Ys: Memories of Celestiaby DragonTamer314ChaptersPrologue1: I'm a Swordsmare?2: The Ponyville MineThe Center of the RuinsPrologue~Prologue~ The sky above darkened as rainclouds started to form overhead. A few sparse drops of water fell here and there, the harbingers of the coming storm. The few ponies left in the streets made idle chatter with each other as they walked towards their homes, seeking refuge from the storm. All of them, except for a single, young, unicorn mare. She slowly made her way through town, unsteady on her hooves. One could see a red tunic on her figure, with a small, steel shoulder guard on her right side. Various pouches hung from her belt, most empty. Her coat and mane were both lavender in color, the mane being darker than the coat. She had two stripes in her mane and tail, a light violet and a dark pink, almost red in color. She walked through town aimlessly as the storm picked up. A conversation between two stallions, miners of the town, could be heard by the wanderer as she passed. “Hey, did you hear the news? Sounds like they found another gold vein.” The first said. “Yeah, I heard the head miner went to check it out a little while ago.” The second replied, sounding as if he were an expert. “Way I hear it, there are veins all the way into the Everfree Forest.” “Heh, this gold rush buisness never lets up, does it?” The two shared a laugh. “Still, they aren’t seriously planning to go messing around in the forest, are they?” “Don’t even joke about that!” His companion quickly replied. “Going even near that place isn’t worth all the bits in the world. Can’t spend it if you’re dead, after all!” Not hearing the rest of the conversation, the mare trudged forward, towards the center of town. As she walked, she passed by a pair of mares. “I can’t believe it’s been five years since Equestria came under control of the New Romun Empire. And the city has never been more active!” She sounded knowledgeable, and well-poised for a high society. Her companion scoffed at the idea. “Bah! A happy accident, no more. The Romuns don’t give a damn about us. Until they struck gold in that damn Everfree they couldn’t even be bothered to clean up the roads of this town!” “Well, I hear there’s going to be a new Governor General soon, for what it’s worth.” “Who cares? Nothing’s going to change.” The merchant-esque mare said. “They’ll just come over here, line their saddlebags with bits, and as soon as the gold runs dry, be on their way.” “I suppose you may be right. But… wait. Hang on…” Her words were cut off as a white stallion walked past, flanked by guards on both sides. His mane was a stunning blonde, and a unicorn horn could be seen from his head. He was draped in a royal red cape. “That looks like a Romun officer. And a pretty hot one, if I may say so…” “Hmph.” The other mare said, caring little. “I just wish they’d end the war with Griffonia so I could do buisness in peace already.” “Couldn’t agree more.” The two mares shared a nod. “Feels like they’re just dragging their hooves by now.” Having walked out of earshot, the wandering mare limped on. She crossed the center of town, headed for a rather large building near the edge of the city. However, without looking, she had crashed into another mining stallion. “Hey!” he exclaimed, dropping the coal he was carrying. “Watch it, you idiot! Look where you’re going!” The stallion slapped the mare across her face, causing her to lose her balance and fall over. She was completely exhausted, and couldn’t even gather the strength to stand up. “That all you got? Foals these days, I tell ya.” The stallion said as he continued his walking. “No backbone at all.” Not having any strength at all, she fell completely to the ground as the rain picked up. The drops fell on her face, as few thoughts came to her exhausted mind. ‘Where am I..?” she thought. But then, an even stranger thought emerged. ‘Who… Who am I..?’ the next thing she knew, she blacked out. DragonTamer314 Proudly Presents (Without permission of Hasbro or Falcom, neither of which belongs to me nor am I a part of either company) Ys: Memories of Celestia Starring Twilight Sparkle as Adol Christin (Or at least his character… sue me. No, wait, don’t do that. I wouldn’t like that at all.) Author's Note Just in case you missed it in the description, Twilight is NOT an Alicorn here. yeah. Please review, as this is my first story on this site (But not my first in general). Thanks! 1: I'm a Swordsmare?~I’m a Swordsmare?~ In the next few hours, the mare had awoken to a curious feeling. The soft caress of warm bed sheets could be felt by her, not the cold road she passed out on. Glancing around, she spotted her tunic laying on a nearby table, dry and neatly folded. Shrugging, she put on the article of clothing (as it was the only thing she knew was hers for sure) and walked out of the room. Voices could be heard from down the stairs to her left, and she followed them to a large room full of ponies. Many were eating and drinking, laughing and sharing in the comfort of friends. Unsure of what to do, the lavender mare sat down at a random table, not expecting another mare to approach her almost instantly. She was blue in coat color, with a pink mane styled to look like the icing on a cupcake. “…Goodness, life is just full of surprises. To think that somepony would wind up collapsed in a heap, in the middle of a city like this!” “Thank you for helping me…” The mare managed to say, her voice still sounding a little shaky. The blue mare smiled. “Well, fortunately I think we have a few spare rooms, dearie. My name is Cup Cake, and it was no trouble at all to help out a poor soul like yourself. My husband and I should be able to give you somewhere to rest your head, at least.” She laughed a little, getting a laugh from the mare as well. “Take it easy for a while. That was a nasty spill out there, and I’d sure hate to see it happen again!” with that, the mare walked off. It wasn’t long before another voice reached her ears. “Twilight? Is that you over there?” turning her head, the mare saw an orange-coated earth pony walk into the room, headed her way. On her head was a leathery brown Stetson, and her flank carried a mark of three apples. A blue shirt covered her chest, and she proceeded to slam a hoof down on the table. The mare noticed it, like her other three, had a steel-plated shoe on it. “There you are! Ah finally found you. It’s me, your old pal Applejack!” She chuckled. “Ah thought Ah told you to let me know if y’all made it back alive!” the mare simply sat silent for several seconds, before asking: “Who’s Twilight?” “Mare, that’s really not funny.” Applejack said, shaking her head. “It’s you alright! Twilight Sparkle!” She slid into the chair opposite of the lavender mare, continuing her conversation. “But never mind all that. Ah can’t believe you went into the Everfree Forest of all places and came out alive! They say that when you set foot in that place, you lose your sense of where y’all are and never come out again.” The mare simply sat and listened, not sure of what to do. “There’s supposedly lots of gold in those parts, but since everypony tends to keep their distance, there’s no map for it. Ah tried to stop you, but once you set hoof out of that there front gate, Ah thought you were a goner…” She brightened up her mood immensely, though. “But here y’all are, proving me wrong! Y’all are mah favorite source of bits- I mean, mah dearest friend!” The mare could feel a large sweatdrop fall off the back of her head. “Now, however, straight to buisness. No offense intended if Ah cut to the chase, but Ah am an information dealer after all.” She placed her hooves on the table, folded under her muzzle. “Ah want all the info you got about the Everfree, and don’t you dare skimp on the details.” “Listen, Applejack…” the mare said. “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about. My mind’s blank, I’ve lost my memories. I don’t even know who I am.” “…Wha..?” Applejack wondered. “Come again?” after another three times repeating, The message seemed to get across. “Y’all gotta be kidding