Finding Yourself

by ScarletRibbon

1 - A Princess and Her Priorities

Ominous, dark grey clouds hung low in the sky above the edge of the Everfree Forest, where three young fillies stood at the treeline on the ground below, arguing about their planned course of action.

"I really think we should get an adult," Sweetie Belle insisted, glaring at her friend.

Apple Bloom stared back intensely. "Sweetie Belle, Ah've gone to Zecora's place plenty of times, all by myself. We don't need no adult.

“There’s no reason we have to go in there alone,” Sweetie Belle insisted. “And look at the weather! There’s a storm coming in. It’s gonna be really dark before we get back.”

Sweetie Belle looked over at her other friend, Scootaloo, who sat off to the side, choosing not to get involved.

"I don't know why you always try to argue with Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “She’s just as stubborn as her sister."

Probably the earth pony farmer in her, Sweetie Belle thought to herself, huffing with frustration.

Apple Bloom wasn’t done. “Look at us, Sweetie Belle! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! If we can't do something together that Ah already do alone, what good are we?"

Sweetie Belle and her two best friends had been discussing this adventure into the Everfree Forest for a week now, and while Sweetie Belle was steadfast in her belief that it was a bad idea, she'd often crumbled to peer pressure.

Of course, she rationalized, it wouldn't be the first time they went into the Everfree Forest alone.

In truth, they weren't supposed to be in the forest at all. Sweetie's older sister, Rarity, was going to be livid when she found out, but that was assuming they would be caught, and Rarity was too busy to check in on her.

"Besides," Apple Bloom continued, "how are we supposed to get herbalism Marks without Zecora's help?"

"I don’t know!” Sweetie Belle yelled in exasperation. “I just don't see why we can't find an adult! What about you, Apple Bloom!? Why are you so stuck on going in there alone?"

Apple Bloom stomped one of her forehooves. "Because we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! That's what we do!"

“Argh!”

Apple Bloom’s frequent jumps in logic were grating on Sweetie's nerves.

Scootaloo shook her head and sighed. "Look, let's just do this, alright, Sweetie Belle? The longer we sit here, the darker it’s going to get. We’ll be alright."

With both of her friends now firmly set against her, Sweetie Belle's will finally cracked. "☼Fine!☼” her voice cracked too, “but don't say I didn't warn you when something goes wrong!"

The issue more or less settled, the three of them started into the Everfree Forest. Despite the gray skies providing a foreboding atmosphere, everything seemed the same as it usually did. The trio of fillies - Apple Bloom especially - were familiar with the route, and they could be back before supper if they didn’t waste time.

Sweetie Belle eyed their surroundings as they walked. Even though it was all familiar, the gnarled trees, dead grass, and occasional patches of poison joke left her with a sense of unease. The filly wondered how much of her unsettled feeling was just the dimmer-than-usual light. Now that she was so focused on her surroundings, there weren’t any signs of the usual forest life, either. In fact, it was almost completely quiet, with the only sounds coming from the hooves of the trio as they plodded along and the slight rustle of wind amongst the branches above.

That, of course, was not always a bad thing. Nothing in the forest was completely harmless, and Sweetie Belle knew quite well about the dangers some of the native creatures could pose. Still, the absence of it all was disconcerting. Was this normal right before a storm?

Apple Bloom pressed forward ahead quickly, following the path that wove around twisted trees, bramble bushes, and the occasional small pond. Scootaloo had fallen in behind her as Sweetie Belle pulled up the rear, hesitant to keep rushing ahead without caution. They continued on for several minutes, eventually working their way to where the trail was surrounded with thick bramble bushes.

Apple Bloom stopped and turned, shattering the unusual silence with a frustrated cry. "Come on, girls. Can’t you walk any faster? We're never going to make it to Zecora's place if you don’t hurry up." The outburst startled a few small critters that scampered away.

Sweetie Belle breathed a sigh of relief at the sudden presence of the woodland creatures and picked up her pace. After a few quick steps, she caught up to Scootaloo, but as she passed her friend, all of her newfound confidence came crashing back down. Scootaloo was barely walking, her eyes darting back and forth, ears swiveling as she listened intently.

"Scootaloo, are you okay?" Sweetie asked.

"Quiet! Didn't you hear that?" Scootaloo's voice trembled.

Apple Bloom stomped back to them impatiently. "Hear what?" she asked, not bothering to lower her voice.

"Something big is moving around in the brambles." Scootaloo’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Sweetie Belle stopped to listen. The bramble bushes on either side of the path here were not particularly dense, but they went fairly deep. A modestly large creature wouldn’t have any difficulty moving through them, though not without making a fair amount of noise. Pegasi generally had superior hearing to the other pony races, a trait that allowed them to continue communicating during flight even in high winds and loud storms, so it wasn't uncommon for Scootaloo to hear things first.

For several moments the trio stood there listening, but the silence was interrupted only by a soft breeze rattling branches.

"It's just wind," Apple Bloom replied, dismissively. "Come on, let's go!”

She rounded again, continuing down the trail, but Scootaloo remained where she was, unmoving. Sweetie Belle looked between her two friends, uncertain of what to do next when a sudden movement behind them caught her eye. She turned and caught the tail end of something disappearing out of sight.

