Legacy of the Alicorn: Part I ~ Legend of the All Mother

by Philosopony

Chapter 7: Lost in the Woods

Chapter 7
Lost in the Woods

There is something to the sounds of an adventure that just gets the heart going. Trekking off to lands unknown, exploring places and seeing things that nopony has seen before. It is both a thrill and a humbling experience just to appreciate how expansive the world truly is. When you walk outside, the world is literally at your feet, and all you need to do is go out and discover it!

This was the notion that the CMC left home with, believing their grand adventure to the ‘forbidden’ parts of Equestria was going to be as fun and thrilling as a Daring Doo book; which Scootaloo talked about non-stop having read all of them in Twilight’s library. So far, however, their journey was nothing of the adventure they were hoping for.

Walking though the large woodland of Equestria’s southern lands, the fillies were starting to feel that this was a bad idea. Having slept out in the open with wolves howling and owls spying on them with glowing yellow eyes peering out of the darkness; the young adventures spent their sleepless night huddled together under a pile of blankets.

The next day, they continued their stroll through what seemed like endless forests. Without the ability to fly, they could not see their path over the high trees. Spike attempted to climb one, but fell halfway up. For another hour they all attempted to climb several different trees in the hopes of getting a glimpse of their destination. Dinky even attempted to levitate herself up, but ended up blowing up the tree with a magical discharge. After that, they decided to never attempt to climb trees again.

Continuing on, the forest grew thinker and wilder. Strange sounds echoed around them with the constant feeling of being watched. Having been the only one who has left Ponyville, Spike led the way, though quickly began feeling that they were going nowhere fast. Before he had only to follow the dragon migration flying overhead leading him to his destination, now the sky was empty of even clouds. Only the sun gave some sense of direction, which was only visible during the afternoon.

The map they had was of little use as they could see no landmarks with all the trees around them. He relied solely on his pocket compass which was given to him by Twilight. A picture of him and her eating at a picnic adorned the underside of the lid. After he tried to find himself during the dragon migration, Twilight got him the compass specially made in Canterlot so it would help him if he ever got lost. Like a normal compass, it had a double edged arrow, with the red end pointing north, and the silver end pointing south. But this one had a special third arrow that was enchanted to point the way back to Ponyville, should he ever need to find his way home. So long as they had the compass to determine direction they were safe. Looking at the picture on the inside he hoped that Twilight, wherever she was, was alright on her adventure.

“I’m tired…” Sweetie Belle moaned. Spike turned around to see her leaning against a tree, tongue out, panting like a dog. The others did not seem in any better shape.

“Alright. Lets rest for a bit.” Spike said, putting down his bag. The others collapsed to the floor with a collective sigh.

Apple Bloom rolled onto her back, hooves in the air. “My dogs are barkin’.” She moaned.

“How are we doing Spike?” Scootaloo crawled over to the dragon who was examining the map and his compass.

“Well… I think were on the right track.” He said concentrating on his calculations.

“You think? You mean we might be lost?”

“No… well, maybe. We should be at the base of Draco Mountain by tomorrow evening.”

“But you’re not sure.” Scoot’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe I should look at the map.”

Spike looked up at her, an eyebrow raised, “Do you even know how to read one?” Scoot swiped the map from Spike’s grip, holding him at bay with on one of her hooves.

“Hey give it back!” Spike yelled, trying to reach for the map. It was very different from the one they had back at the hideout. This one had numbers all over it showing the height of mountains and levels of the land. The cities and towns were marked with big grey blobs that showed its borders. It was defiantly a cartographer’s map made for real explorers and not children trying to get to the red X. Spike had drawn out their progress in black ink. It ended somewhere in the middle of the wilderness with a question mark.

“Does this mean we’re lost?” the orange Pegasus pointed to the question mark. Spike snatched the map back.

“No, it means I don’t know exactly where we are.” The dragon defended himself.

