//------------------------------//
// Spirit Springs 
// Story: My Dearest Princesses 
// by Chickenscratch 
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Celestia and Luna traveled down the winding farm road side by side in the pale glow of the moon. The expansive fields of wheat rustled ominously in the breeze, rippling like waves beneath the darkened sky. There was already a chill in the air, and Luna pressed close into her sister’s side to keep warm. Even though their hooves often tangled, Celestia still set a steady pace. She was determined to make it through the fields before morning. Secretly, she felt guilty for what she had done. Her mind argued back and forth, tossing and turning the subject over and over, examining every single angle possible. On one side, Celestia felt horrible for having scared the village half to death, and probably the rest of Equestria as well. On the other, she was glad to have her Talent Brand, and to have saved her and her sister’s life. Luna stumbled a little, and Celestia stopped. 

“Are you doing alright, Luna?” she asked, using a hoof to brush a bit of dust from her sister’s coat.

“I’m okay, sis. Just tripped is all, let’s keep going, okay?” The two of them trudged on through the night, often losing their footing for just a moment in the gloom. Celestia was uneasy traveling at this hour, but she knew it was what had to be done. Luna, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind much at all. “I like how quiet it is at night,” she remarked to her older sibling. “It’s not scary or anything, not to me. I think it’s nice.” Neither of them knew quite how long it had been when they finally cleared the fields. Before them was a ragged expanse of grassland with small boulders scattered about here and there, and a few gnarled trees growing from select patches of dirt. The stream they had rested beside before had curled back around, and ran alongside the path, creating a deep groove in the earth where it carved away the loose soil on its banks. 

“Why don’t we stop here for the night?” Celestia suggested, moving out to look for a good place to rest. 

“But why?” Luna asked, following her closely. “I’m not even tired, if you were wondering, which you probably were. I could keep going for.. forever!” She stopped a moment. “No, wait. For a LONG time. Forever is way too much.” Celestia laughed, jumping over the stream to the grassy bank on the opposite side. 

“I’m not tired either, but I don’t want us to get in the habit of moving around at night, okay? It’s safer during the day.” She patted the grass beside her. “Come on, Lulu.” The younger filly jumped over as well, and the two of them set about trying to find a good place to sleep off the side of the path. They eventually found a small indentation in the earth beneath an overarching root and spent the rest of the night there, lining the cold dirt with clumps of foliage before drifting off to sleep, tangled tightly in each other’s embrace.  

Celestia woke with a start, her eyes fluttering open. Sunlight shone weakly down upon her through the morning air. Luna lay atop her, still in a deep slumber. Celestia nestled close to her, closing her eyes again. She was relieved that the unicorns had the day and night back in their own control again, and instinctively drew a wing over her sister. It was still early, and she wanted Luna to rest as long as possible. She fell in and out of a light, dreamless sleep for the next couple of hours, completely at peace. She was roused from her sleep just short of midday by Luna, who had just awoken and was hungry. The two of them stretched out beside the stream for their meal. Luna tossed stones into the water with her magic while Celestia rummaged through the bag that Red had given her. The earth pony had been fairly generous with the two of them, and among their things were a loaf of bread, small jars of honey and jam, a sack of oats, and fresh carrots, mushrooms, and grapes. Celestia found a dull knife in her bag as well, and cut up a few slices of bread for the two of them, spreading it with raspberry jam. They took their time eating, Celestia examining their map as the sun rose higher into the sky. 

“Looks like this trail will take us right to Spirit Springs,” she remarked, placing a hoof on their current location. Luna was too preoccupied to look over, only giving a quiet ‘mhmm’ through a mouthful of bread. “There’s a little patch of woodland to go through to get there, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem.” Celestia folded the map back into a little square, slipping it back into her saddle bag. It wasn’t long before they started off again, Luna skipping and singing a foal’s song while her sister hummed along. 

The path that they traveled along was large and well maintained, and the sisters passed a few others on their way. Most were farmers hauling carts, coming and going from their homesteads to deliver their crop. They were all kind folk and asked the sisters about ‘that strange happening with the sun’ without fail, and Celestia was thankful that her bags concealed the wings at her side. The answer was always some form of “I don’t know”, and the passerby would exchange a few merry bits of conversation before continuing on their way. 

“Why don’t you tell them it was you?” Luna asked her sister. 

“I don’t want them to worry.” Liar. Celestia knew the real reason, though admitting it to herself was a whole other matter. In truth, she was worried that others would come to fear her if they knew. Red was afraid, even Luna had been at first. She couldn’t bear to live with others in fear of her. Luna accepted her sister’s answer without another thought and went on skipping and jumping on small rocks lining the path. Soon enough the rocky terrain receded, and large stretches of farmland lay before them once more. 

