘Depending on where they ended up, possibly. Buried under snow and ice might do the trick.’ She deposited the cup into the trash can and started walking toward the geography section. “I have a lot more studying to do.” Vinyl Scratch and Rainbow Dash had made their way down some of Stalliongrad’s streets, with the latter telling her own experiences during the Changeling invasion not too long ago. To say Vinyl was impressed would be an understatement. “You went up against the changeling queen?!” the DJ said in surprise, lowering her signature shades ever so slightly, “That couldn’t have been easy.” “No, it honestly wasn’t, but I still think Twilight softened her up a lot when I got there. You should have seen her, she was mad! Madder than I have ever seen her before. Kind of cool to be honest.” “I had more than enough trouble with the weaklings I had to deal with, so I can’t imagine doing that.” Vinyl took a quick gulp of water and mused, “I wonder what happened to them when that shield hit.” “I honestly don’t care,” Rainbow said simply and stopped walking. “So, did you happen to see Pinkie before you left Canterlot?” “Yeah, I caught a glimpse of her.” Rainbow bit her lip when Vinyl actually took off her shades to look her eye to eye. “She… didn’t look very good. She looked ok from the changelings and all, but she was just kind of staring into thin air.” Rainbow felt her ears go down as much as her mood at the thought of her friend and a second after felt a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t look like that,” Vinyl said in an attempt at reassurance, “She’s still better than she was a few months ago, so think it’s your fault.” “Easy for you to say,” Rainbow said pushing the hoof away from her, “it feels like that’s all I’ve been doing for the past few months is just letting down the ponies closest to me.” Rainbow then shook her head and let out a rough sigh before turning her gaze up to the partially cloudy sky. “Not sure I get that, but I understand the gloom,” Vinyl said and watched a couple of ponies pass them by, “there aren’t as many ponies dancing as there were before.” The unicorn finished off her water bottle and carefully tossed it into a nearby bin before looking at Rainbow Dash and saying, “Listen, after I’m done with my gig here I’m going to go check on Pinkie in Ponyville. So if you want me to pass along a message from you, just say so.” Rainbow Dash had to think that over for a moment before replying. “Just… tell her that we’re sorry about everything that’s happened recently, both me and Twilight. As soon as I’m able, I’m going to make it up to her as best as I can, but only when I’m able to. Got that?” “Geez, talk about vague,” Vinyl said shaking her head slightly, “but sure, I’ll pass it along.” Vinyl started walking away from the pegasus, with one last goodbye and good luck being the last thing exchanged between the two were on their separate ways. Rainbow Dash looked one last time at the sky before spreading her wings and taking flight. After all, a minute or ten of stunt flying should be enough to clear her head before going back to Twilight. When Rainbow returned to the library after her flight, she managed to find her at the same table with a whole new stack of books to pour over. The unicorn looked up from her book to nod at Rainbow before returning to her book. “So did you have fun while I was gone?” Rainbow asked and took a seat across from Twilight. “Mhmm,” Twilight answered and turned a page. “Find anything good? All I did was talk to Vinyl for a bit.” “Oh, that’s interesting. And in answer to your question, I might have found a lead.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at that, at which Twilight added, “I’m not entirely sure, like with everything else involved in this, but it’s still something.” “Alright then, what is it?” Twilight set the book she was reading in front of Rainbow Dash and tapped a page. The pegasus started reading from the book while Twilight explained. “Long ago, before the three Pony Tribes came together, Zacherle and Faust were worshipped as guardian deities by all three tribes. There aren’t that many records and almost everything I could find about Alicorns in general mostly relate to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but there are some that go before them.” “Uh huh,” Rainbow replied and pushed the book away, “I just realized I can’t understand half the words in this book. What exactly is it saying?” Twilight shook her head slightly and answered, “They were worshipped Rainbow Dash, which means there had to have been places where they were worshipped. Temples, ritual grounds, places like that.” Twilight paused for a moment to see if Rainbow Dash was following, and the pegasus nodded to show she was. “Out of all those places that must have existed, the records I’ve found show there are only four of them that might still be around.” Twilight’s horn lit up and she pulled out a map that she spread out on the table between her and Rainbow. The map showed all of Equus; Equestria, the bordering lands directly north of it, stretching to show the Griffin Empire to the west and the Zebra lands to the east, both of which were separated from Equestria proper by vast oceans. The map was marked with four red Xs spread all around it. “Apparently our ancestors were either a lot more widespread than we thought, or they traveled a lot. Either way, there’s a lot of traveling in our future.” “I take it each of these Xs is a destination of ours?” Rainbow asked, tapping a hoof on an x in the middle of the ocean. “Correct, and the closest to us is this one,” Twilight said pointing to the northernmost x.