“So we’re lost.” Apple Bloom said, rolling onto her belly. Spike looked over at the earth pony only to have the compass snatched out of his hand by Scoot.

“Is this thing working?” she asked shaking the compass.

“Hay! Be careful!” Spike jumped onto Scoot. They rustled around in the dirt fighting one another for the compass.

“Stop you guys! Quit it!” Apple Bloom tried to break up the fight but was pushed away. Spike grabbed hold of the compass, attempting to tug it out of Scoots’ mouth. The chain stretched to near braking until it whipped into the air, freed from their grips. Everyone watched as the compass tumbled around and began to fall. Spike made a jump for it. He little claws were closing around it when a large beetle came out of no-where, snatching the compass out of the air. Spike turned to watch the beetle fly off over the trees, forgetting for an instant that he himself was floating in the air. Wham! He smashed onto the ground. The ponies looked at him curiously. Spike jolted up as quickly as he landed.

“We have to get it back!” Spike ran off after the beetle followed by the others. The beetle led them deeper into the forest. The trees were growing closer together; their canopies touching one another blocking out the sun. The ponies yelled after Spike, but he kept his eye on the shining compass dangling from the beetle’s legs. His concentration was so great that when the beetle flew over a massive cliff face, spike ran right into it.

“Spike. The adventure won’t last long if you keep hitting things with your face.” Scoot said, as she and the others arrived. Spike unglued his face from the cliff and looked up. The rock shot straight up for over a hundred meters. It seemed an impossible feat to climb.

“We have to go up there!” Spike said attempting to climb the wall. He achieved a few meters before falling down on his rump.

“Well we can’t climb up.” Apple Bloom pointed out, as most of their party had hooves which are not very useful for climbing.

“Let’s just go on without it. We have the map.” Scoot said.

“But we need to compass to know where we’re going!” Spike was right, besides the sentimental value he had, a map only works if they know what direction they are heading. The ponies looked at one another.

“Hang on. Maybe I can levitate us!” Dinky spread out her legs and contorted her face in concentration. Her horn sparked as magical energy enveloped her friends, steadily raising them into the air. The group felt like this was going to work, until a series of popping sounds made them look at Dinky. Her horn was sparking more than it should. A beam of purple magical energy shot out from the tip and collided with the side of the cliff face. The thundering roar echoed across the land as an explosion ripped across the cliff, sending rocks flying everywhere. Thousands of rocks came crumbling down towards the crusaders. Screaming they ran off back into the forest as the rocks smashed against the floor sending a huge cloud of dust into the air.

Coughing and waving the dust away from his face, Spike looked around, “Is everyone alright?”

“I think it’s safe to say that we won’t be using magic.” Sweetie Belle poked her head out from behind a tree. The others seemed mostly unhurt, except for Pip who took a rock to the face and was sporting a black eye.

“Well now you really look like a pirate.” Scoot commented.

Pip rubbed his eye, as Dinky comforted him. “Now what are we going to do?” he asked. Spike looked up at the rubble. While the explosion at first seemed to make their mission harder, the rubble actually created a ramp leading up the side of the cliff.

“Maybe we can climb up this way.” The little dragon began making his way over the fallen rocks. The ponies were hesitant at first, but did not want to be shown up by a baby dragon so they followed suit.

The ascent was not easy. Scoot had the least trouble as her wings would help her stay up if she lost her footing, and Spike had his hands and clawed feet. The others had difficulty without the ability to hover or grab. Dinky and Pip were assisting one another over several large rocks as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle attempted a different route. Pip led the way, so that he would fall first instead of his damsel. His little body sprang through the air as he jumped from one rock to the slight higher one. Dinky readied to jump, hoping to use magic to help levitate herself, just a bit. She leaped for it, her horn softly glowing, giving a slight push on her blank flank.

