//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Cor Tuum Audire // by Darkswirl //------------------------------// "I still don't see why we had to leave right away." Apple Bloom grumbled as she shifted her weight to force her saddlebags into a more comfortable position. "Are you kidding? How could you sleep with something as big as this?" Scootaloo questioned as she motioned towards the wring on Sweetie Belles horn. "Are you calling me fat?" Sweetie Belle joked. "What I mean is," Apple Bloom continued. "I don't see why we couldn't have waited until morning so we'd be all well-rested and actually have time to pack." Scootaloo fell silent as she gave a sheepish grin and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "I, uh, guess I jumped the wagon, there." "Mhm." Apple Bloom sounded, accusingly. "So, I trust you at least picked a spot for us to camp out so we don't get caught by the search party and dragged back into Ponyville to be grounded for the rest of our lives?" Scootaloo gave an awkward cough as she nudged Sweetie Belle, before Apple Bloom gave an annoyed groan as she moved herself over to Sweetie Belle's side. "Sweetie Belle, would you kindly show us that map?" Without hesitation, Sweetie Belle pulled the ring from her own bag and slipped it on over her horn, before flaring up her magic and producing the magical map for Apple Bloom to see. "Alright, look here." Apple Bloom began, raising a hoof as the trio continued to follow the train tracks out of Ponyville. "That red ring thingy must be us, because here it is right on the edge of town, now. The southern train tracks lead right over Ghastly Gorge and into Apple Loosa. If we follow them to Ghastly Gorge, we can get to the woods nearby in about two hours. Tomorrow morning, we can follow the river from Saddle Lake straight into San Palomino without getting lost, and from where it ends we can just follow what's left of the dried up river bed until we reach the mountains." "That won't work." Scootaloo cut in. "Mount Palomino had a landslide a long time ago into the Ghastly Gorge. That's the reason the river ends there and why it's now called the San Palomino desert. We'll have to take the train tracks into Apple Loosa until we reach the MacIntosh Hills, then we follow them West until we get into the desert. Then we can follow what's left of the river bed." "How did you fail geography, again?" Sweetie Belle wondered before Apple Bloom interrupted. "Uh-uh, no way." she started. "We can't go through Apple Loosa, in case Applejack sent word to Braeburn that we're missing. He'd be on the lookout for us like a hawk." "Well, we could just go West from the Ghastly Gorge and follow the mountain around into the desert." Sweetie Belle offered. "But then we'd be going through the desert too early." Scootaloo explained. "We'd have no water form the river, and we'd have to go around more of the mountain just to find the river to guide us again if we went in that way." "Well, the way I see it, we really only have one way left to go." Sweetie Belle said, simply. "Over the mountain." "What do you mean she's gone?!" Rarity snorted in frustration. "I mean that I went upstairs and didn't find head nor hair of her in her room!" Applejack exclaimed. "The window was unlocked, and that's not somethin' Apple Bloom does when she goes to bed, so she must've snuck out that way." "Applejack, that's about a twenty-hoof drop from the second story!" Twilight chimed in. "There's no way she could have landed that on her own." "Well, I reckon Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo must've caught her, then." "Guys, guys, come on!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You're missing the point! Who cares about how they got out, what matters is that they're not here!" "I must agree with Rainbow Dash." Rarity admitted with a huff. "What matters now is organizing a search party and bringing them home." "Oh, believe me, I'd love to. But there's somethin' else ya'll should know about before we go waking the local Guard up." Applejack said as she produced a folded up letter. "I found this on Apple Bloom's pillow." AJ, don't worry about me, I didn't run away from home or join the circus or nothin' like that. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and me found this weird old ring in Twilight's castle, an' we decided to follow it to wherever the heck it leads. Truth be told, Scootaloo doesn't want me writing you this letter because she thinks you'll find us before we find out where this ring is takin' us, but then again Scootaloo ain't writin' this letter, now is she? So me and the gals are headed to what Scootaloo thinks is some ancient city to hopefully get our cutie marks. Don't worry about us, we'll be back home when we're done, all safe an' sound. Love, your little sister, Apple Bloom Rarity placed her hoof over her head dramatically and collapsed into the couch as Applejack finished reading the letter aloud. The room was silent as Rarity passed out, Applejack silently seethed with anger, Twilight held her head in her hooves, and Rainbow Dash sat in silence as she stared out the window. "I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight began. "If she can tell me about those Unicorns who made the Alicorn Amulet, then maybe she can tell me enough about them to figure out where they'd make a map to." "And about askin' her for help tracking down my little sister." Applejack added. "Your little sister isn't the only one out on this adventure, Applejack." Rainbow Dash explained, not taking her eyes off the window. "Yeah, you seem mighty worried about Scootaloo getting lost in some unknown world with magical critters around every corner." Applejack mused as she rolled her eyes. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Just because I do things differently doesn't mean I don't care about Scootaloo! The little squirt is ten times tougher than Apple Bloom will ever be. Of course I'm worried about where she went, but I do not doubt for one second that she can't handle herself!" "CUT IT OUT, BOTH OF YOU!" Twilight screamed. "This isn't about who's the better parent figure or who has the better filly! This is about getting them back safe and sound as quickly as possible! The quicker the two of you realize that, the faster we can actually find them!" The room fell silent again as Twilight put her head back into her hooves while Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs in frustration before glaring out the window, again, as Applejack gave a final snort and turned to head into the kitchen. "Doesn't Scootaloo have a boyfriend?" "Wow, this trip is taking a lot longer than I expected it to." Scootaloo said to herself. "We just left Ponyville." Apple Bloom pointed out. "It's been almost ten minutes since we agreed to go up the mountain instead of around it." "Yeah, and it's taking a lot longer than I expected it to!" Scootaloo explained. "I figured we'd all be energetic and ready to speed off into adventure." "Well, some of us were trying to sleep not too long ago." Apple Bloom retorted. "But we're out on the road, now." Sweetie Belle interrupted. "And if we want to make it to Ghastly Gorge before morning so we can get some sleep, we need to be awake enough to get there. So, what do you want to talk about?" "We could talk about what we think our cutie marks are going to be." Scootaloo offered. "Or we could talk about why we think this adventure is a good idea at all." Apple Bloom said. "Because I sure as heck don't." "You won't be saying that when we find a cave full of gold and treasure." Scootaloo teased. "How about a song?" Sweetie Belle offered. "Not to sound rude, Sweetie Belle, but I think songs should wait until morning when we're far enough away so that ponies looking for us won't find us right off the bat." Scootaloo chuckled. "But I really do like your singing, just so you know." "Ya'll ever play the 'Name Game'?" Apple Bloom piped up. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared a glance with raised eyebrows before turning to Apple Bloom. "I'll take that as a no. It's a game Applejack an' I used to play to help me with history class while we worked on the farm." Apple Bloom explained. "You gotta start the game with some famous pony whose name starts with 'A'. For instance, Aldeus Stormfeather. Then you gotta explain why they're famous, and then the next player has to say a name startin' with the first letter of the last name." "That sounds... Fun? I guess?" Sweetie Belle said, unsure. "So who was Aldeus Stormfeather?" "He was a really old Gryphon who helped unite the old Gryphon tribes into an actual nation." Apple Bloom explained. "Scootaloo, ya'll want to go next?" "I guess I can." Scootaloo said as she studied the ground in deep thought. "How about Spitfire? I mean, we all know she's the leader of the Wonderbolts." "Yeah, but we know her." Sweetie Belle said. "Well, maybe not personally, but she's a pretty commonly known pony. Plus, what letter would I get?" "You'd get 'e', Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom explained. "And it does kinda feel like using commonly know ponies is cheatin', unless you can tell us something about her that's not commonly known." Scootaloo chuckled as she looked up from the ground to speak. "Well, I don't know for certain if it's true, but Soarin once told Rainbow Dash..." Princess Luna frowned at the unfolded letter before her, floating in the air by means of her magic as she reread each line, carefully: Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that the ring you recently sent me has gone missing. My friends and I believe that the three fillies more commonly known as the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' (consisting of Apple Bloom, Applejack's little sister, Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, and Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash's adopted daughter) have taken it without fully knowing its purpose. To be honest, however, I do not know its purpose, and was hoping that you could shed some light on the Unicorns who created the ring, as well as the Alicorn Amulet, so very long ago. More importantly, however, I was hoping that you would be able to spare some guards for a search party. Given what we know about the Alicorn Amulet, there's no telling what this ring could do if it really was made by the same ponies. My friends and I are all wide awake and ready to help search for the three fillies as soon as either a search party arrives or you share any information you have on the ring's creators. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle P.S. I understand that Princess Luna may get this message before you, given the time of night, and I just want to apologize, Princess Luna! In my haste and worry I had somehow forgotten how late it was before I started writing this letter. Please consider it addressed to both of you. With a furrowed brow, she stood up from her throne in the Night Court and made her way past the guards towards Celestia's side of the castle, where she proceeded to knock quietly on her elder's door before cracking it open and peering inside. "'Tia?" Luna began as her eyes fell on the back of her sister's head as well as the shaft of light from the hallway. "'Tia, are you awake?" "Lulu?" Celestia yawned in confusion as she rolled over to face her sister; bringing a hoof up to shield her eyes from the light. "Is something wrong?" "Indeed, there is, 'Tia." Luna explained as she opened Celestia's door wide enough to step inside; producing the unfolded letter. "It would appear as though the ring has been taken by three young mares, who have subsequently disappeared." Princess Celestia rubbed one of her eyes as the other scanned the letter word for word, carefully ingesting what was written. When she finished, Celestia lay her head down into her pillow with a soft groan. "What time is it, Lulu?" "Shortly after midnight." Luna replied, simply. "Would you like me to handle this matter myself?" "Could you?" Celestia asked. "You know how our schedules work." "I would be happy to do so, 'Tia." Luna explained as she began to close the door on her sister. "Have a good night, dear sister; tomorrow it's your turn." As the door clicked shut behind Princess Luna, she folded the letter up and carefully slipped it into a little pouch on the inside of her ceremonial breastplate before returning to her Night Court. "Captain Jer'rahd, instruct the gate guards that Night Court is now closed, and gather twenty of your guards for a search party; three mares have disappeared along with a very important ring." Princess Luna ordered, to which her light-grayed Unicorn Captain saluted before hurrying off down the halls. They had only a few hours before sunrise, now. "Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed as the dark-purple chariot descended from the sky with several armored pegasi in tow. "I'm really glad you could come." "It is my pleasure to be of assistance." Princess Luna explained as she stepped out of her chariot. "Captain, have five of your guards tie themselves together and clear the Everfree Forest. The rest of them will scour the area surrounding Ponyville until those mares are found. Now, Twilight, please explain to me how exactly you came to lose the ring." Twilight's smile faded into an ashamed frown under Luna's scowl as she turned her head to the ground and began to speak. "W-Well, you see, since Princess Celestia and I believed that the ring was made by the same Unicorns who made the Alicorn Amulet, I thought I'd bring Rarity into the equation since she took a course on Gemology in college... A-And, well, while I was at her house, the Cutie Mark Crusaders dropped by to see me and must have gotten impatient waiting for me. I-I think they found the ring and thought Rarity had accidentally left it there, since I kind of have a thing against jewelry and... H-Here we are?" Princess Luna continued to simply stare down at Twilight, who held her apologetic, sheepish smile after she had explained the story. "I see." was all Princess Luna replied with as her guards departed into the night sky. "Come, Twilight Sparkle; there is much to explain." Twilight gave a little nod, unseen by Princess Luna, before beginning to trot beside the princess of the night as her friends followed closely behind. "How versed are all of you in Equestrian history?" Princess Luna inquired as she led the group towards Twilight's castle. "I-I took an advanced placement course in high school..." Fluttershy admitted, sheepishly. "Are you familiar with the Order of the Sun and Moon?" Luna asked as she slowed her pace to walk alongside the yellow mare. "O-Of course. They were a group of Unicorns about two thousand years ago, who helped teach you and Princess Celestia about magic in order to defeat Discord." Fluttershy explained, ignoring the looks of shock and amazement from her friends. "T-They also acted as your council members until they disbanded in twenty-three forty-eight out of shame because they couldn't stop an assassin from getting so close to you." "It appears as you have much to learn from your friend, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said with a smile as she nodded approvingly at Fluttershy. "She is right: long ago, the Order of the Sun and Moon sheltered and protected us after the surviving members of our race fled Equestria to be free of Discord's wrath. After Discord was defeated, they grew from a secret organization into a public powerhouse. They had their hooves in almost everything, from trade routes to the military, although we found them to be quite fair and knowledgeable. Regardless of their loyalties to the thrones, they always had Equestria's best interests at heart, or so I am led to believe." "What do you mean?" Twilight spoke as Luna paused in her speech. "The Order of the Sun and Moon had their hooves in everything, Twilight Sparkle. Although my sister and I cannot speak for every member of the group, it is believed by us that certain members sought to rule Equestria themselves, instead of my sister and I." Princess Luna continued. "It was likely these same members who crafted the Alicorn Amulet that you all are familiar with; a simple amulet littered with magic-amplifiers that boosted typical Unicorn magic to the point where it could effectively counter an Alicorn's. While we luckily never saw this used against us, we do not doubt that some of them had plans to. And plans do not rely on a single course of action." "So you think, whatever this ring does, it was created to be a 'plan B' in case the Alicorn Amulet didn't work?" Twilight inquired as the party pushed through the doors to Twilight's castle and quickly made their way to the map room. "I personally