They were being followed.

Scampering backwards, Sweetie Belle let loose a shrill cry of alarm, her outburst setting Scootaloo off into a full gallop toward Apple Bloom.

The bushes behind the trio exploded in front of Sweetie Belle as a howl pierced the air. Her eyes went wide.

It was a timberwolf!

Sweetie Belle wheeled about with a shriek and bolted as fast as she could, her friends already galloping well ahead of her. The screaming of fillies, howling of timberwolves, and shattering of branches filled the air around them as several more timberwolves could be heard crashing through the overgrowth on either side of the path.

Sweetie Belle focused on her friends ahead of her as her hooves pounded frantically. The violent snapping of twigs and brush could be heard right on her tail as the timberwolf paid no heed to the bushes on either side of the path, crashing through them to cut corners -- and losing ground in the effort.

A light rain started to fall. Though it wasn't yet enough to impede progress, Sweetie knew that the rain could turn the surrounding terrain into a death trap; timberwolves’ clawed feet were much better prepared for muddy terrain than hooves.

The pathway disappeared as the trail opened up to a well-maintained grassy field. They were getting closer to Zecora's hut, and closer to the safety of her exotic plants that kept the Everfree’s wildlife at bay, but the timberwolf was still right on her heels.

As the bushes receded behind her, Sweetie Belle stole a glance backward just in time to see four more timberwolves crash out into the open. With no more of the low bushes to slow them down, all five of the beasts were rapidly closing the gap. Crying in terror, Sweetie Belle pushed herself even harder.

In her panic and without the path to guide her, Sweetie Belle couldn’t recall exactly which direction led to Zecora’s. She looked ahead to Apple Bloom, trusting her friend had been here enough times to know for sure, but her eyes shot open in alarm as another timberwolf cut in from the side in front of her two friends. Apple Bloom shrieked with an un-ladylike expletive as she veered to the side, steering the trio away from the wolf and into some denser trees.

The three blazed a new trail now. The branches now whipped past at unnervingly low heights; one caught Apple Bloom's pink bow, ripping it out of her mane along with several strands of her cherry red hair. The filly cursed and staggered, but shrugged it off and continued to run as Sweetie Belle quickly ducked to avoid catching the same branch with her horn.

Their unexpected new route seemed to have taken the timberwolves by surprise. The low branches and numerous trees slowed their pursuit, allowing the fillies to gain some much-needed distance. The rain was falling heavier now, and an ominous rumble of thunder could be heard rolling through the sky. Dark clouds above combined with the dense trees and heavy rain were starting to impact visibility as the terrain became more treacherous. Sweetie Belle couldn’t make out their pursuers anymore, and could barely see past the two fillies she was blindly following.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo dropped out of sight, screaming in terror as they fell. Sweetie Belle tried to stop herself, but the rain had already turned the loose dirt into a slick mud. She slid to a precarious halt just at the edge of a sharp drop as her friends’ shrieks were punctuated by two wet thumps. Peering over the edge, Sweetie Belle could make out the form of Scootaloo frantically trying to shake Apple Bloom back to her senses, both of them covered in mud.

She scanned the immediate surroundings. Her two friends were in a large, round depression. The dirt walls, at least twenty feet high, went all the way around the depression in a wide circle, broken only by a cave mouth that yawned darkly into the earth on the far side. The pit was completely devoid of trees blocking the limited daylight, yet there was no grass, bushes or any other forms of life inside, save for the two fillies.

Unsure of what to do, Sweetie Belle lingered on the edge of the pit. Her friends below needed her help. There wasn’t anything she could see that she could use to get them out. Even though the timberwolves had lost a fair amount of ground, their howling was rapidly closing in. She needed to figure out something, fast.

An answer came swiftly, as one of the timberwolves crashed through the trees behind her. Forced to make a decision, Sweetie Belle jumped. She tumbled in the air, finding herself briefly staring at the dark clouds above before a dark figure passed into her vision. The timberwolf had careened uncontrollably over the edge behind her. Both of them screamed.

Sweetie Belle immediately tucked herself into the crash position that she’d seen pegasi use to reduce injuries, hitting the ground and rolling violently to her side. While the maneuver saved her from significant injury, the timberwolf crashed down directly on top of her, and Sweetie Belle slammed roughly into the ground under its weight.

The timberwolf flailed about in a panic, struggling to find leverage with a terrified unicorn underneath of it. Shrieking in horror, Sweetie Belle pushed the confused creature off of her with all of her legs, and rolled back to her hooves, each scampering in opposite directions.

Glancing quickly around, she made a hasty evaluation of her situation. Scootaloo was still screaming for Apple Bloom to wake up, and the timberwolf had sprang away toward the cliff wall with a whine. She watched in confusion as the timberwolf attempted to scramble up the side of the cliff. When its claws were unable to find purchase, the timberwolf fell back to the ground, only to right itself and immediately renew the attempt. This exercise was repeated futilely, as the creature seemed to completely ignore her and her friends.

That ruled out climbing out; timberwolves were supreme climbers.