“Be careful Dinky!” Apple Bloom called a short ways away. The friendly remark broke Dinky’s concentration for a split second. Her horn glowed brighter; sparks blew out of it like liquid metal. Feeling magic surge through her, Dinky stopped to prevent another magical discharge. Unfortunately she was almost at the next rock. Woosh! She fell straight down screaming. The ground sped to her in seconds. Heart pounding she closed her eyes; her horn sprang to life, discharging a huge amount of energy to the ground shooting the little pony like a rocket. Pip looked over the edge of his rock only to collide with Dinky. The two of them sped over the top of the cliff.

“Oh geez…” Scoot said watching the two newest members of the crusaders disappear behind the cliff, “Now what?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle joined their comrades at the top of the rubble pile. They still had twenty meters of flat rock to climb.

“Do you think their okay?” the earth pony asked. After a moment of waiting a small head poked out from the top of the cliff.

“Hey guys!” the happy British pony cheered, “We found the compass...”

“Pip! Can you help us up?” Spike yelled back. A rope was flung over the side of the cliff. Spike made his way up first, using his hands and claws to climb the cliff. The other three fillies were tied to the rope and dragged up by their comrades, Apple Bloom, as the heaviest was last.

“So where in tar-nation is the… compass.” The earth pony’s jaw dropped like a stone at the sight before her. The top of the cliff was mostly flat, Draco Mountain sat in the distance, an orange glow bleeding into the blue sky. In front of Draco Mountain was a small hill, on top of which sat a large Sphinx. The creature consisted of a lion’s body with a mares head. A large headdress of ruby gave the mystical creature an air of royalty. It sat examining its guests with an inquisitive stare. The beetle sat nesting on the ground next to the Sphinx, the golden compass glowing in the sunlight under it.

The crusaders cautiously approached the Sphinx which was a good two times larger than any pony they had ever seen. At the base of the hill, which was actually a giant rock, the Sphinx moved one of his paws hitting the ground with a soft, but loud bang! The crusaders stopped dead in their tracks.

“Spike! Didn’t you come this way before?” Scoot whispered to the dragon.

“No, I went a different road. The dragons did not fly over this way.” He whispered back. The Sphinx observed the little creatures silently.

“Well what do we do?” Sweetie Belle added. Spike thought for a moment. He had never met a Sphinx before, but he read in Twilight’s books that they are very smart and live for a long time. Perhaps it can be reasoned with.

“Oh great Sphinx! May we please have our compass back?” he asked, bowing and gesturing as if he was addressing royalty. The other ponies all bowed, unsure if it was the right thing to do. Glancing up, Spike saw the Sphinx was smiling at him.

“I am Khafra, guardian of this pass and of many legends of old. Why would a baby dragon and five ponies, wander so far from either’s home, dress alike and cause trouble in my lands?” The Sphinx was a woman, and her smooth voice scared Spike even more. She seemed interested in them. Never a good sign.

“Apologies mighty one. But we were merely passing by…”

“Do not divert from the truth dragon. I may be older but I do not need to be bathed in politeness and words of stature. This is not a court, it is the wild. Now, no creature journeys through these lands without a destination in mind. So tell me, where you are going?” she was not yelling, or mad, but the sternness in her voice made the crusaders tense.

“We’re heading to Tartarus…” Spike said, mumbling the last word, hoping it would not make their situation worse. Khafra raised an interested eyebrow. Her great paws folded on top of one another as if preparing to hear a great tale.

“Go on.” She said earnestly, “Why Tartarus of all places on this earth?”

“We are great explorers seeking adventure!” Pip said standing next to Spike. The Sphinx smiled as Zecora usually did when the crusaders innocence got in the way of their reason.

“Explorers? Well, the innocence of youth blinds all reason. You do know what Tartarus contains?” she asked. The ponies all shook their head. “While a prison for the evils of olden times, it is also a treasure trove of gold and gems like none ever seen before.” Her words made the little ponies eyes widen. Spike was less enthralled. This was not what he remembered Twilight telling him.

