Beneath The Ice

Morning in Canterlot was unlike morning anywhere else in Equestria. The sounds of hooves on antique cobblestone streets, the random chatter of nobility, and the smells of high class living were unmistakable. For Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, there was no enjoyment of these sights and sounds on this day. Each of them awoke to a breakfast in their respective guest quarters accompanied with a single note requesting their presence in the main hall.

As the clock struck eight, the mares once again approached Celestia at her throne. This time, she was sitting perfectly still, eyes closed, and in a moment of meditation. As they came to a stop, the Princess opened her eyes and briefly smiled before speaking.

"Good morning Elements of Harmony. I have good news to tell you before you depart. While you slept, we were able to trace Lancer's mail. You will not have to travel far."

Celestia summoned a piece of parchment to her side and unfolded it to reveal a map covered with a number of lines, symbols, and markings.

“The mail box he was using was in Emerald Village, a small town in the center of the Smokey Forest. It's about three hours west of Canterlot on the Cloudsdale-Vanhoover train line. If you ask around, you will probably be able to find where he was living. Somepony should have seen him in the area."

She folded the map up and passed it to Twilight.

"That is where your journey will begin. Track him down and bring him back here before he can do any harm, including to himself. To help you return, I have something that may be of use."

The princess levitated a string-tied bag over to Twilight from the side of the room. She loosened the knot and pulled out a glowing hourglass-shaped object. It stood about half a hoof length high and shimmered in a distinct bronze-like color.

"Portkeys!" exclaimed Twilight. "I've always wanted to use one."

"These will allow all of you to teleport over a far longer distance than a regular spell cast. Leave one of them in a safe place that you will be able to escape to if you run into danger. Also, if you come across Lancer and he does not agree to come with you, these will allow you to teleport him out. Use them wisely."

"Princess, I don't know about the others, but I know that Applejack and I didn't pack much with us when we came, " said an anxious Fluttershy. "We may not have enough if we're gone for more than a day or two."

"I wouldn't let any of you leave if you weren't well prepared. You are free to take anything from the royal stocks that you need - that includes both the kitchen and the guard stockade. Although spring is here, it is still cold if you end up traveling north. I would recommend taking some supplies for cold weather."

Celestia stood up from her throne to give her final farewell.

"Good luck on your journey, Elements of Harmony. Please bring him back to me."

The six respectfully bowed, turned, and began to leave the room with Pinkie leading the way, presumably to the kitchen. Fluttershy approached Twilight on the way out, keeping her voice very quiet.

"Twilight, I have a question for you, if you don't mind."

"What is it Fluttershy?"

"I was afraid to ask the Princess this but... if Lancer doesn't want to come back with us, and we're forced to... what happens to him when he gets here?"

"I... don't know."

I don't know..?

Three hours after departing Canterlot, the mares found themselves standing on the train platform in Emerald Village at high noon. The sun stood directly upwards in the middle of the sky as a faint smell of pine and smoke filled the air. Whereas Ponyville was settled in the middle of rolling hills and grassland, Emerald Village was literally cut out of the middle of the Smokey Forest. Walking a quarter mile in any direction from the center of town would land a pony in the middle of a dense maze of evergreen and underbrush. Needless to say, it was exactly the place a pony would want to live if he intended to disappear but stay somewhat close to civilization.

Ponyville was small compared to the major cities of Equestria, but it dwarfed the size of Emerald Village. The main part of the town was comprised of less than twenty buildings, serving as a junction between three minor railroad lines but little else. The town did, however, have one claim to fame: the smokey redwood, a tree known for its remarkable strength, durability, and rich color. A relatively small number of trees were exported to furniture makers in Canterlot every year where they were cut and assembled into high quality tables and chairs for only the wealthiest of ponies. The village housed a number of craftsponies that also produced special carvings from the redwood that were commonly used as decorations for various Equestrian holidays. Rarity was the only one familiar with the village due to the reputation of the smokey redwood as the choice of timber for many Canterlot nobles. Even then, none of the mares had never set hoof there.

"So, uh, Twilight, where do we start?" asked Rainbow.

Twilight turned to face the one pony who was familiar with the town. "Rarity, you said you knew this place? Any ideas?"

"I know of this place, I never said I knew it."

Rainbow's brain came to a complete stop. "Huh?"

"WAIT!" Pinkie Pie threw her muzzle upwards, taking a couple large sniffs of the forest air. "Is that..." Her eyes darted around the buildings in front of her before locking onto a sign in the window of one of the shops.

"MOUNTAIN BERRY PASTRIES!"

With that battle cry, Pinkie Pie darted off towards the shop. On the face of the small building was a curved sign reading "Emerald Village Grocery and Market".

Twilight pointed in the same direction as the charging Pinkie. "I guess the market is a good place to start. Everypony needs to eat."

Inside the store, the glass door swiftly swung open. A cashier sat at a register at the front of the store and greeted the entering customer.

"Welcome to Emerald Village Market. How may we help..."

A pink mare with an unruly mane violently threw her forehooves across the counter. With her eyes brimming with intensity, she brought her muzzle mere inches from the cashier and spoke under her breath.

"Where... are... the... pastries?"

"Uh.... right side of the store, halfway towards the back."

With those words, the mare darted towards the back of the store. Five more followed her through the front door a few moments later.

"Are you five with her?" asked the cashier.

Rarity sighed. "Yes. Pinkie loves her sweets, but please accept our apologies for her... uncouth behavior."

The cashier faintly chuckled. "Not a problem. I have regular customers who may be more strange. My name is Tilla and I own the market here. How can I help you ladies?"