“This one is in the middle of the old herding area, where the three tribes used to live before they came to Equestria. Getting there is going to be… difficult, to say the least.” “Why, is it really cold or something?” “Yes. I remember reading about that area a few years ago, and everything isn’t good. Windigos do lasting damage, and apparently a few of the storms and blizzards that have been raging up there have been doing so for a very long time.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but grimace at the information and, after glancing down at the map again, sighed and said, “Guess we better bundle up for the trip huh?” “Yes. We need food for the trip and, as you said, suitable clothes for the climate. Let’s take care of that today, rest for the night, and set off tomorrow morning.” Twilight folded up the map and, after setting it in one of her saddle bags, turned to Rainbow and asked, “Does that sound like a plan?” “Sure does,” the pegasus replied and stood up from the table. After giving her wings a little stretch she picked up her own bags and added, “We better get started on that. It’s already after noon.” “I have to put these books back. I’ll come find you out front when I’m done, ok?” Rainbow Dash nodded and started making her way to the front, leaving Twilight to sort through the books she had brought. Once Rainbow was out of sight, Twilight looked at the fairy tale book that Cheshire had been reading and shook her head. “I still don’t know if she was serious about that. And the idea that I don’t understand myself is scary in itself.” Deciding to let that thought stew for a while, Twilight magically took that book and all the others and started making her way through the shelves of the library to return them. After a fairly uneventful day of shopping, Rainbow and Twilight had retired to a nearby cloud that Rainbow had prepared. Twilight used the remaining daylight to write about the day’s events, along with a list of their purchases to keep inventory. Once she was finished, and after a game of number guessing, Twilight settled into the cloud to sleep while Rainbow took watch for a while. “And there he is, sure as a rain cloud holds water,” Rainbow commented to herself once she spotted the familiar shadow of Carver roaming on the ground beneath her. She watched as it circled the ground underneath her for a moment before sitting and staring up at her, red eyes standing out sharply in the darkness. “No jumping tonight?” Twilight quietly asked. “Nah, he hasn’t been doing that for a while. Probably realized he can’t get to us up here without a building, thank Celestia. I couldn’t sleep with the noise.” “Maybe it’s waiting for something.” At that, Rainbow looked back at the unicorn and cast a questioning look at her. “What do you mean by that?” “Nothing, just thinking aloud.” Twilight settled into the cloud and added, “You better get some sleep Rainbow. It’s a long day tomorrow.” The pegasus gave her friend one last look before silently agreeing with her and sinking her head into the cloud. She was fast asleep in a few minutes. This part of the hunt was always the most dull. When the prey grew complacent in their tactics to stay out of reach and refused to move out of that spot until they were safe to. But all that was needed was one mistake. One misplaced step, an ill thought resting place and that would be it. All it needed was a little patience, something it had plenty of. Still, there were the hunger pains and that needed to be taken care of. So it headed towards the city, little more than a shadow on the ground, to find nourishment from one of its residents. And its real prey would be none the wiser. Twilight was the first to wake up when morning came and, after giving Rainbow a nudge to wake up, the pair packed up and was on their way out of Stalliongrad and headed north. There was little in the way of conversation for the first hour of their journey, with only the crunch of snow underhoof to break the silence, until Rainbow Dash took flight and hovered in front of Twilight. “So, any idea where we’re going up here?” Rainbow asked gesturing to the road ahead of them. Twilight stopped walking and tapped a hoof in thought before answering, “Well, I would assume that the temple would be in neutral ground for the three tribes. And I can only think of one place that counts as that.” Rainbow Dash’s silence led Twilight to add, “The area where the tribe leaders met would be considered that.” “Oh, I get it. So… where’s that?” “You know Rainbow Dash, this is a ship in motion and there’s bound to be some problems along the