“What’s up with all these farms?” Luna remarked. “Weren’t we just surrounded by rocks?” Her sister went straight for the map, unfurling it in the air with her magic. 

“See here Lulu, we just passed the Rambling Rock Ridge, that’s why there were so many rocks everywhere.” She placed her hoof on a part of the map that showed a huge stone ridge in the landscape. “Now past here it’s all open, so there’s room for more farms, you see?”

“But why are there so MANY of them?”

“I guess because we eat a lot? We need our food to come from somewhere.” 
Luna seemed to accept this answer and began skipping down the path, shortly followed by her sister, who was still examining the map. They still had a long ways to go until they arrived at their destination. The two of them had reached a large open space of land which ran between the Everfree Forest and the Foal Mountains. There was a major river flowing all the way up to the mountains on the Eastern side, and the point where it met the mountains and turned away was where Spirit Springs would be found. Celestia put the map away, wanting to focus on the task at hand. 

The winding pathway through the farmlands was wide and well worked. Grooves from the repeated passings of wagon wheels were ground into the earth, little shoots of grass sprouting up in the spaces between them. The path was wide enough for two wagons to pass each other, and there was an old split rail fence on either side. The fields were almost all empty now. Farmers could be seen tilling the earth with their ploughs, and some had already started planting their seeds for the fall crop. 

As the sun was growing low, the sisters came upon a disused field, full of wild grasses and blooming aster and goldenrod. Luna begged her sister to stop for the night. Celestia eventually agreed, and the filly slipped between the widely spaced slats on the fence and bounded off into the grass. Celestia was too large to follow this route, and tossing her bags over the fence, opened her wings and fluttered over, landing quickly and looking about to see that no one had noticed. Luna was already tumbling about, startling the insects that had taken refuge in the foliage and causing them to buzz off into the darkening sky. They could easily be seen floating off into the orange light. Celestia eventually settled down in a nice shallow patch of grass close to the middle of the field where she could catch up on her journal writing. She had neglected to record her activities for the past couple of days, and would have a lot of writing to do before the sun went down. Her sister had taken up an interest in the flowers blooming about them, and set to work making flower crowns for the two of them. 

“Say, Tia,” she started, weaving the stems of two vibrantly purple aster flowers together, “are you having fun?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You know what I mean! Do you think all this wandering around is fun?” Luna set down the partial crown, reaching forward and picking another flower with her teeth. Celestia put down her quill, looking up toward the sun. It had almost set now, with only a few wisps of color peeking out from behind the horizon. The clouds were a light, syrupy pink color, and the atmosphere above had already become an ever darkening shade of purple. She turned her head to glance behind them. The mountain that held Unicornia loomed off in the distance. 

“Yes,” she answered, turning her attention back to her journal. “I think it’s a lot of fun. Do you?”  Celestia glanced back up. Luna’s expression turned contemplative, and she rubbed a hoof on her chin as she stared off into the distance. At this Celestia snorted, holding a hoof over her mouth. Luna giggled as well, breaking her character. 

“I think it’s nice too,” she admitted, levitating her crown as she weaved the last few flowers in. “There! All done!” She moved the crown over to her sister, nestling it onto her head. Celestia grinned, pulling her pink mane down a little so the flower crown would rest easier. 

“Thanks, Lulu.” 

“Don’t mention it! I still need to make one for me so we’re matching!” The filly trotted back out into the field, kicking at the grass so more insects would come flying out. Her sister sighed, continuing to write in her journal. She had managed to sum up the past few days rather nicely, and put the finishing touches on her entry when Luna returned.

“Hmm.. hey sis?” Celestia asked, looking and the huge bundle of flowers her sister had brought back. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I have some flowers? I want to press some in my journal.” Luna tossed a few sprigs of goldenrod and one small aster over, and the older filly went to work laying them out flat on the pages. 

“Why do you write in that thing so much?” Luna asked, getting to work on making her second crown. “It seems really boring.” Celestia closed the journal carefully to keep the flowers from coming out of place. Her hoof ran over the worn cover, and she smiled softly.

“Clover gave it to me, don’t you remember? She’s the one who wanted me to do this.” She felt a horribly sudden pang of homesickness at the mention of Clover’s name, and her grin faded. She wondered what Clover the Clever was doing right now. Was she wondering about the two sisters? Celestia looked back at the mountain behind them. Thick clouds covered its snow capped peak, and she couldn’t even see where Unicornia was. At the sudden sensation of something on her cheek, Celestia turned back to see her sister touching her comfortingly. 