me… So y’all don’t remember who Ah am? Or who you are, for that matter?” The mare simply nodded. “What in Tartarus happened to y’all in there? ..Actually, forget Ah asked at all. This conversation never happened.” The mare tilted her head, confused. “Mah instincts are telling me you got yourself into some big ol’ trouble in the Everfree, and Ah’m sorry, but Ah want no part of it.” Applejack got up to leave, and turned back. “Sorry, Twilight. Don’t take it personally, but Ah know a bad idea when Ah hear one.” She was interrupted when a gruff looking stallion barged into the tavern. “Huff… Hahh…” he panted, before looking up. “W-We’ve got a problem!” He yelled. “The mine… there are monsters in the mine!” Everypony in the room gasped. A small crowd, the mare (who figured it was best to say her name was Twilight) and Applejack among them, formed near the miner. “So monsters just showed up in that newly-dug tunnel?” A customer asked. “It does lead to some old ruins.” Another responded. “I’d be surprised if there weren’t monsters in a place like that.” A third spoke up. “But… it’s times like this that we have the Romun Army here to help us, right?” several cheers of confirmation rose from the crowd. “Where’s Commander Sentry?” The miner spoke up. “He’s not here right now. He said he’s off doing a military training exercise. Even worse, the soldiers still here are only panicking like fillies near the Everfree.” “Seriously? They really are useless. They finally get the chance to do something, and they freak out!” “Did everypony get out safely?” Twilight asked. “I… I don’t know… it was every stallion for himself in there… nopony really paid much attention…” the miner said. “Not much to do about that, y’all.” Applejack said. “But there’s no time to lose. Let’s get to the mine!” Everypony ran out of the tavern immediately, heading to the southern part of town. Twilight saw little choice but to follow, seeing nothing but gathered soldiers panicking. “What is taking so long?” A blond, alabaster stallion yelled. “Get those who are wounded out of there!” “Yes, sir!” a few soldiers yelled back. The stallion turned to the few miners huddles outside the mineshaft. “The safety of your fellow miners is our highest priority. Make certain everypony is accounted for!” The miners nodded and started a head count. “So… who’s that stallion?” Applejack asked nopony in particular. “That’s Governor General Blueblood. He just got here recently. Seems Commander Sentry is away on buisness, so he was assigned here instead.” “Are you the last?” Blueblood asked a miner who just emerged from the cave. “N-No… the head miner… and a few others… they got trapped in the room the monsters came out of…” he was almost doubled over from exhaustion and injury. “Please… please help them…” “Do not worry. We will see to it that they are rescued.” Suddenly, the world seemed to be more distant, as if a hazy film were laid over it. Twilight was looking around, curious. She spotted a strange orb of light near the mine entrance, but nopony else seems to have noticed it. Curious, she walked up to it, reached out with a hoof, and touched the orb. Voices flowed through her head, but she did not know whose. “I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that you knocked one of sis’s knives out of the air with just your sword! She never misses!” A mare’s voice said. A second one replied, “Yeah, she may not look like much, but her skill with the sword is amazing. You’ll have to fight me one-on-one sometime!” ‘Sword…? Was I a swordsmare?’ Twilight thought. ‘I have to get involved… I have to help them!’ Without much more thought, She ran into the mine’s entrance. Little did she know, that her decision would lead to the start of one of the world’s greatest adventures… 2: The Ponyville Mine~The Ponyville Mine~ Twilight didn’t really have any sort of plan as she rushed into the mine. It was more so ‘enter, save miners’ than anything else. She started by running towards the left of the cave, following the scaffolding along the walls. When she came across a gate, however, a large amount of boulders were in her way. Seeing no way to move them, she hurried back and followed the cave system the other way, towards the right of the entrance. “Hold up there, sugarcube!” a familiar voice called out. Confused, Twilight turned around, only to find Applejack running in the cave after her. Applejack was panting. “Ah step away from you for a few minutes and you just go on and charge in here alone? Where do you think you’re going?” “Now, calm down…” Twilight said. She shook a hoof at the mare. “St-Stay back, no need to chase after me…” “Oh no! Ah’m not letting this go, Twi. Am Ah supposed to just turn my flank around and leave while you go get yourself killed?” Her voice was at once both concern and anger at the lavender mare. “Listen, Applejack, I came in here to help…” Twilight said. “I… had a vision outside the cave, of sorts, and it said something about me being a swordsmare. I mean, I just had to come in here and help the ponies in here…” Applejack stayed silent for a few seconds, her Stetson tipped in thought. She then leveled her eyes at Twilight. “Ah think Ah know what’s going on here. You’re one of THOSE ponies, aren’t you?” At Twilight’s confusion, she continued. “All you do-gooders just have to stick your muzzles where they don’t belong, right? You just have to try and solve everypony’s problems and drag others along once you’re doing it!” The red-garbed unicorn cringed under the blue-dressed mare’s words. Applejack then smirked. “…Well, Ah know better than to talk your kind out of this. That’s why Ah’m going to give you this.” Applejack reached back into her saddlebags, which weren’t present in the tavern, and pulled out a short sword. It looked as if it barely fit in the bag, from the size of it. Twilight thanked the mare, and strapped the sword’s sheath to her left flank, the tip of the sheath not far from the ground. “Ah don’t want your corpse on my conscience, after all. Ah can’t believe you were seriously thinking of walking in here with nothing but your hooves… you’re a unicorn, not an earth pony!” “I’m a what…?” Twilight asked, before reaching a hoof to her head. Sure enough, she felt a horn poking up from her mane. “I… don’t remember…” “Landsake’s, you don’t even remember how to fight?” Applejack asked, apparently genuinely shocked at this point. “I-I can manage it! Look,” Twilight grabbed the sword’s hilt in her mouth, holding it relatively well in her jaws. “Ah con hood i’ jus’ fin.” Applejack smacked her own face with a hoof. “FINE!” She shouted suddenly. “Ah’ll come part of the way with you. ONLY part way, you got me?” Twilight simply sheathed her blade, smirking present on her own face. “Now who’s being naïve?” she said cockily. “Ah shut it. Let’s just get this over with.” The two mares trudged on, until meeting a solitary stone statue. “Hmm…” Applejack studied it closer, running a hoof on its surface. “This is a pretty old-looking tablet…” she muttered. Curious, Twilight touched it, trying to see what secrets it held. The entire thing started glowing orange with a small humming sound as soon as her hoof made contact. “Wh-What? What did y’all just do?” Twilight went into panic mode. “I ONLY TOUCHED IT!” she said, shocked as well. “I didn’t do anything other than that!” Applejack nodded in agreement, more confused than before. “Maybe it’s because I’m a unicorn?” Shrugging, Applejack simply moved on, muttering something about just getting in and out of the cave as fast as possible. It was at this point the cave started becoming more rugged, with unmined veins of gold, copper, and other metals still in view. As well as a few curious little creatures running around. “Yep, those are monsters alright.” Applejack said. They appeared to be small moles, but their heads were coated with an unnatural white fur and their eyes glistened red in the sparse light form the lanterns in the mine. “What are they doing so close to the entrance?” Twilight asked. “Shouldn’t they not even be here?” “Well, it just means we got to drive them back. How’s it