//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: The Ruins: Part 1 // Story: Daughter of Magic // by Moon Glow //------------------------------// It was the following morning after the day Aurora had felt her first stab of ridicule and a new day had dawned. Since she had made four new friends the previous day, Aurora felt as if all the old woes of the past five days wash away with the aid of Celestia's sunlight as she woke up. Now, it was Day 6 and Aurora was curious as to what the day had planned for her. Her answer came after breakfast. Aurora was brushing off the crumbs of the toast she had eaten from the red and black shirt she was wearing when Applejack motioned her outside. Seeing this, Aurora followed the Element of Honesty to the edge of the apple orchard. There, she saw a new setting at the orchard's edge. It was a tent that held no walls, providing shade from the hot sun. Under the tent was a simple wooden table with wooden buckets at one side, and an old oil drum at the other. There was also a wagon at the edge of tent, empty and yet in need of filling. Looking to Applejack, Aurora spoke. "What's this?" Applejack answered her inquiry as she pointed a hoof at the area. "Ah've been talkin' with Big Mac and Granny about what ya should do on the orchard. We thought of a lot of things from buckin' apple trees to house cleanin'. We've eventually figured out a job for ya that ya wouldn't need ya legs for very much." Curious, Aurora walked into the shaded area as Applejack continued to explain. "We knock off the apples off the tree, but it takes a lot of time between gatherin' the apples and sortin' them. Ya know, separatin' the ripe apples from the unripe and rotten. Granny would do this job when Big Mac and Ah started to work. But she's gettin' on in her years and she refuses to get glasses. So we've decided Big Mac and I can work in the orchard, Apple Bloom will bring ya the bushels, and then ya sort them and place the ripe apples in the barrels and the rotten ones in the metal drum. Then, ya place the full barrels of good apples in the cart. Simple as that." Aurora blinked in surprise. It was so simple, yet a major part in the orchard's production. With a growing smile, the hybrid spoke. "I can do that. When do I start?" Applejack was taken aback by the answer that she started to laugh. "Later, sugar cube. Ya got to meet your friends today. Not to mention Rainbow Dash wants to work with you for a while." Remembering the promises she made the other day, Aurora thanked Applejack and left for town. She was still wary of other ponies, but she was eager to meet up with the kids from the day before. She headed to the library first and knocked on the door. She waited for a bit until the door opened, revealing Spike. "Aurora? What are you doing here?" Aurora answered him as she looked to the side, curious as to what was inside the tree. "I'm looking for Safir. Me and the others are gonna meet up and explore Ponyville." Hearing this, Spike allowed Aurora inside. "I'll go check on him. In the meantime, why don't you check out the library while you wait?" As Spike left, Aurora began to circle the library. She saw various tomes in the Equestrian language, uncertain of what was in them. Within her circle, there was a wooden bust of a horse's head similar to the Greek and Roman busts she had seen in her father's books. But then Aurora spotted something that made her freeze. On the mantel of the library's fireplace was a picture of six familiar ponies. Clockwise, the picture held a younger Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie gathered around a violet unicorn with an indigo mane with a pink strip in it. She didn't need to see her Cutie Mark to know that this unicorn was her mother: Twilight Sparkle. Aurora had only seen her mother's unicorn form only once and that was the night she was taken. It was brief, so she didn't get much detail other than from her grandparents' albums. The loneliness began to emerge when Spike came down from checking on Safir. Upon seeing that Aurora was focused on the picture, Spike let out a smile and spoke. "That picture was taken on the day your mother and I moved from Canterlot to Ponyville." Though started at the dragon's sudden presence, Aurora calmed down and proceeded to speak. "Grandma and Grandpa said that Mom never made many friends when she was little. Mostly because she thought friendship was a nuisance." Spike nodded as he joined Aurora in gazing at the picture. "That's right. She did make some friends, though she didn't acknowledge that she did. Moon Dancer, Minuette, Lemon Drops and Twinkleshine are still living in Canterlot, I think, and Lyra Heartstrings lives here in Ponyville. I think she's in a relationship with Bonbon…" The last sentence was more of a thought than an actual statement, so Aurora didn't say anything for a bit. That was…until a thought struck her. "If Mom didn't have any friends to talk to before the Summer Sun Celebration, where does that leave you, Spike?" Spike gave Aurora a confused look. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean, Mom hatched you, right? Didn't you count as a friend?" The question caused Spike to scratch his head in thought. "Huh. You do have a point there. I guess I was a friend as well. But to me, Twilight was more like…" "More like what?" Aurora asked, curious. Spike thought for a moment, pondering the answer until he came to a seemingly sound conclusion. "…more like a sister than anything. I mean, at first she seemed like a mother to me. But after bringing me home and I began living among her family as well, I guess I see her more like my big sister and Shining Armor as my big brother." There was a pause. Concerned, Aurora looked to Spike and noticed that he had a look on his face as if he was looking fondly into the past. Which it meant that he was. Wanting to break the awkward silence, Aurora spoke again. "I guess that means you're my uncle, too." The words rang like a struck bell in Spike's mind. Uncle? Him? He was about to protest when Safir came down and spoke. "Sorry about the wait! I kinda overslept." The blue dragon fledgling noticed Spike looking off in the distance and raised an eye ridge. "Is he ok?" he asked Aurora. A faint tint of red appeared on Aurora's cheeks as she answered her new friend. "I think he's lost in thought. I'll meet you outside, Safir." Still curious, Safir headed outside while Aurora approached the seemingly stunned Spike. "Guess I'll see you later…Uncle Spike." She took off, a bit embarrassed at the little joke she made. However, Spike couldn't help but smile as the centaur walked out the door and looked back to the photo. "Uncle Spike, huh?" He then walked over to a desk he had acquired a couple years back and began to check-in books. "I think I like it." "So you called Spike your 'uncle' as more of a light joke and that's why he became stupefied?" Safir asked as he walked on Aurora's right. She had just explained to him about her chat with Spike and how they were more connected than the girl had originally thought. "I was trying to break the ice. But I think I may have broken a bit too much." But Safir shrugged his shoulders as he waved down Gareth from an overhead cloud. "I don't think it was a bad move. A little awkward, but not bad. Besides, now you know you have a second uncle and he's a dragon." That brightened things up a bit for Aurora. If she ever saw her human friends again, she could only imagine their reactions of her having a dragon for an uncle. "I guess it is kinda cool. Then again, there's so much to this world I have yet to discover." "Aurora! Safir! Morning!" Gareth called out as he landed on the soft earth. Safir approached the griffin chick and fist-bumped while Aurora shook herself out of her thoughts. "Morning, G. Did you make it back before your curfew?" Safir asked. Gareth sighed as he spoke to Safir. "Just barely. When Ma asked where I was, I made sure not to tell her we were in the Everfree Forest. I told her we were near the pond when we met Aurora." "And what did she say?" Safir asked. Aurora's stomach started to churn, trying to handle the possibility of what Gareth's mother had said about her. She then cleared her throat, gaining the boys' attention. "Ahem! Um…I got to go and find Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake. Meet you at Sugarcube Corner?" The boys raised eyebrows at Aurora's evasive behavior, but let it pass as they waved Aurora off after she had told them to look for the dessert-looking shop. The girl sighed in relief as she made her way to the confectionary-themed building. After knocking, Aurora stepped into the shop just in time as Pound Cake was walking down the stairs that led to the store's residential levels. Seeing his new friend, Pound waved a hoof and spoke. "Morning, Aurora! I thought you weren't going to be here until later." Aurora gave a slight grin as she spoke to the Pegasus colt. "I was. But I met two more kids yesterday after I left with Apple Bloom. They'll be here in a few minutes. I was hoping the five of us could spend the day together." Pound didn't see any