Melancholy Hill wasn’t too far from the Everfree Forest nor was it near, not that I would think to venture there. But I did. My friends and neighbors in Ponyville shared stories about the strange things that happen in that desolate wood. It was an unnatural place, no pegasi to bring the weather; the clouds, the sun, and the moon move on their own, and when you walk deep enough a evil chill tangles your spine. Only the bravest of ponies have set hoof there, and they’re aren’t that many here.
What is it about the Everfree that terrifies us? What lurks in the woods that we can not see? For a millennium, the old folk tales have portrayed the forest as a domain of evil. Mysterious, chaotic, and unpredictable, we always sought out control over the things we can’t understand.
I was interested in a hill that was referred to as Melancholy Hill. It was a spot of land filled with dead twisted trees and colorless grass. During the day the fog is so thick the blue sky is nonexistent, during the nights the fog clears and you can see the opening of a cave. Inside the cave there is treasure and riches beyond our wildest dreams, or so they say. Nopony knows the whereabouts of Melancholy Hill, or if the story was true, but I intend to find out.
Of course, I couldn’t go on this journey alone. And I had the perfect companion in mind. The day before I began my long adventure I rose in the early morning to seek him out.
The Golden Oaks Library is where I will find him. Spike, Ponyville’s resident dragon. He will be the perfect companion. Unlike many ponies I absolutely adore dragons. When I was colt my father used to tell me stories of dragons that hid in caves surrounded by gold and breathe fire. I believe dragons to be the most amazing creatures in the world, and Spike is no exception.
I knock on the door until somepony inside answered it. Twilight Sparkle smiled at me. “Good morning, Time Turner, surprised to see you here,” she greeted.
“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” She let me inside and asked if I needed anything. I requested for a cup of tea. While Twilight made tea I took the time to think about what I was going to say. There was no way to tell her blankly that I was going into the Everfree Forest and I want her assistant to come with me. I thought of ways to explain my situation when Twilight came into the room with a platter of teacups. “Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome.” Twilight and I sat on opposite chairs and we drank our cups in silence. I was going to say something to her, but then I heard hoofsteps descending. Soon I learned they weren’t hoofs but feet, feet that belonged to a bipedal creature. And there he was, Spike, soon to be my trusted companion, if Twilight won’t mind.
“So what brings you here?” Twilight asked. “I know you were doing geography research on plate tectonics. How is that coming along?”
To cover for time I explained to her my studies about the motion of the earth’s lithosphere, which the rigid outermost shell of the planet, broken into eight major plates, which have moved throughout history, in addition to the “geography project” I was currently work on. The “project” in question was observing the layers of Ghastly Gorge, to determine how old the earth is. I’m not sure how much of her interest I held at the moment, but it was enough to think about how I’m going to tell her about my trip to the Everfree, along with Spike.
“That’s fascinating,” Twilight said, “What made you want to study geography?”
“... You know, I asked myself that several times. I guess the earth is just a fascinating place. Not a lot of ponies know how it works.” It’s not far from the truth. I’ve known ponies who thought volcanic eruptions were brought forth from the pits of Tartarus. But I wasn’t here to speak about geography for long.
“Well, if you need any books on geography, I have tons here,” she said. “Is there anything else you need?”
“... There is one more thing,” I said. I put my teacup down and kept my eyes on her. “Tomorrow morning, I’m going on a little trip. A really long trip, one that might take me days.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Where?”
“It’s for another geography project I’m working on. I’m going on a cave expedition, but I don’t think I can manage this own my own, so I came here in search of a companion.”
I think I made her blush. She smiled awkwardly, looking away from me for a brief moment. “Oh… well, who did you have in mind?”
I blinked a couple of times, then I came with my answer. “I thought maybe… Spike could accompany me.”
I don’t think that was the answer she wanted to hear. Her pleasant demeanor vanished, replaced with a look of confusion. “Spike? Why him?”
“Well.” There wasn’t much time to think of a plausible answer. This was the best I can come up with. “I think this trip will be good for him. I just want a chance to fill a young mind with the wonders of the world he lives in.”
“... Are you sure? Because he’s very young and hasn’t travelled that far before. I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no harm comes to him. May I see him?” Twilight stared at me, probably suspicious of my true intentions. Then her face soften, and she called her assistant in the room. Spike ran into the room wearing an apron. Is this her assistant or her servant?
“Spike, you remember Time Turner don’t you?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah. You’re that pony who set up that earthquake preparation meeting at the town hall, right?”