feel to hold a sword again, Twi?” Applejack gestured to her companion’s still-sheathed blade. “It feels kind of natural. I mean, if I were to believe that voice, I am used to it. I guess it’s just my memories helping me?” “It’s good to hear that anyway, sugarcube. We’ll find out why and how you remember that later.” She gestured with an armored hoof towards the monsters. “Why don’t you take some practice? These monsters are nothing compared to the dangers of the Everfree, so you should be fine. You seem like you could use a little warm-up anyways.” Twilight nodded, and approached the beasts with her sword in her maw. She swung the blade at on before it noticed her, and the beast stumbled back in shock and pain. Confidence rising, it only took two more swings to dispatch the first beast. Unfortunately for Twilight, its friends noticed, and each of them attacked. Their claws sunk into her hide, drawing blood but not doing anything serious. “Nut gunna le’ tha’ bo’her ne!” Twilight said to herself, around her sword’s hilt. She dispatched the three troublemakers who attacked her, suffering only one other minor wound in the process. She sheathed her blade when the last one was slain. “Well, it looks like your body knows how to use that, even if your head don’t.” Applejack said. “But what Ah’m wondering is why you didn’t use your magic to just levitate the sword. Or do you not remember how to do that?” “Magic?” Twilight asked. “All unicorns- you know what? Ah’ll tell you about it when we get out of this mess. It’ll take too long and Ah’m not exactly an expert on it.” With that, the earth pony trudged on, leaving a slightly confused unicorn to catch up. “HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” “Did you hear that?” Twilight asked. “HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” “Sounds like somepony…” Applejack responded. “HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” “In trouble!” Twilight said, drawing her blade and running off into the cave. “That mare is going to get us both killed.” Author's Note There we go. Last update until next week, and you can expect at least one chapter per weekend until I'm done. See you all next time! The Center of the RuinsTwilight felt her heart pounding as she ran farther into the mine with Applejack. The two of them began to cross a narrow, wooden bridge when suddenly Applejack stopped her. “Whoa there, sally-girl. See those monsters over there?” Twilight squinted, and saw what seemed to be two separate kinds of monsters. One of them appeared to be a blue, tentacle-like creature, while the other had chitin covering its body and crystals growing out of its back. “Yeah, I see them. What’s so odd about them?” “Well, Ah reckon your sword would cut through those soft-bodied ones, but on the other hoof, your sword might just be reflected by those crystally-looking ones.” She thought for a second, stretching her legs. “But mah Ironclad bucks should send ‘em running!” Twilight nodded in her understanding, and the two of them charged the monsters from the bridge. Twilight swung her head as her sword sliced cleanly through the worm-like creature. A second one noticed the death of its comrade, and vomited up a green acid-like substance that hit the unicorn in the middle of her barrel. She groaned in pain as she forced her body to slay the creature in front of her. Before she could get to it, though, Applejack ran in. She turned on her front hooves and launched a buck that sent the creature flying, bouncing off the bridge once and then into the caverns below. “You alright, Twilight?” “Y-Yeah… just took a hit from those things… I’ll be fine…” She said. “Nonsense! Here, Ah brought a few of these here honey potions with me. Take one and tend to that there wound of yours.” Applejack dug into her saddlebags and pulled out a small green potion, hoofing it over to Twilight. The unicorn blushed slightly. “Thanks… it’s very thoughtful…” She said, drinking the potion. Applejack groaned. “W-What?” She stammered, clearly flustered. “D-Don’t go saying things like that with a straight face… It’s embarrassing!” She shook her head for a second, then continued. “Anyways, that there is a honey potion, like Ah said. It should take care of minor scrapes like that, but it’s not gonna help the bigger wounds.” Twilight nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. For now, let’s focus on finding those two ponies who were screaming.” The mine was slowly becoming more and more rough, with less support beams from the miners present. In fact, a wooden scaffold not too far off seemed to be the last thing before it became full-fledged cave. The screaming voices were close, and Twilight could make out what they were screaming. “Hey, Snips, how are you holding out?” A slender-looking unicorn said. His body was a mustard yellow underneath his standard-issue guard armor. “WAAAH!” his green/blue companion said. “I think my leg’s broken!” “Stop whining! Or the commander’s gonna yell at us when he gets back!” They were currently surrounded by monsters, being driven into a corner. “Go away! Shoo!” The smaller one said. The monsters looked as if they were about to attack, when suddenly, they turned around to greet two newcomers to the fray. “Don’t worry, we’re here to help!” Twilight shouted before drawing her blade. Applejack simply knocked her hooves on the ground, eager to get started. “Give ‘em all you got, Twi! These are the strongest ones yet!” Applejack said as she bucked the nearest monster, one resembling the ones Twilight first fought. The main foe looked as if one of those smaller ones had grown up… and taken a large amount of steroids. Twilight slashed at it, only for the monster to swipe at her with a single paw, sending the lavender unicorn flying. Applejack bucked it with all her strength, but the same effect happened. “This thing’s strong… how can we beat it?” Twilight thought. Unknown to her, that thought triggered a spark in her mind. The spark traveled to the spiral horn on her head, which began to glow in a violet aura. “Wait, this energy… is this magic?” She thought. “If so… then I need to use this to help us… Aura Breaker!” she shouted the last bit, her sword falling to the ground, only to be caught in the aura from her horn. The blade shot out with a powerful thrust, the shockwave generated from it knocking anything she considered an enemy to the ground. The blade flew upwards, then straight down as it pierced through the skull of the giant monster, killing it instantly. “What in the name of the Sun…” Applejack gasped. The sword fell to the ground shortly after, Twilight’s horn ceasing its glow. “What did you just do?” “I… don’t know…” Twilight responded. While she thought, the shorter blue unicorn spoke. “I thought I was gonna die!” he exclaimed. “Oh, come on. You’re just exaggerating.” The taller, slender unicorn said. “By the way, who are you two?” Applejack answered. “Oh, just a passing information dealer and her amnesiac do-gooder companion. Ah don’t think you two can handle what’s in these here caves. You might just want to head back.” “Snails, let’s do that! I don’t think I can go on… my leg still hurts. I knew I wasn’t cut out to be a soldier.” Snails simply huffed and led the two of them out of the cave system. Applejack shook her head in both mild amusement and concern. “Ever since we joined up with that Romun Empire, the Equestrian Army technically part of that. But us here in Trottingham? Our army’s nothing more than a barely trained militia. Morale’s not that high, as you can see, Twi.” Twilight simply smiled. “That just means it’s our time to shine! Let’s keep moving.” She proceeded to rush off, leaving a smirking Applejack behind. The caves started to head downward, and soon the two mares could see the bridge they crossed over high above them. There was a sparkling lake between them and the shore of the other side of the underground water system, and a few torches could be seen flanking an iron gate on the other side. “Think there might be any more miners on the other side of this?” Twilight asked. She pointed a hoof to the