Unlikely Places

by flutterstare

Hiding in Plain Sight

5
Hiding in Plain Sight

She looked breathtakingly beautiful in her royal gown.

I have had more than my share of prideful moments, but never in my life have I been more proud of anypony than I was of Twilight Sparkle on the day of her coronation. Not just anyone can become a Princess, you know. It is true that I have the power to bestow the title upon my subjects, but only the purest of heart are strong enough to receive it. I have never attempted to crown an individual who was not worthy, and I do not wish to know what would happen if I did.

Twilight was by far my greatest accomplishment. Since the day I first laid eyes on her, uncontrollably discharging powerful magic far beyond her years, I knew she was the one. It had been millennia since my Sister and I revealed the prophecy. I finally felt that it was coming true.

The years she spent as my student were a test of Twilight’s abilities and resourcefulness. She faced some of the most difficult challenges I had ever seen. The defeat of Nightmare Moon was a momentous occasion in itself; but her triumph over Discord, Chrysalis, and even the forgotten King Sombra were feats I may not have been able to accomplish myself. The entire time, she remained faithful to me and to the meaning of the Elements of Harmony.

Her final test – Starswirl the Bearded’s unfinished destiny spell – was a mere formality. I was far from surprised when she completed it. All she needed then was for me to give my blessing, and Equestria had its newest Princess.

From that point onward, she was easily the most popular pony in the kingdom. There wasn’t an earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn alive who didn’t know of the great Twilight Sparkle who had risen from the working class ranks of Ponyville to become an alicorn Princess. In a way, I suppose that is still the case today.

Truthfully, she was not quite the underdog success story everypony thought she was. I had brought her up specifically for this purpose; guided her down the necessary path since she was a filly. Popularity was a good sign, though. If she was going to become the savior of Equestria, it was imperative that she had the admiration of its citizens.

After her crowning had been made official, all that was left was for her to take the final step. Naturally, I had absolute faith in her. She had never let me down in the past, so why should I have expected any different?

On the day of the Ascension Summit the other Princesses and myself awaited Twilight’s arrival with great anticipation (or in Luna’s case, anxiousness). I had set aside the Grand Hall just for the purpose of our meeting. Once the Summit began, the doors would close. Only crowned royalty would be allowed inside, and the doors would not reopen until the assembly had come to a conclusion.

Cadence and I shared elated excitement. I remember reminiscing merrily with her about all the wonderful experiences we had with Twilight. I hadn't gotten to see much of Cadence after the return of the Crystal Empire, so it was good to catch up with her and bond over our appreciation for Twilight – which was ultimately what we had most in common.

My sister remained quiet. She had ceased her protesting after it became clear that there was nothing she could do to delay the Summit. Although I had tried repeatedly to ease her anxiety, she remained convinced that I had made my decision too hastily. She spoke of a sense of foreboding about the events to come. At the time I didn’t understand (or perhaps I chose not to understand), but Luna was genuinely worried about what we were doing. She was consumed with the idea that I was putting Equestria in grave danger.

Oh, how I wish I had listened to her.

All I can say is that I was blinded by ambition and overconfidence. Likewise, I chose to ignore Luna and her cautious disposition. I let out a cry of joy at the sound of the trumpets outside. My eyes were swimming with anticipation. Princess Twilight Sparkle had arrived.

* * *

It was a seasonably warm morning in the Everfree Forest; warmer than the woodland creatures had seen for many months. As Spring drew to a close, the forest began to change in the same subtle ways it had every year for as long as the oldest trees had stood. The songbirds’ eggs had all hatched, and the branches were full of the sound of chirping fledgelings. The flowers were beginning to disappear, but they were replaced by healthy green bulbs which would eventually grow into fruits and vegetables. Even the weather was changing. The heavy rain and thunderstorms that plagued the forest were scarce these days; and the sun could often be seen peeking through the dense canopy, bathing the underbrush in it’s warm glow.

Despite its sinister reputation, Everfree was a picturesque image of the harmonious balance of nature. The tranquility of the forest was something to behold. It seldom had visitors, but those who dared venture into the untamed wilderness were often entranced by its feral beauty.

At the extreme western edge of the vast forest, several ponies made their way quickly through the trees. These visitors had no time to be inspired by Everfree’s allure. In fact, all three of them were far too preoccupied with what lay outside the forest to stop for even a minute and admire their surroundings. They made quite a commotion, offsetting the natural equilibrium, but they wouldn’t be in Everfree for much longer. Their sights were set beyond the forest’s reaches.

At the front of the group, Autumn Breeze trotted swiftly along the old dirt road. Her bag had been packed hastily, and every few steps she had to nudge something back inside. She was attempting to explain very surreal circumstances to her traveling companions and navigate at the same time. The ponies had awoken that morning in a completely different location than they had bedded the night before, but Indigo and Sky were having trouble believing Autumn’s story about the immortal spirit of chaos who moved them there.

“You’re absolutely sure it wasn’t a dream?” Sky asked. He was nearly galloping in effort to keep up with her.

“That’s what I thought, at first,” Autumn explained, not bothering to turn around, “but how else could we have moved in our sleep like that? Plus all that stuff he said about the gems and the ancient secrets; it all makes sense!”

“I think you and I have very different ideas about what makes sense.” Indigo had resorted to flying just above the ground to keep speed.

“Look, it doesn’t matter,” Autumn replied. “The point is, we’re almost there and we have no time to lose. Ambrosia said we should get to Canterlot before the Summer Sun Celebration. That’s only two weeks from now.”

Indigo laughed. “Two weeks to find one gem? I think we can manage that.”

“How do you know there’s only one more?” Sky asked.

“That’s what your mother said, isn’t it?” Indigo inquired, “That there shouldn’t be more than three?”

“Yes, she seems to think so,” Autumn conceded, hints of scorn detectable in her voice, “but we can’t afford to take any chances. As soon as we get to Ponyville, I’m going straight to the mayor or town council or whoever's in charge and asking them directly where we can find artifacts from the time of Applejack.”

“Is that really safe?” asked Sky, “What if there are guards around?”

“Trust me,” Autumn laughed, “Ponyville isn’t even prominent enough to make it onto any modern maps. It would be the last place in the whole kingdom that needs guards.” A pressing thought suddenly occurred to Autumn, and she furrowed her brow in concentration. “Still… It’s strange that I haven’t heard of it before. Back in Manehattan, I spent all my time learning about faraway places. Plus I don’t think the trains run through here anymore, which means the ponies who live there are completely cut off. Indy, go up above the trees and see how close we are.”

Indigo obliged, lifting herself up and out of sight of the earthbound ponies.

“If they’re cut off from the rest of the country, couldn’t that mean they aren’t too friendly towards visitors?” Sky asked nervously.

“Good point,” Autumn conceded, “I suppose we’ll have to scope it out before we enter the town. We don’t want to run into any hostile locals.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Indigo said. She had just swooped back down between the other two.

“What do you mean by that?” Autumn asked, “Did you see Ponyville?”

“Yes I did,” Indigo replied, “and it looked completely–”

“Docile?” Sky suggested, “Was it a normal small town like Hidden Springs? Or a farming commune?”

“No,” Indigo said, “the town looked–”

“Oh! Was it a non-pony town?” asked Autumn, “Like a minotaur community or a zebra village?”

“No,” Indigo repeated, “It looked–”

“STOP!” Autumn came to a sliding halt at the tree line.

They had reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. Before them lay the town of Ponyville, although it could hardly be called a town anymore. Vines and weeds had overtaken almost every building, many of which had been worn down to no more than bare foundations. The cracked cobblestone streets were in a dismal state, and the once iconic Ponyville Clock Tower lay rotting on its side. Nopony had lived here for hundreds of years.

“Deserted,” Indigo finished her sentence, “I was going to say the town looked completely deserted.”

The three of them stared into the ruins, not quite sure what their next step was. Even Sky, who had only learned of Ponyville’s existence the day before, was expecting some kind of permanent population.

“I guess we know why it wasn’t on my first map…” Autumn remarked. She slowly began to walk forward, followed closely by her companions.