“Indeed I am,” I laughed. “You still remember those drills?”
“Well, kind of.”
“Spike, Mister Turner wants to ask you something.” Twilight motioned for me to speak. I cleared my throat and smiled at the little dragon.
“Spike, tomorrow morning I’m going on a cave expedition and it’s going to take me away from town for several days. Would you like to come with me?” The little dragon seemed surprised from my offer. He gazed at me, then stared at Twilight. “It’ll be fun,” I said.
“Gee, I don’t know, exploring a cave? Isn’t there anypony else you can take?”
I chuckled and said, “Everypony else around seemed busy at the moment. I thought that if you’re not doing anything we could…”
“Wait a minute,” he interrupted, “who said I had no plans. Tomorrow I was… “ Spike was stumbling on his words. He talked about a unicorn named Rarity, then some other imaginary activity with his caretaker. He decided to give up when he noticed how awkward he sounded. “Do I have to go?”
“You have been stuck in the house lately,” Twilight admitted. “Maybe this trip will be good for you. At least you’ll get some fresh air. Besides, you keep telling me how much you wanted to go on an adventure.”
“Yes, think of this as an adventure,” I added, “like a Daring Do book. You like those, right?”
The little dragon was silent. He gazed at his purple feet, then at me, then at Twilight. He mumbled something under his breath, then glanced at me again. I took into consideration of what Twilight said about Spike never leaving the house. It could be possible that most of the population of Ponyville, save for a few, are uneasy about having a dragon walking amongst them, despite him not having reached puberty. Later, Spike gave in. “Okay, I’ll go,” he sighed.
So there it was. The little dragon was my companion for the journey. Twilight and I spoke to each other for a few more minutes before I bid them farewell. Before I left I told Spike to pack his belongings and get a good night’s sleep, for we were in for a very long trip. Then I told Twilight I will stop by the library to retrieve him in the morning.
However, there was another reason I wanted Spike to come along that I didn’t tell them. In cultures in the far east, dragons are considered to be symbols of good fortune. If I told Twilight this then she would have refused to let Spike come with me. Since we’re travelling to the Everfree in search of a mysterious cave, we’re going to need all the good fortune we can get.
Later that night, as I gathered all the essential items I needed for the trip, I retrieved the map I drew of the Everfree Forest. There are hardly any maps of the Everfree, so I took the time create one based on the observations of other ponies. On the northeast corner of the map there was a red x that stood out. That was our destination: Melancholy Hill.
****
Spike waited for me at the front door as planned, with help from Twilight. He had his backpack along with a sleeping bag tied at the top. As soon as we prepared for our trek to the forest he complained about not having any breakfast. Nopony, or dragon, can travel on an empty stomach I suppose. We stopped at a diner for the early bird special. We both ordered a plate of buttermilk pancakes.
“Are you excited for our little trip?” I asked him.
“I have to be, since Twilight woke me up at five-thirty in the morning for this,” Spike replied, followed by a yawn. A jukebox on the other side of the diner played soft music that can faintly heard. He held his head on his hand and gazed at the world from the window. The sun was just beginning to rise. “I never woke up this early before,” he said, “the last time was during Winter Wrap-Up.”
“I remember that,” I said. “Thanks to Twilight, it was the first time Ponyville got anything done on time in years.”
“Yeah, she can be a careful planner,” Spike said with no interest.
“So… have you ever went on a camping trip before?”
“Not really. I don’t even know what to do on a camping trip. I think you heard that I don’t get out much.”
“All of that is going to change,” I said. “For the next few days it’s going to be you and me against the forces of nature.”
“By the way, where is this cave we’re going to?” Spike asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, then I paused. My eyes shifted at each direction of the diner to make sure nopony else was present. I silently told Spike to lean toward me. “I hadn’t told anypony this,” I whispered, “but there is a cave located somewhere in the…”
“... Where?”
“Do you promise you won’t freak out?”
“Just tell me.”
“All right… there is a cave located deep in the Everfree Forest--”
“The Everfree Forest!” Spike exclaimed fearfully. He covered his mouth when I shushed him. “The Everfree Forest?” he whispered. “Why do you want to go there?”
“Because there is a black cave located somewhere deep in the Everfree, on a hill called Melancholy.”
“But why?” he asked desperately.
“There’s suppose to be some kind of treasure in the cave. gold or something like that.”