“In the lowest pit of the cave, where no light goes, and the warmth of day is gone, lies a treasure greater than that of any other worldly possession.” Khafra could see the little fillies drooling at the prospects of a treasure greater than anything they could imagine. They will become heroes! And defiantly get their Cutie Marks!

“But be warned. The journey to Tartarus is a long a dangerous one. From this spot it is still a three day journey across Draco Mountain where the dragons reside and into the Murky Valley, home of the Mudkips. At the end of the musty forest you will find the great frozen cave where the very air is made of frost and the rock ice. Are you prepared for such a journey?” the great Sphinx eyed the crusaders closely. Her storyteller tone was replaced by skepticism seeing the poorly packed explorers.

“We can do it so long as we stick together!” Apple Bloom stated. The others cheered along with her.

“Can we have our compass back so we can get going?!” Scoot asked, her little wings buzzing. The joy quickly dissipated when Khafra slammed her paw on the ground. The crusaders went quiet almost instantly.

“I cannot let you pass by so easily, little ones. If you pass my test, you will have your compass back. If not… you must return home without it.” The Sphinx folded her paws again.

“Forget this! Come on, let’s go!” Scoot began to walk around the Sphinx’s rock. Khafra had been sitting as still as a statue, suddenly leaped into the air and landed with a loud thud, her front right paw nearly crushing Scoot.

“I cannot allow you to pass until you prove yourselves worthy.” She said, her eyes glowing with malice. Scoot quickly backed up to her comrades’, shaking all over.

“What test?” Spike asked. Just as he finished his sentence, the beetle carrying the compass lifted off and flew over the crusaders, buzzing around the flat land. The ponies all ran after it, yelling at one another to do something. Spike hesitated looking up at Khafra who simply smiled at him.

***{Legacy}***

“I got it! I got it!” Scoot yelled, flying around on her scooter. The beetle was just in front of her. She pushed her wings to the limit, beating them like a bumble bee. The beetle was just out of hoof distance as she reached out for it. The beetle suddenly zipped to the left. Scoot turned to see it fly away. Bam! She hit a rock and went flying, skidding to a halt several meters away.

“Come on guys this way!” Pip said running after the beetle. It turned towards him; he jumped missing it by an inch. Landing on the dusty floor he saw Sweetie Belle and Dinky make a leap for it. They collided in mid air, landing as a pile of dizzy unicorns. Apple Bloom cased the varmint around eyeing it closely. The beetle seemed to be mocking her as it zipped around the area, swaying back and forth in front of her. She was catching up when it turned right into Spike.

“Ahh!!” he yelled, as the two collided. The beetle flying off giggling that it had outdone all of the ponies. Scoot rolled up on her scooter, her face beaten, scraped and bloody from her crash.

“This is impossible!” she yelled.

“If so then leave.” Khafra watched them from her rock as if they were some comedy act. The beetle sped past her making its way back around. “You may leave at any time.”

“Why can’t you just give it to us?” Sweetie Belle made her way over, still wobbly with her collision with Dinky who was being assisted by Pip.

“You have embarked on a great adventure. I cannot make it easy. This is just one of the tests in a series to see if you are worthy of reaching your goal. If you give up this easily, then the treasure of Tartarus is far out of your reach.” The Sphinx taunted them, still holding her great smile. The crusaders regrouped around Apple Bloom, all beaten up and bloodied.

“What can we do? It’s too fast and smart!” Pip asked, looking at his friends. The others seemed stumped, but moreover tired and regretting going on this adventure.

“Cheer up everypony! We can do this! We just have to work together!” Apple Bloom cheered. “We are the crusaders! No task it too big or to hard for us to handle!”

“Yeah!” Everyone cheered.

“Now, let’s try to surround it. Spike and Pip, you go that way, Sweetie Belle and I will go the other way. Scoot, you chase it down. Dinky…” Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment, looking at the expectant pink unicorn, “You think you can shoot it down with your magic?”