Sky clearly found Ponyville very unnerving, judging by how tightly he kept himself behind Autumn. “Why do you think it was abandoned?” he asked.

Neither Autumn nor Indigo had an answer for his question, so they remained silent. The trio walked slowly and quietly between the decaying buildings, looking left and right for any sign of life.

It was like a ghost town, but somehow creepier. After the residents of Ponyville moved out, the Everfree Forest had begun slithering its way in. Anything that wasn’t overtaken by vines was on the verge of collapsing due to termite damage and weathering. Only a few of the buildings were still recognizable. They passed a cracked storefront window displaying the rotting wooden frames of what used to be sofas, although there were also a number of quills scattered on the decaying floor. A large stone dome-shaped building was mostly intact, but it was so heavily covered in ivy that it was impossible to discern what it might have been. They even saw the concrete foundations of what must have served as a bowling alley, now covered in thistle brush.

They wound their way through the ancient streets, occasionally popping their heads inside a deserted store or house, looking for something or someone that might help them. Their search was ultimately unsuccessful, and the three of them had to accept that they were the only ponies in Ponyville. They eventually found themselves at the center of town sitting in a circle around their supplies. Not that any of them were aware, but they happened to be using the old wall supports of Ponyville Town Hall as stools.

“Ok, let’s just go over what we know,” Autumn suggested, “We know Applejack lived here, and we know that we’re probably looking for more gems like the ones in here.” She tapped the saddlebag which contained the apple and balloon. “We know Pinkamena also had one of them, and that she had some connection to Twilight Sparkle. We’re not sure if Applejack had any connection with Pinkamena or Princess Twilight–”

“So we have no reason to believe that any of the other gems would be here,” Indigo pointed out. “The fact that we found one in Hidden Springs proves that these things could have been scattered all over Equestria.”

“Even so, this is still the best lead we’ve got,” Autumn insisted. “I think it’s worth spending a day or two looking around the place.”

“Those gems are pretty small, Autumn,” Sky observed, gesturing towards her bag. “Given that we have a whole town to search, it’ll be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

Autumn opened her bag and carefully lifted the artifacts out into her hooves. They glowed faintly with their mysterious magical energy. She had to admit that finding such a small item was unlikely, but she had done it once before. She placed them on a flat stone where the three of them could see, hoping they would help spark better ideas.

“We’re looking for clues more than anything,” she said. “Finding another one of these would be an extra bonus.”

Sky shrugged and leaned back against a fallen column. “I guess I wouldn’t mind spending a couple days here. The weather is certainly nice; not a cloud in the sky. Well, except for that big one over there, but it doesn’t look like it’s moving towards us.”

Autumn turned her attention to the part of the horizon Sky was referring to. A large solitary white cloud hovered to the northwest, just to the left of the massive mountain on which Canterlot was perched. It was more than just a cloud, though. There were blocky lumps atop it, and ribbons of rainbow could be faintly seen flowing over its edge like great prismatic waterfalls.

“Oh my gosh!” Autumn exclaimed, reaching inside her bag for the old map. “I think that’s Cloudsdale!”

“Oh?” said Sky, squinting into the distance. “Where they make the movies?”

“No, that’s Applewood in Los Pegasus. Clousdale is where the Equestrian Rainbow Factory is,” Indigo corrected him.

“Ah ha!” exclaimed Autumn. She jabbed at a black dot on the map in the same location as the distant cloud. “I was right! That’s one of the oldest cities in Equestria; it’s been here since the first ponies came to this land from the frozen north. Very cool.” Autumn was feeling satisfied with herself: seeing Cloudsdale was one of the first things on her bucket list.

“It might be cool, but it doesn’t really help us,” Indigo reminded her. “All they’ve got up there is a rainbow factory and the Wonderbolts Museum. Nothing that has to do with Twilight Sparkle or Applejack.”

Gears once again began to grind in Autumn’s head. A tiny lightbulb flickered in the back of her mind. Wonderbolts… Wonderbolts… why does that seem important? She concentrated on the last few days; what they had heard, where they had found the last gem–

“Rainbow Dash!” cried Autumn suddenly, causing Indigo and Sky to jump slightly. “In that display case in Hidden Springs, next to this,” she held up the blue balloon, “there was a photograph of Pinkamena with Rainbow Dash! If they knew each other, then maybe we can learn more about how Pinkamena got her gem by working backwards from Rainbow Dash!”

“You really think that’s gonna help?” asked Indigo, “Rainbow Dash was one of the most famous Wonderbolts of all time, she probably had lots of friends.”

“Pinkamena chose to keep that photograph out of all the things she owned. That means that they must have had some kind of very special close relationship.” Autumn eagerly began to pace back and forth. “I’ll bet there are still plenty of records and accounts of Rainbow’s life, and some of those are bound to have information about Pinkamena. We can then use that information to get closer to finding out more about Twilight Sparkle!”

“I… guess that make sense,” Sky said hesitantly, “How do we go about doing all this?”

“Easy,” said Autumn with a smile, turning to her best friend, “you are going up there to visit the Wonderbolts Museum.”

“Whoa, what?” Indigo asked, “You want me to go to Cloudsdale? Why me?”

Autumn merely stared at her.

“Oh, right…” said Indigo, remembering her wings. “So what, are you guys just gonna sit on your hooves and wait for me to do all the hard work?”

“Of course not,” Autumn assured her, “Sky and I will spend our time searching the ruins of Ponyville for any other clues we can find. That way we’ll cover the most ground (and cloud) in a short amount of time.”

Indigo groaned and frowned. She had always wanted to visit Cloudsdale, and Autumn knew how to exploit her desire. There were a few concerns, though. For one, she still did not fully trust Sky, and did not like the idea of leaving the two of them alone together for an extended amount of time. Besides that, Autumn’s idea that finding out more about Twilight Sparkle by visiting a tourist attraction in a pegasus city seemed far fetched.

Autumn apparently recognized the doubt in Indigo’s eyes, because she offered more words of encouragement. “I know it’s a long shot, but it’s the best we’ve got. Will you do this for me Indy? As a friend?”

Indigo sighed and let a small smile onto her face. “As a friend, I’d do anything for you,” she said.

“You’re amazing,” Autumn declared. She pulled one of their saddle bags over and began putting various supplies inside. “You needn’t spend more than a day – unless you want to, of course – just long enough for you to gather up any information you can on Rainbow Dash’s connection to Pinkamena or Princess Twilight or anything. We’ll be here for you when you get back.”

“Isn’t it dangerous sending her out on her own?” Sky asked.

“I can handle myself just fine, thank you,” Indigo retorted.

“He’s right Indy,” Autumn pulled the tracking stone Ambrosia had given her from around her neck and placed it around Indigo’s. “You should take this and use it if there’s any trouble. It’s much more likely you’ll need it up there than we will down here.”

“If you say so.” Indigo squinted at the minuscule pearl-like talisman. She pulled her repacked saddlebag over her shoulders. “I’ll try to be back before tomorrow morning,” she said, “so just be careful until then.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Sky insisted. “We make a pretty good team.”

Indigo scoffed as she lifted herself off the ground, and muttered “You wish” under her breathe. She circled in the air a few times to gain altitude, and then was off at high speed towards the distant city of clouds.

“I hope she finds what we need,” Autumn said, more to herself than to Sky who was already busy rummaging for food.

“Hey, who’s to say we won’t find what we need right here in Ponyville,” he said, gesturing around the abandoned town, “but for right now, it’s lunch time. We missed breakfast, so I say double rations.”

“You go ahead and eat,” Autumn said. “I’m going to start looking around these buildings.”

“Slow down there, Sparky,” Sky insisted. “You need energy before you go treasure hunting. Besides, we don’t have a plan yet.” Sky offered her an oatmeal bar, which she reluctantly took and sat back down.

“I guess we could divide the town in half, and each take one side.” Autumn munched on her snack while she though out loud.

“Or we could do it by radius. Like one of us starts at the center of town and the other starts outside and we work our way towards each other,” Sky suggested as he slathered grape jelly on a slice of bread.