“Gold? You’re going to risk my life and your life trying to find a cave that may not exist? And I thought you were a geologist, not a treasure hunter!”
“Listen, I know you’ll be upset if I told you but here’s the deal; if we do find it and there is treasure hidden in the cave, I’ll split it with you. Fifty-fifty.”
“And if we don’t find it?”
“... I’ll give you one hundred dallops if you don’t tell Twilight about this.”
“Deal.”
We shook hooves and claws and the aroma of our buttermilk pancakes filled our nostrils as the waitress brought them to us.
****
Our bellies satisfied, we headed west. We walked across town until we reached the path where the road ended and the Everfree began, in which we were met with a line of tall menacing trees. We were far from civilization that the buildings of Ponyville resembled small stones in the distance. I took a few steps forward until I realized that Spike was feet away from me.
“Spike, what’s the matter?”
He didn’t respond, standing in the middle of the grass paralyzed just by looking at the trees. He called his name a few more times until he finally looked at me.
“I can’t go,” he said.
I approached him slowly and put my hoof on his shoulder. “Spike, I promised Twilight that no harm will come to you, and I don’t intend to break it.” Spike gazed at the towering trees that seem to pierce the sky. He lifted one leg hesitantly, and then the other. Before long we walked together into the darkness of the forest.
The light from the sun vanished when we were under the trees, as though we have entered a strange new world. We pushed our way through the tall grass. Spike initially had difficulty finding his way, since the grass was as tall as him. Around us the sounds of insects and screeching birds filled the forest air.
“Don’t get lost,” I told Spike.
“Trying not to.”
We pushed our way through more grass until the area was clear, arriving on a dirt trail. I pulled out my compass and we headed north. Ravens flew over our heads while making their harsh cawing.
“So when do we set up camp?” Spike asked.
“When the sun sets. Until then we’re going to continue walking.”
“Oh… okay.” He didn’t sound so pleased. “What are we going to do for lunch?”
“Don’t worry, I have something for both of us when the hour comes.”
We continued to the path for the next twenty minutes, according to my pocket watch. The path suddenly reached its end, where it divided in two. “Where should we go?” Spike asked. I looked at both directions, not one different from the other. The map found its way to my hooves, and I scanned for where this two-way path was located.
“I seemed to have missed a certain detail.” I returned the map to the spot on my backpack, then looked to my compass for guidance. However, I remembered that a dragon was my travelling companion. “Why don’t you choose for us?”
“Me? Are you sure?”
I only smiled and nodded. Spike nervously turned his attention back to the trail, taking a deep breath before making his decision. He mumbled to himself like he did the day before. “Well… I say we go…” He lifted his arm. Spike glanced back at me one last time. He pointed left.
“Then left we shall go,” I said.
****
As we ventured deep into the forest darkness descended on us. I took out pocket watch. It was nine o’clock. The trees had twisted branches on them. They almost look like the hands of a monster who is about to swipe down and snatch us.
“I think I’ve gotten us lost,” Spike said.
I said nothing, and checked my compass. It was pointing north. “We’re not lost,” I said, “rather I don’t know where we are at the moment.”
“See? We’re lost.”
I reached for my backpacked when I felt myself tumbling down a steep slope at a rapid pace. From the top I can hear Spike yell my name. I couldn’t stop. Something kept rolling down the slope like a ball. Finally my body landed on the flat surface at the bottom, although I couldn’t move an inch of my limbs. Spike called my name several times, and I heard him approach at my side. “Mister Turner, are you okay?” He pulled me to my legs and wiped the dirt and leaves off of me, and my senses come back to me.
“I am now,” I said as I rubbed the back of my head. My eyes point above. I can see the white clouds and some traces of the blue sky, but no sun. I took another step forward, however my hoof felt something cold. On the ground were the remains of what used to be my compass.
“... Sorry,” Spike said.
“That’s… that’s quite alright. We’ll just have to make do without it.” To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure of how we were going to find our way without a compass. For the rest of the journey we’ll have to use our instincts to determine our next move, mostly Spike’s. “We have to get moving.”
“Are you sure? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
The trail was gone, so we walked through the wall of trees and branches. None of us uttered a word to each other for several hours, except for the occasional “Where are we now?” We climbed up a hill covered with rocks. Once we reached the top I heard a very low rumbling sound. “Are we being followed?” I asked.
“Uh… that was me,” Spike said. “It’s my stomach.”