“But she…!” Scoot started to say before her mouth was plugged shut with Apple Blooms hoof.

“Absolutely!” Dinky said.

“Alright crusaders! Move out!” the group all sped off to their positions. Scoot mounted her scooter, fastened her helmet and readied her wings. She eyed the beetle buzzing around a rock in the distance.

“Alright. Operation Chase-Down-That-Beetle!” she blasted off from her start position speeding to the beetle. It spotted her and imminently flew off. Scoot was kicking up enough dirt to make it looks like a rodeo was going on. The beetle blasted out of the dirt cloud followed closely by the orange pegasus. Scoot made sure to keep some distance between her and the beetle, remembering what happened last time.

The beetle made a quick right, only to be met by Spike who swiped at it. The beetle made a run for it, but was blocked by Pip who jumped out from behind a rock. Apple Bloom ran alongside it as Sweetie Belle followed from the other side. The beetle made one last attempt for freedom, juking the unicorn and earth pony. Dinky aimed her horn as the beetle fast approached her, Scoot on its tail.

“Shoot it!” the orange pegasus yelled. Bang! A flash of white light shot from the end of Dinky’s horn heading straight for the beetle. Just as the bolt of magic reached the beetle, it side stepped it allowing it to collide with Scoot’s head. The pegasus flew backwards off her scooter, skidding across the ground from the momentum. The scooter itself nearly hit Dinky who jumped out of the way.

“Scoot! Are you okay?” Pip and the others all arrived to their friend’s face buried in the dirt.

“I used a stunning spell. I think she’s out cold!” Dinky gasped. Sure enough, when they rolled over the little pegasus, she was defiantly in la la land.

“Now what?” Sweetie Belle saw the beetle making a few victory laps around a bolder, having outdone them again.

“We have to keep trying!” Apple Bloom encouraged her troops. Morale was low, even for Spike who was beginning to feel that it was a waste of time. “There’s just got to be a way!” The earth pony looked around. Spotting Scoot’s scooter an idea popped into her head. “Guys I got it!” everyone huddled together to hear the plan.

***{Legacy}***

The beetle flew around trying to find the ponies that were chasing it. Its master was still sitting idly by, watching the proceedings like a sporting event. It was all good fun. The beetle would get to keep the shiny new object if it wins. A few close calls here and there but it was all too easy.

As it flew around a bolder, a spotted pony blocked its path. The beetle quickly zoomed away from him only to be blocked by a white unicorn. Turning around presented an earth pony, then another unicorn blocking its way. With only one escape route left, the beetle made a run for it. Zipping past the ponies, the beetle knew it was free. Stupid animals, did they really expect to corner it? The beetle turned back to its current flight path to see a large black object obstructing its view. Bam!

Spike pulled back the scooter he was wielding like a sword to see the beetle twitching on the ground, “I got it!”

The others all ran up to see the beetle mostly crushed having been smacked by a board of wood. Spike picked up the compass, holding it high into the air proclaiming their victory. The crusaders cheered having finally beaten the beetle.

“Well done little ones. Diverting the attention of your foe so that you may attack when their guard was down. Well done indeed.” Khafra walked up to the crusaders. She gently picked up the beetle with her giant paw and examined it.

“Sorry we smashed your beetle.” Dinky said. The others seemed less apologetic.

“It is alright. In time, his wounds will heal and he will have become stronger because of it. Now that you have your compass, you may proceed to Draco Mountain.” She walked back to her rock and sat down, “On your way there you will find an encampment with enough provisions to get you to Tartarus. Good luck little ones.

The crusaders gathered their stuff, put the still unconscious Scootaloo on her scooter which was pulled by Apple Bloom and marched off continuing their adventure. Khafra watched them go with a greedy smile.

***{Legacy of the Alicron: Part I ~ Legend of the All Mother}***