Cor Tuum Audireby DarkswirlChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter One Dear Twilight Sparkle, I found your report on the Alicorn Amulet very intriguing, although I must remind you that scrying techniques can often skew the truth or be far from it. However, given what we already know about ancient Unicorns, if what you found is true, then perhaps those ancient Unicorns could have had their hooves far deeper into pockets than they should have. In regards to that, I have safely enclosed another item of interest retrieved from the Canterlot vaults: a small ring of some sort. I can only guess as to what its purpose may have been, but it is definitely enchanted, and I am willing to bet it was made during the same era and by the same Unicorns, judging from the craftsmanship and the signature red gem. As usual, please report your findings to me when you have the time. Again, you have my sincere thanks in helping Luna and I 'take inventory' of the vaults; there's no telling how long these things have sat here collecting dust, let alone what they do. Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria "Who would have thought graduation would be so boring?" Scootaloo groaned as she lay on her back in the clubhouse. It had been two months since the Cutie Mark Crusaders graduated high school. Two months since they were officially free of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's scorn of still not having their cutie marks. Throughout that time, the three crusaders had grown exceptionally: Apple Bloom had taken up woodshop in high school in order to help out with repairs around the farm, Scootaloo had been adopted by Rainbow Dash, officially, although the relationship appeared to be more like roommates rather than mother and daughter, and Sweetie Belle earned a part-time job helping her older sister in the Boutique, and had even taken a fancy to jewelry. Throughout the years, the Cutie Mark Crusaders grew and learned. But now, with high school over, the three were bored out of their minds. The last exciting thing to have happened was when a castle magically grew out of the ground for Twilight, and that was years ago. Since then, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had tried everything imaginable to earn their cutie marks, from dangerous skydiving to simple and calm sewing. "You know, if you'd apply at the Weather Facility, you might be able to earn enough bits to take a vacation somewhere." Sweetie Belle replied as she began stitching another part of Apple Bloom's work boots. "Get out of Ponyville for a while like we've all been talking about, you know?" "Yeah, but the Weather Facility is so boring." Scootaloo continued. "All they let part-timers do is fluff the clouds. We don't get to work on the big projects like Winter Wrap-Up or bringing the water up to Cloudsdale; that's all for the experienced Weather Ponies." "If you'd keep the job fer more than a month then you can actually move up." Apple Bloom retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Rainbow Dash worked hard to get you a position there, and you just threw it away." "Because that position is holding me back!" Scootaloo scoffed. "I can do better work than cloud fluffing, and Rainbow Dash knows it." "But the ponies who run the Weather Facility don't know that, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle chipped in, softly. "They can't take somepony's word on something like this; they have to see that you're responsible and careful, first." "Man..." Scootaloo sighed. "I wish Rainbow Dash had her own business, like Rarity or Applejack. That way I wouldn't have to put up with a job that holds me back." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shared an unamused look before sighing. "I'm almost done with your boots, Apple Bloom. Do you guys want to go see Twilight after this? Maybe she can help you out, Scootaloo." Scootaloo remained on her back and gave a half-hearted shrug. "I guess. Do you guys mind if I go get Rumble?" "So long as you don't forget we exist with him here." Apple Bloom said. "That was one time!" Scootaloo defended as she trotted out the door. "Meet you guys at Twilight's?" "It's all the time." Sweetie Belle mouthed to Apple Bloom as Scootaloo spread her wings and took off towards Ponyville. "Rumble, hey!" Scootaloo called out with a smile on her face as she trotted after the light-gray coated pegasus. "Oh, h-hey, Scootaloo." Rumble replied with a nervous smile and blush. Throughout high school, the two pegasi had grown closer to each other as the years went on. They found comfort in each others' presence from the bullying of not having a cutie mark or parents, anymore. And although Rumble had already earned his cutie mark as a cloud mechanic for the Cloudsdale Weather Facility, he didn't let a silly thing like that get in the way of his feelings for Scootaloo. "How was work?" Scootaloo inquired as she gave his cheek a little nuzzle. "Well, you know how it gets." Rumble explained, still holding his goofy smile. "Some clouds dissipate here, a hole gets punched through there. I'm just glad it's easy to repair clouds." "Heh, maybe, but you make them all look smooth and neat; like they were made out of marble." "I-It's not that big of a deal. They're just clouds, after all." Rumble explained as Scootaloo leaned into his side as they walked. "Hey, the girls and I are going to see Twilight in a few minutes. Want to come?" "S-Sorry, Scoots, Thunderlane wants me home as soon as I get off work from now on; he says you're too much of a distraction during the week for me." "Oh, come on, he's head of the thunderstorm department and you're practically an adult." Scootaloo snorted. "Why does he get to say who you can and can't see?" "Because he's my brother and my boss, Scootaloo." Rumble explained. "The thunderstorm department does a number on the facility, and he needs me to keep focused in order to repair everything. Plus, he's not telling me I can't hang out with you at all, just not during the weekdays because I have work." Scootaloo rolled her eyes with a little huff. "He sounds really controlling. See you Saturday, then?" "Saturday." Rumble nodded in confirmation as he lay a wing over Scootaloo's back. "I love you, featherbrain." "Rumble didn't want to come?" Sweetie Belle inquired, confusedly. "Thunderlane doesn't want me seeing him during the work week; he says I'm too much of a distraction." Scootaloo explained as she dropped down from the sky to join her friends outside of Twilight's castle. "He's not wrong." Apple Bloom teased with a nudge to Scootaloo, who replied by sticking out her tongue as the trio approached the castle. "Halt." ordered the Royal Guard outside the door. "Princess Twilight Sparkle is not currently at home." "Well, where is she?" Apple Bloom asked. "Can we wait inside for her?" "I do not know where Princess Twilight Sparkle currently is." the guard explained. "I am not permitted to allow anypony, with the exception of the five Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, into the castle without the Princess being present." "Oh, come on!" Sweetie Belle pleaded. "We're three young mares out here in the cold! Plus we're all related to one of the Bearer's!" "Yeah, Rarity is Sweetie Belle's sister, and Applejack is Apple Bloom's sister." Scootaloo added. "And who are you?" the guard questioned. "Oh, me? I live with Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied with a big grin. "Wait a second, I know who you three are." the guard started with a chuckle. "You're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, aren't you? Those three mares who won first place for comedy three years in a row at the Ponyville High talent show?" Sweetie Belle gave a soft groan and hid her snout in her hoof as Scootaloo glared at the guard. "Yep, that's us." Apple Bloom sighed. "Oh, man, you three were hilarious with that song about cutie marks!" the guard laughed. "My daughter and I kept referencing it all night for a week!" "Oh, that's great." Scootaloo mused sarcastically. "So can we wait inside?" "Heh, yeah, sure. Everypony in town knows you're harmless. Go on in, just don't touch anything." the guard chuckled as he opened the door for the three mares, who quickly stepped inside before the door shut behind them. "I can't believe ponies are still talking about that..." Sweetie Belle groaned. "'Best Comedy Act' three years in a row..." Scootaloo joined. "My pride, it hurts..." "Oh, quit yer bellyachin'." Apple Bloom interrupted. "Just because we didn't get what we were after doesn't make us losers. We still got an award in the first place." "Tell that to Diamond Tiara." Scootaloo replied as the trio began walking through the short halls of the small castle. "What ever happened to her, anyway?" Sweetie Belle wondered aloud. "During elementary school we used to see her all the time out in Ponyville, but after High School it's like she just vanished." "I heard she and her dad moved to Canterlot." Scootaloo said. "I doubt it." Apple Bloom added as they stepped through the doorway and into the library. "Her house still has lights on every now and then, and the same gardening pony still does their lawn." "Stalker." Scootaloo teased with a chuckle. "It's not stalkin'. Her house is literally the only one between the farm and Ponyville. Hard to not notice things that go on there." Apple Bloom explained. "Hmmm." Sweetie Belle mused in a matter-of-fact tone. "So, how long do you think Twilight will be gone?" "Hopefully not too long." Apple Bloom answered. "I have to get home by nine to fix the barn door in the morning." "Yeah, she's not usually gone long, anyway; she really only leaves to go talk to one of the other Bearers." Scootaloo added as she settled down onto the floor next to Sweetie Belle. "Now who's the stalker?" Apple Bloom joked with a chuckle. The trio shared a short laugh as they got comfortable on the floor while waiting for Twilight to return. After a few minutes, however, they grew bored, and eyes began to wander as books were plucked from the shelves. Sweetie Belle, however, was not as interested in the books as she was an odd piece of jewelry that she noticed lying under the table. Curiously, she grabbed it with her magic and levitated it closer; turning it over in the air to study it. It was a peculiar ring, no bigger than a coin. The band was solid gold with a sapphire trench around it, topped with a small, shining ruby centerpiece. "What's that?" Scootaloo piped up upon noticing Sweetie Belle's distraction. "It... Looks like a horn ring, but Twilight doesn't wear jewelry." Sweetie Belle replied. "In fact, she kind of hates looking fancy." "Maybe it's your sister's? I mean, I did see her over here, yesterday. Did she drop it and forget about it?" Apple Bloom wondered. "Probably. It does look like something that Rarity would wear." Sweetie Belle said. "I'm going to go run it over to her, you guys want to come with me?" "Nothing better to do here." Scootaloo replied. "Eh, I should probably get home." Apple Bloom said. "I kind of want to wake up early to get the barn out of the way so I can get my chores finished early. Are ya'll still coming to the clubhouse tomorrow?" "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Sweetie Belle promised as she stood up and stretched her legs. "Yeah, count me in." Scootaloo added as she jogged in place, excitedly. "Alright, see ya'll later." Apple Bloom said as she hurried off through the castle,leaving Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to take their time trotting through the halls as they neared the exit. "I can't imagine Rarity leaving something this pretty without realizing it was gone." Sweetie Belle said as she continued to study the ring, before slipping it onto her horn. "Eh, if I had to wear something like that all the time I'd be happy if I 'misplaced' it." Scootaloo teased. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes with a smile as she shook her head softly. "I bet if Rumble gave something like this to you we'd always see you wearing it." Scootaloo stumbled over her hooves for a moment as she imagined Rumble gifting her anything. "N-Not true! If he gave me something ugly like that'd I'd probably..." Sweetie Belle smiled smugly over at Scootaloo as she stopped talking; a dark blush highlighting her orange face. "Just as I thought." The two remained silent as they exited the castle and said their goodbyes to the guard, before heading into Ponyville as the sun began to set on Equestria. "You know, out of the three of us, I always thought it'd be you who fell in love, first." Scootaloo began. "I mean, think about it: Rarity has stallions staring at her all the time wherever she goes, even when she's not all dolled up. And you, you're practically the spitting image of her." Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at Scootaloo as they began passing through the marketplace, where shops were closing and carts were being pulled out of the street for the night. "Have you seen the two of us, side by side? Rarity's beautiful, yes, but she has an aura or something. She comes off as high class even though she's not, just from the way she talks. Don't you remember that one year at the Gala Pinkie told us about?" "Well, yeah, but come on. That's Pinkie Pie we're talking about, the same mare who finished telling us how she got her cutie mark with 'and that's how Equestria was made'." Scootaloo scoffed. "You may not think so, or even notice it, but I've seen a few colts looking your way once or twice. Maybe they just think you're out of their league because of your sister?" "Maybe..." Sweetie Belle began. "Although, truth be told, I'm not really interested in finding somepony to settle down with. I mean, I'm happy for you and Rumble, but I just have so much to do in my life. I'd rather spend my free time just hanging out with Apple Bloom and you." "Oh, well, that makes sense." Scootaloo admitted as she rubbed the back of her head in slight confusion as the pair came to a stop at the entrance to Carousel Boutique. As Sweetie Belle's horn flared up to turn the knob and open the door, her magic made a detour out through the ring on her horn; creating a glowing map with two flashing red symbols. Out of shock, however, Sweetie Belle cut short her magic, and with it the map. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle slowly turned their heads to face each other, mouths wide in shock and awe, before they sped off through Ponyville towards Sweet Apple Acres. Chapter Two"Another one, with the same giant red ruby as before?" Rarity inquired with a giddy little hoofstomp as she and Twilight made their way through Ponyville at night. They avoided the marketplace as to not interfere with the ponies as they moved their carts and stock out of the street, and instead opted to skirt around the edge of the town towards the castle. "Well, it's not as big as the one in the Alicorn Amulet, but Princess Celestia and I think it was made by the same pony, or group of ponies, at the very least." Twilight explained. "And it's definitely enchanted, I just don't know how." "Oh, my stars, this is so exciting!" Rarity exclaimed. "To be able to examine an enchanted ring crafted by ancient unicorns, first hoof! Do you know why rubies were used primarily in enchanted items?" As quickly as she had asked the question, Rarity answered it herself; leaving no time for Twilight to even guess. "Because rubies are one of the few gemstones that allow magic to pass easily through it as if it wasn't even there, while still acting like a conduit!" Rarity giggled in excitement as Twilight gave a little chuckle. "Well, that would certainly explain why they used a ruby for the Alicorn Amulet; all those magic-amplifiers spells would have been a lot harder to cast without a ruby." Twilight mused as they neared the castle. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, welcome home." the guard greeted with a salute, to which Twilight replied with a silent nod. "Three mares came by to see you, recently, but you were not at home. I let them wait inside for ten minutes before they left." "Who was it? Did they say what they wanted?" Twilight asked as Rarity calmed herself in front of the guard. "Unfortunately not, Princess. However, the three mares were Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle." the guard replied. "Oh, alright. Well, they're probably all at home, now." Twilight chuckled as the guard swung open the door for her and saluted, before stepping to the side to let the two mares pass. "I'll see what Sweetie Belle wanted when I leave here." Rarity promised as she followed her friend through the crystal halls and into the library. "If it's anything important I'll come rushing over, otherwise I'll see you in the morning. Now, where is that beautiful ring?" Twilight's face turned from a small smile into a confused and worried frown as she pushed aside a pile of books on the table. "I-I don't know. I left it right on the letter Princess Celestia left me before I went to come get you." "Did it maybe fall onto the floor? You did practically slam into my door in excitement." Rarity smiled as she bent her head down to scan the floor for any sight of the ring. "Maybe. I may have accidentally bumped into the table, too, on my way out." Twilight admitted with a nervous laugh before she, too, ducked her head down low to begin searching. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, Twilight raised her head with a defeated groan. "I can't believe I lost the ring on the first day... Princess Celestia won't send me anything like this ever again if she fins out I lost it... Wait! The Cutie Mark Crusaders, the guard said they were here!" "Twilight, while I understand your thought process, if you are perhaps implying that Sweetie Belle would steal from anyone, let alone you-" Rarity began with a shocked tone, before Twilight interrupted her. "No, Rarity, I'm not saying Sweetie Belle or the other Crusaders stole it, but think about it: have you ever seen me wear jewelry?" Twilight explained. "I hate the stuff, and practically every pony knows it. If they found something like that just laying around, they'd probably think that you had dropped it!" Rarity opened her mouth to protest, before slowly closing it with a nod. "Alright, I'll go check on Sweetie Belle. Do you want to go visit Rainbow Dash and see if, perhaps, Scootaloo has it? If Apple Bloom has it, well, she's a responsible young filly who can't go very far to begin with." "Alright, meet back at the castle when one of us has the ring?" Twilight asked, to which Rarity gave another short nod before the pair hurried through the castle and back out into Ponyville. "Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo whispered loudly as she tapped on Apple Bloom's second-story window. A candle lit inside the room and Apple Bloom slowly trotted towards the window while rubbing her eyes. "What do y'all want? I just went to bed." Apple Bloom asked with slight annoyance. "Can we come in? You gotta see this!" Scootaloo continued as she dropped down to pick up Sweetie Belle and carry her up to the window. Apple Bloom sighed and opened the window as much as she could before climbing back into bed as Scootaloo carefully angled Sweetie Belle so that she could climb in through the window, before all three Crusaders quietly climbed into the bed. "Now what's so darn important that you had to wake me up? I got chores in the morning!" Apple Bloom explained. "This." Sweetie Belle said as she flared up her magic once more; the ring on her horn forcing it out through the glimmering ruby center piece to produce a glowing map with two flashing red symbols. Apple Bloom's tired eyes opened wide as she took in the magical map. "T-That's Equestria." Apple Bloom explained, simply. "See, that mountain in the center is Canterlot, and that sun and moon must be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." "I know, right?" Scootaloo exclaimed. "But why are they on the map? Why are they being 'tracked' by this ring, and what are these other symbols?" "Well," Sweetie Belle began. "This little black flag is right on Canterlot, and the other one is in the Everfree Forest, so that might be those old ruins that Ms. Cheerilee said was New Canterlot before Canterlot was rebuilt." Sweetie Belle pressed her hoof into her chin as her eyes wandered over the map; her friends waiting patiently for her to continue. "And this red ring symbol might be us, here in Ponyville, but I don't know what that green swirly thing in Ponyville is, or why there's a red flag in the San Palomino Desert; there's nothing there but desert and mountains." "Ancient ruins!" Scootaloo shouted in excitement before Apple Bloom tackled her and held her mouth shut. "I'm supposed to be asleep, you two! Keep it down!" Apple Bloom whispered harshly to Scootaloo before climbing off of her. "I don't think so, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle continued. "If there was anything in San Palomino, I'm sure somepony would have found it by now. And besides, Canterlot is still around, and they have a black flag." "Yeah, but that old castle in the Everfree Forest is destroyed, and it still has a black flag." Scootaloo challenged. "The mountains in San Palomino go on for miles, and they're so cloudy that weather ponies haven't been able to push them all out of the way. Plus it's theorized that there are hundreds of miles of cave networks from the river that used to run from Saddle Lake straight into San Palomino." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a concerned look before Scootaloo shifted nervously on the bed. "Hey, just because I failed a lot of my classes doesn't mean I didn't pay attention to parts of them." Apple Bloom gave a little huff as she sat next to Sweetie Belle for a better view of the map. "Scootaloo may be right, but from here to there is miles away. If you're implying that we go see why there's a red flag in the middle of the desert, we'd be gone for weeks, and I have stuff to do on the farm." "Apple Bloom, you always have stuff to do on the farm; the same things, day in and day out." Scootaloo complained. "All I've ever seen you do here is kick trees and fix the barn. Don't you ever want to do something different?" "I like picking apples and I like fixing things on the farm." Apple Bloom defended. "I have a responsibility here, I can't just get up and leave whenever I want." "Why not?" Sweetie Belle began as she let her magic drop, and with it the map. "Scootaloo has a point; all you do outside of the farm is hang out with us and go to school. And with school over, what else is there to do? This could be the adventure of a lifetime. Applejack and Big MacIntosh handled the farm fine for years before you were born, no offense. I'm sure they could handle it for a few weeks at the least." "But I can't just get up and leave!" Apple Bloom said. "And for that matter, neither can either of y'all! Applejack an' Big Mac will be worried out of their minds as to where I went, and Rarity would tear houses out of the ground tryin' to find Sweetie Belle." "So? We'll just leave them all a note to say where we've gone. What's the big deal, Rainbow Dash lets me do whatever I want." Scootaloo explained. "I know." Apple Bloom said flatly. "And I don't think it's right, but I ain't yer mother." "Apple Bloom's right, Scootaloo. Ponies will notice if we go missing, and they'll come after us even if we leave a note." Sweetie Belle said. "Girls, listen to me." Scootaloo began. "We made it through these past few years bored out of our minds. Twilight and her friends have taken down almost every problem that's popped up in Equestria. There's nothing fun to do, anymore. Don't you guys miss the adventures we had when we were fillies? Remember that time Apple Bloom followed Zecora into the Everfree the first time she saw her?" "Yeah, and Twilight and her friends nearly put her head on a stake thinking she kidnapped me." Apple Bloom explained. "But she didn't kidnap you, and they didn't put her head on a stake. In fact, you taught them all not to judge a book by its cover, that just because something may seem dangerous doesn't necessarily mean that it is; we have to experience it before we can come to conclusions." Scootaloo continued. "And what about that time at the Canterlot Wedding when Sweetie Belle lead us all into a charge at the Changelings?" "They had our sisters held hostage!" Sweetie Belle defended. "Plus we lost, anyways..." "Yeah, but at least we tried." Scootaloo explained, encouragingly. "We never would have had a chance at saving them if we didn't try in the first place. It's exactly like this map: we know it's here, but unless we follow it we'll never find out what it leads to in the first place. Those two other flags, the one on Canterlot and the ruins of the Everfree Forest, those were all huge cities at some point; the capitals of the entire nation! Who knows what that red flag in the desert means, or why it's red in the first place? We could be sitting on the biggest find of the century, but it'll stay hidden for who knows how long unless we seize the chance, now." As Scootaloo finished talking, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle twisted their snouts up in thought. Scootaloo was right; the Cutie Mark Crusaders had learned several important things over the years, and they had been bored out of their minds ever since. But the fact of the matter was that they had responsibilities, here in Ponyville. They had ponies that cared for them. And yes, they would come looking for them if they were to go missing, but was the adventure really worth putting their loved ones through that heartache? Seeing that her friends may be close to turning down the adventure for good, Scootaloo gave a little half-hearted smile as she spoke up. "We could get our cutie marks along the way." "Sweetie Belle wasn't at home!" Rarity called out to Twilight as she descended from the clouds back into Ponyville, with Rainbow Dash in-tow. "Rainbow Dash" Twilight began accusingly. "Lets Scootaloo come home at any time before twelve, and she doesn't even know where she's been all day. "Hey, lay off, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash defended. "Scoots is practically an adult! She can take care of herself!" "Rainbow Dash, dear," Rarity interrupted. "Scootaloo is still a teenager. She is at a point in her life where she begins rebelling against authority and doing whatever she pleases, most of the time because she finds it 'fun'. She is more likely to be irresponsible, now, more than ever." "Pfft, as if! Scootaloo is one of the most responsible fillies I know!" Rainbow Dash retorted as she stayed above Twilight and Rarity, who hurried down the dirt road towards Sweet Apple Acres. "Coming from Rainbow Dash, that doesn't surprise me in the least." Twilight mused. "Oh, darling, don't be so harsh on her." Rarity pleaded. "You know that she always tries, but being raised without a supportive mother figure doesn't exactly leave lots of room for good judgement. At least she still genuinely cares for Scootaloo." "Sorry, Rarity." Twilight began. "I know what you mean, but right now I'm more worried about the ring than Rainbow Dash's feelings. Given what we know about the Alicorn Amulet, there's no telling what this ring could do, and the fact that it's in the possession of three inexperienced fillies just makes me worry even more!" "I understand where you're coming from, dear, but just because we're preoccupied does not mean you shouldn't apologize to Rainbow Dash." Rarity said, sternly. "She's still Scootaloo's guardian, and she still tries her best to raise her as properly as she sees fit." Twilight gave a knowing sigh of defeat as her pace slowed a bit. "Rainbow Dash?" She called out, prompting the pegasus to fly a bit lower to the ground. "Yeah, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash inquired with an impatient little huff. "I'm sorry for what I said, I know you really try to be a good parent to Scootaloo, and I shouldn't push my expectations of how to raise her on you. It's unfair and I'm sorry." Twilight apologized as the trio neared the farm. "It's cool." Rainbow Dash replied, simply, with a little shrug before flying up to her original height. "It's 'cool'?" Twilight asked Rarity. "She deals with things her own way, dear. She internalizes things a lot. Just give it time, and she'll start acting like she forgives you." Rarity explained as they slowed to a trot at Applejack's door before knocking quietly. "Whoever it is, y'all better have a good darn reason for wakin' me up in the dead of night." Applejack yawned as she opened the door. "Oh, Twilight. An' Rarity." "And Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash called out from above as she pressed her face against one of the second-story windows. "Uh huh..." Applejack began. "So, what can I help y'all with at this hour?" "Well, I'm helping Princess Celestia figure out what some of the magical items locked away for years in the Canterlot vaults do, and she sent me a ring with similar craftsmanship to the Alicorn Amulet-" Twilight began to explain. "You mean that tarnished silver and ruby necklace thing Trixie tried to kill you with years ago?" Applejack interrupted. "Yes, that Alicorn Amulet. The point is, I think the Cutie Mark Crusaders took it without realizing what it was, and we can't find Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo." Twilight continued. "Is Apple Bloom home? Are the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders here?" "I sent Apple Bloom to bed a few hours ago, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo haven't dropped by since yesterday evening." Applejack explained as she opened the door wider to let her friends in. "Why don't y'all have a seat and I'll fetch Apple Bloom; we'll have this mess sorted out right quick." Twilight and her friends settled into one of the couches in Applejack's living room as she slowly ascended the stairs to Apple Bloom's room. "Do you really think the CMC would just steal from you like that, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash began. "I mean, if they thought it was Rarity's, we would have found Sweetie Belle at home, right? What are we going to do if that ring acts like the Alicorn Amulet and drives the wearer mad with power?" "Please don't talk like that, dear, especially not when I'm sitting right next to you." Rarity grumbled. "No matter what happens, we'll get Sweetie Belle and her friends back safe and sound, Rarity. I promise." Twilight explained as frantic hooves were heard on the floor above them before Applejack came bounding down the stairs. "Apple Bloom is gone!" Chapter Three"I still don't see why we had to leave right away." Apple Bloom grumbled as she shifted her weight to force her saddlebags into a more comfortable position. "Are you kidding? How could you sleep with something as big as this?" Scootaloo questioned as she motioned towards the wring on Sweetie Belles horn. "Are you calling me fat?" Sweetie Belle joked. "What I mean is," Apple Bloom continued. "I don't see why we couldn't have waited until morning so we'd be all well-rested and actually have time to pack." Scootaloo fell silent as she gave a sheepish grin and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "I, uh, guess I jumped the wagon, there." "Mhm." Apple Bloom sounded, accusingly. "So, I trust you at least picked a spot for us to camp out so we don't get caught by the search party and dragged back into Ponyville to be grounded for the rest of our lives?" Scootaloo gave an awkward cough as she nudged Sweetie Belle, before Apple Bloom gave an annoyed groan as she moved herself over to Sweetie Belle's side. "Sweetie Belle, would you kindly show us that map?" Without hesitation, Sweetie Belle pulled the ring from her own bag and slipped it on over her horn, before flaring up her magic and producing the magical map for Apple Bloom to see. "Alright, look here." Apple Bloom began, raising a hoof as the trio continued to follow the train tracks out of Ponyville. "That red ring thingy must be us, because here it is right on the edge of town, now. The southern train tracks lead right over Ghastly Gorge and into Apple Loosa. If we follow them to Ghastly Gorge, we can get to the woods nearby in about two hours. Tomorrow morning, we can follow the river from Saddle Lake straight into San Palomino without getting lost, and from where it ends we can just follow what's left of the dried up river bed until we reach the mountains." "That won't work." Scootaloo cut in. "Mount Palomino had a landslide a long time ago into the Ghastly Gorge. That's the reason the river ends there and why it's now called the San Palomino desert. We'll have to take the train tracks into Apple Loosa until we reach the MacIntosh Hills, then we follow them West until we get into the desert. Then we can follow what's left of the river bed." "How did you fail geography, again?" Sweetie Belle wondered before Apple Bloom interrupted. "Uh-uh, no way." she started. "We can't go through Apple Loosa, in case Applejack sent word to Braeburn that we're missing. He'd be on the lookout for us like a hawk." "Well, we could just go West from the Ghastly Gorge and follow the mountain around into the desert." Sweetie Belle offered. "But then we'd be going through the desert too early." Scootaloo explained. "We'd have no water form the river, and we'd have to go around more of the mountain just to find the river to guide us again if we went in that way." "Well, the way I see it, we really only have one way left to go." Sweetie Belle said, simply. "Over the mountain." "What do you mean she's gone?!" Rarity snorted in frustration. "I mean that I went upstairs and didn't find head nor hair of her in her room!" Applejack exclaimed. "The window was unlocked, and that's not somethin' Apple Bloom does when she goes to bed, so she must've snuck out that way." "Applejack, that's about a twenty-hoof drop from the second story!" Twilight chimed in. "There's no way she could have landed that on her own." "Well, I reckon Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo must've caught her, then." "Guys, guys, come on!