problem, though he was curious as to who Aurora's newest friends were. Motioning to a table, he spoke to the hybrid. "Well, have yourself a table. Pumpkin's in the kitchen with Aunt Pinkie, baking." With that said, Aurora took a seat at the table while Pound entered the kitchen. Minutes later, both foals exited the kitchen and joined Aurora at the table. "Morning, Aurora." Pumpkin spoke cheerfully. Aurora smiled as she waved at the unicorn filly. "Morning, Pumpkin. Did Pound tell you?" The orange-cream unicorn nodded as she approached Aurora with her brother. "He did. Who did you meet?" Upon Pumpkin's request, Aurora went into detail about Gareth and Safir along with the events that happened in the Everfree Forest. Pumpkin gaped as Aurora told them of the Timberwolf attack while Pound got caught up in the excitement. The Pegasus colt had an interest in action and found himself unhappy that he got to miss the fight. The two girls rolled their eyes as the door to Sugarcube Corner opened. Gareth and Safir, following Aurora's directions, entered the strange-looking bakery with hesitation. Like Aurora, the two boys found the exterior strange. That changed, however, when the smell of baked goods pleasantly assaulted their nostrils. Seeing the two, Aurora waved them down to the table. "Over here, guys." The two approached Aurora and noticed the unicorn filly and Pegasus colt across the table from her. Gesturing with her right hand, Aurora proceeded with introductions. "Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake…Gareth and Safir. Gareth and Safir…Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake." Thankfully for Aurora, the four youths greeted each other before Pound Cake spoke. "Aurora was just telling us about what happened to you three in the Everfree Forest. How many Timberwolves were there? Did you have to fight a Manticore, too? Or a cragadile?" But before he could continue, Pumpkin placed a hoof on her brother's muzzle and spoke in an exasperated tone. "You'll have to forgive my brother. He tends to become hyper when there is action in this town." Both newcomers were taken aback by Pound's questioning and Pumpkin's reasoning. But as with most griffons, Gareth began to bask in the attention as he proceeded to speak. "Yeah, well. It was nothing. After all, I-we couldn't let those Timberwolves attack a poor, helpless damsel." Aurora and Safir immediately narrowed their eyes at the griffin chick. However, it was Aurora who voiced her annoyance. "I'm not a damsel-in-distress. As I recall, I bucked the alpha to save your hide, Gareth." Safir grinned at Aurora's response, knowing she had struck a blow to the griffin's pride. "She's right, G. Last I checked, you were about to become a griffin nugget for the Timberwolves." Gareth narrowed his eyes at the pair as all four youths laughed. After a while of laughing, Pumpkin decided to ask a question of her own. "So what were you two doing out in the Everfree Forest? Last I checked, only grown-ups are allowed in there and they don't often go." This question caught Aurora's and Pound's interest as well. Turning to the dragon and griffin, Aurora spoke. "She's right. I've never asked you why you two were in the forest in the first place." The two non-ponies looked at each other and Safir gulped. If Aurora and the twins knew about the reason the pair were in the forest, who knows how they would react. Gareth, on the other claw, decided to reclaim his lost pride and spoke with a proud voice. "Safir and I were looking around for some ancient ruins." Safir narrowed his eyes at Gareth while the others had their eyebrows rise in confusion and suspicion. It was Pumpkin who spoke. "Ruins? Do you mean the Castle of the Two Sisters? Princess Celestia's old castle?" Gareth responded by shaking his head. "No. Something far older than that castle." This made the trio curious as Safir made his exasperation known. "Gareth! You promised nopony else would be involved!" "Too late!" the trio replied simultaneously. Pound then proceeded to speak. "What could be older than the princesses' old castle?" Gareth shrugged his shoulders before speaking out. "I only know what my Ma told me. Apparently, there is a ruin in the center of the Everfree Forest that is extremely old. They say nopony has ever seen the ruin since its heyday. But it is said that those who do find it will discover a great treasure. Safir and I wanted to see if the legend was true once Ma and I moved to Ponyville from Griffinstone. Safir came along after he met us." The twins and Aurora found the