//------------------------------// // Chapter I: A garden of statues // Story: The return of the Dark Legion // by ringtail_mane //------------------------------// THE RETURN OF THE DARK LEGION Chapter One – A garden of statues I The Cutie Mark Crusaders were exploring the surroundings of Celestia and Luna, their princesses and rulers, former castle, somewhere at the fringes of Everfree Forest, hell-bent looking for something that could bring them their cutie marks; it was quite advanced in the evening and all was getting dark. “How are we going to get cutie marks here?” asked Sweetie Bell, visibly nervous. “Yeah, ah don’t think we’d get one for getting lost in the forest” exclaimed Applebloom “Perhaps we should get back, pronto” “Fraidy kitties, we have nothing to fear here” said Scootaloo, trying to calm her friends “Besides, if we want to get our CM’s, we must get radical, more than we have been or tried before” The other two fillies gazed each other and continued after Scootaloo, not noticing night was falling and that the road was, each passing moment, darker and harder to follow. After a short time of wandering, Scootaloo gazed this way and that, as if looking for something but it was useless. “Acknowledged, gals, we are lost!” sighed desperately Applejack’s kid sister. “What do we do now?” sobbed Sweetiebelle,“They’ll never find us here” “Let me think, let me think, will you?” puffed Scootaloo, more nervous by the moment “What would Dash do in such a case? Mmm… I’ve got it: girls, raise me over your backs.” Sweetiebell and Applebloom looked at each other and shrugged, accepting their fate. Standing side by side, they allowed Scootaloo to climb over the improvised pyramid/launching pad and jumped as high as she could, flapping frenzily her wings; alas, her efforts just raised her a couple of feet, landing heavily over her friends. “Oooooohhhh! It’s useless, girls; haven’t the foggiest of where are we.” Aw, come on, there MUST be a way of getting out of here” said Sweetiebelle. “Wait a sec, I have an idea” smiled Applebloom “We can make a fire; perhaps AJ and the others will see us…. Just need a place where we can do it, so it doesn’t spread.” Scootaloo raised as if hit by a lightning bolt. “I know where! I saw the perfect place, just before going down, follow me!!” Little pegasus stormed road down, followed by her enthusiastic friends also at full gallop behind her. They advanced some 100 feet till they arrived to a small clear; getting some firewood, they formed a crude pyramid. Applebloom began to scrap two pieces of wood, one against the other. “Do you know how to make a bonfire?” asked Scootaloo. “Applejack taught me, but is just for emergencies” A few minutes later, a small flame crackled and a short time later they had a happily burning fire. “Now to wait they come for us!” said triumphantly Applebloom II Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash raced to Everfree Forest, searching for the fillies; they knew they had to arrive quickly, before the flames of the bonfire would be out or, worst, began to spread out of control. “Thanks for a-coming with me, gals” said Applejack “The moment I saw the fire, knew them gals were in trouble” “Nothing to thank about, hon” replied Rarity “as older sisters, is our duty.” “Less chattering, more moving, you are as fast as molasses” mocked Rainbow Dash “have to hurry.” “Chill a bit, hotshot” said Rarity “Running in this darkness is not easy, barely can distinguish my own mane.” “Remember the way are taking, ladies” counseled AJ “This part o’ the forest is thicker and more treachorous than or’nary, we haven’t explored here yet.” “Another day we can do it; meanwhile, for the kids!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. The ponies advanced, steady in their purpose, taking the trail, following the bonfire’s grayish-white smoke. III The three fillies lied down around the warm flames, as bored as they came, while added more firewood to maintain the bonfire alive. “This is more boring than the Marejor’s speeches” yawned Scootaloo “Any idea of how to pass time?” “We can’t” Replied Applebloom “We have to wait the girls arrive here, looking for us”. “I am also bored… and hungry” sighed Sweetiebelle. Quietly, Applebloom raised and began to check their whereabouts, to see if she could find something to eat; without a second thought, she passed some shrubbery and found a trail half choked by the shrubs and dead branches. Without a word, she began to walk through it… Suddenly, a few yards ahead she found herself before a stone construction, almost covered by scores of weeds and vines, a building reminding her a fort of some kind; crossing the entrance arch, she reached a wide courtyard, full of vine-entagled statues. The little filly watched the stone sculptures, noticing with a dash of pure fright many had terrified expressions: wherever she turned, she found more statues, all with naked terror or unabashed sadness in their faces. Beginning to desperate, trying to flee from the place, she crashed against another statue, bigger than the rest. It was a stallion, a huge unicorn stallion standing on his hind legs, screaming, wearing a battle armor quite similar to the one used by the Royal Guard. He was covering his face with a foreleg, a failing defense against some unavoidable, impeding doom. All pretense of bravery was scattered to the winds; in blind panic, the little filly fled from that accursed courtyard. Meanwhile, the older ponies had arrived to the bonfire; they saw Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle… but no trace from Applebloom. Applejack began to desperate. “Kiddies, where is mah sister?” Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle gazed each other. “Why, she is here right he…” Both turned around, noticing for the first time their teammate had vanished All turned around and began to search desperately, but without results. “Pay attention, gals, we must spread and track here before it is too late” began Applejack, ordering a full scale search “Rainbow, fly overhead to se if you can locate them; Rarity, use a spell to light the area! Am gonna… At midsentence, her little sister bolted cannonball-like from the bushes and rammed her head-on in her blind race. Both rolled head over heels in the floor. One second later, Aplejack hugged her little sister with all her forces. “Where in tarnation were you?!? Where?!? I was death worried; never, NEVER pull this stunt again, d’you hear me?!?” sobbed she. “Sorry, sister, but I found something… p-please, follow me.” All followed the trail than Applebloom had discovered, arriving to the gloomy statue garden. The place exuded a tenebrous, suffocating atmosphere. “What a bunch of… of weird statues; who could have left them here?” Asked Rainbow Dash. “Whoever sculpted them, lacks the minimal sense of taste” snorted Rarity “Just watch them; I’d never ornate my home with such as these” “Nobody of these is familiar ta me; besides, they seem pretty old” said Applejack The ponies forwarded to the construction at the bottom of the yard: it was a small battlement, quite in the style the ones at Their Highnesses ancient castle, at the rear of same. They reached a heavy wooden door, locked with heavy padlocks and rusted chains. Beside there was a wall with a cryptic sentence on it: “Noctum gladius ets”. “Can’t understand that sentence, somebody here knows that language?” asked Rarity. “Not da foggiest, sugarcube” replied AJ “Don’t look at me, I’m not a brainie” snorted Rainbow “Though I know who certainly is!” All turned, nodding. They well knew whom they’d see to share their finding. “Well gals, let´s get back. It’s kinda late” said Applejack to her friends; turning to the fillies, she added sternly “Better this to be a lesson for the buncha you: don’t get exploring where yer li’l noses shouldn’t be. Get it?” “Yes” answered meekly the three kids. Applejack traded her stern gaze for a happy one and all left the place.