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You're missing the point! Who cares about how they got out, what matters is that they're not here!" "I must agree with Rainbow Dash." Rarity admitted with a huff. "What matters now is organizing a search party and bringing them home." "Oh, believe me, I'd love to. But there's somethin' else ya'll should know about before we go waking the local Guard up." Applejack said as she produced a folded up letter. "I found this on Apple Bloom's pillow." AJ, don't worry about me, I didn't run away from home or join the circus or nothin' like that. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and me found this weird old ring in Twilight's castle, an' we decided to follow it to wherever the heck it leads. Truth be told, Scootaloo doesn't want me writing you this letter because she thinks you'll find us before we find out where this ring is takin' us, but then again Scootaloo ain't writin' this letter, now is she? So me and the gals are headed to what Scootaloo thinks is some ancient city to hopefully get our cutie marks. Don't worry about us, we'll be back home when we're done, all safe an' sound. Love, your little sister, Apple Bloom Rarity placed her hoof over her head dramatically and collapsed into the couch as Applejack finished reading the letter aloud. The room was silent as Rarity passed out, Applejack silently seethed with anger, Twilight held her head in her hooves, and Rainbow Dash sat in silence as she stared out the window. "I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight began. "If she can tell me about those Unicorns who made the Alicorn Amulet, then maybe she can tell me enough about them to figure out where they'd make a map to." "And about askin' her for help tracking down my little sister." Applejack added. "Your little sister isn't the only one out on this adventure, Applejack." Rainbow Dash explained, not taking her eyes off the window. "Yeah, you seem mighty worried about Scootaloo getting lost in some unknown world with magical critters around every corner." Applejack mused as she rolled her eyes. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Just because I do things differently doesn't mean I don't care about Scootaloo! The little squirt is ten times tougher than Apple Bloom will ever be. Of course I'm worried about where she went, but I do not doubt for one second that she can't handle herself!" "CUT IT OUT, BOTH OF YOU!" Twilight screamed. "This isn't about who's the better parent figure or who has the better filly! This is about getting them back safe and sound as quickly as possible! The quicker the two of you realize that, the faster we can actually find them!" The room fell silent again as Twilight put her head back into her hooves while Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs in frustration before glaring out the window, again, as Applejack gave a final snort and turned to head into the kitchen. "Doesn't Scootaloo have a boyfriend?" "Wow, this trip is taking a lot longer than I expected it to." Scootaloo said to herself. "We just left Ponyville." Apple Bloom pointed out. "It's been almost ten minutes since we agreed to go up the mountain instead of around it." "Yeah, and it's taking a lot longer than I expected it to!" Scootaloo explained. "I figured we'd all be energetic and ready to speed off into adventure." "Well, some of us were trying to sleep not too long ago." Apple Bloom retorted. "But we're out on the road, now." Sweetie Belle interrupted. "And if we want to make it to Ghastly Gorge before morning so we can get some sleep, we need to be awake enough to get there. So, what do you want to talk about?" "We could talk about what we think our cutie marks are going to be." Scootaloo offered. "Or we could talk about why we think this adventure is a good idea at all." Apple Bloom said. "Because I sure as heck don't." "You won't be saying that when we find a cave full of gold and treasure." Scootaloo teased. "How about a song?" Sweetie Belle offered. "Not to sound rude, Sweetie Belle, but I think songs should wait until morning when we're far enough away so that ponies looking for us won't find us right off the bat." Scootaloo chuckled. "But I really do like your singing, just so you know." "Ya'll ever play the 'Name Game'?" Apple Bloom piped up. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared a glance with raised eyebrows before turning to Apple Bloom. "I'll take that as a no. It's a game Applejack an' I used to play to help me with history class while we worked on the farm." Apple Bloom explained. "You gotta start the game with some famous pony whose name starts with 'A'. For instance, Aldeus Stormfeather. Then you gotta explain why they're famous, and then the next player has to say a name startin' with the first letter of the last name." "That sounds... Fun? I guess?" Sweetie Belle said, unsure. "So who was Aldeus Stormfeather?" "He was a really old Gryphon who helped unite the old Gryphon tribes into an actual nation." Apple Bloom explained. "Scootaloo, ya'll want to go next?" "I guess I can." Scootaloo said as she studied the ground in deep thought. "How about Spitfire? I mean, we all know she's the leader of the Wonderbolts." "Yeah, but we know her." Sweetie Belle said. "Well, maybe not personally, but she's a pretty commonly known pony. Plus, what letter would I get?" "You'd get 'e', Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom explained. "And it does kinda feel like using commonly know ponies is cheatin', unless you can tell us something about her that's not commonly known." Scootaloo chuckled as she looked up from the ground to speak. "Well, I don't know for certain if it's true, but Soarin once told Rainbow Dash..." Princess Luna frowned at the unfolded letter before her, floating in the air by means of her magic as she reread each line, carefully: Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that the ring you recently sent me has gone missing. My friends and I believe that the three fillies more commonly known as the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' (consisting of Apple Bloom, Applejack's little sister, Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, and Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash's adopted daughter) have taken it without fully knowing its purpose. To be honest, however, I do not know its purpose, and was hoping that you could shed some light on the Unicorns who created the ring, as well as the Alicorn Amulet, so very long ago. More importantly, however, I was hoping that you would be able to spare some guards for a search party. Given what we know about the Alicorn Amulet, there's no telling what this ring could do if it really was made by the same ponies. My friends and I are all wide awake and ready to help search for the three fillies as soon as either a search party arrives or you share any information you have on the ring's creators. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle P.S. I understand that Princess Luna may get this message before you, given the time of night, and I just want to apologize, Princess Luna! In my haste and worry I had somehow forgotten how late it was before I started writing this letter. Please consider it addressed to both of you. With a furrowed brow, she stood up from her throne in the Night Court and made her way past the guards towards Celestia's side of the castle, where she proceeded to knock quietly on her elder's door before cracking it open and peering inside. "'Tia?" Luna began as her eyes fell on the back of her sister's head as well as the shaft of light from the hallway. "'Tia, are you awake?" "Lulu?" Celestia yawned in confusion as she rolled over to face her sister; bringing a hoof up to shield her eyes from the light. "Is something wrong?" "Indeed, there is, 'Tia." Luna explained as she opened Celestia's door wide enough to step inside; producing the unfolded letter. "It would appear as though the ring has been taken by three young mares, who have subsequently disappeared." Princess Celestia rubbed one of her eyes as the other scanned the letter word for word, carefully ingesting what was written. When she finished, Celestia lay her head down into her pillow with a soft groan. "What time is it, Lulu?" "Shortly after midnight." Luna replied, simply. "Would you like me to handle this matter myself?" "Could you?" Celestia asked. "You know how our schedules work." "I would be happy to do so, 'Tia." Luna explained as she began to close the door on her sister. "Have a good night, dear sister; tomorrow it's your turn." As the door clicked shut behind Princess Luna, she folded the letter up and carefully slipped it into a little pouch on the inside of her ceremonial breastplate before returning to her Night Court. "Captain Jer'rahd, instruct the gate guards that Night Court is now closed, and gather twenty of your guards for a search party; three mares have disappeared along with a very important ring." Princess Luna ordered, to which her light-grayed Unicorn Captain saluted before hurrying off down the halls. They had only a few hours before sunrise, now. "Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed as the dark-purple chariot descended from the sky with several armored pegasi in tow. "I'm really glad you could come." "It is my pleasure to be of assistance." Princess Luna explained as she stepped out of her chariot. "Captain, have five of your guards tie themselves together and clear the Everfree Forest. The rest of them will scour the area surrounding Ponyville until those mares are found. Now, Twilight, please explain to me how exactly you came to lose the ring." Twilight's smile faded into an ashamed frown under Luna's scowl as she turned her head to the ground and began to speak. "W-Well, you see, since Princess Celestia and I believed that the ring was made by the same Unicorns who made the Alicorn Amulet, I thought I'd bring Rarity into the equation since she took a course on Gemology in college... A-And, well, while I was at her house, the Cutie Mark Crusaders dropped by to see me and must have gotten impatient waiting for me. I-I think they found the ring and thought Rarity had accidentally left it there, since I kind of have a thing against jewelry and... H-Here we are?" Princess Luna continued to simply stare down at Twilight, who held her apologetic, sheepish smile after she had explained the story. "I see." was all Princess Luna replied with as her guards departed into the night sky. "Come, Twilight Sparkle; there is much to explain." Twilight gave a little nod, unseen by Princess Luna, before beginning to trot beside the princess of the night as her friends followed closely behind. "How versed are all of you in Equestrian history?" Princess Luna inquired as she led the group towards Twilight's castle. "I-I took an advanced placement course in high school..." Fluttershy admitted, sheepishly. "Are you familiar with the Order of the Sun and Moon?" Luna asked as she slowed her pace to walk alongside the yellow mare. "O-Of course. They were a group of Unicorns about two thousand years ago, who helped teach you and Princess Celestia about magic in order to defeat Discord." Fluttershy explained, ignoring the looks of shock and amazement from her friends. "T-They also acted as your council members until they disbanded in twenty-three forty-eight out of shame because they couldn't stop an assassin from getting so close to you." "It appears as you have much to learn from your friend, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said with a smile as she nodded approvingly at Fluttershy. "She is right: long ago, the Order of the Sun and Moon sheltered and protected us after the surviving members of our race fled Equestria to be free of Discord's wrath. After Discord was defeated, they grew from a secret organization into a public powerhouse. They had their hooves in almost everything, from trade routes to the military, although we found them to be quite fair and knowledgeable. Regardless of their loyalties to the thrones, they always had Equestria's best interests at heart, or so I am led to believe." "What do you mean?" Twilight spoke as Luna paused in her speech. "The Order of the Sun and Moon had their hooves in everything, Twilight Sparkle. Although my sister and I cannot speak for every member of the group, it is believed by us that certain members sought to rule Equestria themselves, instead of my sister and I." Princess Luna continued. "It was likely these same members who crafted the Alicorn Amulet that you all are familiar with; a simple amulet littered with magic-amplifiers that boosted typical Unicorn magic to the point where it could effectively counter an Alicorn's. While we luckily never saw this used against us, we do not doubt that some of them had plans to. And plans do not rely on a single course of action." "So you think, whatever this ring does, it was created to be a 'plan B' in case the Alicorn Amulet didn't work?" Twilight inquired as the party pushed through the doors to Twilight's castle and quickly made their way to the map room. "I personally believe so, yes." Princess Luna admitted. "Although my sister has too much faith in the old Order and believes they would have ceased their attempts entirely if the Alicorn Amulet failed, thus rendering any other plans unnecessary." Twilight breathed in deeply as she ingested the hoard of new information being fed to her before taking her seat at the map as her friends did the same; Princess Luna left standing next to Twilight. "I... I don't know what to say to that, Princess Luna. If what you think about the ring is true, not only does it mean that we need to find those fillies faster than ever, but also that what they have could be more catastrophic than the Amulet." "What makes you say that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she slouched in her chair. "Think about it, darling." Rarity mused. "If you were to throw a rock at somepony with the intent on hurting them, but the rock you threw didn't hurt at all, would you keep using the same rock or find a much bigger rock?" "She has a point." Applejack nodded as the orange mare slumped into the table with a yawn. "Indeed she does." Princess Luna said as she began marking the map before them with small dots of magic. "These points all represent locations and events where the Order of the Sun and Moon assisted us in reclaiming Equestria from Discord. The Order sheltered us in caves along the Crystal Mountains, here, until such a time where we had matured enough. Then, we set out to restore the flow of water to Equestria from Neighagra Falls, here. Afterwards, we gained a hoofhold in the region by capturing the ruins of Old Canterlot, where Canterlot now stands today, here." Twilight Sparkle's eyes took in every mark of magic as her ears tried to widen to take in Princess Luna's words. Fluttershy may have been in an advanced placement class, but the bewildered look in her eyes told Twilight that not even she had learned this in high school. This was knowledge that wasn't made known to normal ponies since it began existing! This was unrecorded history, straight from the mouth of a princess, from a time where the world stood in uncertain light. "From there we established a base of operations and the Order salvaged what they could from the ruins. My sister and I believe this is around the time where they began forging magical weapons, armor, and trinkets, although not with intentions of fighting us. Still, some of the items that lay in the vaults might be from this time, perhaps even the Amulet itself." Princess Luna explained. "Regardless, after securing Canterlot we moved to reestablish contact with the rest of the Unicorn race, which had scattered about in the area East of present day Galloping Gorge. From there, we battled Discord's deformed minions across Equestria until we came across what was left of the Earth Ponies in present day Hayseed Swamp. The search for the remaining pegasi took to the skies after we helped secure the Earth Pony's future, and we soon found them in the clouds surrounding Smokey Mountain." Princess Luna took a moment to catch her breath before she placed her hoof over the final marking. "With the three races revived and united, Discord finally took notice of us, and we clashed south of Canterlot. The scar from the battle forged what is today known as Ghastly Gorge. His foul magic continues to pervert the creatures within, although it seems to be thankfully subsiding after all these years." Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath of her own as she leaned over the map for a better view before speaking up. "I don't understand, Princess. How is all of this relevant?" "During your short time wearing the Alicorn Amulet for your research you made mention, several times, of visions of places you had never been and a desire to visit them." Princess Luna explained. "All those places you mentioned are likely places the Alicorn Amulet was used during the fight against Discord's minions, and are undoubtedly memories of its past wearer. I believe that the ring we sent you may have the same effect on the wearer; a longing to visit those places of old." "We're gonna need a lot more stallions out lookin' if all of these places are viable spots." Applejack scoffed. "There's no tellin' which one they could have headed off to, or even how far along they are. Heck, who's to say they're only goin' to one place, anyway?" "Applejack has a point, Princess Luna." Twilight began. "If the Cutie Mark Crusaders are headed to any number of these points, we'd need more guards than you have to get there and stake them out. We simply don't have the horsepower for this kind of search party." "Do you think us a fool, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Luna asked with a playful chuckle. "Why do you believe we sent our guards to scan the area around Ponyville instead of straight to those locations? It is far more effective to determine which way a hydra walked by following the clawprints than guessing where it might be headed." Twilight cringed slightly at her own stupidity before she was interrupted by three guards trotting into the room. "Captain Jer'rahd." Princess Luna greeted the guard with a smile. "I trust you have located our missing fillies?" "On the contrary, Princess, we simply started with questioning the locals." the guard responded. "We have reports of the three mares leaving Ponyville from the South a few hours before midnight." Princess Luna's confident smile turned to a slight frown as she turned to face Twilight's tightly-closed eyes. "You didn't even bother to ask the townsponies if they had seen them..." Chapter Four"I just gave one of your guards a message fer Braeburn." Applejack said as she trotted alongside the group, who in turn trotted behind Princess Luna as she led the way along the train tracks leading out of Ponyville. "If anypony in Apple Loosa sees those fillies, they'll snatch 'em up and hold 'em tighter than a starving boa constrictor." "Let us hope that they are indeed headed for Apple Loosa." Princess Luna began. "Otherwise I will have wasted my time here before my sister takes over." "If that's the case, shouldn't some of us stay behind to search Ghastly Gorge while the others move on to Apple Loosa?" Fluttershy piped up. "I mean, if we want to be sure to find them, that seems like the best plan..." "Fluttershy's right. Rainbow Dash, how about you, Fluttershy, and I stay behind at Ghastly Gorge when Princess Luna and the others head on to Apple Loosa?" Twilight offered. "Our wings will make searching the gorge much faster." "Sounds good to me." Rainbow Dash spoke up as she nudged Fluttershy, who simply gave a little nod and a smile. "Then it is settled." Princess Luna cut in. "You three will scour the Gorge while the rest of your friends and I continue South East. I will send my guard further East into Hayseed Swamps, and we will all return to Apple Loosa by sunrise so that my sister can take over, should the fillies not be found." "What time is it, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked. Princess Luna took a moment to stare at the moon, silently estimating the time by its position before she lowered her head once more to continue forward as Ghastly Gorge came into sight. "Nearly two in the morning. We have six hours until my sister will be able to take over. Good luck, all of you." One hour earlier... "This is now the third time you've tried to use Windsall Feathermoon." Apple Bloom sighed as the trio settled down on the forest floor and began to unroll their sleeping bags. "Sweetie Belle already said her name and that she was the head of the original Feathermoon party after Aldeus was assassinated." "Well sor-ry that I'm a little distracted thinking about what we might find in San Palomino." Scootaloo defended. "The game is kind of lame, anyway." Apple Bloom gave a sigh as she smoothed out her sleeping bag. It had been three hours since the Cutie Mark Crusaders found the ring and left Ponyville on the adventure of a lifetime. Three hours of endless walking on uneven ground and train tracks with nothing but a little history game to keep them awake and entertained. Sweetie Belle had proven to be the most adept at the game, even more so that Apple Bloom, surprisingly. Although Sweetie Belle could fire off names and events without hesitation, Apple Bloom had memory and never once repeated a name. "I thought it was fun." Sweetie Belle admitted as she slid into her bag. "You two even taught me about a few ponies I never even heard of." "Well of course you had fun, Li'l Miss History Book." Scootaloo teased with a smile. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes with a little smile as she stretched her hooves for a moment before turning to Apple Bloom. "What time do you want to start heading out?" she asked as Apple Bloom snugly slipped into her own sleeping bag. Sweetie Belle waited patiently for an answer for a few moments before the sound of Apple Bloom's gentle snoring reached her ears, causing a little chuckle to escape from her mouth as she turned her head to Scootaloo. "Head out when the sun comes up?" "Fine with me." Scootaloo yawned, before turning on her side and closing her eyes. Soon, the only movement in the small forest was the gentle rise and fall of the Cutie Mark Crusader's chests as they slept, and Sweetie Belle herself; who slowly twirled the ring around in her magic as her eyes traced the runic carvings in the band while the ruby sparkled slightly in the moonlight. She wondered to herself who could have crafted such a beautiful thing, and when. Most of all, however, she wondered where the map in it lead, and why there was a map at all. As she wondered these things, she slipped the ring onto her horn and let her magic flare up once more, causing the map to appear before her; casting its gentle light-blue glow on her friends as they slept. Sweetie Belle tilted her head as she studied the map once more, noting that the slowly swirling green symbol had followed them to Ghastly Gorge, along with the moon's symbol. Is Princess Luna tracking us? Sweetie Belle thought as she watched the pair of symbols slowly flicker closer to Ghastly Gorge. And is that swirly symbol Twilight and her friends? The Elements of Harmony? Sweetie Belle continued, before letting the map fade away with her magic as she let out a yawn of her own. Whatever those symbols meant, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would likely be long gone before they reached Ghastly Gorge. If it really was Twilight and her friends, as well as Princess Luna, the three mares would certainly be in a world of trouble, should they be found. Sweetie Belle smiled softly as she welcomed a world of dreams into her head, too sleepy to hear the soft rustling of the bushes on a windless night... "Alright, we'll see everypony in Apple Loosa, come sunrise." Twilight promised as she waved to her friends while they continued on along the train tracks over Ghastly Gorge. "Stay safe, everypony!" Twilight took a moment to watch them carry on before slowly gliding down the side of the gorge with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in tow, before the trio planted their hooves into the banks of the river, below. "Spread out and look for clues." Twilight instructed. "Fluttershy, do you want to peek around the caves and see what you can find while Rainbow Dash searches the area around the gorge?" "What are you going to do?" Rainbow Dash cut in. "I'll look around the river." Twilight explained. "There might not be any hoofprints, but if Sweetie Belle came down for water I can try to track her through her magic residue." "Makes sense." Rainbow Dash shrugged before spreading her wings to fly over the edge of the gorge as Fluttershy gave a little cough to catch Twilight's attention. "I don't like this place, Twilight." she said. "Something's wrong, here." "It will be fine, Fluttershy. Just stay quiet so you don't wake the quarray eels, and we'll find a trace of those fillies in a few minutes." Twilight replied. "But that's just it, Twilight!" Fluttershy exclaimed in quiet worry. "Usually you would be able to hear them snoring, since the sound would bounce off of the cave walls, but you can't hear anything. It's like the eels are just... Gone." "They're probably just deeper into their caves, Fluttershy." Twilight reassured. "It is a lot colder than it usually is, tonight. Don't fret about it, we'll be fine." "I hope so..." Fluttershy mused as Twilight began slowly walking alongside the river; head towards the ground before Fluttershy carefully spread her wings and quietly flew up towards the mouth of one of many caves. Out on the edge of Ghastly Gorge, Rainbow Dash flew low to the ground as she kept an eye out for any sign of the Cutie Mark Crusaders; from an overturned stone to imprints in the dirt as she neared the small forest overlooking Ghastly Gorge. If I was on the run, headed this way, I'd take a nap in these trees. Rainbow Dash reasoned as she pushed away the bushes and young trees that blocked her path until she reached a small clearing, large enough for a campsite with three crumpled sleeping bags in the center. "Twilight, Fluttershy, come quick!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she shot out of the trees and hovered over the gorge. "Keep your voice down!" Twilight whispered harshly as she and Fluttershy flew up to the blue pegasus. "Do you want to wake the quarray eels?" "Sorry, but I think I found where they slept for the night." Rainbow Dash explained as she led the way back into the forest to the campsite. Twilight nudged one of the sleeping bags with her hoof as she inspected it closely, while Rainbow Dash did the same to another. Fluttershy, however, stood her ground at the edge of the clearing and carefully parted a bramble thicket. "This definitely smells like Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash admitted with a cough. "Always was a hassle to get that squirt to take a bath." "So where are they now?" Twilight asked, rhetorically. "Why leave their sleeping bags?" "Girls..." Fluttershy whispered, turning to show a tuft of thick, dark brown fur she had pulled from the thicket. "This is bad." "Rarity, I-I'm sorry..." Sweetie Belle cried, softly. "R-Rainbow Dash, why..." Scootaloo whined. "Applejack, p-please..." Apple Bloom begged. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders tossed and turned in their sleep as the three canine-like figures stood over their sleeping bodies; their eyes flashing yellow periodically as they continued to feed the three fillies nightmares while consuming their own pleasant dreams. Behind them, a smaller figure rummaged through the saddle bags; dumping out its contents onto the forest floor and sifting through them for anything shiny. "This one has a ring!" the figure standing over Sweetie Belle signaled, prompting the smaller creature to rush forward and carefully pull the ring off of her horn. "It's pretty!" another creature noted. "It's shiny!" the third one exclaimed. "Quiet, you idiots!" the small one whispered as he slapped them all. "Keep giving them nightmares, there's only one bag left to search." The three larger creatures, with shame in their faces, turned their heads back to the fillies and continued to flash their eyes periodically; calling out the fears of the three mares to manifest in their dreams. After the smaller creature had emptied the third and final bag and determined it held nothing of value, it motioned for the others to follow as it hurried over the edge of the gorge. "Please don't send me back to Manehatten!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she awoke from her nightmare; sitting upright in an instant and coming face-to-face with one of the creatures. "Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?" Apple Bloom shouted back, half asleep, before Sweetie Belle once again spoke up. "DIAMOND DOGS!" she screamed in fear as she headbutted the canine, causing it to yelp in pain and hold its nose as it hurriedly backed away, before turning to flee into the gorge. "They took the ring!" "Get back here, you coward!" Scootaloo shouted as she leapt from her sleeping back and gave chase, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle charged the remaining two Diamond Dogs; ramming their heads into their bellies to elicit a pained howl from the two canines before they, too, turned tail to flee. "After them!" Apple Bloom ordered as she and Sweetie Belle slid down the side of the gorge towards Scootaloo just in time to see which of the many caves the dogs had fled into. As the trio took off after the dogs into the cave, the moonlight from outside steadily reached less and less of the inside of the cave, prompting Sweetie Belle to use her magic to light the way. But it was too late; the dogs had fled far enough to where the Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn't even hear the patter of their paws on the cold stone. The Cutie Mark Crusaders slowed to a stop as they paused to catch their breath. "Now what are we going to do?" Scootaloo whined. "We're going to go after them!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "We can't turn back, especially not now! If we turn back now, we go back to Twilight without the ring we stole and without anything to show for it!" "But these are Diamond Dog caves!" Scootaloo replied. "They could go on for miles, and who knows how many forks in the road there are, down here!" Sweetie Belle gave a little laugh as she brightened her magic. "Don't you girls remember that Advanced Unicorn studies class I took? They taught us all sorts of things." Sweetie Belle explained as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath; focusing her magic into a ball of light that swirled around for a few moments above her head before moving forward through the cave as if on rails. "Like how to track magic." "What kind of fur is that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she poked at it with a hoof. "It's Diamond Dog fur, but it's much more thick than any I've ever seen." Fluttershy explained. "If Diamond Dogs took the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there's no telling where they could be by now." Twilight groaned. "These caves could go on for miles, and we don't even know where to start, let alone which are quarray eel nests and which aren't." "That's just it, Twilight." Flutteshy spoke up. "When you had me look into the caves, I realized why I had such a bad feeling about this place..." Fluttershy pulled a medium-sized bone from under her wing and set it on the ground before her friends. "This is from a quarray eel." "So, what's the big deal?" Rainbow Dash inquired. "Animals die all the time." "This eel didn't die of old age, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy explained, quietly. "There are teeth marks all along the bones..." Twilight realized as she studied it closely. "Do you think Diamond Dogs did this?" "I don't see what else could have." Fluttershy admitted. "We haven't heard a single eel, even though Rainbow Dash's yelling should have woken them all up. In fact, I don't think there are any quarray eels in Ghastly Gorge, anymore..." "This just keeps on getting better and better." Rainbow Dash groaned. "First, the CMC go missing, now they've been taken by carnivores." "Rainbow Dash, I need you to fly as fast as you can to Apple Loosa and get Princess Luna and the others. Tell them what we know, and that Fluttershy and I are headed into the caves." Twilight ordered. "We can't find these fillies after the Diamond Dogs-" "I don't need an image in my head, Twilight." Rainbow Dash glared before she spread her wings and took off along the train tracks, leaving Fluttershy and Twilight to stare into the mouth of one of many caves. Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself as Fluttershy gulped nervously. "Are you ready for this?" Chapter FiveSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter One Dear Twilight Sparkle, I found your report on the Alicorn Amulet very intriguing, although I must remind you that scrying techniques can often skew the truth or be far from it. However, given what we already know about ancient Unicorns, if what you found is true, then perhaps those ancient Unicorns could have had their hooves far deeper into pockets than they should have. In regards to that, I have safely enclosed another item of interest retrieved from the Canterlot vaults: a small ring of some sort. I can only guess as to what its purpose may have been, but it is definitely enchanted, and I am willing to bet it was made during the same era and by the same Unicorns, judging from the craftsmanship and the signature red gem. As usual, please report your findings to me when you have the time. Again, you have my sincere thanks in helping Luna and I 'take inventory' of the vaults; there's no telling how long these things have sat here collecting dust, let alone what they do. Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria "Who would have thought graduation would be so boring?" Scootaloo groaned as she lay on her back in the clubhouse. It had been two months since the Cutie Mark Crusaders graduated high school. Two months since they were officially free of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's scorn of still not having their cutie marks. Throughout that time, the three crusaders had grown exceptionally: Apple Bloom had taken up woodshop in high school in order to help out with repairs around the farm, Scootaloo had been adopted by Rainbow Dash, officially, although the relationship appeared to be more like roommates rather than mother and daughter, and Sweetie Belle earned a part-time job helping her older sister in the Boutique, and had even taken a fancy to jewelry. Throughout the years, the Cutie Mark Crusaders grew and learned. But now, with high school over, the three were bored out of their minds. The last exciting thing to have happened was when a castle magically grew out of the ground for Twilight, and that was years ago. Since then, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had tried everything imaginable to earn their cutie marks, from dangerous skydiving to simple and calm sewing. "You know, if you'd apply at the Weather Facility, you might be able to earn enough bits to take a vacation somewhere." Sweetie Belle replied as she began stitching another part of Apple Bloom's work boots. "Get out of Ponyville for a while like we've all been talking about, you know?" "Yeah, but the Weather Facility is so boring." Scootaloo continued. "All they let part-timers do is fluff the clouds. We don't get to work on the big projects like Winter Wrap-Up or bringing the water up to Cloudsdale; that's all for the experienced Weather Ponies." "If you'd keep the job fer more than a month then you can actually move up." Apple Bloom retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Rainbow Dash worked hard to get you a position there, and you just threw it away." "Because that position is holding me back!" Scootaloo scoffed. "I can do better work than cloud fluffing, and Rainbow Dash knows it." "But the ponies who run the Weather Facility don't know that, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle chipped in, softly. "They can't take somepony's word on something like this; they have to see that you're responsible and careful, first." "Man..." Scootaloo sighed. "I wish Rainbow Dash had her own business, like Rarity or Applejack. That way I wouldn't have to put up with a job that holds me back." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shared an unamused look before sighing. "I'm almost done with your boots, Apple Bloom. Do you guys want to go see Twilight after this? Maybe she can help you out, Scootaloo." Scootaloo remained on her back and gave a half-hearted shrug. "I guess. Do you guys mind if I go get Rumble?" "So long as you don't forget we exist with him here." Apple Bloom said. "That was one time!" Scootaloo defended as she trotted out the door. "Meet you guys at Twilight's?" "It's all the time." Sweetie Belle mouthed to Apple Bloom as Scootaloo spread her wings and took off towards Ponyville. "Rumble, hey!" Scootaloo called out with a smile on her face as she trotted after the light-gray coated pegasus. "Oh, h-hey, Scootaloo." Rumble replied with a nervous smile and blush. Throughout high school, the two pegasi had grown closer to each other as the years went on. They found comfort in each others' presence from the bullying of not having a cutie mark or parents, anymore. And although Rumble had already earned his cutie mark as a cloud mechanic for the Cloudsdale Weather Facility, he didn't let a silly thing like that get in the way of his feelings for Scootaloo. "How was work?" Scootaloo inquired as she gave his cheek a little nuzzle. "Well, you know how it gets." Rumble explained, still holding his goofy smile. "Some clouds dissipate here, a hole gets punched through there. I'm just glad it's easy to repair clouds." "Heh, maybe, but you make them all look smooth and neat; like they were made out of marble." "I-It's not that big of a deal. They're just clouds, after all." Rumble explained as Scootaloo leaned into his side as they walked. "Hey, the girls and I are going to see Twilight in a few minutes. Want to come?" "S-Sorry, Scoots, Thunderlane wants me home as soon as I get off work from now on; he says you're too much of a distraction during the week for me." "Oh, come on, he's head of the thunderstorm department and you're practically an adult." Scootaloo snorted. "Why does he get to say who you can and can't see?" "Because he's my brother and my boss, Scootaloo." Rumble explained. "The thunderstorm department does a number on the facility, and he needs me to keep focused in order to repair everything. Plus, he's not telling me I can't hang out with you at all, just not during the weekdays because I have work." Scootaloo rolled her eyes with a little huff. "He sounds really controlling. See you Saturday, then?" "Saturday." Rumble nodded in confirmation as he lay a wing over Scootaloo's back. "I love you, featherbrain." "Rumble didn't want to come?" Sweetie Belle inquired, confusedly. "Thunderlane doesn't want me seeing him during the work week; he says I'm too much of a distraction." Scootaloo explained as she dropped down from the sky to join her friends outside of Twilight's castle. "He's not wrong." Apple Bloom teased with a nudge to Scootaloo, who replied by sticking out her tongue as the trio approached the castle. "Halt." ordered the Royal Guard outside the door. "Princess Twilight Sparkle is not currently at home." "Well, where is she?" Apple Bloom asked. "Can we wait inside for her?" "I do not know where Princess Twilight Sparkle currently is." the guard explained. "I am not permitted to allow anypony, with the exception of the five Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, into the castle without the Princess being present." "Oh, come on!" Sweetie Belle pleaded. "We're three young mares out here in the cold! Plus we're all related to one of the Bearer's!" "Yeah, Rarity is Sweetie Belle's sister, and Applejack is Apple Bloom's sister." Scootaloo added. "And who are you?" the guard questioned. "Oh, me? I live with Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied with a big grin. "Wait a second, I know who you three are." the guard started with a chuckle. "You're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, aren't you? Those three mares who won first place for comedy three years in a row at the Ponyville High talent show?" Sweetie Belle gave a soft groan and hid her snout in her hoof as Scootaloo glared at the guard. "Yep, that's us." Apple Bloom sighed. "Oh, man, you three were hilarious with that song about cutie marks!" the guard laughed. "My daughter and I kept referencing it all night for a week!" "Oh, that's great." Scootaloo mused sarcastically. "So can we wait inside?" "Heh, yeah, sure. Everypony in town knows you're harmless. Go on in, just don't touch anything." the guard chuckled as he opened the door for the three mares, who quickly stepped inside before the door shut behind them. "I can't believe ponies are still talking about that..." Sweetie Belle groaned. "'Best Comedy Act' three years in a row..." Scootaloo joined. "My pride, it hurts..." "Oh, quit yer bellyachin'." Apple Bloom interrupted. "Just because we didn't get what we were after doesn't make us losers. We still got an award in the first place." "Tell that to Diamond Tiara." Scootaloo replied as the trio began walking through the short halls of the small castle. "What ever happened to her, anyway?" Sweetie Belle wondered aloud. "During elementary school we used to see her all the time out in Ponyville, but after High School it's like she just vanished." "I heard she and her dad moved to Canterlot." Scootaloo said. "I doubt it." Apple Bloom added as they stepped through the doorway and into the library. "Her house still has lights on every now and then, and the same gardening pony still does their lawn." "Stalker." Scootaloo teased with a chuckle. "It's not stalkin'. Her house is literally the only one between the farm and Ponyville. Hard to not notice things that go on there." Apple Bloom explained. "Hmmm." Sweetie Belle mused in a matter-of-fact tone. "So, how long do you think Twilight will be gone?" "Hopefully not too long." Apple Bloom answered. "I have to get home by nine to fix the barn door in the morning." "Yeah, she's not usually gone long, anyway; she really only leaves to go talk to one of the other Bearers." Scootaloo added as she settled down onto the floor next to Sweetie Belle. "Now who's the stalker?" Apple Bloom joked with a chuckle. The trio shared a short laugh as they got comfortable on the floor while waiting for Twilight to return. After a few minutes, however, they grew bored, and eyes began to wander as books were plucked from the shelves. Sweetie Belle, however, was not as interested in the books as she was an odd piece of jewelry that she noticed lying under the table. Curiously, she grabbed it with her magic and levitated it closer; turning it over in the air to study it. It was a peculiar ring, no bigger than a coin. The band was solid gold with a sapphire trench around it, topped with a small, shining ruby centerpiece. "What's that?" Scootaloo piped up upon noticing Sweetie Belle's distraction. "It... Looks like a horn ring, but Twilight doesn't wear jewelry." Sweetie Belle replied. "In fact, she kind of hates looking fancy." "Maybe it's your sister's? I mean, I did see her over here, yesterday. Did she drop it and forget about it?" Apple Bloom wondered. "Probably. It does look like something that Rarity would wear." Sweetie Belle said. "I'm going to go run it over to her, you guys want to come with me?" "Nothing better to do here." Scootaloo replied. "Eh, I should probably get home." Apple Bloom said. "I kind of want to wake up early to get the barn out of the way so I can get my chores finished early. Are ya'll still coming to the clubhouse tomorrow?" "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Sweetie Belle promised as she stood up and stretched her legs. "Yeah, count me in." Scootaloo added as she jogged in place, excitedly. "Alright, see ya'll later." Apple Bloom said as she hurried off through the castle,leaving Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to take their time trotting through the halls as they neared the exit. "I can't imagine Rarity leaving something this pretty without realizing it was gone." Sweetie Belle said as she continued to study the ring, before slipping it onto her horn. "Eh, if I had to wear something like that all the time I'd be happy if I 'misplaced' it." Scootaloo teased. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes with a smile as she shook her head softly. "I bet if Rumble gave something like this to you we'd always see you wearing it." Scootaloo stumbled over her hooves for a moment as she imagined Rumble gifting her anything. "N-Not true! If he gave me something ugly like that'd I'd probably..." Sweetie Belle smiled smugly over at Scootaloo as she stopped talking; a dark blush highlighting her orange face. "Just as I thought." The two remained silent as they exited the castle and said their goodbyes to the guard, before heading into Ponyville as the sun began to set on Equestria. "You know, out of the three of us, I always thought it'd be you who fell in love, first." Scootaloo began. "I mean, think about it: Rarity has stallions staring at her all the time wherever she goes, even when she's not all dolled up. And you, you're practically the spitting image of her." Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at Scootaloo as they began passing through the marketplace, where shops were closing and carts were being pulled out of the street for the night. "Have you seen the two of us, side by side? Rarity's beautiful, yes, but she has an aura or something. She comes off as high class even though she's not, just from the way she talks. Don't you remember that one year at the Gala Pinkie told us about?" "Well, yeah, but come on. That's Pinkie Pie we're talking about, the same mare who finished telling us how she got her cutie mark with 'and that's how Equestria was made'." Scootaloo scoffed. "You may not think so, or even notice it, but I've seen a few colts looking your way once or twice. Maybe they just think you're out of their league because of your sister?" "Maybe..." Sweetie Belle began. "Although, truth be told, I'm not really interested in finding somepony to settle down with. I mean, I'm happy for you and Rumble, but I just have so much to do in my life. I'd rather spend my free time just hanging out with Apple Bloom and you." "Oh, well, that makes sense." Scootaloo admitted as she rubbed the back of her head in slight confusion as the pair came to a stop at the entrance to Carousel Boutique. As Sweetie Belle's horn flared up to turn the knob and open the door, her magic made a detour out through the ring on her horn; creating a glowing map with two flashing red symbols. Out of shock, however, Sweetie Belle cut short her magic, and with it the map. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle slowly turned their heads to face each other, mouths wide in shock and awe, before they sped off through Ponyville towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Chapter Two"Another one, with the same giant red ruby as before?" Rarity inquired with a giddy little hoofstomp as she and Twilight made their way through Ponyville at night. They avoided the marketplace as to not interfere with the ponies as they moved their carts and stock out of the street, and instead opted to skirt around the edge of the town towards the castle. "Well, it's not as big as the one in the Alicorn Amulet, but Princess Celestia and I think it was made by the same pony, or group of ponies, at the very least." Twilight explained. "And it's definitely enchanted, I just don't know how." "Oh, my stars, this is so exciting!" Rarity exclaimed. "To be able to examine an enchanted ring crafted by ancient unicorns, first hoof! Do you know why rubies were used primarily in enchanted items?" As quickly as she had asked the question, Rarity answered it herself; leaving no time for Twilight to even guess. "Because rubies are one of the few gemstones that allow magic to pass easily through it as if it wasn't even there, while still acting like a conduit!" Rarity giggled in excitement as Twilight gave a little chuckle. "Well, that would certainly explain why they used a ruby for the Alicorn Amulet; all those magic-amplifiers spells would have been a lot harder to cast without a ruby." Twilight mused as they neared the castle. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, welcome home." the guard greeted with a salute, to which Twilight replied with a silent nod. "Three mares came by to see you, recently, but you were not at home. I let them wait inside for ten minutes before they left." "Who was it? Did they say what they wanted?" Twilight asked as Rarity calmed herself in front of the guard. "Unfortunately not, Princess. However, the three mares were Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle." the guard replied. "Oh, alright. Well, they're probably all at home, now." Twilight chuckled as the guard swung open the door for her and saluted, before stepping to the side to let the two mares pass. "I'll see what Sweetie Belle wanted when I leave here." Rarity promised as she followed her friend through the crystal halls and into the library. "If it's anything important I'll come rushing over, otherwise I'll see you in the morning. Now, where is that beautiful ring?" Twilight's face turned from a small smile into a confused and worried frown as she pushed aside a pile of books on the table. "I-I don't know. I left it right on the letter Princess Celestia left me before I went to come get you." "Did it maybe fall onto the floor? You did practically slam into my door in excitement." Rarity smiled as she bent her head down to scan the floor for any sight of the ring. "Maybe. I may have accidentally bumped into the table, too, on my way out." Twilight admitted with a nervous laugh before she, too, ducked her head down low to begin searching. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, Twilight raised her head with a defeated groan. "I can't believe I lost the ring on the first day... Princess Celestia won't send me anything like this ever again if she fins out I lost it... Wait! The Cutie Mark Crusaders, the guard said they were here!" "Twilight, while I understand your thought process, if you are perhaps implying that Sweetie Belle would steal from anyone, let alone you-" Rarity began with a shocked tone, before Twilight interrupted her. "No, Rarity, I'm not saying Sweetie Belle or the other Crusaders stole it, but think about it: have you ever seen me wear jewelry?" Twilight explained. "I hate the stuff, and practically every pony knows it. If they found something like that just laying around, they'd probably think that you had dropped it!" Rarity opened her mouth to protest, before slowly closing it with a nod. "Alright, I'll go check on Sweetie Belle. Do you want to go visit Rainbow Dash and see if, perhaps, Scootaloo has it? If Apple Bloom has it, well, she's a responsible young filly who can't go very far to begin with." "Alright, meet back at the castle when one of us has the ring?" Twilight asked, to which Rarity gave another short nod before the pair hurried through the castle and back out into Ponyville. "Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo whispered loudly as she tapped on Apple Bloom's second-story window. A candle lit inside the room and Apple Bloom slowly trotted towards the window while rubbing her eyes. "What do y'all want? I just went to bed." Apple Bloom asked with slight annoyance. "Can we come in? You gotta see this!" Scootaloo continued as she dropped down to pick up Sweetie Belle and carry her up to the window. Apple Bloom sighed and opened the window as much as she could before climbing back into bed as Scootaloo carefully angled Sweetie Belle so that she could climb in through the window, before all three Crusaders quietly climbed into the bed. "Now what's so darn important that you had to wake me up? I got chores in the morning!" Apple Bloom explained. "This." Sweetie Belle said as she flared up her magic once more; the ring on her horn forcing it out through the glimmering ruby center piece to produce a glowing map with two flashing red symbols. Apple Bloom's tired eyes opened wide as she took in the magical map. "T-That's Equestria." Apple Bloom explained, simply. "See, that mountain in the center is Canterlot, and that sun and moon must be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." "I know, right?" Scootaloo exclaimed. "But why are they on the map? Why are they being 'tracked' by this ring, and what are these other symbols?" "Well," Sweetie Belle began. "This little black flag is right on Canterlot, and the other one is in the Everfree Forest, so that might be those old ruins that Ms. Cheerilee said was New Canterlot before Canterlot was rebuilt." Sweetie Belle pressed her hoof into her chin as her eyes wandered over the map; her friends waiting patiently for her to continue. "And this red ring symbol might be us, here in Ponyville, but I don't know what that green swirly thing in Ponyville is, or why there's a red flag in the San Palomino Desert; there's nothing there but desert and mountains." "Ancient ruins!" Scootaloo shouted in excitement before Apple Bloom tackled her and held her mouth shut. "I'm supposed to be asleep, you two! Keep it down!" Apple Bloom whispered harshly to Scootaloo before climbing off of her. "I don't think so, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle continued. "If there was anything in San Palomino, I'm sure somepony would have found it by now. And besides, Canterlot is still around, and they have a black flag." "Yeah, but that old castle in the Everfree Forest is destroyed, and it still has a black flag." Scootaloo challenged. "The mountains in San Palomino go on for miles, and they're so cloudy that weather ponies haven't been able to push them all out of the way. Plus it's theorized that there are hundreds of miles of cave networks from the river that used to run from Saddle Lake straight into San Palomino." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a concerned look before Scootaloo shifted nervously on the bed. "Hey, just because I failed a lot of my classes doesn't mean I didn't pay attention to parts of them." Apple Bloom gave a little huff as she sat next to Sweetie Belle for a better view of the map. "Scootaloo may be right, but from here to there is miles away. If you're implying that we go see why there's a red flag in the middle of the desert, we'd be gone for weeks, and I have stuff to do on the farm." "Apple Bloom, you always have stuff to do on the farm; the same things, day in and day out." Scootaloo complained. "All I've ever seen you do here is kick trees and fix the barn. Don't you ever want to do something different?" "I like picking apples and I like fixing things on the farm." Apple Bloom defended. "I have a responsibility here, I can't just get up and leave whenever I want." "Why not?" Sweetie Belle began as she let her magic drop, and with it the map. "Scootaloo has a point; all you do outside of the farm is hang out with us and go to school. And with school over, what else is there to do? This could be the adventure of a lifetime. Applejack and Big MacIntosh handled the farm fine for years before you were born, no offense. I'm sure they could handle it for a few weeks at the least." "But I can't just get up and leave!" Apple Bloom said. "And for that matter, neither can either of y'all! Applejack an' Big Mac will be worried out of their minds as to where I went, and Rarity would tear houses out of the ground tryin' to find Sweetie Belle." "So? We'll just leave them all a note to say where we've gone. What's the big deal, Rainbow Dash lets me do whatever I want." Scootaloo explained. "I know." Apple Bloom said flatly. "And I don't think it's right, but I ain't yer mother." "Apple Bloom's right, Scootaloo. Ponies will notice if we go missing, and they'll come after us even if we leave a note." Sweetie Belle said. "Girls, listen to me." Scootaloo began. "We made it through these past few years bored out of our minds. Twilight and her friends have taken down almost every problem that's popped up in Equestria. There's nothing fun to do, anymore. Don't you guys miss the adventures we had when we were fillies? Remember that time Apple Bloom followed Zecora into the Everfree the first time she saw her?" "Yeah, and Twilight and her friends nearly put her head on a stake thinking she kidnapped me." Apple Bloom explained. "But she didn't kidnap you, and they didn't put her head on a stake. In fact, you taught them all not to judge a book by its cover, that just because something may seem dangerous doesn't necessarily mean that it is; we have to experience it before we can come to conclusions." Scootaloo continued. "And what about that time at the Canterlot Wedding when Sweetie Belle lead us all into a charge at the Changelings?" "They had our sisters held hostage!" Sweetie Belle defended. "Plus we lost, anyways..." "Yeah, but at least we tried." Scootaloo explained, encouragingly. "We never would have had a chance at saving them if we didn't try in the first place. It's exactly like this map: we know it's here, but unless we follow it we'll never find out what it leads to in the first place. Those two other flags, the one on Canterlot and the ruins of the Everfree Forest, those were all huge cities at some point; the capitals of the entire nation! Who knows what that red flag in the desert means, or why it's red in the first place? We could be sitting on the biggest find of the century, but it'll stay hidden for who knows how long unless we seize the chance, now." As Scootaloo finished talking, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle twisted their snouts up in thought. Scootaloo was right; the Cutie Mark Crusaders had learned several important things over the years, and they had been bored out of their minds ever since. But the fact of the matter was that they had responsibilities, here in Ponyville. They had ponies that cared for them. And yes, they would come looking for them if they were to go missing, but was the adventure really worth putting their loved ones through that heartache? Seeing that her friends may be close to turning down the adventure for good, Scootaloo gave a little half-hearted smile as she spoke up. "We could get our cutie marks along the way." "Sweetie Belle wasn't at home!" Rarity called out to Twilight as she descended from the clouds back into Ponyville, with Rainbow Dash in-tow. "Rainbow Dash" Twilight began accusingly. "Lets Scootaloo come home at any time before twelve, and she doesn't even know where she's been all day. "Hey, lay off, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash defended. "Scoots is practically an adult! She can take care of herself!" "Rainbow Dash, dear," Rarity interrupted. "Scootaloo is still a teenager. She is at a point in her life where she begins rebelling against authority and doing whatever she pleases, most of the time because she finds it 'fun'. She is more likely to be irresponsible, now, more than ever." "Pfft, as if! Scootaloo is one of the most responsible fillies I know!" Rainbow Dash retorted as she stayed above Twilight and Rarity, who hurried down the dirt road towards Sweet Apple Acres. "Coming from Rainbow Dash, that doesn't surprise me in the least." Twilight mused. "Oh, darling, don't be so harsh on her." Rarity pleaded. "You know that she always tries, but being raised without a supportive mother figure doesn't exactly leave lots of room for good judgement. At least she still genuinely cares for Scootaloo." "Sorry, Rarity." Twilight began. "I know what you mean, but right now I'm more worried about the ring than Rainbow Dash's feelings. Given what we know about the Alicorn Amulet, there's no telling what this ring could do, and the fact that it's in the possession of three inexperienced fillies just makes me worry even more!" "I understand where you're coming from, dear, but just because we're preoccupied does not mean you shouldn't apologize to Rainbow Dash." Rarity said, sternly. "She's still Scootaloo's guardian, and she still tries her best to raise her as properly as she sees fit." Twilight gave a knowing sigh of defeat as her pace slowed a bit. "Rainbow Dash?" She called out, prompting the pegasus to fly a bit lower to the ground. "Yeah, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash inquired with an impatient little huff. "I'm sorry for what I said, I know you really try to be a good parent to Scootaloo, and I shouldn't push my expectations of how to raise her on you. It's unfair and I'm sorry." Twilight apologized as the trio neared the farm. "It's cool." Rainbow Dash replied, simply, with a little shrug before flying up to her original height. "It's 'cool'?" Twilight asked Rarity. "She deals with things her own way, dear. She internalizes things a lot. Just give it time, and she'll start acting like she forgives you." Rarity explained as they slowed to a trot at Applejack's door before knocking quietly. "Whoever it is, y'all better have a good darn reason for wakin' me up in the dead of night." Applejack yawned as she opened the door. "Oh, Twilight. An' Rarity." "And Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash called out from above as she pressed her face against one of the second-story windows. "Uh huh..." Applejack began. "So, what can I help y'all with at this hour?" "Well, I'm helping Princess Celestia figure out what some of the magical items locked away for years in the Canterlot vaults do, and she sent me a ring with similar craftsmanship to the Alicorn Amulet-" Twilight began to explain. "You mean that tarnished silver and ruby necklace thing Trixie tried to kill you with years ago?" Applejack interrupted. "Yes, that Alicorn Amulet. The point is, I think the Cutie Mark Crusaders took it without realizing what it was, and we can't find Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo." Twilight continued. "Is Apple Bloom home? Are the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders here?" "I sent Apple Bloom to bed a few hours ago, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo haven't dropped by since yesterday evening." Applejack explained as she opened the door wider to let her friends in. "Why don't y'all have a seat and I'll fetch Apple Bloom; we'll have this mess sorted out right quick." Twilight and her friends settled into one of the couches in Applejack's living room as she slowly ascended the stairs to Apple Bloom's room. "Do you really think the CMC would just steal from you like that, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash began. "I mean, if they thought it was Rarity's, we would have found Sweetie Belle at home, right? What are we going to do if that ring acts like the Alicorn Amulet and drives the wearer mad with power?" "Please don't talk like that, dear, especially not when I'm sitting right next to you." Rarity grumbled. "No matter what happens, we'll get Sweetie Belle and her friends back safe and sound, Rarity. I promise." Twilight explained as frantic hooves were heard on the floor above them before Applejack came bounding down the stairs. "Apple Bloom is gone!"
Chapter Three"I still don't see why we had to leave right away." Apple Bloom grumbled as she shifted her weight to force her saddlebags into a more comfortable position. "Are you kidding? How could you sleep with something as big as this?" Scootaloo questioned as she motioned towards the wring on Sweetie Belles horn. "Are you calling me fat?" Sweetie Belle joked. "What I mean is," Apple Bloom continued. "I don't see why we couldn't have waited until morning so we'd be all well-rested and actually have time to pack." Scootaloo fell silent as she gave a sheepish grin and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "I, uh, guess I jumped the wagon, there." "Mhm." Apple Bloom sounded, accusingly. "So, I trust you at least picked a spot for us to camp out so we don't get caught by the search party and dragged back into Ponyville to be grounded for the rest of our lives?" Scootaloo gave an awkward cough as she nudged Sweetie Belle, before Apple Bloom gave an annoyed groan as she moved herself over to Sweetie Belle's side. "Sweetie Belle, would you kindly show us that map?" Without hesitation, Sweetie Belle pulled the ring from her own bag and slipped it on over her horn, before flaring up her magic and producing the magical map for Apple Bloom to see. "Alright, look here." Apple Bloom began, raising a hoof as the trio continued to follow the train tracks out of Ponyville. "That red ring thingy must be us, because here it is right on the edge of town, now. The southern train tracks lead right over Ghastly Gorge and into Apple Loosa. If we follow them to Ghastly Gorge, we can get to the woods nearby in about two hours. Tomorrow morning, we can follow the river from Saddle Lake straight into San Palomino without getting lost, and from where it ends we can just follow what's left of the dried up river bed until we reach the mountains." "That won't work." Scootaloo cut in. "Mount Palomino had a landslide a long time ago into the Ghastly Gorge. That's the reason the river ends there and why it's now called the San Palomino desert. We'll have to take the train tracks into Apple Loosa until we reach the MacIntosh Hills, then we follow them West until we get into the desert. Then we can follow what's left of the river bed." "How did you fail geography, again?" Sweetie Belle wondered before Apple Bloom interrupted. "Uh-uh, no way." she started. "We can't go through Apple Loosa, in case Applejack sent word to Braeburn that we're missing. He'd be on the lookout for us like a hawk." "Well, we could just go West from the Ghastly Gorge and follow the mountain around into the desert." Sweetie Belle offered. "But then we'd be going through the desert too early." Scootaloo explained. "We'd have no water form the river, and we'd have to go around more of the mountain just to find the river to guide us again if we went in that way." "Well, the way I see it, we really only have one way left to go." Sweetie Belle said, simply. "Over the mountain." "What do you mean she's gone?!" Rarity snorted in frustration. "I mean that I went upstairs and didn't find head nor hair of her in her room!" Applejack exclaimed. "The window was unlocked, and that's not somethin' Apple Bloom does when she goes to bed, so she must've snuck out that way." "Applejack, that's about a twenty-hoof drop from the second story!" Twilight chimed in. "There's no way she could have landed that on her own." "Well, I reckon Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo must've caught her, then." "Guys, guys, come on!