It was decided that we shall rest on top of the hill. We’ll continue forward after we had lunch. I removed my backpack and took out the items I needed to make a meal. At the bottom of the hill there was a little creek. I gave a pan and told him to fill it with water while I start a fire. I gathered sticks and twigs and dung, then scrapped two stones against each other. Several minutes passed and nothing was done. Spike came up the hill with a pot of water in a creek and noticed that I was struggling to make a fire.
“Oh good, you got the water,” I said. “Now if only I can get this fire started.”
“... You do realize I’m a dragon, right?”
Of course. I immediately dropped the stones and let Spike breathe green fire into the pile of sticks and dirt. He placed the pot of water over it, and I added oats and herbs as we waited for it to boil, then our oatmeal was made. I only had to eat one bowl and I’ll be just fine for the rest of the day. Spike, on the other hoof, allowed himself to have three bowls. He has such a huge appetite for a small dragon.
Lunch break was over and we continued down the hill. Spike reminded me to watch my step this time. We crossed the creek where he fetched the water for our meal. The water reached to the top of Spike’s legs when he walked across.
We travelled through the darkness deep in the Everfree while it was still daylight, but we have to build a camp soon. I called for Spike to help me set a tent but he did not answer. I looked around until I found him kneeling by a tree.
“Spike, what are you doing?”
He turned around to show that his mouth was full. I grew anxious. I asked him what he was eating. He swallowed and said that he found a mushroom and decided to eat. Maybe those three bowls of oatmeal wasn’t enough. “You ate a mushroom? You shouldn’t have done that, you could get sick!”
“Come on, it was just a mush…” He never got the chance to finish his statement. Spike groaned in pain, wrapping his arms around his stomach. I asked him if he was well. He responded by ejecting the half digested mushroom through his mouth.
****
It was late in the evening once Spike regained consciousness. I had already set the tent up and I was working on the campfire, but to no avail. The dragon found himself on the ground covered with a blanket, his backpack next to him. “Great, you’re awake,” I greeted. “Once you feel better, would you mind lighting the fire? I can’t seem to get it right.”
“... What happened?”
“You ate a mushroom, got sick, threw up, then passed out.”
“Oh… wow.”
“You should be careful around wild mushrooms next time. You never know what they’ll do to you. I’m just thankful that you’re alive.”
Spike looked around himself to see the sky growing dark. He brought his head closer to the firewood and breathed fire, bringing warmth to the both of us as well as green light. “So how was your first day at in the wilderness?”
“I don’t know, strange I guess,” he said.
“Well, we’re going to have more strange experiences tomorrow.” I unzipped my backpack and took out a bag of marshmallows, sticking them on a roasting fork and holding them over the fire. I gave Spike a second roasting fork with some marshmallows.
“So how long will it be until we find this cave you’re looking for?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. It could days, even weeks.”
“... What made you want to find this cave? How do you know if it even exist?”
I blew out the small flames that engulfed my marshmallows, then proceeded to eat one of them. “When I was young my father told me a story about a cave in the Everfree Forest. The cave was filled with treasure and riches beyond anything we ever known.”
“How did the story go?”
“A long time ago, there was a greedy queen who had everything he ever wanted, while her subjects were poor to the bone. However she became paranoid, and feared that her own subjects may turn against her and steal her wealth. So she decided to hide everything in a black cave far away from the kingdom. But because she was so greedy she snuck out of her castle at night and sealed herself away in the cave, never to be seen again.”
“Whoa.”
“They say on some nights, you can hear the sorrowful moans of the dead queen coming from the mouth of the cave. That’s why it’s call Melancholy Hill.”
“Has anypony tried to find it?”
“Some have. The ones that do, never make it out of the cave,” I said with a wicked smile.
“What happened to them?” Spike asked nervously.
“You see, the queen’s treasure had such an alluring power over many treasure hunters. Many didn’t want to return home with the treasure, choosing to stay inside the cave for the rest of their days. Others have killed each other trying to divide it amongst themselves.”
“Wait a minute, kill?”
“Okay, I made that part up. But I know it’s out there. Somehow, I know the treasure is real.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you think it’s real and not just a story?”
“Some legends are just too good to be false that there’s hardly any reason not to believe in it.”
We roasted a few more marshmallows and exchanged more campfire stories. After a while, Spike began to yawn and so did I. We finished the last of our marshmallows, then we extinguished the campfire, and retreated into the tent for a good night’s rest.
I just wish the wolves hadn’t pick this night to begin their nightly howls.
