In an age long past. a great power was known. It was a power first discovered by two sisters, and they spent many years studying and learning the way to utilize this power. As they ventured across the land, they taught others how to use it as well. Over time, it became known as Harmony. With the use of Harmony, kingdoms began to rise and flourish. Small towns grew into massive cities, home to all sorts of wonders and amazing things. Schools were opened, where scholars studied the power of Harmony and passed on their knowledge to the younger generations.
As the years passed, the two sisters became revered for their mastery of Harmony, and they formed their own nation, which became the heart of all things pertaining to Harmony. Under their awe-inspiring guidance, the world entered a Golden Age.
The two sisters used their mastery of Harmony to forge two relics that would help guide the other nations. Each using three of the six base elements that comprised Harmony, the elder sister, Celestia, used the elements of Generosity, Kindness, and Magic to craft the Golden Sun, while the younger sister, Luna, used the elements of Laughter, Honesty, and Loyalty to craft the Silver Moon. Six Great Lighthouses were built across the world to power these relics, each Lighthouse harnessing the power of one of the Elements of Harmony.
As the knowledge of Harmony grew, and the Lights of the Great Relics shone upon all nations, so too did the ambition of those who, above all else, desired power for themselves. The peace that once existed throughout the world became strained between the nations, as each sought to increase their power above that of their neighbours. The knowledge that once flowed freely became hoarded treasure. The strain became too great, and finally, a great Calamity unlike anything before fell upon them: war. As the chaos of war grew stronger, the two sisters watched in horror as everything they had worked so hard to accomplish was twisted into abominations. Nation after nation fought and battled over who controlled the Lighthouses, each seeking to gain dominance over at least one of the two Relics.
Finally having enough, the two sisters rose up, each using their respective Relics, and used all of their power to do the unthinkable: They sealed away the power of Harmony. One by one, the Lighthouses darkened, and with their Lights went all knowledge of Harmony. The two sisters, to avoid further bloodshed, took the six essences of Harmony, the Elemental Stars, and vanished from history. Without the Lights to guide them, the nations fell back into an uneasy peace, but the world was not the same. Terrible things had been done through the misuse of Harmony. The roads and forests that had once been so safe were now filled with all sorts of dark creatures, remnants of the abominations created for the war. Without the Lights to guide them, the world slowly slipped into a peaceful decline...
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"Applejack! Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Her mother called urgently, shaking her.
She slowly stirred, blearily opening her eyes as she looked around. A sudden thundercrack outside snapped her fully awake. A gust of wind howled past, causing the windows to rattled. Just as she was about to slip out of her bed, a small quake shook the entire house, nearly throwing her to the floor. Her mother rushed to the window, prancing nervously. "Another one. And slightly stronger too." She worriedly bit her lip. She turned back to her youngest child. "Your father and brother are already out helping the neighbours get out." As Applejack clambered to her feet, her mother briefly focused, a small glow forming about her. A ghostly hand grabbed some clothing that had been hanging on the wall and brought it down to her. She quickly helped her daughter into the jacket and placed the Stetson on her head. "There. That'll help keep the rain off you a bit. Now, hurry!" And she quickly headed out of the room.
The filly hurried after her, nearly tripping down the stairs in her rush. Her mother was just finishing up tying a shawl about her. "I'm going to go on ahead and help your father. I need you to go check on the Pie family and see if they need any help."
"Momma, what's going on?" Applejack asked. "There's never been a storm this bad before!"
Her mother gave her a grim look. "The Mt. Solus Boulder is falling. The Sage and his acolytes are trying to hold it back, but it may just be a matter of time." She gently put a hoof to her daughter's cheek. "That's why I need you to go help the Pies. Make sure they get to safety."
"I can do it!" Applejack said, standing just a bit taller.
Before going to the door, her mother paused. She seemed to think for a moment and then nodded. "Can't be too careful." She to a stand by the door and picked up a small blade with her mouth and brought it over to Applejack. "Just in case. The quakes could spook monsters into the village." She buckled the sheathed blade onto her daughter's back. "Just remember your training, and you'll be fine. Remember, use Harmony sparingly, you've only just started your lessons." She quickly pulled her into a hug. "Be safe!" She went to the door and hurried out.