On the cliff above, other timberwolves arrived and were circling the edge, intently watching their stranded companion. Their whining and howling faded into the cold, damp air as they darted back and forth, seemingly unconcerned with their previous prey. Sweetie Belle looked on for several seconds of the timberwolves’ act in stark confusion before carefully walking over to her other friends, cautiously turning away from the panicked woodland creatures.

The rains were passing from heavy to torrential now. As Sweetie Belle reached Apple Bloom, she noticed with alarm that the water was not being absorbed into the ground, but instead was slowly filling the pit. Suddenly conscious of the flooding, she looked around once more, noticing countless streams and rivulets cascading down the walls of the pit, causing a slow but evident rise of water.

When she looked down again, the water had already come up above her hooves. Apple Bloom would drown if they couldn’t wake her; something needed to be done, fast. Sweetie galloped over to the cave mouth and took several steps inside, willing her horn to shine brightly.

The cave interior sloped upward, passing well above the mouth of the cave and out of sight. There was no time to deliberate; it would have to do. She hoped the water level wouldn’t rise far enough to drown them anyway.

"Scootaloo!” She galloped back over to her friends, where Scootaloo was still desperately trying to rouse the fallen filly. “Scootaloo, that cave! We need to get her out of the water. We'll be safe in there, I think."

The orange pegasus looked where her friend was pointing and nodded. “... Okay. Let’s go!”

The two fillies struggled to lift their friend, but with a bit of effort and a lot of adrenaline, they managed to slowly lift, pull, push, and drag their unconscious friend to the cave entrance. The water level had reached their knees when they finally managed to get Apple Bloom inside the cave and a safe distance up the slope. Task complete, they collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily and completely exhausted.

Sweetie Belle’s chest heaved up and down, panting for breath as she looked outside the cave. From where she lay, she could see the timberwolf that had fallen into the depression with them panicking in the rising water. She watched as the water level reached its barrel, and it half-swam, half-sloshed over to the cave entrance. As soon as it reached dry ground, it darted past the three fillies, tail between its legs, and whimpering like an injured puppy.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared at the creature that now simply eyed them cautiously. After a tense initial moment, it seemed as though an unspoken truce had been made between the three. In fact, as time passed and the water level continued to rise, the timberwolf seemed to be more concerned with keeping as close to the entrance as possible without going into the water, as if it was afraid of what lay deeper within the throaty blackness of the cavern beyond.

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Several Days Earlier
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After years of shelving books, my practiced sorting method was sharp and efficient. A tempest of books whirled about me rapidly, held aloft in a magical storm of my own creation. Books flew from their shelves into the maelstrom, and then another wave of books from the spinning hazard replaced them.

Yes, it was that time of the month where I shelve the new arrivals.

My young dragon assistant, Spike, worked behind me with a practiced ease, replacing labels on bookshelves to properly reflect the new contents. I glanced quickly across the previous shelves, double-checking that I had put everything in the right order. Art, Economics, Fiction, History, Music, everything seemed to be in the right place. Organization was important, and organization of knowledge, doubly so.

A light tapping sound behind me distracted me from my task. The literary twister died immediately, scattering books violently around the room as my concentration fell. Spike ducked to avoid one of the stray projectiles, continuing to work where I left off without pause or instruction. I turned to face the white unicorn standing at the library door, her hoof raised to her face in shock.

"Oh, hello Rarity." I smiled at my friend. "You know you don't need to knock, the door is standing wide open."

Rarity gaped at what I assumed to be the cluttered mess scattered across the central floor of the library. Admittedly, under the circumstances, it was worse than usual. But she regained her composure quickly, placing her hoof back on the ground.

"Oh no, Princess. It would be impolite of me to simply barge in uninvited!"

... Here we go again.

Becoming a proper princess hadn't been on my list of things to do with my life. Life, unfortunately, had other things set on my agenda, and now I have wings and a title. Now that the position had been thrust upon me, I had no choice but to live with it.

Well... I suppose I might have had a choice. I mean, I didn’t really try to challenge it, so I guess I’ll never really know. Still, I decided if I was going to be a Princess, I was going to do things my own way. Which is why I still live here, in a library and around the 'common' ponies. Not in a castle, surrounded by a bunch of snooty, elitist nobles.

After being born into a middle-upper-class family, being a Princess certainly had its perks, but the excessive formality was nothing but a nuisance. I hated being addressed by my title - especially when it was coming from one of my friends. Unfortunately, sometimes Rarity's obsession with the cultural elite of Canterlot made it almost impossible for us to have a normal conversation. Reminders happened with frustrating frequency.

"Rarity, you know I don't want to be called that. And this is a public place, remember? You can enter any time you wish."

"Oh, certainly, Twilight,” she replied. “But regardless of your feelings on the matter, I will at least greet you with the respect your position deserves. And it just wouldn’t be proper to barge in on a Princess unannounced."

A sigh escaped my lips despite my best efforts to stifle it. That was just how it always was with Rarity now. I hoped she would give up on it soon. Of course, if Rarity ever noticed my frustration, she had never let on.

"Now, I don't mean to intrude, darling, but may I have a moment of your time?"