torches. “They’ve obviously gone that way during the mining process.” “Ah’ll have to agree with you there. The water doesn’t look too deep, we can cross by swimming over.” She jumped into the water, creating a mild splash that soaked Twilight’s forelegs. Annoyed, the lavender mare followed suit, attempting to splash her friend with as much water as she could. “Now, now. Let’s not do that sort of thing here.” Applejack blushed. “I-In fact, let’s just not do that at all, okay?” “Alright, Applejack. Whatever you say.” Twilight responded. When the two crossed the still water, the gate was just a few meters away. Twilight trotted up to it and pushed on it as hard as she could. “It’s locked.” She said after a minute’s attempt, even with Applejack’s help. The lock was shining steel on the dull iron. “It’s definitely not budging. Not sure if there’s any other way to go any deeper, though…” “Let’s look for a key. There has to be one nearby; you can’t lock this gate from the inside, it seems.” Twilight said. Not too far off, the pair found a small, iron box. It had a copper lock on it, sealing away its contents. “No fair! This is locked too!” She cried out, punching it with a hoof. “Don’t you worry, sugarcube.” Applejack said. “That lock’s copper, not steel like the other one, so I can buck it off no problem.” With that, Applejack spun and kicked at the lock, breaking it in two easily. The chest bounced open, revealing a very battered-looking key. “There we go. Let’s go see what’s behind that there door.” The key fit perfectly, and the two were greeted by a long hallway of rock. Near the end of the hallway was another monument, akin to the one at the start of the mine. “I think we’re nearing the end of the mine.” Twilight said. Tall marble pillars flanked the two as they headed down a final hallway. The two eventually came to a large, open part of the mine. “Huh… this place feels different than the rest of the mine. It’s like a ruin.” A small earthquake suddenly occurred, sending the mare off their hooves. A massive beast descended from the ceiling, thrashing two massive arms covered in purple and blue crystals. Its back was coated in more of the blue crystals, giving it a spiky look. The face was nothing but five red eyes on black skin, matching the relatively unarmored lower half of the beast. “Is this the monster that started all this trouble? Twilight, if you don’t want to die, you’d better hurry up and remember how to fight!” The monster swung one of its massive arms towards the lavender mare, flinging her into the air and slamming her against a wall. Grunting out in pain, she saw Applejack kick the monster square in its unarmored stomach, causing it to switch its attention to her. “I have to do something.” Twilight thought. “But I don’t know how I used magic before. How can I do it again?” She rushed forward, joining Applejack in her assault. Twilight’s sword sliced through the skin of the creature, spilling blood as it howled. Rocks fell from the ceiling of the cave, raining down on Twilight and Applejack. The armored back of the creature protected it from them, and the creature took full advantage of that to attack them again. Applejack was not as lucky as Twilight was, and took a full hit to her barrel which started bleeding fiercely. “I can’t let Applejack die… I barely know her, but she is still my friend!” A glowing power erupted over Twilight’s horn. Her sword enveloped in the aura, she prepared to attack the creature, pumping as much energy as she could into the spell. Applejack bucked the creature’s legs, causing it to stumble as hoof shattered bone. Its soft underbelly exposed, Twilight unleashed her instincts, sending her blade flying into the creature’s stomach. The blade tore up the monster from the inside, causing its life expectancy to fall rapidly. When the spell faded, Twilight’s blade fell from the gaping wound in the monster, and the beast itself fell to the ground. Life left its five eyes, and the two mares smiled at each other in their victory. “Ah still want to figure out why you can’t use magic normally like any other unicorn,” Applejack began, “But Ah sure am glad it works when we need it!” Twilight nodded. “That was a little too close, if you ask me. Are you alright?” She pointed to her companion’s barrel. The bleeding was slowed, but the wound was still fresh. “Ah’m alright. Nothing a good night’s sleep and a few potions can’t heal.” She turned to fully face Twilight. “But mare, you are one of the strongest ponies Ah’ve ever seen. Ah’m starting to understand how you managed to get out of the Everfree alive!” “Well, nopony’s more surprised than I am…” Twilight said, rubbing her head with a hoof. Applejack sighed. “And yet you just trotted on in here without a sword. Hopeless is an understatement when it comes to you.” She joked, causing a laugh from both. “Hey, you two!” A voice shouted from further in the cave, past the monster’s corpse. A trio of mining ponies appeared, their leader a dull gray coated stallion with a short beard. “I can’t believe my eyes! You two actually took down that big monster! I’m Igneous Rock, the head miner.” “My name’s Twilight, and this is my friend Applejack. I’m just glad you’re alright.” “I can’t thank you enough. You saved all of our lives from certain doom! As long as that monster was there, we couldn’t leave.” “At least you’re all no worse for wear. Small favors really do help out bigtime, huh?” Applejack mused. “Absolutely! Now, there was a reason we stayed safe…” Igneous turned to face the single cave the led deeper into the mine. “In there is an old ruin, and a statue of some strange pony. It started to glow, and that calmed the monsters down a little. I swear it actually happened.” “What kind of statue was it? Any clues as to what it is at all?” Twilight asked. “Well… it was distinct. It was a pony, with wings on its back and a horn on its head. But that kind of pony doesn’t exist, right?” “Twilight,” Applejack said, “You look like you want to see this statue even more now. You got this little spark in your eyes.” Igneous smiled. “Well, if you’re that interested, go on and take a look for yourselves. The three of us, though, we’d best be getting out of here. I think everypony would be quite worried about us by now!” “Take care!” Twilight called. The three miners proceeded to say their thanks once more, and then departed the cavern. Twilight trotted forward, looking back to Applejack. “Well? We’re here anyway, might as well take a look.” AS she walked into the entrance to the old ruins chamber. “Hey what’s that?” Applejack exclaimed as they entered the room. A statue was present in the room, identical to Igneous’s description. The statue depicted a winged unicorn mare, with a mane that flowed behind her in an invisible wind. The crest on her flank was that of a slim, crescent moon. When Twilight stepped close, she cried out in pain. A sudden headache had wracked her mind, causing her to fall to the floor. “Twi… light… I… truly sorry… this way… certain… you… return… This… false… sanctuary… I… have…” The memory ended as soon as it happened. All Twilight could remember was that one sentence, not the pony behind it or even their voice. A hoof struck her face. “Twilight! You okay, sugarcube?” she looked worried. “Was it that voice you heard outside or something? Maybe we should head out ourselves…” A light shone between the two, seemingly emanating from the statue. A small idol, a pegasus wing made of pure silver, landed in Twilight’s hoof. “What in tarnation? Where did that thing come form?” “Calm down, Applejack. I don’t know anything you don’t, remember?” “S-Sorry… guess there wouldn’t be any way you’d know. Either way, Ah guess this might just be another unsolved mining incident for the history books. Ah say we head back for the surface now, and get us some cider.” Author's Note I can safely say that this was late, according to my planning. I'll try to update faster in the future, and thanks for understanding about that! Also, any and all criticism (as long as it isn't meant to simply rant on how bad an author I apparently could be) is appreciated; every bit of it helps me write better!