The filly went to the door, pausing at the rain pouring down. In all her life, she had never seen a storm this bad, but if the Boulder was falling...she shook her head. She had to go find Pinkie! As she hurried out into the rain, another quake made the ground tremble beneath her feet. Two small boulders tumbled down and blocked the stairs leading south. That meant they'd have to cross the bridge if they wanted to make it to the plaza. She hurried northward, quickly running up a flight of stairs. The door to the Pies' home was slightly ajar, and she poked her head in.
"Hello?" She called out. After quickly looking around, she concluded that they must have already left for the plaza. She quickly exited back out into the rain, but as she began to pass around the house, she heard grunting. Coming around to the back of the house, she found her friend Pinkie desperately trying to pull a heavy trunk through the mud.
"Pinkie! What are you doing? Leave it and let's go!" Applejack shouted.
Pinkie stopped for a moment and looked over at her. "But all my part stuff is in here! I just can't leave it!"
Applejack glanced from her friend to the heavy trunk and back. "There's no time! The Boulder could fall at any moment! We've got to go now!"
Pinkie glanced at her trunk, and then shook her head. "Alright. Let's go! " She gave the trunk one last look and then turned and headed off with her friend. As they came to the bridge near the Sage's house, they couldn't help but notice how swollen the river that ran through the village was. And how fast it was flowing.
Just as they were nearing the other side, the earth began to tremble beneath their feet. It started slow at first, and then grew steadily higher. There was a great crashing sound, and they both turned towards Mt. Solus. They could just make out the Sage and his acolytes, the glow of Harmony about them, when a great dark shape came rushing down at them. The Boulder had fallen! The Sage and his helpers held their ground desperately, but the two fillies could easily see them straining just to hold it. Quickly they rushed off, finding their path blocked by another small boulder. That meant a detour through the small wood, past the abandoned cottage.
The two shared a glance, before checking to make sure their blades were ready. Some of the smaller monsters occasionally managed to slip into this area, since ponies rarely went there. As they carefully made their way, a faint moaning sound caught their attention. A stallion was lying next to a boulder, groaning. "How bad am I hurt?" He groaned. "Oh, I'm probably going to die, aren't I? And with those monsters loose too!"
Pinkie took one look at him and simply shrugged. "Actually, it looks like your fine. Well, I mean, as fine as any of us can be at the moment. I mean, it is raining, and the Mt. Solus Boulder is going to tumble down on us, but..."
"The Boulder is falling?!" The stallion cried, leaping to his feet. "Forget the monsters, I need to get out of here!"
As he went dashing off, Pinkie turned to Applejack. "Did he say something about monsters?"
A loud shriek was her reply. "Oh, great." Appplejack said, reaching back with her muzzle to grasp her blade. "Here they come!" The two fillies stood their ground as a large bat flew towards them. At just the right moment, they both leapt apart, swinging their blades. The bat fell to the ground, two gashes running down its sides. They grimly nodded to one another and began moving again.
The rush of water told them they were going in the right direction, and they found themselves at the top of the last stairwell leading down to the plaza. As they made their way down, there was a loud shout, a loud splash, followed by a filly's scream. They rushed down to see Big Mac, Applejacks older brother, clinging to a post in the middle of the river with all his strength. "Big Mac!" She shouted. Over on the partially destroyed bridge stood Applejack's father, as well as Pinkie's parents. Applejack's mother came rushing out of the house. "Applejack! Pinkie! Quickly! Get to the plaza and get help!" She looked out to where Big Mac was. "All of us have already used up our Harmony reserves helping the others! Hurry!! Maud has already gone ahead! I'm sure you'll meet her there!"
The two fillies ran for all they were worth. As they got to the plaza, they found it already crowded with other villagers who had evacuated their homes. In the center stood the large Harmony stone. They could just make out a stallion there, recharging his Harmony reserves, one of his front hooves touching it. They called it a stone, but it actually was a giant crystal that emitted Harmony. No one was sure why, but it was able to replenish a pony's Harmony, if they were worn out. As they neared, they found Maud with Pinkie's grandmother, the Mayor of the village. She was addressing a small group to go help the Sage with the Boulder. Just as Applejack and PInkie approached, they hurried off and Maud began speaking to her grandmother, finishing just the two fillies got there.