“Yeah,” Autumn agreed. “You could look around the town center here, and I would go out to the edge near the forest. That’s not a bad idea.” Autumn took another bite of oatmeal. “This square is recognizable enough. We could meet up here at dusk and compare anything we’ve found.”

“You know, this is kinda fun,” said Sky, biting into his sandwich. “It’s like one of those scavenger hunts you have when you’re little, just a lot more serious.”

“I’ve never been on a scavenger hunt,” Autumn admitted. “Manehattan isn’t exactly a prime location for that sort of thing. Plus there weren’t many ponies who were willing to associate with Indy and I.”

“I get that,” Sky said, finishing his sandwich. “We were always moving around, so I never had many friends. At least not ones my age.”

“Oh please, that can’t be true,” Autumn laughed, “a charming, cute guy like you?”

This remark was followed by the most awkward silence either pony had ever experienced. She wasn’t sure how that had slipped out, but Autumn sincerely wished that she hadn’t said it. After a few painful minutes of trying not to make eye contact, Autumn spoke up again.

“Errr… Right, well, I’m just gonna go now.”

“Yeah,” Sky agreed hastily, “I’ll be over there looking for… you know, stuff.”

The two of them hurried quickly in opposite directions, opting to put their minds back to more pressing matters.

Autumn made her way back to the Everfree Forest, where the tree line was buffered by a winding dirt lane. She walked along the road to the south for a ways, hoping to come across an enticing ruin. There was an old well with cracking stone walls – she decided it wasn’t worth exploring. What appeared to be an athletic track sat nestled in the corner of a beautiful field of flowers, although it was so overgrown that it couldn’t be any help. She did find one building that was in-tact enough to explore, but upon entering Autumn discovered only a few scattered pieces of lumber. It had been gutted before being abandoned.

Just when she was beginning to wonder if the search was pointless, she spotted something at the end of the road. The narrow dirt lane ended at a small pond, complete with lily pads and a family of ducks. On the other side of the pond was a quaint little cottage with a grass sod roof. The surrounding vegetation had grown up and over the domicile, but left the structure itself mostly undamaged.

What had caught Autumn’s eye though, was the tremendous number of bird houses that surrounded it. There had to be hundreds of them, all shapes and sizes. Every branch of the nearby trees had at least four or five little houses hung on it. What was even more amazing was that they seemed to be still in use. Wrens, sparrows, hummingbirds, finches, and dozens of other species that Autumn didn’t even recognize flitted through the air, chirping away happily with each other. Even the massive nest of an eagle was perched atop the thickest tree.

Autumn’s interest had been piqued, so she trotted closer to the pond’s edge to get a better look. She noticed that there was a broken walkway protruding slightly over the pond’s edge – what used to be a bridge. Now that she was closer, she could see that the house was not just in good shape for one that had been abandoned for so long, but it was in excellent shape. Besides the damaged bridge and a few overgrown bushes, it looked as if it had been recently lived in.

Deciding that this warranted further investigation, Autumn made her way carefully around the small pond. The ducks quacked angrily at the intruder, but failed to stop her from reaching the front step. Finding it to be unlocked, she pushed open the wooden stable doors, half expecting to see somepony still living there.

The cottage was definitely inhabited, but Autumn was the first pony to set foot inside for a very long time. Mice scurried around her hooves as she walked, and a badger scampered beneath the floorboards at the sound of a stranger. There was an old stone fireplace, which had been used as a den for some small furry creature, perhaps a fox. A few bats hissed and flapped around on the ceiling, disturbed by the light she had let in. Most noticeably, however, was that the small cottage was overrun with butterflies. The air was thick with the soft flapping of tiny wings as the beautiful insects flew in and out through windows and cracks in the wall. They congregated around a dusty bookshelf, like a butterfly city complete with room for cocoons.

Autumn made her way around a corner and into a kitchen, where she noticed there were bird houses inside the cottage as well. Whoever lived here had a passion for wildlife.

It was remarkable how well-preserved the building was. The natural forces which had been so destructive to the rest of the town seemed to have left this place alone; the vegetation had grown around the house and made it stronger; animals had made the house into their home instead of tearing it apart. For one reason or another, nature had chosen to be kind to this humble abode.

Autumn came back into the main room and walked carefully up a flight of creaky stairs. She found herself in the lone bedroom – the only room on the second floor. It wasn’t much: a night stand, a musty carpet, a twin bed, and a wooden chest.

Autumn figured she may as well look around, just for the sake of trying. She first looked inside the nightstand, accidentally upsetting the mouse's nest within. She then checked under the bed, finding the space barren except for a few more scurrying creatures.

Finally, she looked inside the large wooden chest. At first, it appeared to contain nothing more than blankets. It was a standard place to keep extra sheets, and had Autumn not felt around inside she would not have expected to find anything else. However, something flat and rectangular was nestled beneath the bedclothes. Autumn prodded it with her hoof, trying to determine what it was. Giving up, she pulled out soft pink blankets until she saw it lying on the wooden floor of the chest; presumably the same place it had been since its owner put it there centuries ago. It was a book.

Autumn carefully lifted the little blue book out of its hiding place and turned it over in her hooves. It didn’t have any labels or insignias; just a plane blue hardcover. The pages were yellowing, but seemed sturdy enough to handle. The spine was also in great condition, even though it showed signs of having been opened many times before. Whoever owned this book took very good care of it.

Autumn shrugged, deciding that there was only one way to figure out what it was. She cracked the tome open to one of its earlier pages, and read the fading cursive writing inside.

Dear Diary,

I offered to foal-sit Sweetie Belle and her friends last night. Rarity has been under a lot of stress recently with her work, and I figured she could use a helping hoof with her rambunctious little sister. Sweetie, Apple Bloom, and a filly named Scootaloo have made an adorable little club dedicated to discovering their Cutie Marks. I was absolutely certain the darlings would be no trouble at all. Goodness, was I wrong!

The poor things went and got lost in the forest in the middle of the night, with no supervision whatsoever. They almost got themselves turned to stone by a cockatrice, and so did I! Luckily, we were saved at the last minute, although I’m not necessarily proud of how I did that… I never like using my stare, but I had no other choice! I swear!

I’ve decided to leave my care taking abilities to animals. Being responsible for little fillies is just too much work, at least for me alone. I’m not sure how Cheerilee does it!

Love,

–F

“A diary,” Autumn thought out loud.

She flipped through a few of the pages, not expecting to find anything interesting. Mostly it was short little anecdotes about what the author had done that day or thoughts about some experience. It didn’t seem helpful at first, until one of the entries suddenly caught her eye.

Dear Diary,

Applejack almost left us the yesterday to work on a cherry farm down south,

“This pony knew Applejack!” Autumn gleefully read on, eager to find out how close this “F” was to her mysterious ancestor. She was overjoyed that she had actually managed to find something relevant to her search.

and it was all because she didn’t win any blue ribbons at the Equestria Rodeo Championship! She felt so ashamed that she took a job at Dodge Junction, hoping to earn all the money that she didn’t win at the competition.

We all went down to get her back, which turned out to be more of a challenge than expected. When we finally figured out what was bothering her, I made sure to remind her that no matter what happened we would still love her. Applejack is an important friend to me, and I couldn’t stand to see her upset with herself. Luckily, we were able to convince her to come back to Ponyville, and everything seems just fine now.

Like Twilight always says, true friendship can overcome any barrier!

Love,

–F

Autumn blinked a few times and read the last line once more. “Like Twilight always says.” Could it really be? she wondered. She thought back to the research facility in Hidden Springs, when she had learned that the legendary Princess was well aquatinted with common ponies. If Pinkamena knew her, maybe whoever wrote this diary did too.

She flipped to the inside cover of the book, desperate to find some confirmation of her theory. Sure enough, scrawled in tiny lettering across the top of the first page were the words: This diary is dedicated to my dearest friends, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. To them I owe the world and my life, which would have no meaning without them.

She couldn’t believe it. Autumn had struck gold. She had found a first-person account of the life not only of Applejack, but of Princess Twilight Sparkle. This could prove to be massively helpful in her search for the meaning behind the ancient gems and the secrets of the Schism. She held in her hooves more information about Princess Sparkle than almost anypony in Equestria knew existed.