Prologue~Prologue~ The sky above darkened as rainclouds started to form overhead. A few sparse drops of water fell here and there, the harbingers of the coming storm. The few ponies left in the streets made idle chatter with each other as they walked towards their homes, seeking refuge from the storm. All of them, except for a single, young, unicorn mare. She slowly made her way through town, unsteady on her hooves. One could see a red tunic on her figure, with a small, steel shoulder guard on her right side. Various pouches hung from her belt, most empty. Her coat and mane were both lavender in color, the mane being darker than the coat. She had two stripes in her mane and tail, a light violet and a dark pink, almost red in color. She walked through town aimlessly as the storm picked up. A conversation between two stallions, miners of the town, could be heard by the wanderer as she passed. “Hey, did you hear the news? Sounds like they found another gold vein.” The first said. “Yeah, I heard the head miner went to check it out a little while ago.” The second replied, sounding as if he were an expert. “Way I hear it, there are veins all the way into the Everfree Forest.” “Heh, this gold rush buisness never lets up, does it?” The two shared a laugh. “Still, they aren’t seriously planning to go messing around in the forest, are they?” “Don’t even joke about that!” His companion quickly replied. “Going even near that place isn’t worth all the bits in the world. Can’t spend it if you’re dead, after all!” Not hearing the rest of the conversation, the mare trudged forward, towards the center of town. As she walked, she passed by a pair of mares. “I can’t believe it’s been five years since Equestria came under control of the New Romun Empire. And the city has never been more active!” She sounded knowledgeable, and well-poised for a high society. Her companion scoffed at the idea. “Bah! A happy accident, no more. The Romuns don’t give a damn about us. Until they struck gold in that damn Everfree they couldn’t even be bothered to clean up the roads of this town!” “Well, I hear there’s going to be a new Governor General soon, for what it’s worth.” “Who cares? Nothing’s going to change.” The merchant-esque mare said. “They’ll just come over here, line their saddlebags with bits, and as soon as the gold runs dry, be on their way.” “I suppose you may be right. But… wait. Hang on…” Her words were cut off as a white stallion walked past, flanked by guards on both sides. His mane was a stunning blonde, and a unicorn horn could be seen from his head. He was draped in a royal red cape. “That looks like a Romun officer. And a pretty hot one, if I may say so…” “Hmph.” The other mare said, caring little. “I just wish they’d end the war with Griffonia so I could do buisness in peace already.” “Couldn’t agree more.” The two mares shared a nod. “Feels like they’re just dragging their hooves by now.” Having walked out of earshot, the wandering mare limped on. She crossed the center of town, headed for a rather large building near the edge of the city. However, without looking, she had crashed into another mining stallion. “Hey!” he exclaimed, dropping the coal he was carrying. “Watch it, you idiot! Look where you’re going!” The stallion slapped the mare across her face, causing her to lose her balance and fall over. She was completely exhausted, and couldn’t even gather the strength to stand up. “That all you got? Foals these days, I tell ya.” The stallion said as he continued his walking. “No backbone at all.” Not having any strength at all, she fell completely to the ground as the rain picked up. The drops fell on her face, as few thoughts came to her exhausted mind. ‘Where am I..?” she thought. But then, an even stranger thought emerged. ‘Who… Who am I..?’ the next thing she knew, she blacked out. DragonTamer314 Proudly Presents (Without permission of Hasbro or Falcom, neither of which belongs to me nor am I a part of either company) Ys: Memories of Celestia Starring Twilight Sparkle as Adol Christin (Or at least his character… sue me. No, wait, don’t do that. I wouldn’t like that at all.) Author's Note Just in case you missed it in the description, Twilight is NOT an Alicorn here. yeah. Please review, as this is my first story on this site (But not my first in general). Thanks!
1: I'm a Swordsmare?~I’m a Swordsmare?~ In the next few hours, the mare had awoken to a curious feeling. The soft caress of warm bed sheets could be felt by her, not the cold road she passed out on. Glancing around, she spotted her tunic laying on a nearby table, dry and neatly folded. Shrugging, she put on the article of clothing (as it was the only thing she knew was hers for sure) and walked out of the room. Voices could be heard from down the stairs to her left, and she followed them to a large room full of ponies. Many were eating and drinking, laughing and sharing in the comfort of friends. Unsure of what to do, the lavender mare sat down at a random table, not expecting another mare to approach her almost instantly. She was blue in coat color, with a pink mane styled to look like the icing on a cupcake. “…Goodness, life is just full of surprises. To think that somepony would wind up collapsed in a heap, in the middle of a city like this!” “Thank you for helping me…” The mare managed to say, her voice still sounding a little shaky. The blue mare smiled. “Well, fortunately I think we have a few spare rooms, dearie. My name is Cup Cake, and it was no trouble at all to help out a poor soul like yourself. My husband and I should be able to give you somewhere to rest your head, at least.” She laughed a little, getting a laugh from the mare as well. “Take it easy for a while. That was a nasty spill out there, and I’d sure hate to see it happen again!” with that, the mare walked off. It wasn’t long before another voice reached her ears. “Twilight? Is that you over there?” turning her head, the mare saw an orange-coated earth pony walk into the room, headed her way. On her head was a leathery brown Stetson, and her flank carried a mark of three apples. A blue shirt covered her chest, and she proceeded to slam a hoof down on the table. The mare noticed it, like her other three, had a steel-plated shoe on it. “There you are! Ah finally found you. It’s me, your old pal Applejack!” She chuckled. “Ah thought Ah told you to let me know if y’all made it back alive!” the mare simply sat silent for several seconds, before asking: “Who’s Twilight?” “Mare, that’s really not funny.” Applejack said, shaking her head. “It’s you alright! Twilight Sparkle!” She slid into the chair opposite of the lavender mare, continuing her conversation. “But never mind all that. Ah can’t believe you went into the Everfree Forest of all places and came out alive! They say that when you set foot in that place, you lose your sense of where y’all are and never come out again.” The mare simply sat and listened, not sure of what to do. “There’s supposedly lots of gold in those parts, but since everypony tends to keep their distance, there’s no map for it. Ah tried to stop you, but once you set hoof out of that there front gate, Ah thought you were a goner…” She brightened up her mood immensely, though. “But here y’all are, proving me wrong! Y’all are mah favorite source of bits- I mean, mah dearest friend!” The mare could feel a large sweatdrop fall off the back of her head. “Now, however, straight to buisness. No offense intended if Ah cut to the chase, but Ah am an information dealer after all.” She placed her hooves on the table, folded under her muzzle. “Ah want all the info you got about the Everfree, and don’t you dare skimp on the details.” “Listen, Applejack…” the mare said. “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about. My mind’s blank, I’ve lost my memories. I don’t even know who I am.” “…Wha..?” Applejack wondered. “Come again?” after another three times repeating, The message seemed to get across. “Y’all gotta be kidding me… So y’all don’t remember who Ah am? Or who you are, for that