"I see. That is terrible!" Mayor Mare said. The stallion touching the stone opened his eyes and leapt back across the channel that surrounded the Harmony Stone. Mayor Mare turned to him. "How are your reserves? Are you replenished?"
"Enough to help Big Mac." He replied. "You kids lead on!"
Mayor Mare nodded. "That would be wise! Many of the pathways have been blocked by the quakes! You three can show him the way!"
They hurried off back the way they came, running as fast as the wind and rain would allow them. As they went back across the bridge, Applejack's mother appeared and called out to them. "Did you find help?"
The stallion stepped forward. "Yes, ma'am. I'm good to go!"
Hurrying the rest of the way, they made it down. The stallion closed his eyes and began to focus, just as the ground trembled again. Everyone froze. From further up, there was a terrible sound that filled their hearts with dread. They turned and looked up, just in time to see the Boulder come crashing down.
For what seemed an eternity, all they could do was stand there. Applejack blankly stared where brother just was. Then where her father had been. Where Pinkie's parents had been. She shook herself. Downriver. She needed to get downriver. There was a chance that the impact had sent them down that way, and if so, then they needed help! She shook herself, and began to run. She made it across the bridge, but as she turned, she heard two voices and stopped. A male voice spoke first, almost a snarl.
"I can't believe that we are the only ones to survive!" He said. As he walked into view, Applejack's eyes widened. A blue dragon! He wasn't as big as the stories said they could be, but he was definitely bigger than any ponies in the village. As she looked on, a red female dragon also came into view.
"How could we have anticipated Sol Sanctum would unleash such fury?" She answered.
"It's a miracle that even the two of us were spared..." He growled.
"That switch... It must have been a trap..." She hissed.
"But to think it could conjure up a storm this powerful!" He growled, looking back to the mountain.
"Another demonstration of the awesome powers of Harmony." She hissed.
"Regardless, we must not fail the next time we challenge Sol Sanctum." The male replied.
The female nodded. "Next time, we shall certainly..."
She was cut off by a loud shout. "Applejack! Wait!"
Applejack nearly cursed Pinkie out loud as she came running after her. She screeched to a halt. The two dragons were eyeing them with malice. As they approached, the male stepped forward. "You were eavesdropping on us just now, weren't you?"
Applejack could only nod. Pinkie looked at her. "Applejack!" She glanced at the two dragons. "Applejack, they look kinda scary...should we be talking to them?"
The two dragons looked to one another, before the female looked back at them. "You must forget everything you heard."
The male cracked his knuckles and nodded. "Don't worry...We'll help you forget!" The pair drew their swords.
The two fillies drew their own small blades before they realized what they were doing.
The female chuckled. "Oh, look, Saturos! They mean to fight back!"
"Nothing to worry about, Menardi!" The male replied. He threw out his hand, and a swarm of fireballs flew at the two fillies. Applejack was thrown off her feet, smacking against a tree. She saw Pinkie lying limp a few feet away from her. The edges of her vision began to dim as she watched the two dragons run off. "Big...Mac..." And she faded into darkness.
Author's Note
Did a small edit, due to some missing dialogue. Got it all fixed, though.
Three Years Later
It was a bright and sunny morning in the small village of Vale. It lay at the base of a massive mountain, Mt. Solus. For countless centuries, the people of Vale had lived there. To the rare travelling merchant, they were just an ordinary small village. The village of Vale was a peaceful place. Every day, the stallions and mares went about their day, tending to the fields and orchard where they grew their food, or else went to their various small shops, even a blacksmith shop. Usually, the blacksmith simply forged objects and tools that ponies needed every day, but he also sold a small variety of weapons. Simply because they preferred peace did not mean they couldn't defend themselves.