Autumn read the names in the dedication again, and she couldn’t help laughing out loud. She had to assume that “Pinkie Pie” was in fact the Pinkamena from Hidden Springs. Therefore it was no surprise that Rainbow Dash was also on the list, since she already knew that they were friends. What came as a complete shock – although a very pleasant one – was that Applejack was a close friend as well. This actually made her actions after the Schism much more understandable, and drew a clear connection between Applejack’s gem and Pinkamena’s.

“It all makes sense!” Autumn shouted to the mice in the corner, “Everything is beginning to fit into place! I’ve been spending all this time looking for some connection, struggling to find the link between Applejack, these gems, and Twilight Sparkle, and this is it!” She plopped herself down on the hardwood floor, leaning up against the creaky old bed frame. There were still so many unanswered questions, so many things she craved to know.

She found the very first entry in the diary and began to read, eager to unlock its ancient secrets.

* * *

On the other side of town, Viridian Skyshimmer Seaheart the Third sifted through a pile of shredded documents he had found in a filing cabinet. The paper was annoyingly fragile, and disintegrated like dry leaves whenever he attempted to pick one out. He gave up and slammed the drawer shut, causing the entire cabinet to tip over. It was pointless anyway, nothing inside had been readable.

He left the the rundown building and walked back across town square, hoping to find something more substantial. There were quite a few more buildings than Sky had expected. He surmised that in its heyday, Ponyville was probably even larger than Hidden Springs. Even so, his task was becoming increasingly frustrating. There was simply too much to explore and so little to yield from it.

He had been in a few houses, but found them to be too structurally unstable for comfort. Most of the other buildings were either boarded up or had collapsed, and those he could get into never contained more than a few sparse furnishings.

At one point he came across a mostly-intact building which resembled a giant dilapidated gingerbread house. He became very exited when he noticed the wooden sign hanging above the door, which he thought depicted an apple. Upon closer inspection, it revealed itself to be a pink cupcake. He realized it must have been some kind of bakery. Going inside the building didn’t provide any answers though, as the interior was barren right down to the shattered glass display counter.

Retracing his steps back to the center of town, Sky tried to make a mental map of Ponyville so he didn’t end up searching the same place twice. Everything looked the same – long dirt roads lined with crumbling buildings overgrown with weeds. Ironically, he ended up getting lost while pondering his map. Looking around for something familiar, he noticed to a large oak tree that he had definitely seen before.

“Wait a minute…” he mumbled now that he was concentrating on the tree. “There’s a door.” Indeed, the oak turned out to be more than just a tree, but also a building with a wooden door and windows on two levels. Sky decided that this was as good an opportunity to investigate as any other.

Due to the nature of of this particular structure being a living tree, it was easily the most stable dwelling he had seen since arriving in Ponyville. It had clearly grown since it was last inhabited – the walls, doors, and windows were cracked with the weight of the expanding hardwood – but the interior was open enough that Sky could make his way around. The first thing he noticed was that walls were lined floor to ceiling with shelves. Most were empty, and a few had collapsed into wooden heaps on the floor. The next things he noticed were the piles of rotting books scattered across the main room. It didn’t take him long to realize what this building must have been

“A library,” he correctly deduced.

He looked closely at one of the nearby piles. Centuries of moisture and improper storage had ruined these books; there was little use in trying to read any of them. Something else was on Sky’s mind, though. He found it very peculiar that all of the books in the room had been taken off of the shelves and apparently organized into very neat stacks. Someone had definitely been searching this library for something, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it happened long after the town was abandoned.

On the far side of the room, there was a creaky staircase which led to a small second-floor chamber. Fearing it might collapse, Sky decided not to take the risk. Another flight of stairs led down to what must had been a basement, but it was impassable; The massive roots of the oak had grown through the wall and right across the entrance. Sky was therefore restricted to to the ground floor, which contained no more than the large main room and a small kitchen area.

As he moved around the ancient space, he began to realize that it wasn’t only a library: it was a dwelling as well. There was no other reason for the kitchen on the ground floor, and he would have been willing to bet that the stairs led to a bedroom. It wasn’t uncommon for a librarian to live in her place of work, or even for a research student to take up residence. He knew for a fact that the Royal Library of Canterlot was linked to an enormous dormitory just for that purpose. However, Ponyville was a relatively small town, and Sky couldn’t help but wonder who would choose to live here.

He soon found an answer to his question.

Lying on a dusty old desk shoved in a corner, a squarish black object caught Sky's eye. He wasn’t quite sure what this devise was called, but he had definitely seen one in his math class in primary school. It had a square wooden frame with several wooden rods running parallel across the interior. The rods held a number of colored beads which would slide from one side to the other to make calculations.

He flipped it over causing a plume of dust to rise into the air, and revealing a short message inscribed on the other side. Carved into the wooden frame with small neat lettering were the words: Property of Twilight Sparkle.

* * *

“‘Property of Twilight Sparkle’. Is that really necessary?” Rainbow Dash held the peculiar device into the light to get a better look at it. “I can’t imagine anypony wanting to steal a wooden counting thingy.”

“It’s called an abacus, and I’ve had that one since I was a filly. You know how you have to put your name on everything when you’re young.” Twilight sorted through a few more framed photographs, levitating several in the air and inspecting each. She chose one and placed it neatly on a nearby table, the rest went into a cardboard box.

“So, does that mean you want to keep it or what?”

“For sentimental reasons, I think I’ll hold on to it. You can just put it in storage.” Twilight moved the box over to Rainbow so that she could put the abacus inside. “Thank you again so much for helping me with my Spring cleaning, Dash. I know this isn’t really your thing.”

“Sure thing Twilight,” Rainbow replied, “I’m always happy to lend a hoof to a friend. Speaking of friends, where is everypony else?”

Twilight paused her sorting for a moment to remind herself where her closest friends were. “Rarity is at that fashion show in Fillydelphia, Fluttershy is there with her helping get everything ready, Applejack it busy at the farm planting this year’s crop, and Pinkie Pie… well, she’s not exactly an expert at keeping things organized.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, that’s Pinkie Pie. Always doing something unexpected.”

“I’m actually surprised you were able to come today,” Twilight admitted, “what with your big performance coming up next week. I thought for sure you’d want to be out practicing.”

“Yeah, that.” Rainbow’s voice suddenly became quieter, making her sound very nervous. “They’ve already seen what I can do at the Academy, but these tryouts are the real deal. The Wonderbolts only have one space available, and there are bound to be dozens of pegasi trying to get it; maybe hundreds.”

Twilight put down her work and moved over to Rainbow Dash, giving her a big friendly hug. “We’ll all be there to support you, Dash. If anypony can do it, you can. You know you’ve got what it takes, and so do I, and so do the Wonderbolts.”

“Thanks Twi.” Rainbow allowed the embrace to continue for another few seconds before pulling away coolly. “Hey, I’m not the only one who has a big day coming up. Cloudkicker was telling me that this Ascension Summit thing is like a once in a millennium deal.” She stuffed the Abacus into the corner of the cardboard box. “What exactly are you going to be doing?”

Twilight sighed and began looking through a collection of bound books. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Whatever it is, only the four princesses will be allowed inside until it comes to a resolution.” She placed the books on an empty shelf and turned to another collection. “I don’t think it’s anything too serious though; Princess Celestia seems very excited about it.”

“Well, even if we can’t come inside, we’ll all be there to support you too,” Rainbow promised. She picked an especially old looking book off the floor and held it up for Twilight to see. “Ok, what about this one?”

“Oh! My Ancient Equestrian Translation Guide. I’ve been looking for that.” She levitated the book out of Rainbow’s hoof and placed it at the center of her desk near the parchment and ink wells. “Now I can finish translating those texts.”

“Ancient Equestrian?” asked Rainbow. “I thought nopony spoke that anymore.”

“It is a dead language, yes,” Twilight replied, “but it’s still widely used today for things like the scientific names of species and family mottos. As you might know, the Cloudsdale city oath is in Ancient Equestrian.”

