Seeking

Prologue

A shimmer in the flickering light from Crow’s lantern.  He smirked.

“Found you.”

Crow galloped through an ash pile towards the shimmering gold piece.  It was a small coin, a bit.  Old, from Pre-Equestria time, back before Celestia and Luna ruled.  He was close, so close.  Crow turned around.  There was another hissing from behind.  He looked around the black webbed room, there was only one door, one exit, one entrance, only one way they could enter.  Crow looked around the room.  No luck, there was no other way out, though he already knew that.  The hissing grew closer and closer, he didn’t have time to make an exit, but maybe there was…He galloped to the wall and started pressing his hooves against the black webbed blocks.  It had to be one of these blocks, but which was it?  He could handle changelings he just didn’t want to risk destroying another artifact.  He had to find-

The eleventh block over pushed in and the floor beneath Crow opened.  Crow hit the floor hard and his saddle bags fell off, its contents pouring out onto the floor.  Crow’s lantern, though, had landed perfectly next to him, unbroken and unscratched.  Its flame still shone bright, illuminating the long stone passage.

“Owwww, damn it.”  Crow rubbed his hoof through his mane, “Well at least I found something.”  Crow looked up.  The trap door above had closed, “Hah, no turning back now, just the way I like it.”

Crow quickly picked up his possessions and started down the hall.  As he got further down the passage Crow took notice of the strange symbols etched on the wall.  Crow didn’t stop to look at them, like most ruins it was probably a warning to turn back.  Every secret passage to a hidden burial chamber had one, it was so cliché.  The warning was all the more reason to move on.  It wasn’t long until the passage led into a small room filled with old world treasures.  Grails, gold, gems and other goods filled the floor and on some finely made shelves.  In the center of the room was a gold in jeweled coffin.

“Gotcha.”  Crow whispered as he slowly approached the coffin.  Crow froze.  A voice in the dark spoke from behind, it was familiar, but strangely different.

“Crow!  Looks like you found it, that’s great!”  The zebra said happily, “I knew you could do it!”

Crow turned and faced the zebra, “Yeah…”  Crow’s lantern flickered, “I thought I had asked you to stay with Zecora, why’d you come here?”  Crow pointed his brown hoof at the passage behind zebra, “Sash look behind you!”

“What?!  What’s wrong Crow?!”  Sash turned and faced the passage.  There was nothing, just the empty passage.  “Why’d you tell me-” Sash turned and looked at Crow who was holding up his Lantern, getting into a swinging position. “Basta-”

Crow swung his lantern and a spiral of flames spat out, burning Sash’s hooves.  Sash let out a scream that echoed down the passage and fell to the ground.  He squirmed around on the floor before igniting in green fire and returning into its changeling state.

Crow slowly approached the changeling and put his face near its pained, blackened face.  Crow glared at the changeling.  “I don’t mind changelings or the way most of you hate us ponies, but…what I do mind is when you try to impersonate my BROTHER!”  The changeling let out a small cry.  “The fact that you think I couldn’t tell if you were my real brother or not is embarrassing to my intellect and to his name, you’re very lucky I have little time.”  Crow looked up at the passage, “I’m guessing your siblings heard you cry, so they should be here relatively soon.  I won’t kill you, but I won’t help you either.  Your siblings should take care of you, now if excuse me, I really have to go.”

Crow quickly trotted over to the coffin and took what he needed from inside, though he didn’t like the fact he had reach into bones of a pony to get it.  Now…he had to find the secret exit out, there was always a secret way out of old tombs…strange how they all seem to follow the same cliché design, but it made adventuring that much easier.

It didn’t take long for Crow to find the exit and return to the vast forests of the Everfree.  The exit let out between some massive roots of a large tree…somewhere in the forest.  Great, lost in the Everfree.  Well there were worse places to get lost…more or less.

Hours passed as Crow wandered through the forest, could be a day, who knows, Crow didn’t.  Not that he really cared, lost was lost, not much a pony could do about that.  After stumbling past a thorn bush or two, Crow found himself at a strange house built into a tree.  Outside of the house were several strange ornaments and tikis.  Crow never knew where Zecora got the skulls, but for his own comfort…and safety, he didn’t ask.  Inside sat Zecora and his metal hoofed brother.  They were drinking a green colored tea, talking about days of old when Sash was still Zecora’s student.  Zecora looked old, her face was beginning to wrinkle and her mane was losing color.  His brother, however, still looked young, he still WAS young, only two years younger than Crow.

Crow trotted in and greeted his brother and Zecora.  Zecora had left Crow and Sash alone to get Crow some tea.  Crow sat down across him and reached into his saddle bags.

“I got it.”  Crow whispered, taking out a strange key.

“So we can get into the journal without setting of the trap now?”  Sash asked.

“Yep, we’re one step closer to finding it.  Once we get the journal we’ll just need a team to go and find the library.”

“As long as they’re some good looking mares or stallions in the group you don’t have my objection.”

“My young perverted Sash, you are looking for a good lash.”  Zecora rhymed as she reentered the room, balancing Crow’s cup of tea on her head.

Crow took the cup from Zecora, “Thank you.”

There was a rustling from outside.  The two zebras and pony turned to the window.  Nothing but woods, at least, all that they could see.  There was another rustling and Crow turned to his brother and grinned.

Sash leaned over the table toward Crow, “Were you followed?”

“Probably.”

“Will they follow you when you get the journal?”

“I’m guessing.”

“Do you even know where the journal is?”

“Remember mom and dad’s old friend?”

“A pegasus, right?”

“Yeah, mom gave the journal to him as a wedding present way back when.  I talked to mom a few days ago and she had that his son currently has it.”

“That’s good, now, just one more question.”

“There always is, isn’t there?”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Crow smirked, “Always, you know that.  Now!  If you excuse me, I need to get to Cloudsdale.  Sash meet me in Ponyville in the morning, I guess by the train station or the café, if you’re hungry.”

“You’re just gonna waltz past the changelings outside in hopes you don’t get attacked?  Do you even know where the pegasus lives?”

“Yes to the first question and no to the second question.  They won’t attack me, they’ll want to see where the journal is and no.  I have no idea where he lives, but hey!  Might as well explore a bit.  I know the son’s name is Tempest and at least that’s something to go on.”  Crow finished his tea and began to walk out.

“Well, no stopping you now I suppose.”

“There never is.”