"Absolutely." I gestured to the books strewn about the room. "I was just shelving some new arrivals and reorganizing the library." I grimaced as I looked around at the disorganized mass of literature. This was the library, but right now it looked like a tornado had hit a used bookstore.

"Do you need a book? If you do, it might take me a moment to find it."

Rarity shook her head, her luxurious purple locks bouncing elegantly. I have no idea how much time she spends on her mane every day, and I'm not sure I want to know.

"Oh, no, no, no,” she replied, “I'm just here to ask you a special favor, you see, but first I think I would like to just have a bit of conversation. It has been quite a while since last we simply talked." Rarity stepped further inside the library, levitating a small pouch from her saddlebags. "I've also brought over a new tea that I found today in Canterlot. It's simply marvelous! I'm sure you'll love it!"

And without any further invitation, Rarity trotted off toward the kitchen to start water boiling. I watched her go without a word, her perfectly curled tail bouncing with each step. As she disappeared, I turned to see Spike standing right behind me, a small stack of books in his arms. His eyes were downcast, looking hurt.

"She didn't even acknowledge me," he mumbled.

I shook my head, knowing his little heart swelled for Rarity, even if she didn't return his affections. His feelings weren't exactly a secret to anyone who paid attention, even though I don't think he realized anypony knew it.

"I think she's just stressed out, Spike. I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it."

"I hope so.” He turned and went back to work on the bookshelves, brooding silently.

Rarity was right; it had been a while since we'd last had a proper conversation. We’d barely spoken in the last few weeks even in passing. For almost a month now she had barricaded herself into the Carousel Boutique, making time only for her customers.

I stopped by at one point to get a dress mended for a formal meeting in Canterlot, but even then she had briefly rambled on about her little sister’s lack of magical prowess. Before I even had a chance to talk about it, Rarity rushed me out the door, mended dress in hoof, and the door closed with a firm click. I know she didn't mean to offend, but it was a bit off-putting.

"How is the tea coming along?" I called toward the kitchen.

"Darling, are you worried about my ability to make tea? I'm not Sweetie Belle, you know."

A small chuckle escaped my lips. There was one kind of magic her sister was proficient in: She could burn water. Literally. I knew it wasn't the 'normal' kind of unicorn magic, but that didn't rule out the possibility that it was actual, genuine magic. After all, ponies like Pinkie Pie, with powers outside of their species usual talents - often called 'supernatural' abilities - were hardly unique. Supernatural powers were usually subtle, though. Completely unlike Pinkie Pie. Of course, Rarity refused to accept this as a supernatural ability, insisting instead that it was Sweetie's perfectly natural ineptitude in the kitchen. Supernatural or not, I found myself wondering if such a power had practical use.

Rarity returned, levitating a metal tray with three white teacups and a teapot. A wispy vapor trailed from the spout as she walked, and my olfactory senses were bathed in a wonderful aroma. I suddenly found myself anticipating the tea just as much as the conversation. One thing she'd said before was still on my mind, so I figured it was a good a place as any to start.

"So, you picked up this tea in Canterlot? Why were you in Canterlot today?" I asked.

Gently setting the tray down, Rarity's face lit up with excitement as she poured tea into each cup.

"Well, you see, that's what I'm here to talk to you about! I'm sure you've noticed that I have been rather... indisposed lately." I nodded. "It must have been, oh, about five weeks ago now. Your sister-in-law, Princess Cadance, contracted me to make over one hundred ensembles! I was flabbergasted. And, might I add, completely flattered. When I asked her what they were for, she said they were for her anniversary celebration in Canterlot! The wedding anniversary of a Princess? What better chance would there be to get my line of work recognized by the Canterlot elite?!"

Again, Rarity's obsession with the Canterlot nobles. Having grown up around them, it was hard for me to share her enthusiasm.

"It's quite a wonderful opportunity, really," she continued, suddenly much more subdued. "At first, I was completely overwhelmed by the scope of this contract. As you probably know, their anniversary is just under three months away. The first thing I needed was to come up with designs. The Princess didn't give me any theme to work with, so I’ve had free reign to design to my heart's content. I spent the last four weeks working on them, and just finalized them yesterday."

Shaking her head, Rarity chuckled softly. "It wasn't easy. I suppose I could have taken the amateurish - and admittedly, less costly - route and simply made a single concept, modifying one design in different ways to suit each individual. But that just wouldn't be me!" She drew herself up straight, raising her chin and bringing her hoof to her chest. "I am, after all, a designer," she put her hoof down, "not just a tailor. And as such, I would much rather impress my clients by going the extra mile."

I ran the numbers in my head and came up with conclusions that were rather concerning. Over one hundred designs in four weeks. That was roughly four designs a day, and now she had three months to actually put them together.

"Do you really think you can get it all finished and fitted in just three months?"

She nodded. "I'll have to put in some extra hours, but the payment and exposure is well worth the effort,” she said. Then, she frowned. "I have also considered asking Fluttershy for assistance. She has a fair amount of expertise on the subject."