Maud Pie trotted briskly past several of the stalls set up in the village plaza. The sun was shining, the heat wasn't too bad, and the birds were singing their lovely chorus. As she made her way up the stairs leading up to her and her sisters house, her thoughts drifted off in a very unwanted direction. 'Three years. It's been three years since the Solus Boulder fell.' Her sister, Pinkie, had taken it very hard. Her pink hair, that had once been so poofy, had become straight. She used to love nothing more than to go out of her way to make others laugh, but after that day, she had become withdrawn. But Applejack hadn't given up on her, coming by every day to cheer her up. To do anything to make her laugh and smile again. And gradually, she did. It had been slow work, but while her hair was still straight, a little bit of the old Pinkie had returned. Maud did her best to suppress a shudder. At least she hadn't asked to be called Pinkamena. She shook her head. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late.
Ever since Applejack and Pinkie were found unconscious on their way to the plaza, the two had taken to studying Harmony as much as they could get their hooves on. And had been training with their blades just as much. The two claimed to not remember anything after the Boulder falling, whenever asked about it, a strange look would enter their eyes. A hardness that hadn't been there before.
As she approached the Apple family's home, she heard Apple Blossom, Applejack's mother, talking. "Now be careful up there! I know the roof needs patching, but just so long as you don't fall through yourself!"
"I'm being careful!" Maud heard Applejack call out. She could just make out the mare on the roof. As she watched, a gentle glow surrounded her, and a ghostly claw appeared. It picked up a pile of straw, and then carefully wove it into the rest of the roof, making a tight seal. Maud gave a small smile and continued walking. Her house was just a little further up from the Apples's. As she approached her front door, she heard a loud "Hyaa!".
She shook her head. 'Still training, Pinkie? I figured you'd have finished by now.' She headed around to the back of the house, where she found Pinkie near the flower patch. Pinkie was in the middle of fighting her practice dummy, swinging at it with her sword. Suddenly, one of her hooves glowed, and a small ball of fire flew through the air, striking the dummy. Unfortunately, the fireball kept going and fell, scorching many of the flowers. "Pinkie! Marble's going to be really upset with you!"
Her sister stopped mid-swing, looking back her. She stabbed the blade into the ground, and picked up a nearby towel. She looked over the damage her fireball had done, before sighing. "I'll just convince Applejack to grow her some new one
s."
Maud couldn't help but chuckle and shook her head. "For the past three years, the two of you have thrown yourselves into studying as much about Harmony as you can. Not to mention when Master Starswirl came to our village a year ago. Mom and Dad would be..."
Pinkie cut her off. "Proud, I'm sure." She hung her towel around her neck. She sighed. "But they're gone, Maud. Applejack lost her father and brother." She turned back to her sister. "We'd better go get Applejack. We don't want to keep Master Starswirl waiting." She replied. She grabbed the hilt of her short sword with her mouth and twisted around to place it in its sheathe.
Her older sister gave a small sigh. Pinkie had come a long way in the last year, what with learning from Master Starswirl. The scholarly, elder stallion had arrived in Vale one day. Not long after that, he had started asking all kinds of questions, mostly spending his days with the village’s Sage. Yet for all the questions Starswirl asked, many went unanswered. Some, because the Sage himself did not have the knowledge the scholar sought. Others, because they hit too close to secrets. Secrets that only the Sage knew. Secrets passed down from his predecessor upon his deathbed, and that he would, in turn, one day pass on to his own successor upon his own deathbed. But overall, the ponies of Vale had accepted the scholar. While he could not use much Harmony himself, his knowledge of it was extensive. Maud frowned. If what Master Starswirl claimed, though, even his seemingly vast knowledge only just barely scratched the surface of what was Harmony.
"You've done a tremendous job, Applejack!" They heard Apple Blossom say. The two mares could just see them both on the roof. She was silent for a while before speaking again. "Applejack, do you and Pinkie really believe that if your abilities with Harmony had been stronger, then that day would've been different?"
Maud heard Pinkie's gasp. Applejack didn't hesitate before answering. "Yes. If even either of us had been just a little bit stronger that day, then we..."
"Could've died as well." Her mother answered calmly. "We were both devastated that day. I lost both my son and husband, and you lost your brother and father. And the Pie girls lost both their parents. Maud and her grandmother have done the best they can, but I can still see the hurt and pain in Pinkie's eyes. Yours too, Applejack." The two Pie mares heard hoofsteps coming towards the ladder. "Now, let's get off this roof before either of us put any new holes in it. The last thing I want is Pinkie coming up here looking for us. The Goddesses know what would happen with that mare!"