“I miss Clover too,” Luna said gently, nestling into her sister. “Sometimes I wish I had never left home.” She levitated her crown of goldenrod in the air, weaving a few more stems into it. “But you know what, Tia? I’m really glad I came with you.” Celestia planted a gentle kiss on her sister’s forehead.

“I’m glad you came with me, too. I wouldn’t have left you alone for the whole world.” Luna nestled her finished crown onto her own head, nuzzling close to her sister. It had finally grown dark, and the insects had begun singing their nightly songs. The sisters laid on their backs, heads bumped together as they listened to the end of summer buzz, snacking on some fresh carrots. The stars were clear and bright that night. Luna took great pleasure in telling her sister all about the alignments of the stars and the phases of the moon, gesturing uselessly when her mouth was full and sputtering pieces of food out onto her belly when she tried to speak. They eventually drifted off to sleep, the cool breeze blowing through the grass lulling them into a restful slumber. 

Celestia woke early the next day, rising with the sun. The flower crown still atop her head was a little crushed and withered, but she kept it on nonetheless. She gave her sister a little more time to rest as she went over their trail one last time on the map. Luna surprisingly woke on her own not much later, stretching hugely in the trodden grass. The sisters ate a breakfast of oats and bread with honey before getting ready to leave once more. Taking advantage of being up early, Celestia took some time to stretch out her wings and expel some of the magic that had built up in her the previous day. Since they had been surrounded by farm ponies most of the time, she had been unable to get rid of some of the tension. There wasn’t as much as when her wings had first appeared, but it was still enough that it was uncomfortable for her to keep it pent up. Celestia teleported back and forth through the abandoned field, making a game out of it and trying to surprise her sister as she went. Later on she teleported herself up into the air and spread her wings as she fell, catching the breeze and gliding up into the sky. She wasn’t too far from the ground, but it was high enough for her to be a little apprehensive about her altitude. 

From where she was now, Celestia could clearly see the farmlands stretching out before them. She circled a bit, drinking in the sight readily. The mountains weren’t very far off now. She circled back down into the field where Luna was waiting. 

“That was so cool, sis!” she called out, bounding toward Celestia as she landed clumsily in the grass. “Was it hard? Huh? Were you scared of being up so high? What does it feel like?” Celestia’s wings fluttered at her side. 

“Um.. yes.” 

“It feels like yes?”

“...yes.”

They were back on the road again soon, Luna in her normal high spirits as her sister did her best to hide her wings beneath her saddle bags. It was rather uncomfortable for her to keep them tucked so tightly to her body, but she endured it nonetheless. ‘It’s just until we get to Spirit Springs,’ she told herself. ‘I can hold out until then.’ The Foal Mountains grew closer and closer, and soon the woodlands at their base came into view. This alone was encouragement for the sisters to speed up, breaking into a fast trot as they raced toward the trees. 

The fields around them faded away into a lush grassland, the path thinning down and growing a little more ragged, stones and weeds flecking its surface. The sisters maintained their pace, only stopping to rest when the mouth of the woodland trail ahead of them came close. Luna collapsed into the grass, rolling over on her back. Celestia was exhausted as well, and pulled the water skin from Luna’s bag. She drank her fill and passed it to her sister, who snatched the skin and began gulping down water as fast as she could. 

“You’ll get sick Lulu, slow down,” Celestia said, standing up to stretch. There was a disapproving grunt from the blue unicorn, and Celestia rolled her eyes. A little further down the path she spotted a sign at the edge of the woods. She walked up to it slowly, feeling the ache in her legs pleading for her to lay back down. “Spirit Springs, two miles ahead,” she read aloud. Turning back to Luna, she called out, “It’s not very far now! Let’s hurry so we can get there before dark!” There was a pop as Luna pulled the skin out of her mouth, followed by a loud burp. 

“Coming!” 

The woods were absolutely nothing like the Everfree Forest had been. The hiking trail that ambled through the trees was clear and dusty, sometimes with little roots exposed like stairs crisscrossing the way. Sunlight shone clearly through the canopy, creating warm splotches on the lush foliage that bloomed below. High in the trees birds called out to each other in song. Celestia led the way down the trail. The path was at a slight uphill angle, and her legs strained to push her body up the hill. Luna followed in suit with equal difficulty, but she seemed to be enjoying the scenery a little more than her sister. She would frequently make remarks about the different plants and animals she saw along the way, forcing her sister to stop and look every time. Celestia didn’t mind this much at all. She enjoyed spending this precious time with her sister, and was never disappointed at her findings. A few times the younger filly stopped to pick some new flowers to add to their wilting crowns, and soon snippings of crocus and turtlehead were woven into the adornments on their heads. 