That was an understatement. Fluttershy certainly had the knowledge. I strongly suspected that, despite Rarity's prowess as a designer, Fluttershy might actually be the better tailor of the two. But even so, Fluttershy had her animal hospital to run. Then again, knowing Fluttershy, she'd probably run herself ragged trying to handle both; that mare needed to learn how to say 'no’.

So, Rarity at least had a plan for the labor, but something else was bugging me.

"Okay, but do you even have that much fabric on hand?"

Rarity laughed nervously.

"Well... you see, that's why I'm here tonight. I need some special-order fabric delivered. A lot of it, to tell you the truth. It's already been ordered, but it's scheduled to arrive at the Boutique while I’ll be in the Crystal Empire taking measurements for guests. I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be back, and, as you know, I can't trust Sweetie Belle with my materials on such a valuable contract. So I was wondering... Could I perhaps have the shipment delivered here instead? Then, when I return, I can just pick it up here."

"Well, I don't mind having it dropped off here, but I'm not sure where I would put it." I frowned, trying to think of a place we could store a bunch of fabric. Most of the available space was books, books, and more books. My downstairs laboratory was even worse.

"You know, the library isn't really that big," I concluded.

Spike, who had been listening in silence, looked up from his now-empty teacup.

"Gee, Twilight. I don't think finding space is that big a deal. We have that storage closet upstairs that isn't being used. I mean, sure, there's a bunch of old junk in there, but we can clean it out. It's been gathering dust ever since we moved in here, and you keep putting off doing anything about it."

I grimaced, recalling just how much clutter was in the old closet.

Calling it a closet was technically inaccurate; the Golden Oak Library was, at one time, the Golden Oak Inn, and the second floor of the library was where some of the guest rooms had been. This particular room, visible from the ground floor, had been transformed into a place to store all manner of odds and ends. So Spike and I simply thought of it as a storage closet. Oh, and it was completely full.

Spike was right; I'd been ignoring it. It contained a scattered mess of things that belonged to the former librarian, who passed away shortly before my arrival in Ponyville. That space would be more than sufficient.

"Thanks, Spike,” I mumbled, feeling slightly foalish. “I guess I never thought of that. Probably because we never use it." Of course I hadn't used it. The thought of going through a dead pony's stuff made me feel uneasy.

Rarity beamed and hugged me forcefully.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew I could count on you, Twilight. You are always so helpful to everypony who needs it." She released me, and then leaned down and pecked Spike on the cheek. "And thank you for coming up with such a fine solution."

I was sure that Spike might pass out on the spot. Rarity stood up straight again, trotting up the stairs and peering into the storage closet.

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed. "Though... it is a bit cluttered,” she added, taking a moment to size up the mess. “Well, I just so happen to have some free time tonight. Why don't we clean out this closet together?"

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An alicorn, a unicorn, and a dragon working in tandem proved to make short work of the mess. Scrapbooks of old newspaper clippings, trophies from various academic events, boxes upon boxes of various odds and ends - many things that may have had some sentimental value to the old librarian, but not to anypony else. When he had passed, there was no next-of-kin; all of his possessions had been tucked away here, undisturbed for years. I didn't have many personal belongings in the first place and hadn't ever needed the space, so I let them be. For over a year.

Now that we had dug through it, it was all just as Spike declared it: junk. Rarity, of course, had objected to Spike's terminology. As she saw it, this 'junk' had been valuable enough to somepony at some point that they wanted to keep it, so it should be treated with respect.

I must say, I really don’t understand being sentimental over trivial belongings.

At Rarity's insistence, we salvaged what few things might still be useful to other ponies - a few quilts and other knickknacks - and boxed them up to be taken to the orphanage in Canterlot. We put the rest in a cart and hauled it off to the dump. Rarity was aghast, but couldn't come up with anything better to be done with it, since it truly was junk.

Only two things were left when we finished.

The first was a gorgeous full-length mirror. The mahogany frame was carved with intricately patterned curls of gold filament. Each curl was accentuated by a smaller silver filament along the inside edge. At the very top, there was a small hemisphere carved out of the frame. Something had probably been mounted there, as the gold and silver curls wrapped around it like a vortex. Rarity declared her love for the mirror the moment she laid eyes on it, claiming it perfectly suited her fitting room, so we left it there until a better opportunity to move it came up.

The other remaining object was an enigma. It was a clear sphere in one of the boxes. It wouldn’t have caught anypony’s eye if Spike had been sorting through the box, but when I lifted it telekinetically, it glowed; not the normal purple glow like when I lift things with my magic, but an almost otherworldly glow, pulsating in different hues. I hadn't seen anything like it before, and I needed to know what it was. After all, anything that could interact with magic was potentially dangerous, and I wasn't about to just throw away a threat to public safety.

In hindsight, the safety I should have considered was my own.

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Two terrified fillies and a distraught timberwolf watched as the water level slowly rose. It was a matter of minutes now before the entrance would be completely submerged, snuffing out the last of the light from outside. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were huddled over the still-unconscious Apple Bloom, whom they had dragged several feet further up the tunnel. The timberwolf had given up on whining and instead huddled against cave wall, trying to keep as close to the water and as far from the fillies as it could.