matter?” The mare simply nodded. “What in Tartarus happened to y’all in there? ..Actually, forget Ah asked at all. This conversation never happened.” The mare tilted her head, confused. “Mah instincts are telling me you got yourself into some big ol’ trouble in the Everfree, and Ah’m sorry, but Ah want no part of it.” Applejack got up to leave, and turned back. “Sorry, Twilight. Don’t take it personally, but Ah know a bad idea when Ah hear one.” She was interrupted when a gruff looking stallion barged into the tavern. “Huff… Hahh…” he panted, before looking up. “W-We’ve got a problem!” He yelled. “The mine… there are monsters in the mine!” Everypony in the room gasped. A small crowd, the mare (who figured it was best to say her name was Twilight) and Applejack among them, formed near the miner. “So monsters just showed up in that newly-dug tunnel?” A customer asked. “It does lead to some old ruins.” Another responded. “I’d be surprised if there weren’t monsters in a place like that.” A third spoke up. “But… it’s times like this that we have the Romun Army here to help us, right?” several cheers of confirmation rose from the crowd. “Where’s Commander Sentry?” The miner spoke up. “He’s not here right now. He said he’s off doing a military training exercise. Even worse, the soldiers still here are only panicking like fillies near the Everfree.” “Seriously? They really are useless. They finally get the chance to do something, and they freak out!” “Did everypony get out safely?” Twilight asked. “I… I don’t know… it was every stallion for himself in there… nopony really paid much attention…” the miner said. “Not much to do about that, y’all.” Applejack said. “But there’s no time to lose. Let’s get to the mine!” Everypony ran out of the tavern immediately, heading to the southern part of town. Twilight saw little choice but to follow, seeing nothing but gathered soldiers panicking. “What is taking so long?” A blond, alabaster stallion yelled. “Get those who are wounded out of there!” “Yes, sir!” a few soldiers yelled back. The stallion turned to the few miners huddles outside the mineshaft. “The safety of your fellow miners is our highest priority. Make certain everypony is accounted for!” The miners nodded and started a head count. “So… who’s that stallion?” Applejack asked nopony in particular. “That’s Governor General Blueblood. He just got here recently. Seems Commander Sentry is away on buisness, so he was assigned here instead.” “Are you the last?” Blueblood asked a miner who just emerged from the cave. “N-No… the head miner… and a few others… they got trapped in the room the monsters came out of…” he was almost doubled over from exhaustion and injury. “Please… please help them…” “Do not worry. We will see to it that they are rescued.” Suddenly, the world seemed to be more distant, as if a hazy film were laid over it. Twilight was looking around, curious. She spotted a strange orb of light near the mine entrance, but nopony else seems to have noticed it. Curious, she walked up to it, reached out with a hoof, and touched the orb. Voices flowed through her head, but she did not know whose. “I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that you knocked one of sis’s knives out of the air with just your sword! She never misses!” A mare’s voice said. A second one replied, “Yeah, she may not look like much, but her skill with the sword is amazing. You’ll have to fight me one-on-one sometime!” ‘Sword…? Was I a swordsmare?’ Twilight thought. ‘I have to get involved… I have to help them!’ Without much more thought, She ran into the mine’s entrance. Little did she know, that her decision would lead to the start of one of the world’s greatest adventures…
2: The Ponyville Mine~The Ponyville Mine~ Twilight didn’t really have any sort of plan as she rushed into the mine. It was more so ‘enter, save miners’ than anything else. She started by running towards the left of the cave, following the scaffolding along the walls. When she came across a gate, however, a large amount of boulders were in her way. Seeing no way to move them, she hurried back and followed the cave system the other way, towards the right of the entrance. “Hold up there, sugarcube!” a familiar voice called out. Confused, Twilight turned around, only to find Applejack running in the cave after her. Applejack was panting. “Ah step away from you for a few minutes and you just go on and charge in here alone? Where do you think you’re going?” “Now, calm down…” Twilight said. She shook a hoof at the mare. “St-Stay back, no need to chase after me…” “Oh no! Ah’m not letting this go, Twi. Am Ah supposed to just turn my flank around and leave while you go get yourself killed?” Her voice was at once both concern and anger at the lavender mare. “Listen, Applejack, I came in here to help…” Twilight said. “I… had a vision outside the cave, of sorts, and it said something about me being a swordsmare. I mean, I just had to come in here and help the ponies in here…” Applejack stayed silent for a few seconds, her Stetson tipped in thought. She then leveled her eyes at Twilight. “Ah think Ah know what’s going on here. You’re one of THOSE ponies, aren’t you?” At Twilight’s confusion, she continued. “All you do-gooders just have to stick your muzzles where they don’t belong, right? You just have to try and solve everypony’s problems and drag others along once you’re doing it!” The red-garbed unicorn cringed under the blue-dressed mare’s words. Applejack then smirked. “…Well, Ah know better than to talk your kind out of this. That’s why Ah’m going to give you this.” Applejack reached back into her saddlebags, which weren’t present in the tavern, and pulled out a short sword. It looked as if it barely fit in the bag, from the size of it. Twilight thanked the mare, and strapped the sword’s sheath to her left flank, the tip of the sheath not far from the ground. “Ah don’t want your corpse on my conscience, after all. Ah can’t believe you were seriously thinking of walking in here with nothing but your hooves… you’re a unicorn, not an earth pony!” “I’m a what…?” Twilight asked, before reaching a hoof to her head. Sure enough, she felt a horn poking up from her mane. “I… don’t remember…” “Landsake’s, you don’t even remember how to fight?” Applejack asked, apparently genuinely shocked at this point. “I-I can manage it! Look,” Twilight grabbed the sword’s hilt in her mouth, holding it relatively well in her jaws. “Ah con hood i’ jus’ fin.” Applejack smacked her own face with a hoof. “FINE!” She shouted suddenly. “Ah’ll come part of the way with you. ONLY part way, you got me?” Twilight simply sheathed her blade, smirking present on her own face. “Now who’s being naïve?” she said cockily. “Ah shut it. Let’s just get this over with.” The two mares trudged on, until meeting a solitary stone statue. “Hmm…” Applejack studied it closer, running a hoof on its surface. “This is a pretty old-looking tablet…” she muttered. Curious, Twilight touched it, trying to see what secrets it held. The entire thing started glowing orange with a small humming sound as soon as her hoof made contact. “Wh-What? What did y’all just do?” Twilight went into panic mode. “I ONLY TOUCHED IT!” she said, shocked as well. “I didn’t do anything other than that!” Applejack nodded in agreement, more confused than before. “Maybe it’s because I’m a unicorn?” Shrugging, Applejack simply moved on, muttering something about just getting in and out of the cave as fast as possible. It was at this point the cave started becoming more rugged, with unmined veins of gold, copper, and other metals still in view. As well as a few curious little creatures running around. “Yep, those are monsters alright.” Applejack said. They appeared to be small moles, but their heads were coated with an unnatural white fur and their eyes glistened red in the sparse light form the lanterns in the mine. “What are they doing so close to the entrance?” Twilight asked. “Shouldn’t they not even be here?” “Well, it just means we got to drive them back. How’s it feel to hold a sword again, Twi?” Applejack gestured to her