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You're missing the point! Who cares about how they got out, what matters is that they're not here!" "I must agree with Rainbow Dash." Rarity admitted with a huff. "What matters now is organizing a search party and bringing them home." "Oh, believe me, I'd love to. But there's somethin' else ya'll should know about before we go waking the local Guard up." Applejack said as she produced a folded up letter. "I found this on Apple Bloom's pillow." AJ, don't worry about me, I didn't run away from home or join the circus or nothin' like that. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and me found this weird old ring in Twilight's castle, an' we decided to follow it to wherever the heck it leads. Truth be told, Scootaloo doesn't want me writing you this letter because she thinks you'll find us before we find out where this ring is takin' us, but then again Scootaloo ain't writin' this letter, now is she? So me and the gals are headed to what Scootaloo thinks is some ancient city to hopefully get our cutie marks. Don't worry about us, we'll be back home when we're done, all safe an' sound. Love, your little sister, Apple Bloom Rarity placed her hoof over her head dramatically and collapsed into the couch as Applejack finished reading the letter aloud. The room was silent as Rarity passed out, Applejack silently seethed with anger, Twilight held her head in her hooves, and Rainbow Dash sat in silence as she stared out the window. "I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight began. "If she can tell me about those Unicorns who made the Alicorn Amulet, then maybe she can tell me enough about them to figure out where they'd make a map to." "And about askin' her for help tracking down my little sister." Applejack added. "Your little sister isn't the only one out on this adventure, Applejack." Rainbow Dash explained, not taking her eyes off the window. "Yeah, you seem mighty worried about Scootaloo getting lost in some unknown world with magical critters around every corner." Applejack mused as she rolled her eyes. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Just because I do things differently doesn't mean I don't care about Scootaloo! The little squirt is ten times tougher than Apple Bloom will ever be. Of course I'm worried about where she went, but I do not doubt for one second that she can't handle herself!" "CUT IT OUT, BOTH OF YOU!" Twilight screamed. "This isn't about who's the better parent figure or who has the better filly! This is about getting them back safe and sound as quickly as possible! The quicker the two of you realize that, the faster we can actually find them!" The room fell silent again as Twilight put her head back into her hooves while Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs in frustration before glaring out the window, again, as Applejack gave a final snort and turned to head into the kitchen. "Doesn't Scootaloo have a boyfriend?" "Wow, this trip is taking a lot longer than I expected it to." Scootaloo said to herself. "We just left Ponyville." Apple Bloom pointed out. "It's been almost ten minutes since we agreed to go up the mountain instead of around it." "Yeah, and it's taking a lot longer than I expected it to!" Scootaloo explained. "I figured we'd all be energetic and ready to speed off into adventure." "Well, some of us were trying to sleep not too long ago." Apple Bloom retorted. "But we're out on the road, now." Sweetie Belle interrupted. "And if we want to make it to Ghastly Gorge before morning so we can get some sleep, we need to be awake enough to get there. So, what do you want to talk about?" "We could talk about what we think our cutie marks are going to be." Scootaloo offered. "Or we could talk about why we think this adventure is a good idea at all." Apple Bloom said. "Because I sure as heck don't." "You won't be saying that when we find a cave full of gold and treasure." Scootaloo teased. "How about a song?" Sweetie Belle offered. "Not to sound rude, Sweetie Belle, but I think songs should wait until morning when we're far enough away so that ponies looking for us won't find us right off the bat." Scootaloo chuckled. "But I really do like your singing, just so you know." "Ya'll ever play the 'Name Game'?" Apple Bloom piped up. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared a glance with raised eyebrows before turning to Apple Bloom. "I'll take that as a no. It's a game Applejack an' I used to play to help me with history class while we worked on the farm." Apple Bloom explained. "You gotta start the game with some famous pony whose name starts with 'A'. For instance, Aldeus Stormfeather. Then you gotta explain why they're famous, and then the next player has to say a name startin' with the first letter of the last name." "That sounds... Fun? I guess?" Sweetie Belle said, unsure. "So who was Aldeus Stormfeather?" "He was a really old Gryphon who helped unite the old Gryphon tribes into an actual nation." Apple Bloom explained. "Scootaloo, ya'll want to go next?" "I guess I can." Scootaloo said as she studied the ground in deep thought. "How about Spitfire? I mean, we all know she's the leader of the Wonderbolts." "Yeah, but we know her." Sweetie Belle said. "Well, maybe not personally, but she's a pretty commonly known pony. Plus, what letter would I get?" "You'd get 'e', Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom explained. "And it does kinda feel like using commonly know ponies is cheatin', unless you can tell us something about her that's not commonly known." Scootaloo chuckled as she looked up from the ground to speak. "Well, I don't know for certain if it's true, but Soarin once told Rainbow Dash..." Princess Luna frowned at the unfolded letter before her, floating in the air by means of her magic as she reread each line, carefully: Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that the ring you recently sent me has gone missing. My friends and I believe that the three fillies more commonly known as the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' (consisting of Apple Bloom, Applejack's little sister, Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, and Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash's adopted daughter) have taken it without fully knowing its purpose. To be honest, however, I do not know its purpose, and was hoping that you could shed some light on the Unicorns who created the ring, as well as the Alicorn Amulet, so very long ago. More importantly, however, I was hoping that you would be able to spare some guards for a search party. Given what we know about the Alicorn Amulet, there's no telling what this ring could do if it really was made by the same ponies. My friends and I are all wide awake and ready to help search for the three fillies as soon as either a search party arrives or you share any information you have on the ring's creators. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle P.S. I understand that Princess Luna may get this message before you, given the time of night, and I just want to apologize, Princess Luna! In my haste and worry I had somehow forgotten how late it was before I started writing this letter. Please consider it addressed to both of you. With a furrowed brow, she stood up from her throne in the Night Court and made her way past the guards towards Celestia's side of the castle, where she proceeded to knock quietly on her elder's door before cracking it open and peering inside. "'Tia?" Luna began as her eyes fell on the back of her sister's head as well as the shaft of light from the hallway. "'Tia, are you awake?" "Lulu?" Celestia yawned in confusion as she rolled over to face her sister; bringing a hoof up to shield her eyes from the light. "Is something wrong?" "Indeed, there is, 'Tia." Luna explained as she opened Celestia's door wide enough to step inside; producing the unfolded letter. "It would appear as though the ring has been taken by three young mares, who have subsequently disappeared." Princess Celestia rubbed one of her eyes as the other scanned the letter word for word, carefully ingesting what was written. When she finished, Celestia lay her head down into her pillow with a soft groan. "What time is it, Lulu?" "Shortly after midnight." Luna replied, simply. "Would you like me to handle this matter myself?" "Could you?" Celestia asked. "You know how our schedules work." "I would be happy to do so, 'Tia." Luna explained as she began to close the door on her sister. "Have a good night, dear sister; tomorrow it's your turn." As the door clicked shut behind Princess Luna, she folded the letter up and carefully slipped it into a little pouch on the inside of her ceremonial breastplate before returning to her Night Court. "Captain Jer'rahd, instruct the gate guards that Night Court is now closed, and gather twenty of your guards for a search party; three mares have disappeared along with a very important ring." Princess Luna ordered, to which her light-grayed Unicorn Captain saluted before hurrying off down the halls. They had only a few hours before sunrise, now. "Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed as the dark-purple chariot descended from the sky with several armored pegasi in tow. "I'm really glad you could come." "It is my pleasure to be of assistance." Princess Luna explained as she stepped out of her chariot. "Captain, have five of your guards tie themselves together and clear the Everfree Forest. The rest of them will scour the area surrounding Ponyville until those mares are found. Now, Twilight, please explain to me how exactly you came to lose the ring." Twilight's smile faded into an ashamed frown under Luna's scowl as she turned her head to the ground and began to speak. "W-Well, you see, since Princess Celestia and I believed that the ring was made by the same Unicorns who made the Alicorn Amulet, I thought I'd bring Rarity into the equation since she took a course on Gemology in college... A-And, well, while I was at her house, the Cutie Mark Crusaders dropped by to see me and must have gotten impatient waiting for me. I-I think they found the ring and thought Rarity had accidentally left it there, since I kind of have a thing against jewelry and... H-Here we are?" Princess Luna continued to simply stare down at Twilight, who held her apologetic, sheepish smile after she had explained the story. "I see." was all Princess Luna replied with as her guards departed into the night sky. "Come, Twilight Sparkle; there is much to explain." Twilight gave a little nod, unseen by Princess Luna, before beginning to trot beside the princess of the night as her friends followed closely behind. "How versed are all of you in Equestrian history?" Princess Luna inquired as she led the group towards Twilight's castle. "I-I took an advanced placement course in high school..." Fluttershy admitted, sheepishly. "Are you familiar with the Order of the Sun and Moon?" Luna asked as she slowed her pace to walk alongside the yellow mare. "O-Of course. They were a group of Unicorns about two thousand years ago, who helped teach you and Princess Celestia about magic in order to defeat Discord." Fluttershy explained, ignoring the looks of shock and amazement from her friends. "T-They also acted as your council members until they disbanded in twenty-three forty-eight out of shame because they couldn't stop an assassin from getting so close to you." "It appears as you have much to learn from your friend, Twilight Sparkle." Luna said with a smile as she nodded approvingly at Fluttershy. "She is right: long ago, the Order of the Sun and Moon sheltered and protected us after the surviving members of our race fled Equestria to be free of Discord's wrath. After Discord was defeated, they grew from a secret organization into a public powerhouse. They had their hooves in almost everything, from trade routes to the military, although we found them to be quite fair and knowledgeable. Regardless of their loyalties to the thrones, they always had Equestria's best interests at heart, or so I am led to believe." "What do you mean?" Twilight spoke as Luna paused in her speech. "The Order of the Sun and Moon had their hooves in everything, Twilight Sparkle. Although my sister and I cannot speak for every member of the group, it is believed by us that certain members sought to rule Equestria themselves, instead of my sister and I." Princess Luna continued. "It was likely these same members who crafted the Alicorn Amulet that you all are familiar with; a simple amulet littered with magic-amplifiers that boosted typical Unicorn magic to the point where it could effectively counter an Alicorn's. While we luckily never saw this used against us, we do not doubt that some of them had plans to. And plans do not rely on a single course of action." "So you think, whatever this ring does, it was created to be a 'plan B' in case the Alicorn Amulet didn't work?" Twilight inquired as the party pushed through the doors to Twilight's castle and quickly made their way to the map room. "I personally believe so, yes." Princess Luna admitted. "Although my sister has too much faith in the old Order and believes they would have ceased their attempts entirely if the Alicorn Amulet failed, thus rendering any other plans unnecessary." Twilight breathed in deeply as she ingested the hoard of new information being fed to her before taking her seat at the map as her friends did the same; Princess Luna left standing next to Twilight. "I... I don't know what to say to that, Princess Luna. If what you think about the ring is true, not only does it mean that we need to find those fillies faster than ever, but also that what they have could be more catastrophic than the Amulet." "What makes you say that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she slouched in her chair. "Think about it, darling." Rarity mused. "If you were to throw a rock at somepony with the intent on hurting them, but the rock you threw didn't hurt at all, would you keep using the same rock or find a much bigger rock?" "She has a point." Applejack nodded as the orange mare slumped into the table with a yawn. "Indeed she does." Princess Luna said as she began marking the map before them with small dots of magic. "These points all represent locations and events where the Order of the Sun and Moon assisted us in reclaiming Equestria from Discord. The Order sheltered us in caves along the Crystal Mountains, here, until such a time where we had matured enough. Then, we set out to restore the flow of water to Equestria from Neighagra Falls, here. Afterwards, we gained a hoofhold in the region by capturing the ruins of Old Canterlot, where Canterlot now stands today, here." Twilight Sparkle's eyes took in every mark of magic as her ears tried to widen to take in Princess Luna's words. Fluttershy may have been in an advanced placement class, but the bewildered look in her eyes told Twilight that not even she had learned this in high school. This was knowledge that wasn't made known to normal ponies since it began existing! This was unrecorded history, straight from the mouth of a princess, from a time where the world stood in uncertain light. "From there we established a base of operations and the Order salvaged what they could from the ruins. My sister and I believe this is around the time where they began forging magical weapons, armor, and trinkets, although not with intentions of fighting us. Still, some of the items that lay in the vaults might be from this time, perhaps even the Amulet itself." Princess Luna explained. "Regardless, after securing Canterlot we moved to reestablish contact with the rest of the Unicorn race, which had scattered about in the area East of present day Galloping Gorge. From there, we battled Discord's deformed minions across Equestria until we came across what was left of the Earth Ponies in present day Hayseed Swamp. The search for the remaining pegasi took to the skies after we helped secure the Earth Pony's future, and we soon found them in the clouds surrounding Smokey Mountain." Princess Luna took a moment to catch her breath before she placed her hoof over the final marking. "With the three races revived and united, Discord finally took notice of us, and we clashed south of Canterlot. The scar from the battle forged what is today known as Ghastly Gorge. His foul magic continues to pervert the creatures within, although it seems to be thankfully subsiding after all these years." Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath of her own as she leaned over the map for a better view before speaking up. "I don't understand, Princess. How is all of this relevant?" "During your short time wearing the Alicorn Amulet for your research you made mention, several times, of visions of places you had never been and a desire to visit them." Princess Luna explained. "All those places you mentioned are likely places the Alicorn Amulet was used during the fight against Discord's minions, and are undoubtedly memories of its past wearer. I believe that the ring we sent you may have the same effect on the wearer; a longing to visit those places of old." "We're gonna need a lot more stallions out lookin' if all of these places are viable spots." Applejack scoffed. "There's no tellin' which one they could have headed off to, or even how far along they are. Heck, who's to say they're only goin' to one place, anyway?" "Applejack has a point, Princess Luna." Twilight began. "If the Cutie Mark Crusaders are headed to any number of these points, we'd need more guards than you have to get there and stake them out. We simply don't have the horsepower for this kind of search party." "Do you think us a fool, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Luna asked with a playful chuckle. "Why do you believe we sent our guards to scan the area around Ponyville instead of straight to those locations? It is far more effective to determine which way a hydra walked by following the clawprints than guessing where it might be headed." Twilight cringed slightly at her own stupidity before she was interrupted by three guards trotting into the room. "Captain Jer'rahd." Princess Luna greeted the guard with a smile. "I trust you have located our missing fillies?" "On the contrary, Princess, we simply started with questioning the locals." the guard responded. "We have reports of the three mares leaving Ponyville from the South a few hours before midnight." Princess Luna's confident smile turned to a slight frown as she turned to face Twilight's tightly-closed eyes. "You didn't even bother to ask the townsponies if they had seen them..."
Chapter Four"I just gave one of your guards a message fer Braeburn." Applejack said as she trotted alongside the group, who in turn trotted behind Princess Luna as she led the way along the train tracks leading out of Ponyville. "If anypony in Apple Loosa sees those fillies, they'll snatch 'em up and hold 'em tighter than a starving boa constrictor." "Let us hope that they are indeed headed for Apple Loosa." Princess Luna began. "Otherwise I will have wasted my time here before my sister takes over." "If that's the case, shouldn't some of us stay behind to search Ghastly Gorge while the others move on to Apple Loosa?" Fluttershy piped up. "I mean, if we want to be sure to find them, that seems like the best plan..." "Fluttershy's right. Rainbow Dash, how about you, Fluttershy, and I stay behind at Ghastly Gorge when Princess Luna and the others head on to Apple Loosa?" Twilight offered. "Our wings will make searching the gorge much faster." "Sounds good to me." Rainbow Dash spoke up as she nudged Fluttershy, who simply gave a little nod and a smile. "Then it is settled." Princess Luna cut in. "You three will scour the Gorge while the rest of your friends and I continue South East. I will send my guard further East into Hayseed Swamps, and we will all return to Apple Loosa by sunrise so that my sister can take over, should the fillies not be found." "What time is it, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked. Princess Luna took a moment to stare at the moon, silently estimating the time by its position before she lowered her head once more to continue forward as Ghastly Gorge came into sight. "Nearly two in the morning. We have six hours until my sister will be able to take over. Good luck, all of you." One hour earlier... "This is now the third time you've tried to use Windsall Feathermoon." Apple Bloom sighed as the trio settled down on the forest floor and began to unroll their sleeping bags. "Sweetie Belle already said her name and that she was the head of the original Feathermoon party after Aldeus was assassinated." "Well sor-ry that I'm a little distracted thinking about what we might find in San Palomino." Scootaloo defended. "The game is kind of lame, anyway." Apple Bloom gave a sigh as she smoothed out her sleeping bag. It had been three hours since the Cutie Mark Crusaders found the ring and left Ponyville on the adventure of a lifetime. Three hours of endless walking on uneven ground and train tracks with nothing but a little history game to keep them awake and entertained. Sweetie Belle had proven to be the most adept at the game, even more so that Apple Bloom, surprisingly. Although Sweetie Belle could fire off names and events without hesitation, Apple Bloom had memory and never once repeated a name. "I thought it was fun." Sweetie Belle admitted as she slid into her bag. "You two even taught me about a few ponies I never even heard of." "Well of course you had fun, Li'l Miss History Book." Scootaloo teased with a smile. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes with a little smile as she stretched her hooves for a moment before turning to Apple Bloom. "What time do you want to start heading out?" she asked as Apple Bloom snugly slipped into her own sleeping bag. Sweetie Belle waited patiently for an answer for a few moments before the sound of Apple Bloom's gentle snoring reached her ears, causing a little chuckle to escape from her mouth as she turned her head to Scootaloo. "Head out when the sun comes up?" "Fine with me." Scootaloo yawned, before turning on her side and closing her eyes. Soon, the only movement in the small forest was the gentle rise and fall of the Cutie Mark Crusader's chests as they slept, and Sweetie Belle herself; who slowly twirled the ring around in her magic as her eyes traced the runic carvings in the band while the ruby sparkled slightly in the moonlight. She wondered to herself who could have crafted such a beautiful thing, and when. Most of all, however, she wondered where the map in it lead, and why there was a map at all. As she wondered these things, she slipped the ring onto her horn and let her magic flare up once more, causing the map to appear before her; casting its gentle light-blue glow on her friends as they slept. Sweetie Belle tilted her head as she studied the map once more, noting that the slowly swirling green symbol had followed them to Ghastly Gorge, along with the moon's symbol. Is Princess Luna tracking us? Sweetie Belle thought as she watched the pair of symbols slowly flicker closer to Ghastly Gorge. And is that swirly symbol Twilight and her friends? The Elements of Harmony? Sweetie Belle continued, before letting the map fade away with her magic as she let out a yawn of her own. Whatever those symbols meant, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would likely be long gone before they reached Ghastly Gorge. If it really was Twilight and her friends, as well as Princess Luna, the three mares would certainly be in a world of trouble, should they be found. Sweetie Belle smiled softly as she welcomed a world of dreams into her head, too sleepy to hear the soft rustling of the bushes on a windless night... "Alright, we'll see everypony in Apple Loosa, come sunrise." Twilight promised as she waved to her friends while they continued on along the train tracks over Ghastly Gorge. "Stay safe, everypony!" Twilight took a moment to watch them carry on before slowly gliding down the side of the gorge with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in tow, before the trio planted their hooves into the banks of the river, below. "Spread out and look for clues." Twilight instructed. "Fluttershy, do you want to peek around the caves and see what you can find while Rainbow Dash searches the area around the gorge?" "What are you going to do?" Rainbow Dash cut in. "I'll look around the river." Twilight explained. "There might not be any hoofprints, but if Sweetie Belle came down for water I can try to track her through her magic residue." "Makes sense." Rainbow Dash shrugged before spreading her wings to fly over the edge of the gorge as Fluttershy gave a little cough to catch Twilight's attention. "I don't like this place, Twilight." she said. "Something's wrong, here." "It will be fine, Fluttershy. Just stay quiet so you don't wake the quarray eels, and we'll find a trace of those fillies in a few minutes." Twilight replied. "But that's just it, Twilight!" Fluttershy exclaimed in quiet worry. "Usually you would be able to hear them snoring, since the sound would bounce off of the cave walls, but you can't hear anything. It's like the eels are just... Gone." "They're probably just deeper into their caves, Fluttershy." Twilight reassured. "It is a lot colder than it usually is, tonight. Don't fret about it, we'll be fine." "I hope so..." Fluttershy mused as Twilight began slowly walking alongside the river; head towards the ground before Fluttershy carefully spread her wings and quietly flew up towards the mouth of one of many caves. Out on the edge of Ghastly Gorge, Rainbow Dash flew low to the ground as she kept an eye out for any sign of the Cutie Mark Crusaders; from an overturned stone to imprints in the dirt as she neared the small forest overlooking Ghastly Gorge. If I was on the run, headed this way, I'd take a nap in these trees. Rainbow Dash reasoned as she pushed away the bushes and young trees that blocked her path until she reached a small clearing, large enough for a campsite with three crumpled sleeping bags in the center. "Twilight, Fluttershy, come quick!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she shot out of the trees and hovered over the gorge. "Keep your voice down!" Twilight whispered harshly as she and Fluttershy flew up to the blue pegasus. "Do you want to wake the quarray eels?" "Sorry, but I think I found where they slept for the night." Rainbow Dash explained as she led the way back into the forest to the campsite. Twilight nudged one of the sleeping bags with her hoof as she inspected it closely, while Rainbow Dash did the same to another. Fluttershy, however, stood her ground at the edge of the clearing and carefully parted a bramble thicket. "This definitely smells like Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash admitted with a cough. "Always was a hassle to get that squirt to take a bath." "So where are they now?" Twilight asked, rhetorically. "Why leave their sleeping bags?" "Girls..." Fluttershy whispered, turning to show a tuft of thick, dark brown fur she had pulled from the thicket. "This is bad." "Rarity, I-I'm sorry..." Sweetie Belle cried, softly. "R-Rainbow Dash, why..." Scootaloo whined. "Applejack, p-please..." Apple Bloom begged. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders tossed and turned in their sleep as the three canine-like figures stood over their sleeping bodies; their eyes flashing yellow periodically as they continued to feed the three fillies nightmares while consuming their own pleasant dreams. Behind them, a smaller figure rummaged through the saddle bags; dumping out its contents onto the forest floor and sifting through them for anything shiny. "This one has a ring!" the figure standing over Sweetie Belle signaled, prompting the smaller creature to rush forward and carefully pull the ring off of her horn. "It's pretty!" another creature noted. "It's shiny!" the third one exclaimed. "Quiet, you idiots!" the small one whispered as he slapped them all. "Keep giving them nightmares, there's only one bag left to search." The three larger creatures, with shame in their faces, turned their heads back to the fillies and continued to flash their eyes periodically; calling out the fears of the three mares to manifest in their dreams. After the smaller creature had emptied the third and final bag and determined it held nothing of value, it motioned for the others to follow as it hurried over the edge of the gorge. "Please don't send me back to Manehatten!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she awoke from her nightmare; sitting upright in an instant and coming face-to-face with one of the creatures. "Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?" Apple Bloom shouted back, half asleep, before Sweetie Belle once again spoke up. "DIAMOND DOGS!" she screamed in fear as she headbutted the canine, causing it to yelp in pain and hold its nose as it hurriedly backed away, before turning to flee into the gorge. "They took the ring!" "Get back here, you coward!" Scootaloo shouted as she leapt from her sleeping back and gave chase, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle charged the remaining two Diamond Dogs; ramming their heads into their bellies to elicit a pained howl from the two canines before they, too, turned tail to flee. "After them!" Apple Bloom ordered as she and Sweetie Belle slid down the side of the gorge towards Scootaloo just in time to see which of the many caves the dogs had fled into. As the trio took off after the dogs into the cave, the moonlight from outside steadily reached less and less of the inside of the cave, prompting Sweetie Belle to use her magic to light the way. But it was too late; the dogs had fled far enough to where the Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn't even hear the patter of their paws on the cold stone. The Cutie Mark Crusaders slowed to a stop as they paused to catch their breath. "Now what are we going to do?" Scootaloo whined. "We're going to go after them!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "We can't turn back, especially not now! If we turn back now, we go back to Twilight without the ring we stole and without anything to show for it!" "But these are Diamond Dog caves!" Scootaloo replied. "They could go on for miles, and who knows how many forks in the road there are, down here!" Sweetie Belle gave a little laugh as she brightened her magic. "Don't you girls remember that Advanced Unicorn studies class I took? They taught us all sorts of things." Sweetie Belle explained as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath; focusing her magic into a ball of light that swirled around for a few moments above her head before moving forward through the cave as if on rails. "Like how to track magic." "What kind of fur is that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she poked at it with a hoof. "It's Diamond Dog fur, but it's much more thick than any I've ever seen." Fluttershy explained. "If Diamond Dogs took the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there's no telling where they could be by now." Twilight groaned. "These caves could go on for miles, and we don't even know where to start, let alone which are quarray eel nests and which aren't." "That's just it, Twilight." Flutteshy spoke up. "When you had me look into the caves, I realized why I had such a bad feeling about this place..." Fluttershy pulled a medium-sized bone from under her wing and set it on the ground before her friends. "This is from a quarray eel." "So, what's the big deal?" Rainbow Dash inquired. "Animals die all the time." "This eel didn't die of old age, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy explained, quietly. "There are teeth marks all along the bones..." Twilight realized as she studied it closely. "Do you think Diamond Dogs did this?" "I don't see what else could have." Fluttershy admitted. "We haven't heard a single eel, even though Rainbow Dash's yelling should have woken them all up. In fact, I don't think there are any quarray eels in Ghastly Gorge, anymore..." "This just keeps on getting better and better." Rainbow Dash groaned. "First, the CMC go missing, now they've been taken by carnivores." "Rainbow Dash, I need you to fly as fast as you can to Apple Loosa and get Princess Luna and the others. Tell them what we know, and that Fluttershy and I are headed into the caves." Twilight ordered. "We can't find these fillies after the Diamond Dogs-" "I don't need an image in my head, Twilight." Rainbow Dash glared before she spread her wings and took off along the train tracks, leaving Fluttershy and Twilight to stare into the mouth of one of many caves. Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself as Fluttershy gulped nervously. "Are you ready for this?"