Scootaloo, exhausted from the efforts of hauling Apple Bloom to safety, found herself growing immensely tired as the adrenaline finally passed. Still, she dared not sleep with a predator so close by, even if it didn't seem to be hostile at the moment. She laid on the ground, watching the rising water with concern.

"Sweetie Belle?” she asked, her voice rasping. “Now that we’re in here, how were you planning on getting out?"

"I didn't really think about that,” Sweetie said, choking back a sob. “But what choice did we have...?" A rumbling of thunder above reverberated loudly through the cave as Sweetie Belle trailed off into a strained cry.

Scootaloo sighed. Sweetie Belle was right; they hadn't had time to consider other options, and the water had flooded in swiftly. They’d initially hoped that the cave came out on the surface somewhere, but after going further into the tunnel, it sloped sharply downward.

They might find another way out before they starved to death. Probably. Still, that concern was secondary to getting Apple Bloom to wake up. It didn’t matter what they wanted to do if their friend couldn’t come with them.

What would Rainbow Dash do? Scootaloo pondered.

That was a pointless line of thought. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have been cornered by falling into a big hole. Scootaloo kicked a hoof in frustration. She glanced over at Apple Bloom with a sinking feeling in her chest as she pondered the real possibility of having to abandon her friend.

Apple Bloom seemed to be resting easier now than when they had first dragged her inside. Her still form was breathing softly as Scootaloo watched. A large lump on Apple Bloom’s head from where she’d struck the ground testified to the severity of her injury. Scootaloo poked at the lump softly, realizing she had been lucky; even though she wasn’t capable of flying, without her wings she probably would have ended up exactly like her friend. And Sweetie Belle wouldn’t have been able to move either of them on her own.

The earth pony groaned in agony at Scootaloo’s repeated poking, her eyes fluttering open briefly. Sweetie Belle gasped and the light from her horn was briefly extinguished. When the light returned, Apple Bloom had lifted her head.

"Scoots?” she moaned softly. “Sweetie Belle...? Where are we?" Apple Bloom slowly sat up, her eyes unfocused in the dim light.

"We’re in a cave," Scootaloo replied bluntly.

“We didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Sweetie Belle added. Neither filly cared to re-live the terror leading up to their current situation.

Looking about, Apple Bloom noticed the timberwolf cowering at the water's edge. Her eyes shot open in alarm as she tensed up.

"How is a timberwolves’ den safe?!" she whispered harshly.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't their den, AB,” Scootaloo said. “I mean, look at him! He's even more terrified than we are."

The creature only whined, staring at the water like it was debating an attempt to swim out.

"Ah guess you're right," Apple Bloom agreed hesitantly. "But how are we s'pposed ta get home now?"

A clap of thunder rattled their ears. Even though the water had completely covered the entrance, it continued to climb relentlessly. The trio moved further up the slope, putting more distance between themselves and the timberwolf.

Sweetie Belle's voice broke the silence. "I can't keep this light up forever, you know. It might be a good idea to go deeper and see if we can find a safer place." The glow from Sweetie Belle's horn, now the only source of light they had, barely illuminated the cave around them.

Scootaloo didn't like caves and she didn’t like the dark. The idea of exploring even deeper into an unknown cave in the middle of the Everfree Forest was not appealing. Still, without Sweetie Belle's light and with the water encroaching on their position tirelessly, she couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, we should probably look around. You lead the way, you're the one with the light."

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement.

The timberwolf whined louder, barking a few times as the trio started going deeper into the cave, but remained where it was. The sharp sound echoed off the cave walls and rang in each of the girls’ ears.

"How far do you suppose this goes?" Sweetie Belle asked, trembling.

"Ah don't have any idea," Apple Bloom replied. "But Ah hope at least one of us gets a Cutie Mark after all this."

Scootaloo pondered the events of the day as they slowly walked deeper into the cave. What if Apple Bloom was right? What if this adventure was going to be what finally earned her a Cutie Mark? At that moment, she was fairly certain she never wanted to see a cave again. The idea of getting a spelunking Mark left a bad taste in her mouth.

Several minutes later, the fillies came to a wide chamber with stalagmites jutting up from the ground while stalactites above menaced near them, like giant teeth. As they moved through them, shadows cast from Sweetie Belle’s light danced around the room when the rock formations intervened, and Scootaloo’s heart jumped with fear as each new shadow caused a momentary panic.

Slowly, the three fillies worked their way around the stone spikes, trying to find any other exit to the colossal chamber. As usual, Apple Bloom had impatiently taken point again, but suddenly the earth pony stopped and raised a hoof, pointing around a nearby stalagmite.

"Lights," she whispered. Scootaloo’s heart swelled with hope.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle took a few cautious steps closer to Apple Bloom to see her new discovery. There, along another wall of the chamber, Scootaloo could make out several bright points of light of varying color. Each light was stationary, but she could tell some of them were obscured by dark objects of some kind, too.

As the trio inched closer, the shadows blocking the various lights started to take clearer forms.

After her eyes adjusted, Scootaloo could make out ponies standing in a semi-circle, each one facing the center in total silence. "They’re ponies," she whispered, unsure of what to make of the strange sight.

"They're not moving," Sweetie Belle whispered back.