companion’s still-sheathed blade. “It feels kind of natural. I mean, if I were to believe that voice, I am used to it. I guess it’s just my memories helping me?” “It’s good to hear that anyway, sugarcube. We’ll find out why and how you remember that later.” She gestured with an armored hoof towards the monsters. “Why don’t you take some practice? These monsters are nothing compared to the dangers of the Everfree, so you should be fine. You seem like you could use a little warm-up anyways.” Twilight nodded, and approached the beasts with her sword in her maw. She swung the blade at on before it noticed her, and the beast stumbled back in shock and pain. Confidence rising, it only took two more swings to dispatch the first beast. Unfortunately for Twilight, its friends noticed, and each of them attacked. Their claws sunk into her hide, drawing blood but not doing anything serious. “Nut gunna le’ tha’ bo’her ne!” Twilight said to herself, around her sword’s hilt. She dispatched the three troublemakers who attacked her, suffering only one other minor wound in the process. She sheathed her blade when the last one was slain. “Well, it looks like your body knows how to use that, even if your head don’t.” Applejack said. “But what Ah’m wondering is why you didn’t use your magic to just levitate the sword. Or do you not remember how to do that?” “Magic?” Twilight asked. “All unicorns- you know what? Ah’ll tell you about it when we get out of this mess. It’ll take too long and Ah’m not exactly an expert on it.” With that, the earth pony trudged on, leaving a slightly confused unicorn to catch up. “HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” “Did you hear that?” Twilight asked. “HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” “Sounds like somepony…” Applejack responded. “HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” “In trouble!” Twilight said, drawing her blade and running off into the cave. “That mare is going to get us both killed.” Author's Note There we go. Last update until next week, and you can expect at least one chapter per weekend until I'm done. See you all next time!
The Center of the RuinsTwilight felt her heart pounding as she ran farther into the mine with Applejack. The two of them began to cross a narrow, wooden bridge when suddenly Applejack stopped her. “Whoa there, sally-girl. See those monsters over there?” Twilight squinted, and saw what seemed to be two separate kinds of monsters. One of them appeared to be a blue, tentacle-like creature, while the other had chitin covering its body and crystals growing out of its back. “Yeah, I see them. What’s so odd about them?” “Well, Ah reckon your sword would cut through those soft-bodied ones, but on the other hoof, your sword might just be reflected by those crystally-looking ones.” She thought for a second, stretching her legs. “But mah Ironclad bucks should send ‘em running!” Twilight nodded in her understanding, and the two of them charged the monsters from the bridge. Twilight swung her head as her sword sliced cleanly through the worm-like creature. A second one noticed the death of its comrade, and vomited up a green acid-like substance that hit the unicorn in the middle of her barrel. She groaned in pain as she forced her body to slay the creature in front of her. Before she could get to it, though, Applejack ran in. She turned on her front hooves and launched a buck that sent the creature flying, bouncing off the bridge once and then into the caverns below. “You alright, Twilight?” “Y-Yeah… just took a hit from those things… I’ll be fine…” She said. “Nonsense! Here, Ah brought a few of these here honey potions with me. Take one and tend to that there wound of yours.” Applejack dug into her saddlebags and pulled out a small green potion, hoofing it over to Twilight. The unicorn blushed slightly. “Thanks… it’s very thoughtful…” She said, drinking the potion. Applejack groaned. “W-What?” She stammered, clearly flustered. “D-Don’t go saying things like that with a straight face… It’s embarrassing!” She shook her head for a second, then continued. “Anyways, that there is a honey potion, like Ah said. It should take care of minor scrapes like that, but it’s not gonna help the bigger wounds.” Twilight nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. For now, let’s focus on finding those two ponies who were screaming.” The mine was slowly becoming more and more rough, with less support beams from the miners present. In fact, a wooden scaffold not too far off seemed to be the last thing before it became full-fledged cave. The screaming voices were close, and Twilight could make out what they were screaming. “Hey, Snips, how are you holding out?” A slender-looking unicorn said. His body was a mustard yellow underneath his standard-issue guard armor. “WAAAH!” his green/blue companion said. “I think my leg’s broken!” “Stop whining! Or the commander’s gonna yell at us when he gets back!” They were currently surrounded by monsters, being driven into a corner. “Go away! Shoo!” The smaller one said. The monsters looked as if they were about to attack, when suddenly, they turned around to greet two newcomers to the fray. “Don’t worry, we’re here to help!” Twilight shouted before drawing her blade. Applejack simply knocked her hooves on the ground, eager to get started. “Give ‘em all you got, Twi! These are the strongest ones yet!” Applejack said as she bucked the nearest monster, one resembling the ones Twilight first fought. The main foe looked as if one of those smaller ones had grown up… and taken a large amount of steroids. Twilight slashed at it, only for the monster to swipe at her with a single paw, sending the lavender unicorn flying. Applejack bucked it with all her strength, but the same effect happened. “This thing’s strong… how can we beat it?” Twilight thought. Unknown to her, that thought triggered a spark in her mind. The spark traveled to the spiral horn on her head, which began to glow in a violet aura. “Wait, this energy… is this magic?” She thought. “If so… then I need to use this to help us… Aura Breaker!” she shouted the last bit, her sword falling to the ground, only to be caught in the aura from her horn. The blade shot out with a powerful thrust, the shockwave generated from it knocking anything she considered an enemy to the ground. The blade flew upwards, then straight down as it pierced through the skull of the giant monster, killing it instantly. “What in the name of the Sun…” Applejack gasped. The sword fell to the ground shortly after, Twilight’s horn ceasing its glow. “What did you just do?” “I… don’t know…” Twilight responded. While she thought, the shorter blue unicorn spoke. “I thought I was gonna die!” he exclaimed. “Oh, come on. You’re just exaggerating.” The taller, slender unicorn said. “By the way, who are you two?” Applejack answered. “Oh, just a passing information dealer and her amnesiac do-gooder companion. Ah don’t think you two can handle what’s in these here caves. You might just want to head back.” “Snails, let’s do that! I don’t think I can go on… my leg still hurts. I knew I wasn’t cut out to be a soldier.” Snails simply huffed and led the two of them out of the cave system. Applejack shook her head in both mild amusement and concern. “Ever since we joined up with that Romun Empire, the Equestrian Army technically part of that. But us here in Trottingham? Our army’s nothing more than a barely trained militia. Morale’s not that high, as you can see, Twi.” Twilight simply smiled. “That just means it’s our time to shine! Let’s keep moving.” She proceeded to rush off, leaving a smirking Applejack behind. The caves started to head downward, and soon the two mares could see the bridge they crossed over high above them. There was a sparkling lake between them and the shore of the other side of the underground water system, and a few torches could be seen flanking an iron gate on the other side. “Think there might be any more miners on the other side of this?” Twilight asked. She pointed a hoof to the torches. “They’ve obviously gone that way during the mining