“I really like these flowers, Tia,” Luna murmured. “Wearing them makes me feel like a princess.”

By the time evening had arrived, the woods had begun to thin out. The uphill climb had been taxing on the both of them, but Celestia breathed a sigh of relief when she could see the base of the mountain in sight. In the distance the lights of a small village flickered. 

“We’re almost there,” she told her sister. They breached the edge of the woodland and began closing on the village. The river that had been ever present in their travel could now be seen far off to the right, skirted by a few small fields and a large creaking watermill. The flowing body of water curved around the base of the mountain, and on the other side was Spirit Springs. By the time the sky had grown rosy the sisters were at the river, and began crossing the long wooden bridge into town. Already the villagers were coming out to see them pass. They met a few unicorns on the bridge, who dipped their heads slightly in greeting. Celestia did the same, and Luna waved. 

Upon arriving in town, Celestia could finally get a good look at the houses. Almost everything in Spirit Springs appeared to be made of wood. The buildings were all log cabins with very little other material mixed in. Everything in the village felt earthy and wholesome. Plants grew in every crevice and corner that could be found, and towering trees lined the plain dirt streets. A surprising amount of ponies had come out of their homes and stood on the side of the path, silently staring at the two newcomers. Celestia felt a bit of unease, looking at all of them in silence. Luna grew closer to her, clearing her throat nervously. 

“Hey, sis,” she murmured, looking this way and that, “why are they all staring at us like that? Why won’t somepony say something?” Celestia fumbled for an answer, but before she could respond a voice called out. 

“We’ve been expecting you for some time.” 

Before the two sisters stood an earth pony wearing a long, tattered cloak. His coat was a neatly trimmed ruddy brown, his mane an aged white with stripes of pale pink flashing occasionally in its midst. His old green eyes looked at them with a kindness that Celestia had not felt since she had been back in Unicornia Castle. 

“What do you mean, you’ve expected us?” she questioned, looking about at the other ponies that had gathered around them. “Did somepony tell you we were coming?” The old stallion chuckled lightly, a smile on his muzzle. 

“No no my dear, we could feel it. All of us.” He waved a hoof at the small crowd, all of which nodded slightly in approval. “You two have a very powerful magic within you. We here in Spirit Springs have been anxious for you to arrive.” Celestia swallowed hard. Luna stood close to her, looking around uneasily. She had to admit that the whole display was a little strange, and she could tell the earth pony saw her discomfort. “Go now, you all,” he said. “Give our guests some time to adjust.” Slowly the ponies around them trickled away back into their homes, a few hanging back, perhaps hoping they hadn’t been noticed. 

Celestia felt her whole body relax. Her sister also seemed to feel relief, as she moved away slightly and began squaring up the stallion before them. 

“What’s going on here?” Celestia asked him quietly, her head lowered a little. “Who are you?” The stallion looked a little surprised for a moment. 

“Why, I’m very sorry. My apologies. My name is Rosewood the Enchanter, and I am the mayor of this town.” He dipped his head low in greeting. 

“How did you all know we were coming?” The older sister pressed her questions further. “You said you… you sensed us? What do you mean by that?”

“We here in Spirit Springs train ourselves intensely in the ways of magic,” Rosewood said, starting to walk away. Celestia followed him closely, Luna tagging behind. “All of us have trained our minds and bodies to be in tune with its powers. When you grew close, we could feel a huge power in the atmosphere, that is how we knew.” 

Celestia suddenly remembered the words of advice Red had spoken to her back in the farmlands. ‘There’s supposedly a town at the base of the mountain called Spirit Springs. I’ve heard the ponies there know more about magic than any other pony in Equestria. If you’re lookin’ for answers about what’s goin’ on- and I’m sure you are- that’s where you want to be.’ His words rang inside her head clearly now. ‘So this is the pony who knows all about magic,’ she thought to herself. ‘This may be my chance to finally find out what’s going on.’ Their trio approached a fountain in the middle of the village. This was the first thing she had seen so far that was made of stone, and it was magnificent. The base was large and rectangular, and in the middle a pedestal rose high up into the air with a small basin at the top. From that basin a spray of water shot upward and came splashing down within it, and water overflowed from its sides into the pool below. A steady flow of water also came from beneath the base of the basin on top of the pedestal, completely covering the stone tower supporting it with flowing water. 