The two sisters took their cue and came the rest of the way. Maud gave them both a nice smile. "Good morning."
Blossom gave the girls a warm smile. "Good morning, girls! I had a feeling you would be here soon! Ah, and here's Applejack now. Just finished patching up our roof! Now it won't be so leaky next time it rains." She eyed all three of them. "So what do you three girls have planned for today?"
Pinkie's face brightened a bit with excitement. "Ah! We're going to Mt. Solus with Starswirl today!"
The older mare shook her head with a chuckle. "Mountain climbing. No doubt all part of your studies on Harmony." She turned and looked up at the mountain that towered over the town. "The greatest source of Harmonic energy. And as you all know, Psynergy is the ability to tap into that power." She shook her head. "Goodness! Listen to me prattle on! You three had best get moving! Wouldn't want to keep that old codger waiting! I'll be in the plaza if you have need of me, Applejack, and then I'll be at the seamstress' shop."
They watched as she began her way off, before turning to one another. PInkie frowned. "What did your mother mean by, 'the last thing I want is for Pinkie to come up here looking for us'? I would've been careful!"
Both Maud and Applejack were unaffect by her outburst. Applejack simply stared her friend in the eye. "Do you not remember the last time you were up there when I was fixing the roof?"
Pinkie's eyes widened. "But that was one time! And it was a complete fluke! That beam was already rotting! Otherwise I wouldn't have fallen completely through!"
Applejack deadpanned. "I had to sleep on the floor downstairs, all because somepony thought my room could use a skylight."
The pink mare fidgeted slightly, before giving her friend a defeated smile. "Point taken."
Maud gave a small chuckle. "Alright you two, let's get moving." She turned and led the way back past her and Pinkie's house. As they did, they clearly heard the shouts of an upset filly.
"Oh, just wait till she gets home! This means war!" She was shouting. Pinkie did a quick glance at Maud, who was doing her best to stiffle her giggles with a hoof.
Another filly was trying to console her. "Marble, I'm sure we could just get Ms Apple to grow new flowers."
"That's not the point, Limestone! This is the tenth time this week! She said she was going to move her training area some place else two weeks ago!" Marble shouted.
"I'm going to have to watch my back tonight." Pinkie gulped.
Applejack laughed as they made their way over the bridge. "The master of prank wars is scared of getting pranked?"
"My skills are...a little rusty." Her pink friend replied.
By this time, they were nearing the house Starswirl had claimed when he had moved in. For years, it had simply been abandoned. The stallion that had owned it previously had practically given it to the elderly scholar. Maud's ears perked forward as she heard voices ahead and shushed the other too.
"They seem to know little of Sol Sanctum's mysteries. The Sage and elders must not allow anyone to enter it. Not even Starswirl." A gruff, male voice huffed. Applejack could feel her fur bristle slightly. There was something about this voice that rubbed her wrong, but she just couldn't put her hoof on it. The voice that answered him did nothing to allay the feeling.
"Starswirl... Can we use him?" A female voice asked. "His knowledge would surely be beneficial to our cause. "
"His knowledge is certainly no meager thing." The male replied. "Yes. We can use him."
"But he's much more stubborn than we expected." The female replied.
"And cunning too...cunning beyond measure." Her companion replied.
"If he won't go willingly, then we can always..." She was cut off by the male voice.
"Someone's nearby." A male, blue dragon appeared from around the corner of the cliffside, coming towards him, a red female right behind him. "You three! What are you doing out here!"
"What are we doing? What are you doing!" Pinkie replied, standing her ground.
The female dragon eyed them with suspicion. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"
Before Maud or Pinkie could respond, Applejack answered them. "Yes. We were."
The male dragon grunted, thin streams of smoke curling from his nostrils. "Well then...I cannot permit you any continued spying."
"Spying?! You were the ones sneaking around!" Pinkie exclaimed. There were times when Applejack really wished Pinkie could just keep her mouth shut. Still, it was proof that her friend was improving.
The male dragon's scales bristled. "Sneaking...you dare accuse me of sneaking!"
"As if someone of your size could actually sneak." Applejack heard Pinkie mutter.