believe so, yes." Princess Luna admitted. "Although my sister has too much faith in the old Order and believes they would have ceased their attempts entirely if the Alicorn Amulet failed, thus rendering any other plans unnecessary." Twilight breathed in deeply as she ingested the hoard of new information being fed to her before taking her seat at the map as her friends did the same; Princess Luna left standing next to Twilight. "I... I don't know what to say to that, Princess Luna. If what you think about the ring is true, not only does it mean that we need to find those fillies faster than ever, but also that what they have could be more catastrophic than the Amulet." "What makes you say that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she slouched in her chair. "Think about it, darling." Rarity mused. "If you were to throw a rock at somepony with the intent on hurting them, but the rock you threw didn't hurt at all, would you keep using the same rock or find a much bigger rock?" "She has a point." Applejack nodded as the orange mare slumped into the table with a yawn. "Indeed she does." Princess Luna said as she began marking the map before them with small dots of magic. "These points all represent locations and events where the Order of the Sun and Moon assisted us in reclaiming Equestria from Discord. The Order sheltered us in caves along the Crystal Mountains, here, until such a time where we had matured enough. Then, we set out to restore the flow of water to Equestria from Neighagra Falls, here. Afterwards, we gained a hoofhold in the region by capturing the ruins of Old Canterlot, where Canterlot now stands today, here." Twilight Sparkle's eyes took in every mark of magic as her ears tried to widen to take in Princess Luna's words. Fluttershy may have been in an advanced placement class, but the bewildered look in her eyes told Twilight that not even she had learned this in high school. This was knowledge that wasn't made known to normal ponies since it began existing! This was unrecorded history, straight from the mouth of a princess, from a time where the world stood in uncertain light. "From there we established a base of operations and the Order salvaged what they could from the ruins. My sister and I believe this is around the time where they began forging magical weapons, armor, and trinkets, although not with intentions of fighting us. Still, some of the items that lay in the vaults might be from this time, perhaps even the Amulet itself." Princess Luna explained. "Regardless, after securing Canterlot we moved to reestablish contact with the rest of the Unicorn race, which had scattered about in the area East of present day Galloping Gorge. From there, we battled Discord's deformed minions across Equestria until we came across what was left of the Earth Ponies in present day Hayseed Swamp. The search for the remaining pegasi took to the skies after we helped secure the Earth Pony's future, and we soon found them in the clouds surrounding Smokey Mountain." Princess Luna took a moment to catch her breath before she placed her hoof over the final marking. "With the three races revived and united, Discord finally took notice of us, and we clashed south of Canterlot. The scar from the battle forged what is today known as Ghastly Gorge. His foul magic continues to pervert the creatures within, although it seems to be thankfully subsiding after all these years." Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath of her own as she leaned over the map for a better view before speaking up. "I don't understand, Princess. How is all of this relevant?" "During your short time wearing the Alicorn Amulet for your research you made mention, several times, of visions of places you had never been and a desire to visit them." Princess Luna explained. "All those places you mentioned are likely places the Alicorn Amulet was used during the fight against Discord's minions, and are undoubtedly memories of its past wearer. I believe that the ring we sent you may have the same effect on the wearer; a longing to visit those places of old." "We're gonna need a lot more stallions out lookin' if all of these places are viable spots." Applejack scoffed. "There's no tellin' which one they could have headed off to, or even how far along they are. Heck, who's to say they're only goin' to one place, anyway?" "Applejack has a point, Princess Luna." Twilight began. "If the Cutie Mark Crusaders are headed to any number of these points, we'd need more guards than you have to get there and stake them out. We simply don't have the horsepower for this kind of search party." "Do you think us a fool, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Luna asked with a playful chuckle. "Why do you believe we sent our guards to scan the area around Ponyville instead of straight to those locations? It is far more effective to determine which way a hydra walked by following the clawprints than guessing where it might be headed." Twilight cringed slightly at her own stupidity before she was interrupted by three guards trotting into the room. "Captain Jer'rahd." Princess Luna greeted the guard with a smile. "I trust you have located our missing fillies?" "On the contrary, Princess, we simply started with questioning the locals." the guard responded. "We have reports of the three mares leaving Ponyville from the South a few hours before midnight." Princess Luna's confident smile turned to a slight frown as she turned to face Twilight's tightly-closed eyes. "You didn't even bother to ask the townsponies if they had seen them..."