“Oh yeah, that goofy thing they used to make us say every morning back in primary school.” Rainbow Dash held herself high and put her hoof to her head in a mock salute. “‘Måft døk krîll, derwingåm, tylde, sdimî cåhnn.’ I never understood what that meant.”

“Twilight though for a moment, then flipped to a page near the center of her book. “I believe it translates to: ‘Through courage, honor, and integrity we are strong.’”

* * *

Through Courage, Honor, and Integrity We Are Strong

The words were inscribed at the base of a magnificent marble statue at the very center of the city. Four figures sat atop the pedestal, carved from an enchanted slab of stone which would not fall through the cloud on which it stood. Three of them were pegasi holding themselves proudly in a defensive and respectful manner around the fourth, which took the unmistakable form of Princess Celestia.

Indigo found herself momentarily humbled by the smiling effigy of her leader. For most of the journey after leaving the sanctuary, Indigo had refrained from thinking too much about the Order of Everlasting Truth's allegations against the Princess. Like everyone else, she had been raised in a society where ponies only ever talked about Celestia in a positive light, emphasizing all the wonderful things she has done for Equestria. To suddenly be confronted with the prospect of the Princess having acted immorally was a shock. If Indigo were being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she believed what the members of the Order had told her.

Autumn was confident though, and Indigo trusted her opinion more than anypony; she would follow her best friend to the ends of the earth. So Indy chose to put these troubling thoughts out of her mind and concentrate on finding what she needed.

She left the statue and trotted towards the elaborate arched entrance to the Wonderbolts Headquarters and Museum.

It had been quite a hassle to find. Getting from Ponyville to Cloudsdale hadn’t been an issue, the skies were clear and the wind was with her. The problem was that once she reached the city in the sky, she found it to be unexpectedly large. Moreover, Cloudsdale was one of the oldest cities in Equestria, and consequently had an vast number of museums and historic buildings which all looked very similar – that is, they were all made of clouds.

It was strange seeing so many other pegasi. There were winged ponies in Manehattan, but earth ponies were the strong majority. More often than not, Indigo was the only flyer around. She had always heard that earth ponies stuck to the east coast and the south, unicorns lived on the west coast or in Canterlot, and pegasi preferred the cloud cities. Truthfully, these were only stereotypes, and anypony who had been to both Vanhoover and Fillydelphia would tell you than the population distribution was essentially the same. Still, only pegasi could walk upon clouds without special magic. For the first time in her life, Indigo found herself surrounded entirely by ponies just like her.

After an hour or so of gawking at the sites, Indigo finally asked a nearby street vender if he could point her in the right direction.

“Sure thing!” he responded cheerily. “It’s next to the stadium across town.” He gestured up the street. She followed his hoof, and in the distance Indigo could see the towering Cloudsdale Aerial Arena.

She nearly kicked herself. “Of course!” she grumbled. “The home of the Wonderbolts, how did I not figure that out?”

Everything else aside, Indigo was fairly excited to be at the museum. She wasn’t as big a fan of the Wonderbolts as Autumn, but she always enjoyed watching them do their tricks; and of course she had her favorites, both current and all-time. Both of them agreed that Shooting Star – the current Captain – was by far the coolest active member of the team. When it came to all-time favorites, there was a bit of a discrepancy. Autumn preferred Fast Track, a fairly recent Wonderbolt who her great uncle had actually seen fly when he was a colt. Indigo was partial to a lesser-known and much older flyer named Spitfire. This quite a coincidence, as Spitfire’s retirement was what allowed a young Rainbow Dash to join the squad.

The point is, if Indigo had ever made a list of places she wanted to visit, the Wonderbolts Museum would be at the top.

Admission was free – which was lucky since she didn’t have any money with her. Once inside, Indy was greeted by a colorful spectrum of displays, signs, and kiosks, as well as a plethora of happy ponies of all ages. To the right was a glass wall which separated the museum from the administrative headquarters. Beyond the barrier, Indigo could see a long wooden reception table and a variety of offices and cubicles bustling with busy ponies. She decided there was no sense in trying to get in.

The museum stretched down several hallways in different directions on two floors. She approached one of the maps on the wall, and searched for where she might find information on Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t hard to find. An entire wing on the second floor was labelled “The Golden Era: from Rainbow Dash to Night Flight.”

Indigo made her way up the stairs an down the hallway that would take her there. She passed hordes of ponies crowded around exhibits, and a few museum guides who asked her if she had any questions. She would have liked to see everything, but she knew she had to complete her primary task first.

Finally, she reached the double doors that provided access to the “Golden Era” wing of the museum. There were fewer ponies here – presumably because of its distance from the main entrance – but she still had to weave her way through a crowd of visiting school-age fillies and colts.

Rainbow Dash was one of the most famous Wonderbolts of all time. She had been the youngest captain ever, a title earned only a few years after joining the team. On top of that she held numerous records for speed and agility, and to that day was the only pony in recorded history to have performed a Sonic Rainboom. Her iconic rainbow lightning cutie mark was still a popular decal for buttons, hats, posters and other Wonderbolts merchandise. Therefore, it was no surprise that so much space in the museum was dedicated to her.

At the very center of the circular room were several large glass displays housing old uniforms. The most prominent of those on display was the actual uniform Rainbow Dash had worn for most of her career, signed with her initials on the left foreleg. Indigo marveled at the piece of athletic history. She was intrigued to notice that the Wonderbolt uniforms hadn’t changed a stitch in hundreds of years.

Lining the outer wall were various displays containing goggles and horseshoes and other knick-knacks. A few foals played around a cutout standee where they could stick their head through a hole to make them look as if they were a Wonderbolt. Their parents stood nearby, reading the information plaques beneath portraits of flyers from the Golden Age.

Indigo walked along the wall, moving from portrait to portrait until she found the one she was looking for. Rainbow Dash stood tall and proud, dressed in full uniform, smiling majestically into the distance. She looked older than the pegasus from the photograph in Hidden Springs, but her unmistakable messy prismatic mane was exactly the same. Her golden captain’s badge gleamed on her chest, and she wore an Equestrian Medal of Exceptional Citizenship around her neck – an honor given only to those who provide a unique and immense service to their country.

Beneath the portrait was a plaque with information about Rainbow Dash’s career and accomplishments, as well as a glass display case which held her five Equestrian Aerial Ace National Champion trophies. She skimmed over the texts, but there was no mention of Pinkamena or anypony other than Dash herself. It merely restated what Indigo already knew about her incredible feats as a Wonderbolt.

She sighed and moved on. This was exactly what she had been expecting. Even if the two of them had been friends, why would there be any mention of a baked goods salespony at the Wonderbolts museum? And if there were some mention, what are the chances it would help them learn anything about Twilight Sparkle?

Indigo walked glumly past a much larger display case which contained a number of articles of clothing belonging to various Wonderbolts. Shadowsprint’s black hood was perched on the upper shelf next to a vintage relay horseshoe. Stormchaser’s pair of neon yellow goggles were below that, and further down Indigo picked out the blue and white flag the Wonderbolts used to make their big entrance at the last Hearth’s Warming Eve celebration. On the very bottom shelf was yet another space dedicated entirely to Rainbow Dash.

It was a row of necklaces and pendants hanging on felt displays. A panel below read: Throughout her career, Rainbow Dash wore one of these decorations around her neck during every show. Each of the pieces had their own short description as well.

The first in the row was the Citizenship Medal she was wearing in her portrait. This was followed by a few gold medals from the Equestria games, and then a special silver pendant which bore the insignia of the Crystal Empire. The second to last item was an elegant copper chain which held a large pearl neatly engraved with the letters RD. Its description was just one sentence: Given to her by a close friend. Finally, at the very end of the line was an familiar looking golden necklace embedded with a pristine red gem in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Indigo blinked, and then rubbed her eyes. She looked through the glass again, and the gem was still there. It hadn’t been a hallucination. Her mind was blank for a moment. No way, she thought, this is impossible. The more she stared at the necklace, the more closely it resembled the others.

She read the description below the item. It merely said: Unknown origin. Worn only for the most important events.