The female dragon spoke up before the situation could escalate. "So, Starswirl's engagement was with you three."
"Yes, we were heading over to his cottage just now." Maud answered.
The male dragon grunted again. "And this engagement is important enough to drive us off?"
"Yes!" Pinkie said. Applejack couldn't help but shoot her a glare.
"Oh ho! Well, if your appointment truly is so much more important than our own..." the male dragon mocked. "Them go."
Maud frowned. "You're just going to let us go like that?"
"Are you certain that's wise, Saturos?" The female asked, frowning.
He nodded. "Menardi, we have no reason to delay them further."
Maud nudged Applejack, and grabbed Pinkie with a hoof. "Come on, let's go. Master Starswirl is waiting for us." With one last glance at them, the three ran off.
Menardi turned to her companion. "What are you thinking, Saturos? Just letting them run off..."
"What would you prefer we do? Detaining them would jeopardize our entire effort. Besides," he looked off towards Starswirls cottage, "I have a feeling those three will help us find what we seek."
The three girls paused at the stairs leading up to Starswirl's cottage. Even from here, they could here him muttering, and from the sounds of it, his encounter with the two dragons was quite disturbing.
"Just who were they? They already know too much about Sol Sanctum......things that even the elders of Vale don't know. And what were they saying about elements? The elements of Harmony: laughter, kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic...They plan to set them into motion? And the six Elemental Stars are the key? These are things that I, a trained Harmonic sage, do not know." He looked up at their approach, stopping mid-stride in his pacing. "Ah!" He frowned. "You three are late!"
"We were held up by some friends of yours." Maud replied.
The elderly stallion's frown deepened, and a hoof twirled in the long beard that hung from his chin. "So those two are still slinking around, are they? Yes, they were most troubling. Persistent, certainly."
"They seemed to want something from you, and from the sounds of it, they seemed fairly urgent about it." Applejack said.
Pinkie frowned. "They give me a creepy feeling. Kind of like that feeling right before it starts raining, and you know that there's going to be lightning. You know? Like, when your fur gets all tingly." Applejack nodded in agreement.
"Still...it was...strange. They spoke of Sol Sanctum as if they had seen it with their own eyes." He snorted. "Why, it took me the better part of six months to convince the Sage and his acolytes to allow me entrance! And even then, it was always under their strict supervision!"
Maud frowned. "But if they had somehow sneaked into the Sanctum...that's..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. From an early age, all colts and fillies were taught that Sol Sanctum and Mt. Solus were sacred, that it was their duty to defend it from the unworthy. If outsiders had desecrated that sacredness...she barely managed to hold back her shudder. "We need to go to the elders right away!"
But Starswirl just shook his head, and readjusted his cloak about his shoulders. It was a shade lighter than midnight blue, covered in stars and crescent moons. "No. I do not know how accurate their description was. They described several things to me that I have never seen in all the times that I have visited the Sanctum. Without that proof, our words may not have much influence. And the only way we can do that is if we go confirm what they said ourselves."
Applejack's eyes widened. "You mean...enter the Sanctum ourselves? But that's...I mean..."
"But, Applejack! This could be our chance!" Pinkie said excitedly. "I mean, we've always been planning to go look for ourselves. I mean, true, we were totally going to ask permission first, but if Saturos and Menardi are thieves, then we have no choice but to make sure they didn't steal anything, and the only way that we can do that is by going and looking for ourselves, even though we haven't ever been in there before, so we can't really be sure if they stole anything anyways, but I'm sure if they did anything or took something, then it would be, like, really obvious, so we should just go see for ourselves!"
Applejack just stared at her friend. "There are times I really wonder if you breathe the same way as the rest of us, because you didn't take a single breath throughout that whole statement." She rubbed the back of her head, adjusting her Stetson. "While I'm not sure I completely followed ya, I can't deny that you've got a point.
Maud sighed. Of course her sister would be excited by the prospect, and while she was somewhat loathe to admit it, Pinkie did have a point. Still, a small part of her felt very strongly that they should just go to the Sage and explain it to him. Surely he'd understand, right? On the other hoof, if he didn't, he would probably assign a couple of his acolytes to watch them, making it that much harder to explore the mountain. "Well, our original plan was to hike Mt. Solus anyway, right? So...alright. Let's do this."