She was right; they didn’t budge at all. Scootaloo wasn’t certain they were even breathing.

All three fillies remained still and silent, waiting to see if the ponies were going to do something. Suddenly, a loud, explosive noise came blasting down the corridor they had come from. The entire cavern trembled and shook, the strange sound reverberating ominously. The trio jumped with a start, crying out in terror and fleeing toward the hopefully safe shelter of the other ponies.

As they approached, it became clear that these were not ponies, but statues. Each one was made of an unpolished, jet black stone of some kind and each was carved into a pose set with determination. Scootaloo counted twelve in all, four of each of the pony races, and each was decorated with numerous golden accessories. Their golden regalia was uniformly inlaid with polished gems, of which each statue featured a different color.

The gems themselves were the source of the strange light, radiating their respective colors around the room. Each statue was facing a black pedestal that sat low to the ground, perhaps two hooves high and polished to a shine, but otherwise unremarkable. It bore no inscriptions, nor any sign of purpose, but simply being near it left Scootaloo with a strange sense of peace. All three of the fillies stopped amongst the colored lights, feeling an odd sense of tranquility. The loud boom that had startled them was forgotten.

Scootaloo stopped in front of one of the unicorn statues and examined the metalwork. The statue's accessories, like the other unicorn statues, consisted of necklace with a gem and a crown with a large gem set into it. The front of the crown contained a golden sleeve for the horn, with tiny gemstones worked into a spiraling fashion down the length of the horn. Each of the gems bore a jade green glow.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, don't you think Rarity would want to see this?” she asked.

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle breathed, eyes wide with wonder as she examined the jewelry on one of the pegasus statues. The wings of the statue were wrapped in a loose golden mesh, with a glowing sapphire blue trim along the leading edge. Gem dust seemed to be magically woven into the mesh along the largest of the primary feathers as well, giving the wings a strikingly beautiful outline and a shimmering glow. It also wore a necklace identical to the unicorns.

Over by an earth pony statue, Apple Bloom was doing the same. In addition to the necklace, the earth pony statues wore golden leggings with gems set into each of the knees, and a spiraling golden trim that went all the way down to the hoof. A narrow band of color ran down the front below the knee, casting a forward light in the darkness. But it was the necklace that had caught Apple Bloom’s attention.

"Girls, don't these necklaces remind you of something?” She pointed to the statue's neck with her hoof, where a ruby red gem sat in the middle of a golden-wrought neck piece. “This one looks a little like one've the Elements of Harmony."

●▬▬๑۩๑▬▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬๑۩๑▬▬●

I spent two days studying the strange trinket we’d found, poring through my collection of books about magical artifacts, and trying to divine anything at all about the orb's nature. Nothing surfaced. With my books on artifacts exhausted, I was just settling in to perform some more direct experiments and observations when a sharp knocking on the door distracted me.

For a brief moment, I jerked my head up and stared toward the door, confused. The library was open and the door was unlocked. I trotted over to the door, opening it with my magic. Beyond the door was a familiar gray pegasus with a pale yellow mane. The mare was smiling, her left eye focused on me, while the other drifted, unfocused, somewhere above the doorway. A fairly sizable cart was hitched to her, stacked nearly twice my height with boxes bearing the Strings and Things company emblem.

I eyed the boxes with mild annoyance. Not only had I completely forgotten about the shipment, but the delivery was nearly three times what I had initially expected. Fortunately there was still - probably - enough room in the closet, despite the setback.

"Hello there, Ditzy," I said to the mare. "Judging from the boxes you're hauling today, I'm guessing Rarity directed you my way?" It wasn't really a guess, of course.

"I'm sorry, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

I tried to hide my agitation; the only true Princesses were Celestia and Luna. And sometimes Cadance, though her being my sister-in-law made that hard to reconcile at times.

"I just always try to follow instructions as best I can," Ditzy continued. She seemed to notice my irritable expression. "... Do you want me to return them to Canterlot? You don't seem too happy about this..."

Her head drooped. This had the slightly unsettling effect of having her right eye - originally pointed off into the sky - come down to focus on me, as the left eye that had been looking straight at me lost focus and seemed to be studying the floor. I was used to dealing with this eccentricity by now - after all, I’d known her ever since I moved in - but it still caused me mild discomfort. Ditzy pawed at the ground with her hoof nervously.

I forced a smile.

"Please, just call me Twilight. And no, you don't need to return to Canterlot, it will be fine to drop Rarity's …” The eyes were throwing me off again. “uh... her stuff... here." I paused, levitating a quill over. "Do I need to sign for this?"

Ditzy shook her head and looked up again.

"Nope, not this time!" Ditzy cheered up suddenly, bounding happily through the door, cart and all. “I mean, really. Who makes a Princess sign for a delivery? The courts aren’t going to side against her. Because Princesses run the courts.”

She wasn’t technically incorrect - the highest courts were run by Celestia and Luna, but the local municipal court was run by Lady Justice, not the local Princess. I would know, since I’m not doing it.

"Where do you want me to put it all at?” Ditzy asked, interrupting my internal thoughts. “I have to keep the cart. You just get the boxes. I can't let you have that cart, or my boss will be angry with me. So just boxes." She paused, turning to look at her cargo.