She thought it over once more. It was a gem in remarkable condition, held in a very old golden necklace, owned by somepony from around the same time as Twilight Sparkle. All things in common with the one from Hidden Springs. Moreover, it belonged to somepony who knew the pony that owned the gem from Hidden Springs!

She still couldn’t believe it. She needed to know for sure, and so she needed more information. Indigo rushed back to the plaque and searched desperately for anything that could be helpful. She skipped all the way to the end, where she found the only details that didn’t pertain entirely to Rainbow Dash’s accomplishments.

After years of leading the team and flying better than anypony the Wonderbolts had yet seen, Rainbow Dash announced her unexpected retirement to the world. This revelation was a shock to her thousands of loyal fans, as well as to the other Wonderbolts who had no prior knowledge of her decision. The severance came as a result of the untimely death of a close personal friend to Rainbow Dash. It was during her eulogy of this late friend that the iconic team captain announced her sudden decision to retire permanently from professional flying.

* * *

“And so, I hereby announce my permanent retirement from professional flying.”

The crowd gasped, and several ponies nearly fell over in their seats. Sweetie Belle, who had been levitating a vase of flowers onto a nearby table, whirled her head around, causing the vase to shatter on the floor. The pony playing the organ slammed on the keys, and then froze.

Rainbow Dash remained unfazed. She stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with anypony. Her whole body slumped, as if it wanted to melt into the earth and disappear. It was as miserable as anypony had ever seen her. It was not clear to those present whether she had just made the decision out of emotional stress, or if the illustrious Wonderbolt was actually giving up at the height of her career.

Whatever the case, it was obvious that Rainbow had taken a huge emotional blow. She hadn’t spoken to anyone since receiving the tragic news, and then she showed up in the middle of the service and took the podium to make her speech. She went on for almost an hour about how she hadn’t been loyal enough to Ponyville, and how if she had done less shows and spent more time with her best friends this wouldn’t have happened. She berated herself for choosing fame over friendship and losing sight of what was really important, insisting on claiming responsibility for the circumstances. She described the last time she had seen the deceased, how she had said only a few words before speeding away to an after-show party. She cried and proclaimed that she would give anything to have that moment back. Finally, she announced that she did not want to waste any more of her life and would be leaving the Wonderbolts effective immediately.

After a few moments of sad silent reflection, she turned and walked slowly towards the portrait table. She stared at the framed photograph, directly into the sparkling blue eyes of one of her best friends.

“I’m so sorry, Rarity,” she whispered.

Then she took off down the aisle and out the doors, leaving the mourning crowd in utter shock. It took a few seconds for the ponies to feel comfortable speaking, and even then it was only murmurs.

Eventually the organist picked up again and the crowd continued the process which Rainbow Dash had interrupted; making eulogies and walking by Rarity’s portrait in a slow procession.

Fluttershy remained quietly in her seat, gazing towards the doors through which Rainbow Dash had just disappeared. “Maybe I should go after her,” she said, stirring herself to stand.

“Don’t.”

Fluttershy turned to her right, where Twilight Sparkle sat staring blankly forwards. Her royal dress had been tinted black for the occasion.

“I think she needs to be alone for a while.”

“Oh… but all those things she said,” Fluttershy continued, “about not being here and being selfish. I think she blames herself for what happened to Rarity.”

“I’m sure she does.” Twilight turned sadly to Fluttershy, so that she could see the tears welling up in the Princess’s eyes. “It’s clear that Rainbow Dash feels she could have saved Rarity had she been here in Ponyville when it happened.”

“But… But that’s not being fair to herself!” Fluttershy found herself crying uncontrollably. “That runaway cart wasn’t her fault! Rarity was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! There was nothing anypony could have done to save her!”

“Which is something that Rainbow is going to have to accept for herself,” Twilight insisted. “Give her time and she will be able to move on. We all will.”

Fluttershy couldn’t think of a response, so she merely closed her eyes and put her head down, wishing for the millionth time that the previous week had all been a bad dream.

“What have you got in your satchel?” asked Twilight, pulling Fluttershy out of her meditative state. Fluttershy's satchel was indeed full of something soft and fragrant.

“Oh, um, they’re begonias. I was going to place them next to Rarity’s portrait.” Fluttershy opened the bag and gently lifted out a few of the wild-picked scarlet flowers. “Rarity always loved begonias.”

* * *

Rarity always loved begonias. I think she would have liked having them there. Of course it was hard to find a place for them on the table after everyone else had gone. She had a lot of admirers; so many ponies had been touched by her resounding generosity.

I’m really not sure how to feel. I know Rarity would have wanted us to continue living life and being happy, but that seems so difficult now. I haven’t seen Rainbow Dash since the service, and I’m actually thinking of going up to make sure she’s alright.

I’m worried about her. Applejack couldn’t stop working for long, and Twilight and Pinkie both seem have fallen back into their regular routines (although Pinkie is noticeably less bubbly); but Rainbow Dash has no work to take her mind off Rarity, and no one around to help her through this. I have a terrible feeling that she won’t be able to recover. She has to be absolutely devastated.

I wish things could go back to the way they used to be. Before Twilight became a Princess, before Rainbow joined the Wonderbolts, when we were all young and our friendship was fresh and exciting. Time is moving too quickly.

Love,

– F

Autumn finished reading the entry and sighed deeply. That one had been heavy. It was also the longest entry so far at nearly two and a half pages.

She looked out a nearby window and noticed that the sky was already beginning to darken. She must have been there for hours. Autumn stood up stiffly from the wooden floor, stretching her legs. She was determined to finish reading, so she’d have to do it by firelight. She made her way towards the staircase that led down stairs, but found her way blocked.

A squirrel stood stubbornly in the doorway, squeaking in an agitated manner. Autumn raised an eyebrow and waved a hoof at the furry creature. “Shoo!” she said through clenched teeth. The squirrel didn’t budge though; it was instead joined by two other squirrels who started squeaking as well.

Before Autumn could react, the squirrels were joined by an owl perched in the rafters hooting angrily at her. This was followed by tweeting birds and a growling badger. It seemed like all the animals in the house were refusing to let her leave. She didn’t understand; they had all been more or less passive towards her presence up until now. What had she done wrong?

Suddenly, she thought of something. She slowly backed up to the open chest and placed the journal carefully inside. The animals quieted down, eyeballed her for a moment, and then dispersed. Apparently, they tolerated her presence, but refused to let her take anything from the place they all called home.

“Remarkable,” said Autumn looking back at the cottage growing smaller as she walked away. She would have no choice but to return the next day.

Her pace quickened to an excited jog. She hoped Indigo had made it back so that she could give her the great news.

The entries in the diary were sporadic, jumping across inconsistent lengths of time – clearly the author hadn’t intended for anypony else to read it. It was a way for her to express feelings when she needed an outlet, not a documentation of events.

Nonetheless, it had already proved to be exceedingly enlightening. For instance, F constantly referred to items she called “The Elements of Harmony.” Of course these had to be the gems that Autumn was looking for. It finally made sense why they were needed to get into the Elements of Harmony room: because they were the actual Elements of Harmony! F never stated exactly what they were, where they came from, or how many there were. However, it was revealed that they could be (and were) used to defeat evil forces that threatened Equestria. To Autumn’s surprise, these ponies had also encountered Discord – the powerful spirit she had met in the Everfree Forest – and had used the Elements to overpower him.

There was also an account of how Twilight Sparkle became a Princess in the first place. As it turns out, the folklorists got it right when they suggested Twilight was a common pony crowned by virtue of her great deeds. Many great deeds, in fact. There was a remarkable amount of turmoil surrounding the lives of these ponies, and they apparently saved Equestria on more than one occasion.

For a common pony who lived in a cramped cottage, F had a surprisingly close relationship with the Princess. The group of six ponies mentioned on the inside cover were all very close with one another, and had been that way since before Twilight Sparkle was crowned. It was an interesting coincidence that aside from F herself (who’s full name had remained unstated) and a pony named Rarity, Autumn had separately heard of each member of the group before reading the diary.