information very interesting. Could these ruins be in the Everfree Forest? And if so, what was the "great treasure" that was supposed to be hidden there? And according to Gareth, the ruins were in the heart of the Everfree Forest, meaning dangerous creatures could be lurking amongst the shadows. Suddenly, Pound gave off a grin. "I'm in!" The girls gaped at Pound Cake in shock while the boys became confused. "What do you mean by that?" Safir asked, though he had a strong feeling on what the answer was going to be. Pound Cake spoke up with confidence that once belonged to the Element of Loyalty: Rainbow Dash. "I mean I want to find those ruins with you guys. It's boring here in town and I've been itching to go on an adventure for a long time. So count me in!" Safir's jaw dropped while Gareth smiled at the slightly older Pegasus colt. Something was telling him that he was going to like this guy. The girls looked to each other before speaking. "Aurora?" Aurora took little to think it over. Common Sense was telling her not to go in the forest again. But her Adventurer/Explorer side proved dominating as she gave her answer. "As much as I don't want to encounter another Timberwolf pack, I've got to say that it sounds interesting." Pumpkin gaped in shock at Aurora's answer. "You can't be serious!" Aurora the proceeded to ask a question of her own. "What about you? Do you want to go with Pound?" Pumpkin froze. She did not want to go into the Everfree Forest to find out if a legend was true or not. She remembered Pinkie Pie's stories about the creatures she and her friends encountered on their adventures. Pumpkin did not want to face a manticore or a hydra. And what were the chances they would encounter a friendly water serpent rather than a hungry one? Still, she was curious about the ruins and what was in them. Sighing, she signaled her defeat. "At least let me pack some supplies. And we need to figure out how to explain this to the grown-ups." Smiling, Aurora spoke. "Well, you did promise me to give me a tour around town. How about saying we stopped at a field or something and lost track of time?" Pumpkin didn't like lying, but knew it was better than the alternative. Dragging her brother with her, Pumpkin Cake retrieved their saddlebags and together the packed food and filled a couple of canteens with water. Pinkie was too preoccupied with baking that she didn't notice the twins' supply run. Once they've felt that they had packed enough, the twins crept out of the kitchen and handed Gareth and Safir the saddlebags. "We'll let Aunt Pinkie know we're going out for the day. The three of us will meet you at the edge of the Everfree Forest." Nodding, the griffin chick and the dragon fledgling took off while Pumpkin Cake, Pound Cake, and Aurora remained behind to set up the ruse. "Aunt Pinkie! We're going out around town with Aurora! We'll see you later!" Pound called out. "Ok! Be sure to be back before dinner!" Pinkie called out from the kitchen. With that done, the twins and Aurora left Sugarcube Corner and headed down the direction to the Everfree Forest. At the Edge of the Everfree Forest… It took a little while before the Cake Twins and Aurora reached the Everfree Forest. Safir and Gareth were waiting for them, the latter impatiently tapping his left back paw out of habit. Once the ponies (or in Aurora's case, half-pony) reached them, they were a little short of breath. Seeing them, Gareth spoke. "Where were you, guys?" Pound panted as he answered the griffin chick. "We…had to…tell Aunt Pinkie…we were…going to…wander around…town." Once the trio caught their breaths, they gazed into the dark forest ahead of them. Aurora remembered the events of the other day and became wary. "I don't suppose you got a map or something? You know. To point us in the right direction to the forest heart?" Safir was quick and handed Aurora a piece of paper. "I copied this map from a book at the library last night. I figured we could use this." Aurora nodded as she spoke. "And I was in Scouts when I was little. So I know a thing or two about what to do in the wilderness. Though it would be best if we have a compass to help." Technically, Aurora was an Island Scout, but it was still Scouts, right? Still, she was right about the compass. Which was why Pound was quick to take his allowance and purchase one. After obtaining the compass, Pumpkin proceeded to start going over the supplies with Aurora and Safir, much to Gareth and Pound's impatience. Once the checklist was complete, the five children were ready to enter the Everfree Forest.