way.” So started an awkward staring match between the two mares that lasted an uncomfortable half a minute before Twilight said, “I’m joking by the way.” “I figured,” Rainbow replied and landed in front of Twilight, “So you do know how to get there right?” “There are several theories as to where exactly the meeting lodge was, but a good number of them all point to one general area: a valley between two large mountains far to the north of Equestria.” “And we have to go there by hoof?” Rainbow asked stretching out a wing to showcase her point. Twilight started walking, Rainbow keeping pace next to her, and continued to explain. “Well, the train did have a line that went farther north, but that hasn’t been in use for a long time. And flying there is an option, but I’d like to keep that in short bursts. It’ll still be a long way anyway.” Rainbow Dash let out a huff of annoyance and that was the end of any conversation for a while. The mountains in the distance couldn’t possibly look farther away when Twilight asked the infamous question, “Want a song to pass the time?” The trek through the northern mountains was as arduous as it could have been, especially since they did have to cross them without flying. “I don’t like the look of those clouds and the wind,” Rainbow Dash had explained when they actually got there. “As awesome of a flyer as I am, it’s still a bad idea to go right into a storm.” So began their hike. By the time they had gotten halfway around the first mountain the day was already half over, with the rest of the range to go. The wind and snow and sleet had gotten worse the further they went, and Rainbow and Twilight could still feel the cold even with the thick winter clothes they had gotten back in Stalliongrad. The most trying time came when night rolled around. Rainbow and Twilight took the half hour before sunset to discuss stopping for the night. They argued the pros and cons of stopping for the night against continuing; their safety in one of the caves against the cold and the beast chasing them against making good time to their destination. With time running out, they mutually agreed to continue through the night with an eye constantly looking behind them. The first night passed without much incident and dawn broke faster than either mare would have thought. With the blizzard having stopped some time ago and the sun safely overhead they stopped at a small outcropping to have a light breakfast. “It’s kind of beautiful, isn’t it?” Twilight asked suddenly. Rainbow, who was in the middle of a can of alfalfa, gave Twilight a confused look before following her gaze out to the view of the range. It certainly was a view, the distant mountains of the range framing the rising sun and the distant snow capped peaks shining brilliantly. “It’s… alright I suppose,” Rainbow Dash answered and went back to her food. She could see Twilight shake her head slightly at her from the corner of her eye. “Tired Rainbow?” “Yeah, very tired.” Twilight yawned at the answer and nodded in agreement. “After we finish, we can get some rest. How does that sound?” “Sure, that sounds great,” Rainbow said and started eating her food at a much faster rate. “We should get used to resting when we get the chance while we’re up here. Who knows when we’ll have to get moving,” Twilight said looking around her nervously. Afterwards she looked back at Rainbow who was giving her an odd look. “What’s got to you?” Rainbow asked and set the empty can aside. “It just feels like we’re not alone out here. Like… something is watching us.” Twilight and Rainbow looked around a little, feeling a chill that wasn’t caused by the weather. Just as suddenly Twilight shook her head and said, “Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I have been up as long as you, so maybe it’s getting to me.” “Maybe,” Rainbow replied before picking up the empty food can she had earlier set aside and putting it in one of her bags. “Let’s try and get some rest anyway, ok?” Twilight nodded in agreement and packed away the food can that she had been eating away. Once she had done so she felt a weight press against her along with something drape over her back. She then felt Rainbow pull her closer to her side. “Rainbow, what are you…?” “It’s cold,” Rainbow answered and shifted into a more comfortable position, “and I thought, you know, sharing body heat and all that.” “Oh, ok,” was all Twilight could reply with before doing what Rainbow did and tried to get some sleep. It was a lot easier than she would have thought. Unknown to either Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash, not too far from where they rested, a once in a lifetime event would happen. In a barren snowfield, empty for nearly millennia, there was a flash of light and rumble as a long forgotten memory came back. It would be a couple more days after that the few wanderers would tell about the event. The story would spread until it reached Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. When they heard about it, they knew exactly what it was and what danger had now returned. The Crystal Empire, and its former ruler, had returned.