Autumn rounded a corner down a street that led to the center of town. It had grown significantly darker, but she still squinted intently at the buildings she passed in the hopes of recognizing one or two from the diary. Twilight Sparkle had resided in a library, she had learned; and Rarity spent most of her time in a boutique.

She was still wrapping her mind around the concept that Twilight Sparkle could have lived a normal life after becoming a Princess. What with the responsibilities and the immortality, it didn’t seem like she would be able to keep her Ponyville connections. Celestia was so busy with her duties that she rarely left Canterlot, except on diplomatic business.

The only prominent mention of Princess Sparkle’s royal obligations that Autumn had found was a couple of short entries concerning something called “The Ascension Summit.” F didn’t have much to say, just that it was a big deal for Twilight and only Princesses were allowed to participate. Autumn found it odd that F had mentioned “the four princesses at the Summit” when there were only three, but figured it had to be a typo.

The Ascension Summit was mentioned once more in a brief entry where F voiced concern for Twilight. Apparently, upon returning to Ponyville the Princess asked her friends to never inquire about the Summit. According to F, Twilight was “sullen for several days” afterwards, and refused to speak about what had happened. After that, the fact that she was an alicorn Princess was never brought up again.

Autumn shook her head and brought her concentration back to the road. She needed to find Sky and set up camp, but all the buildings looked the same here. She was having trouble remembering where she had been. The only recognizable landmark around was a large oak tree between two thatch-roofed houses.

To her surprise, a mint-green unicorn suddenly burst through the front door of the tree and came rushing out to meet her.

“Autumn!” Sky cried, “You won’t believe what I’ve found!”

Autumn laughed and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Sky, I was about to say the same thing to you.”

* * *

Three hours. For three hours Indigo stood in the same place, staring intently through the glass of the display case. She had thought it through so many times her head hurt. She had considered every possible angle, but always came to the same conclusion: this gem had to be one of the ones they were looking for. She couldn’t believe it, but Autumn had been right about the venture to Cloudsdale being worthwhile.

The next thing to do was figure out how to get it. Asking for it probably wasn’t a great idea, and purchasing it was out of the question. The most obvious solution that Indy could fathom was simply to steal it. After all, Autumn had stolen the last gem; out of a display case, no less.

Still, it wouldn’t be easy. Unlike Hidden Springs, there were quite a lot of ponies at the museum – not to mention security guards. This was a high-value item she was looking at; she wouldn’t be able to just walk out with it. She contemplated ways that she might avoid a confrontation. Maybe if there was a way to make a decoy, or move the other necklaces around to fill the empty space. Perhaps she could find a hiding place and carry out her operation after the museum closed. All ideas that would be very difficult to pull off.

A scratchy voice over the intercom announced that the museum wold be closing in fifteen minutes. The remaining ponies began to shuffle out of the room, taking last looks at various items on display as they went. The sun outside was beginning to set, and Cloudsdale was settling down for the evening.

Indigo stared for a few more moments at the gem held in an ancient golden necklace. She was tired, confused, and really wanted to get back to Ponyville.

“Buck it,” she said finally; and that’s exactly what she did.

Indigo spun around and delivered a shattering kick to the glass. In retrospect, that wasn’t such a great idea. She was lucky that none of the broken glass cut her as it fell to the floor. The bottoms of her hooves weren’t so lucky when they came back to the ground. Indigo shouted in pain and leapt back from the case, but the damage had already been done. She could no longer keep her rear hooves on the ground.

Several nearby ponies screamed and ran away; a few merely gawked at the young rogue, wondering what she was thinking. A mother grabbed her children and pulled them away from the glass, shouting frantically for security.

With little time to spare, Indigo snatched the necklace off of its display and took flight. She whizzed by the scared and confused spectators and down the hallway, searching desperately for an exit. Most of the doorways led to exhibits, and the rest revealed dead-end hallways. She stuffed the gem frantically into her saddlebag, hoping she still had a chance to avoid capture.

“Hey!” a booming voice called from down the hallway ahead of her. It belonged to a beefy security guard who was leading a small band of pegasi in uniforms. “Stop right there!” he yelled.

“This is bad!” Indigo admitted as she zipped frantically down a side hallway. She dodged ponies and displays left and right, zigzagging through obstacles like a Wonderbolt at an agility show. Had she not been flying for her life, the irony might have struck her.

The hallway came to an end ahead of her. Indigo was sure she was out of options, she would have to surrender and plead her case. Then she saw it: on the left side just before the dead-end was an emergency exit! She flew heavily into the door, hoping it was open. Thankfully, it gave way to reveal the roof of the Wonderbolts museum, overlooking the courtyard.

There was no time to admire the view though, as the security ponies were right on her tail. Indigo dove over the edge of the roof and flew down onto the cloud streets just as the pegasi chasing her came to the open doorway. She turned randomly down several avenues, trying to put as much distance between herself and the museum as possible.

She needed to find an opening in the clouds where she could return to the ground. She slowed her pace when she was sure the guards weren’t following her, but didn’t stop looking for a way out of the city. Eventually she found one between a bakery and a few houses. There was a gap that was abnormally wide, and the earth could clearly be seen below.

Indigo took hold of her opportunity and flew over the edge, gliding gracefully away from the city of Cloudsdale and back towards the ruined town of Ponyville. She couldn’t see the town too well since it had started to get dark, but she knew what direction it was in.

A sigh of relief escaped Indy’s lips as she floated down to earth. She had made it with surprisingly few complications. Lady Luck had shown her beautiful face once again, and now they were one step closer to completing their quest.

Indigo reached to check on the gem, but something was wrong. She looked back, and the blood drained from her horrified face. In the midst of her frantic escape, Indigo had failed to properly latch her bag. The wind from her flight had caused the flap to come undone, and it was now flailing open behind her. The hastily stuffed necklace was nowhere to be seen.

Indigo stopped in midair, wondering where she could have lost it. Something caught her eye. Far below her, a glint of gold was plummeting to the earth. Indigo instantly realized what it was and leapt into a dive to save the necklace.

It was falling towards the forest below, and Indigo knew she would never find it if she lost it in those trees. She increased her speed, making her body as streamline as possible. The gem was growing closer, but so was the ground. Indigo had never gone this fast before; it was invigorating and frightening at the same time. She was now hurtling towards the precious stone at breakneck speed, struggling to see through the tears that clouded her vision. She almost had it. it was just beyond the stretch of her hooves, and then – CRASH!

The force of her collision with the canopy caused Indigo to roll over in midair. She tumbled painfully through the branches, bouncing between limbs like a pinball. Every part of her was hit hard with something, and she only narrowly avoided suffering a concussion. After an excruciating few seconds of crashing, Indy fell heavily into a mossy forest grove.

She lay still on her back, processing the immense pain that riveted her body. She rolled over and tried to stand, but cried out in agony and fell back down. Her rear hooves were still badly cut from the broken glass. The fall had crippled her wings as well. They hung crooked and limp at her side.

She hurt all over, feeling as if she had been hit by a train. Anything that wasn’t covered in cuts or bruises felt like it was sprained or even broken. The first tears Indy had experienced in a long time burned at the corners of her eyes as she struggled to roll onto her side. She groaned hoarsely, trying to get herself under control.

Finally making it onto her less-injured side, Indigo flopped down in minor relief. She needed to come up with a plan, though It was difficult to think while she was so uncomfortable. Besides the injuries, she was lying on something jagged and hard. She reached under herself to pull out what she thought was a rock, but turned out to be a golden necklace holding a red lighting gem.

“Well, horseapples,” she groaned. “I guess that’s one problem solved.

Of course the other problem was that she couldn’t walk or fly, and had no idea where she was. She called for help as loud as she could manage, although she knew it was a pointless gesture. There was nothing in these woods for miles, only trees and animals – many of which were potentially dangerous. She knew she must be near the edge, but the fall had discombobulated her so she had no sense of direction.

Indigo began to panic. The last thing she wanted was to spend the night alone in a dangerous forest with broken wings and injured hooves. She could be attacked by timberwolves or a cockatrice. Even worse, that horrible creeping redweed might find her.