Starswirl gave her a warm smile. "I know this will be hard for you three. You're whole life, they've taught you the sacredness of the Sanctum. I promise you, in our exploration, we will do nothing that will desecrate or harm the Sanctum. Now, I'm going to grab a few things from my home, and then we will be on our way." Through a nearby window, they saw him pluck his pointy hat that matched his cloak from a coat rack and plop it onto his head. Next, he went to a small chest beside his desk and rummaged around a bit before pulling six, metallic bags out. He quickly tucked them into a satchel that he always wore on his side. As he closed the door behind him, he gave them an excited grin. "Well then, let's be off!"
As they went back the way they came, Applejack quickly noticed that Saturos and Menardi had vanished. There was something about them that...unsettled her. Something hovered in the back of her mind, but try as she might, she just couldn't put her hoof on it. And from the looks of it, Pinkie was feeling something similar; her friend kept glancing around, looking for them. Still, something in her gut told Applejack that that wasn't the last she saw of those two.
Maud held up a hoof as they came to the edge of the bridge. It didn't take long for them to realize why. The only easy path up the slopes of Mt. Solus led right past the chapel in which the Sage and acolytes spent their time. One of those said acolytes was slowing walking about right in that path.
Starswirl rubbed his chin, absently stroking his beard in thought. "This could be troublesome. If he catches us, he might try to hinder our venture up the mountain."
Pinkie snickered. "Leave this to me." She slowly crept across the bridge, and then her entire demeanor changed. She crouched down low to the ground, but still moving quickly. She slipped down the path, sneaking behind a tree when the acolyte had his back turned. Glancing around, she pulled something out of her pack and then shimmied up the tree and out onto an overhanging branch. The acolyte continued his rounds, then turned and headed back the other way. As he passed directly beneath Pinkie's branch, she turned the object in her hoof over and gave it a few good shakes. The stallion continued for a few steps before he stopped. He shook his body, like he had a fly on him, then turned and began biting at his back. Pretty soon, he threw himself to the ground, rolling, trying to itch his back, before he stood and ran off, heading down towards the plaza. Pinkie jumped down from her branch and waved to them.
Applejack gave her a hoofbump as they approached. "Itching powder?"
"I contemplated using sneezing powder, but I haven't restocked my supply since..." She broke off, seeming to revert to her withdrawn self, but she shook it off. "But I think the itching powder worked out best."
Applejack nodded in agreement. While Pinkie's hair was still as straight as ever, she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't as straight as it had been. Maud turned and looked after him. "We had better hurry. Once he gets down to the plaza, it won't be much longer before he realizes someone pranked him."
They hurried on, briskly walking along the narrow path. The sun had climbed higher into the sky, nearing about noon, by the time the entrance to the Sanctum became visible. The rough stone beneath their hooves became smooth marble. The three young ponies stopped and took in their first look at the entrance to Sol Sanctum. Mt. Solus rose up above them. All their lives, they had lived at the base of the mountain, but they had never been this close. Directly ahead of them, the path opened up into a clearing, surrounded by rock walls. Six statues stood along the clearing, leading up to a small flight of stairs and a set of grand stone doors. Two carved, quartz columns flanked the doors, the white of the quartz complimenting the green of the marble.
"The entrance to Sol Sanctum." Starswirl said softly. He pointed. "The six statues represent the six Elements of Harmony. Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, and Magic." He pointed to each statue that represented each element as he listed them. "As you know from previous lessons, it is from them that the four Psynergies come: earth, wind, fire, and water." He gave the three of them a smile. "Your family, Applejack, have always been earth adepts. Your strong connection to the earth allows you to harness that power to help plants grow, crops be bountiful, but with it, you can also use that power to strike your enemies. Summon spires of stone from beneath the earth. Even cause earthquakes." His face grew grim. "The power of Harmony must never be used for selfish gain. Doing so causes nothing but chaos." He turned to them. "If Saturos and Menardi are indeed seeking Harmony for selfish gain, we must tread carefully indeed."
They followed him forward as he reached out and placed a hoof on the doors. The ground around them shook slightly as they slowly swung inward, opening before them.