"There's a lot of boxes," she intoned in deadpan.

The storage closet was on the second floor. I didn't trust Ditzy to fly up to the second floor with the entire load in tow. Especially after a previous incident which led to my hospitalization, I didn't trust her with anything unless she was on the ground. I levitated some of the boxes with my telekinesis.

"I will handle it, thank you."

I smiled at Ditzy as I floated the boxes, several at a time, up the stairs and into the storage closet, finishing the job in just a few minutes.

"And that's that," I declared, eager to get back to my research. "I'm really busy with something right now, and would like to get back to it. I'm also quite certain you have more work to get done, right? Is there anything else I need to do for you before you go?"

Ditzy cast her gaze (gazes?) about the library and nodded sagely, as if she had found some deep insight into the way the world works just from the way the books were shelved - a task Spike ended up finishing without my assistance.

"No, Princess. That will be all,” she concluded. And with that declaration, she wheeled the cart around, took flight, and bolted out the door. The cart caught in the doorway, and with a loud crack, the harness pulled taut, slamming Ditzy into the ground just outside. I winced, feeling a sympathetic pain. I had crashed plenty of times just learning the basics of flight; that kind of impact hurts.

"Are you okay?" I asked, walking over to her. Ditzy shook her head a few times and pulled herself slowly to her hooves. I stepped closer and rested my wing across her shoulders. "Does it hurt?"

Ditzy looked up at me, her legs wobbling slightly. Her chin was badly scraped from the impact against the hard-packed dirt outside. Both of her eyes briefly focused together, and in that moment I could see that tears were welling up. I wanted nothing more than to just hug her, but it didn't take long before one eye drifted away again and she blinked her tears away. Ditzy sniffled once, standing up straight again.

"No, I... I think I'm okay. I'm kinda used to this sort of thing." She craned her head back, readjusting her harness and checking to make sure it was secure and unbroken before limping over to the cart to check its condition. I immediately zeroed in on her limp.

"Your leg is hurt, isn't it?" I knelt down to examine the appendage. I was no doctor, but it was swelling pretty badly. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Ditzy drew herself up straight and thrust her chest out proudly. "I'll be fine. I don't need my legs to fly!"

I shook my head, unable to argue with her logic, but still concerned.

"Okay," I replied hesitantly. "Be careful then... and fly safe!"

Ditzy spread her wings, made sure the cart was clear of the doorway this time, and took flight once again. As soon as Ditzy disappeared from sight, I shook my head.

"That's why ponies call you Derpy, you know," I whispered. Turning around, I retreated back into the library.

"Spike!" I called.

"I'm right here," Spike called back from the kitchen.

"Can you relay a message to Nurse Redheart for me? Ditzy's leg could use some attention after that crash."

"No problem!" Spike immediately bounced out the door. I had to admire his helpful nature. He truly was my number one assistant.

The remainder of my evening was consumed experimenting with the orb. It would sit, inert, looking like a clear glass sphere most of the time. Then, any time I used magic on it, it would simply absorb the spell, with a colored ribbon of light flashing outward from it briefly. I discovered that it also absorbed energy from other magical objects it came into contact with. Some of them would work again after being separated from it. Others would stop working permanently, like my clock, which now was going to have to be replaced. I wasn’t able to find a consistent pattern for this, and I wasn’t about to risk breaking too many things to figure it out.

As the evening went on, I compared my results against things I found in my books. It was nearly nightfall when I found an entry - more of a footnote really - in Ancient Arcane Artifacts, that finally lined up with what I was observing. The note described an object that could absorb magical energies, giving off a prismatic glow. Unfortunately, to my frustration, the book hadn't gone into any detail whatsoever. No information on how it actually worked, what it did with the magical energy absorbed, or what the device was even called. The only thing of use was the name of its creator: Andromeda. That name was vaguely familiar.

A History of Magical Development gave me the reminder I needed. As it turns out, Andromeda was a powerful unicorn mage who redefined how unicorns used teleportation. He also was one of Celestia's first appointed Royal Court Mages, and spent a large portion of his life on attempts to create a stable portal that anypony could use to travel across Equestria in the blink of an eye. Though I couldn’t find exactly what happened, Andromeda's research had either been halted or failed to bear fruit, since no such spell or device was ever completed that I was aware of.

Immediately after reading about Andromeda, I resolved to go to Canterlot. Everything involving official magical research should be tracked in the Canterlot Royal Archives; if he really was a Royal Court Mage, Celestia should have a record of all of his research somewhere.

Perhaps I would also ask the Princess directly.

Author's Note:

Edited 10/14 to fix some missing text - three and a half entire missing paragraphs. Apparently Fimfiction's GDoc import is not very reliable.

Oh well, lesson learned!

Edited again 1/30/2017 for some logical consistency with later chapters and minor grammar issues. Nothing substantive has changed.

Comments

[ScarletRibbon]

Sorry for the clutter if you caught the fic just as it went live! The imported GDoc had some funny formatting that I just noticed I had to fix.

I don't think too many people caught the unpolished release, though.