“Sure is pretty, isn’t it?” Rosewood remarked as they passed. “The water in this fountain comes from an underground spring here in the mountains. It is said that this water contains the very magic of the earth, and is purer than anything else in the world.” He paused for a moment to look at the flow of water cascading down, then continued on. “But that’s just an old pony’s tale. Whether I believe it or not, I’m uncertain, but it tastes good enough to be true.” He gave a slight laugh, then stopped at a particularly large cabin behind the fountain. It was larger than any other building in the village, with two floors and what appeared to be an observatory on the top. Celestia gaped at the sight of it in the dusk. “Well, here’s the town hall, where I live.” 

“You live here?!” Luna spoke for the first time in ages. “It’s huge!” Rosewood the Enchanter chuckled. 

“But of course. Our village library is located inside on the second floor, my living and working quarters is on the ground.” At the mention of library Celestia’s interest was piqued. 

“Can we go in?” she asked in excitement, looking over the building once more. 

“Why of course! Why would I have brought you all the way here if I was to deny your entry into my own home?” 

The interior of the town hall was just as wonderful as the outside. Celestia didn’t pay much attention to the downstairs at all, but rather rushed up the stairs to the second floor, immediately met by a large library. There were three ways to go; to the left was a hallway that led to the observatory, to the right was another hallway that appeared to have rooms, and down the center was a vast sea of books. The library itself was round in shape, bookshelves lining the curved walls all the way around. Straight rows of books ran down the middle of the circle, the rich wood shelves packed with innumerable tomes and papers. In the center of the ceiling hung an elegant chandelier, at least a dozen candles illuminating the room below. There were a few desks in the outer circle of the library with scrolls and books scattered on them here and there. An intricate circle rug sat beneath it all; worn, but still impressively beautiful. Luna immediately raced off toward the observatory, tossing her saddle bags at the top of the stairs. Rosewood just watched her go, chuckling to himself. Celestia made her way into the library, eyes boggling at the amount of books lining the shelves. She stopped to pull one away with her magic, holding it in front of herself. 

“Elementary Spellcasting for the Hornless Student,” she read aloud. Hornless?

“Ah, a classic indeed.” Rosewood had come up beside her, gathering the tome from her spell with his hoof. “I remember reading this one many times.” 

“You don’t mean..?” Celestia could hardly believe what she was hearing.

“Yes, child, I can perform magic. Why do you think they call me Rosewood the Enchanter, hm?” She fumbled for words, wide eyed. Rosewood could only chortle, opening the book with a tender fondness. “You don’t seem to believe me. Observe.” Closing his eyes, the stallion muttered a few words beneath his breath and suddenly the book was enveloped in a faint pink glow. It slowly rose up from his hoof, closing itself and putting itself back on the shelf. Celestia was taken aback. 

“But… how? You have no horn, there’s no way…” 

“All creatures in this world possess a magic within them, from the mightiest dragon to the smallest insect.” He turned away, looking back at the books before him. “Unicorns are the most in tune with their powers because of their horns. It is a direct outlet for their powers. Both earth ponies and pegasi have magic just the same, but they put it out in different ways. Pegasi can fly and walk among the clouds with an unnatural affinity for the weather, and earth ponies have great strength and know how to work the land. However, how you are born does not determine the way in which you use this magic. With enough training, even a pony like me can perform spells like any unicorn.” Rosewood glanced over as if checking to see if his guest was still paying attention. 

Celestia nodded. She felt a sudden trustworthiness grow within her when she heard him speak, and knew it was time. 

“Rosewood the Enchanter, there is something I must share with you,” she said in a solemn tone. Using her magic to undo the straps of her saddlebag she tossed it aside and slowly unfurled the aching wings she had left hidden beneath it. Rosewood’s eyes grew wide, his mouth ajar. “Tell me, do you know what the meaning of this is?” she continued, giving her wings a flap. “I was told you are the most knowledgeable pony in the land when it comes to magic. Surely you must understand something of what has happened to me?” The old pony came close, touching a wing gently with his hoof.

“By the Gods,” he murmured to himself, running a hoof through his short mane. He turned to Celestia, a more serious look on his face. This startled her for a moment, but she tried to remain as calm as she could. Just the act of showing her wings had her heart racing. She had traveled for days just for this moment! She could feel her legs grow weak. Finally, Rosewood spoke. “My dear, would you like to stay here in Spirit Springs for a while?”