process.” “Ah’ll have to agree with you there. The water doesn’t look too deep, we can cross by swimming over.” She jumped into the water, creating a mild splash that soaked Twilight’s forelegs. Annoyed, the lavender mare followed suit, attempting to splash her friend with as much water as she could. “Now, now. Let’s not do that sort of thing here.” Applejack blushed. “I-In fact, let’s just not do that at all, okay?” “Alright, Applejack. Whatever you say.” Twilight responded. When the two crossed the still water, the gate was just a few meters away. Twilight trotted up to it and pushed on it as hard as she could. “It’s locked.” She said after a minute’s attempt, even with Applejack’s help. The lock was shining steel on the dull iron. “It’s definitely not budging. Not sure if there’s any other way to go any deeper, though…” “Let’s look for a key. There has to be one nearby; you can’t lock this gate from the inside, it seems.” Twilight said. Not too far off, the pair found a small, iron box. It had a copper lock on it, sealing away its contents. “No fair! This is locked too!” She cried out, punching it with a hoof. “Don’t you worry, sugarcube.” Applejack said. “That lock’s copper, not steel like the other one, so I can buck it off no problem.” With that, Applejack spun and kicked at the lock, breaking it in two easily. The chest bounced open, revealing a very battered-looking key. “There we go. Let’s go see what’s behind that there door.” The key fit perfectly, and the two were greeted by a long hallway of rock. Near the end of the hallway was another monument, akin to the one at the start of the mine. “I think we’re nearing the end of the mine.” Twilight said. Tall marble pillars flanked the two as they headed down a final hallway. The two eventually came to a large, open part of the mine. “Huh… this place feels different than the rest of the mine. It’s like a ruin.” A small earthquake suddenly occurred, sending the mare off their hooves. A massive beast descended from the ceiling, thrashing two massive arms covered in purple and blue crystals. Its back was coated in more of the blue crystals, giving it a spiky look. The face was nothing but five red eyes on black skin, matching the relatively unarmored lower half of the beast. “Is this the monster that started all this trouble? Twilight, if you don’t want to die, you’d better hurry up and remember how to fight!” The monster swung one of its massive arms towards the lavender mare, flinging her into the air and slamming her against a wall. Grunting out in pain, she saw Applejack kick the monster square in its unarmored stomach, causing it to switch its attention to her. “I have to do something.” Twilight thought. “But I don’t know how I used magic before. How can I do it again?” She rushed forward, joining Applejack in her assault. Twilight’s sword sliced through the skin of the creature, spilling blood as it howled. Rocks fell from the ceiling of the cave, raining down on Twilight and Applejack. The armored back of the creature protected it from them, and the creature took full advantage of that to attack them again. Applejack was not as lucky as Twilight was, and took a full hit to her barrel which started bleeding fiercely. “I can’t let Applejack die… I barely know her, but she is still my friend!” A glowing power erupted over Twilight’s horn. Her sword enveloped in the aura, she prepared to attack the creature, pumping as much energy as she could into the spell. Applejack bucked the creature’s legs, causing it to stumble as hoof shattered bone. Its soft underbelly exposed, Twilight unleashed her instincts, sending her blade flying into the creature’s stomach. The blade tore up the monster from the inside, causing its life expectancy to fall rapidly. When the spell faded, Twilight’s blade fell from the gaping wound in the monster, and the beast itself fell to the ground. Life left its five eyes, and the two mares smiled at each other in their victory. “Ah still want to figure out why you can’t use magic normally like any other unicorn,” Applejack began, “But Ah sure am glad it works when we need it!” Twilight nodded. “That was a little too close, if you ask me. Are you alright?” She pointed to her companion’s barrel. The bleeding was slowed, but the wound was still fresh. “Ah’m alright. Nothing a good night’s sleep and a few potions can’t heal.” She turned to fully face Twilight. “But mare, you are one of the strongest ponies Ah’ve ever seen. Ah’m starting to understand how you managed to get out of the Everfree alive!” “Well, nopony’s more surprised than I am…” Twilight said, rubbing her head with a hoof. Applejack sighed. “And yet you just trotted on in here without a sword. Hopeless is an understatement when it comes to you.” She joked, causing a laugh from both. “Hey, you two!” A voice shouted from further in the cave, past the monster’s corpse. A trio of mining ponies appeared, their leader a dull gray coated stallion with a short beard. “I can’t believe my eyes! You two actually took down that big monster! I’m Igneous Rock, the head miner.” “My name’s Twilight, and this is my friend Applejack. I’m just glad you’re alright.” “I can’t thank you enough. You saved all of our lives from certain doom! As long as that monster was there, we couldn’t leave.” “At least you’re all no worse for wear. Small favors really do help out bigtime, huh?” Applejack mused. “Absolutely! Now, there was a reason we stayed safe…” Igneous turned to face the single cave the led deeper into the mine. “In there is an old ruin, and a statue of some strange pony. It started to glow, and that calmed the monsters down a little. I swear it actually happened.” “What kind of statue was it? Any clues as to what it is at all?” Twilight asked. “Well… it was distinct. It was a pony, with wings on its back and a horn on its head. But that kind of pony doesn’t exist, right?” “Twilight,” Applejack said, “You look like you want to see this statue even more now. You got this little spark in your eyes.” Igneous smiled. “Well, if you’re that interested, go on and take a look for yourselves. The three of us, though, we’d best be getting out of here. I think everypony would be quite worried about us by now!” “Take care!” Twilight called. The three miners proceeded to say their thanks once more, and then departed the cavern. Twilight trotted forward, looking back to Applejack. “Well? We’re here anyway, might as well take a look.” AS she walked into the entrance to the old ruins chamber. “Hey what’s that?” Applejack exclaimed as they entered the room. A statue was present in the room, identical to Igneous’s description. The statue depicted a winged unicorn mare, with a mane that flowed behind her in an invisible wind. The crest on her flank was that of a slim, crescent moon. When Twilight stepped close, she cried out in pain. A sudden headache had wracked her mind, causing her to fall to the floor. “Twi… light… I… truly sorry… this way… certain… you… return… This… false… sanctuary… I… have…” The memory ended as soon as it happened. All Twilight could remember was that one sentence, not the pony behind it or even their voice. A hoof struck her face. “Twilight! You okay, sugarcube?” she looked worried. “Was it that voice you heard outside or something? Maybe we should head out ourselves…” A light shone between the two, seemingly emanating from the statue. A small idol, a pegasus wing made of pure silver, landed in Twilight’s hoof. “What in tarnation? Where did that thing come form?” “Calm down, Applejack. I don’t know anything you don’t, remember?” “S-Sorry… guess there wouldn’t be any way you’d know. Either way, Ah guess this might just be another unsolved mining incident for the history books. Ah say we head back for the surface now, and get us some cider.” Author's Note I can safely say that this was late, according to my planning. I'll try to update faster in the future, and thanks for understanding about that! Also, any and all criticism (as long as it isn't meant to simply rant on how bad an author I apparently could be) is appreciated; every bit of it helps me write better!