“Oh, wait!” Indigo felt the chain around her neck and was relieved to discover that the tracking stone Autumn had given her was still there. She made a mental note to thank Autumn for making such a remarkably good judgment call.

She pulled the pearly stone off her neck and inspected it closely. It was about as fancy a piece of jewelry as Indigo had ever seen. It must have been very expensive. She found it surprising that a pony as simple as Ambrosia would possess such a thing.

Indigo rubbed the stone furiously between her hooves, not quite sure how she was supposed to know if it was working. For a few seconds, nothing happened and Indy slowed her pace. She wondered if she was doing something wrong.

All of a sudden, a brilliant white light exploded from the pearl. It illuminated the entire grove so brightly that Indigo had to shield her eyes. The magic within the stone was immensely powerful, capable of operating at extremely long distances. After a few second the light died down to a modest glow, and the stone began to emit a low frequency pulse. Every five or six seconds it pulsated, like a tiny bass drum combined with a flashlight.

Indigo supposed it was working. She set the stone down on the ground next to Rainbow Dash’s Element of Harmony, and leaned back against a treetrunk. She was still in pain, but the thought of Ambrosia coming to the rescue was a comfort.

“And now, we wait,” Indigo said to herself, putting a hoof behind her head.

So Indigo waited.

And waited.

And waited.

As the pitch-dark night fell across the forest, broken only by the fading light of the tracking beacon, Indigo Cavallino waited anxiously for a pony who would never come.

* * *

Not far to the north of Cloudsdale and at about the same altitude, Princess Celestia found herself once again setting her magnificent life-giving sun over the western horizon – an act that had been second nature to her for as long as she could remember. Even if she were to forget everything she had learned during her time in Equestria, even if she were reduce herself to the intellectual and physical restrictions of a newborn foal, Celestia would still be able to raise and lower the glorious sun to which she was so closely linked.

It always made her sad to see it leave in the evening, but she knew it would shine its golden rays once more the next day; she only had to be patient.

Once the sun had been lowered, Celestia checked the chart on her balcony to see what her second most important duty called for.

“Ah, no moon tonight,” she said, a little relieved. Raising and lowering the moon was not quite as natural to Celestia. She had managed it for the last seven hundred years or so, just as she had done for a millennium after bashing her sister, but she honestly preferred the nights when she didn't have to do so.

It had been a tiring day, and more than anything, the Princess needed rest. She strolled back into the chamber and removed her crown, placing it gently on its marble stand. She sat down heavily on a cushion, and used her magic to conjure up a pot of tea. What she really needed was a vacation. A laughable idea, but a tempting one.

Celestia’s evening meditation was interrupted by a knock at her chamber door. She sighed and put the tea aside. “You may enter, Firestorm.”

The seasoned guard cracked the door open and poked his head inside. “Very sorry to disturb you Princess,” he said, “but that hooded pony from before is back.”

Celestia closed her eyes and rolled her head back. How could she have forgotten? Did she really want to deal with this now? She supposed she had to. It was, after all, and urgent issue. “Yes, send my guest in please.”

“Of course, my liege.” Firestorm bowed and backed out of the doorway, closing it as he left.

Celestia straightened herself and reevaluated what she was going to say. She needed to be stern, so she hoped her tiredness wouldn’t detract from the severity of her words. She considered putting her crown back on, but decide against it.

The door opened once more, and a shady pony wearing a purple hood entered quietly.

“I came as quickly as I could, Princess,” said the pony, “although I am not sure why you would pull me away from my mission so soon after sending me out.”

Celestia raised and eyebrow. “Well S, I am not sure why a faithful pony such as yourself would violate a direct order.”

The hooded pony took a step back. “Violate…? I’m afraid I know not of what you speak. I assure you I only live to serve your eminence.”

“Is that so?” Celestia’s horn flared with magic, and a small papery object flew off her desk and landed at the pony’s feet. After a moment of hesitation, the hooded pony unfolded the parchment and began to read its contents.

“Dear Mom and Dad, I would first like to say that I am very sorry for leaving you so suddenly. I promise that I am safe though, and am traveling with a couple of real adventurers who–” The pony let the paper fall to the floor when she recognized what she was reading. “Oh no…”

“Oh, yes.” Celestia levitated the paper into the air and hung it in front of her spy’s face. “I explicitly told you not to make contact with those ponies, and here it appears to be one of the first things you did!”

The pony stepped forward and pulled back her hood, letting her silver mane to fall out over her shoulders. “Please Princess, I can explain,” Ambrosia begged.

Princess Celestia would here none of it, though. “Do you think I gave you that device so you cold send personal letters whenever you please? Every time you use it, I am alerted! My guards intercepted this letter on its way to Hidden Springs. What in Equestria did you think you were doing!?”

“I only wanted to help them!” Ambrosia explained, “They were being attacked by redweed, I couldn’t just–”

“You broke protocol and acted outside the bounds of your authority! All it takes is for one of those young ones to mention to anypony, anypony that you are following them around and your entire cover would be blown! I need you to remain an insider for the Order of Everlasting Truth, you can’t be taking these kind of risks!” Celestia’s tone was agitated, but also concerned. She spoke as if Ambrosia were her child being disciplined. "From now on, I need you to assure me that there will be no more more slip-ups of this nature. You're very lucky that your disobedience has not led to a more disastrous outcome."

“Princess Celestia, if I may speak candidly, I do not think you–” Ambrosia was suddenly interrupted by a blinding flash of red light. It was bright enough that even Princess Celestia had to squint and step back. The light lasted for a few seconds and then faded to an ominous glow, accompanied by periodic pulsating bumps.

“What was that?” Celestia asked in concern.

Ambrosia did not answer, as she was staring horrified at something underneath her robe.

“Was that a locator beacon? Did you steal a locator beacon form the treasury?” Celestia took a menacing step forward.

Ambrosia knew there was nothing she could do now but submit. She slowly pulled the red pulsing stone from under her robe and held it up for Celestia. “I was concerned for the safety of Autumn Breeze and her companions. I had to make sure they didn’t come to any harm.”

“So you stole from me!?” Celestia appeared to grow taller, and her voice boomed throughout the chamber. Ambrosia had never even imagined the Princess could be this angry. “You lied to me, stole my possessions, and deliberately disobeyed my direct orders!! Silver Sunrise, I have given you nothing but trust, and I am ashamed of how you chose to repay me!”

“Princess, I–”

“Don’t say anything!” Celestia was fuming now. “In all my years I have never felt more betrayed by one of my subjects! What right do you think you have to step outside my carefully devised instructions and make your own way like some vagabond!? You are almost as bad as the Order members you impersonate! Do you realize that you have put in jeopardy the safety of myself, my subjects, and my entire kingdom for no other reason than – WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!?”

There are few things more frightening to a pony than the wrath of a Princess. However, during Celestia’s tirade, Ambrosia’s focus had shifted from the raging monarch to something she could see through the open window that made her blood freeze. She merely pointed over the Princess’s shoulder, too bewildered to even speak.

Celestia whirled around to see what in the world could have stolen Ambrosia’s attention. At first, she couldn’t see what Ambrosia was so shocked about. It was just a normal night. The city of Canterlot settled in for the evening beneath the starry sky–

Princess Celestia gasped and raised a hoof to her mouth. She had to be hallucinating, or perhaps dreaming. What she saw was absolutely impossible.

Hanging high in the sky above Equestria, as full and bright as it had ever been, was the moon.

“But… How…?” Ambrosia stuttered. She couldn’t comprehend what had happened. “Princess how… You didn't raise it…”

Celestia walked slowly towards the window, eyes fixed on the silver orb floating over her kingdom. A feeling crept into her body like ice water in her veins. She felt scared and confused as the realization slowly dawned on her. There was no other explanation.

Celestia raised her crown off its pedestal and placed it precisely center upon her head, refusing to break eye contact with the moon.

“She’s back.”

Comments

[silverMEGAlicorn]

Time for Luna, this time, to save the day.

[MrAskAPirate]

SHIT JUST GOT REAL
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1074_Luna_angry.gif