Applejack engaged the owner. "Ma’am, we’re looking for the home of an old acquaintance of my friend Twilight here. He lives somewhere outside of town. Lancer was the name.”

Tilla looked off to the side while thinking to herself. “I don’t know a Lancer in town, miss." She turned to face the purple mare off to her left. "What does he look like?"

“Dark blue body, silver mane," answered Twilight. "Very intricate cutie mark.”

“Oh, yes, I know him. He calls himself Midnight, though. Is that the same pony?”

“Midnight? That's... probably him. When was he last here?”

“Two weeks ago maybe. He comes into here once every week or two for a few things. He also trades me some of his surplus crops."

“Do you know where he lives?” asked Applejack.

“It is somewhere up in the hills, but that’s all I know. That’s the only place where the soil is good enough to grow every type of berry. He is the best grower of those around here and I'm always anxious to get some in.” The owner looked towards the back of the store, seeing Pinkie powerfully pestering one of her bakers. "Apparently I'm not the only one."

“He was farming for you?”

“Not officially. He also sold a few things from the antiques shop a block over. I would check with the notary. He has all of the parcel information in town, so he should be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Oh, thank you so much," said a greatful Fluttershy. "We really appreciate it.”

"Not a problem." The owner glared back towards the right side of the store, where Pinkie was forcefully shoving a bunch pastries into a paper bag. "You mind helping my son out with your friend back there?"

A few minutes later, the mares stood in front of the office of the village notary. Pinkie Pie was lying belly-down on a bench outside of the building, her legs hanging freely off of the sides. Rainbow Dash, bag in hand, sat aside her while slowly eating one of Pinkie's berry pastries.

"You know, I think you might have had one too many for once."

Pinkie responded with a muted groan. "Ugggggggghhhhh."

Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy entered the office. It was a small operation in line with the size of the town. Two shelves full of various records lined the room and a small table, likely for signing official documents, stood off to one side. In the back of the office was a tall counter stacked with books and loose papers. The back of a grey pony was barely visible behind the ledge.

"Excuse us, sir?" asked Rarity. "The owner down at the market said you could help us find somepony in town?"

“Not now please," he shot back from behind the counter. "I’m busy! I'm on my lunch. Come back in an hour.”

“There was no sign on the door, sir. We really need your help," Twilight added. "It's fairly urgent.”

The notary rustled behind the counter, sliding what sounded like a stool across the floor. He pulled himself up and leaned over the edge towards the mares. “Look, misses, I...” His face suddenly took on an expression of shock.

“The... elements of harmony? Here?!? Ahhh!” A large stack of papers flew up into the air as he fell backwards off of the counter and landed on the wooden floor with a thud.

"How do you know who we are?" asked Fluttershy.

The stallion pulled himself back up onto the counter.

“Well, I'll be. Ahem." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Uh, I have some family in Ponyville, so I have heard of you. It's hard to miss a group with so many different ponialities. I apologize for my rudeness. How can I assist the elements?”

“We’re looking for the home of an old friend. We knew him as Lancer, but the market owner knew him as Midnight.”

“Oh... him. He’s a… strange one. You sure he’s the one you’re looking for?”

“Yes. Could you please tell us where he lives?" Twilight continued the push for information. "It’s urgent, by order of the Princess.”

“By order of Celestia? Right away!”

He flew back behind the counter and pulled up a large book that had “Land Registry” written on its spine. The stallion flipped the book open and began to shuffle between pages.

“Ah, yes. Here he is. He is listed as "Midnight", not Lancer, was it? He has three tracts under his name, all next to one another. The one in the center had a small cottage built upon it by a previous owner. Three miles north of town past the first range of foothills."

He scribbled a few notes onto a piece of paper and handed it to Twilight.

“Follow the main road about 5 minutes east and head north. There is another road that will take you about a third of the way up into the hills. You’ll have to find a trail or path that leads up to the tracts once you get that far."

"Thank you very much," remarked Applejack. "If you happen to come by Ponyville sometime, please drop by Sweet Apple Acres. You can have a batch of zap apple jam on the house."

"It would be my pleasure," answered the notary. "Good luck to all of you, and welcome to Emerald Village."

After granting Pinkie some time to recover from her unfortunate carbohydrate binge, the Elements began a short walk to find Lancer's home. Finding their way up the road was no problem but there was no sign of the trail. The dense combination of tree trunks and underbrush surrounding them blocked sightlines in every direction. Time was of the essence, and Twilight was growing impatient.

“These trees are so dense," remarked Rainbow Dash. "This is almost as bad for flying as Everfree.”

With that comment, Twilight had an idea, and turned to her winged friend. “Rainbow, could you fly up above the trees and see if you find the path we're looking for."

"I might not be able to see a trail through these trees. I dunno."

“Well, see if you can spot his home then. If the notary's directions are right, it should be almost directly north of where we are.”

Rainbow leapt upward and weaved her way through the thick evergreen canopy. After emerging through the trees, she saw a small clearing about two miles away along with a small cottage sitting along a ridgeline.

She flew back down to her friends. "I see it. It's on the other side of these trees."

"What about the trail, then?" asked Twilight.

"You mean that one right over there?" Pinkie pointed to a bright yellow cross standing on the side of the road a couple hundred hooflengths away.

"Good work Pinkie!" exclaimed Rainbow. "Let's go!"

After about twenty minutes of hiking, the six emerged into a large clearing cut out of an edge of the forest. A vast garden of plants, bushes, and trees was spread over half an acre of land with the cottage perched directly behind it. The east side of the clearing was dedicated to his major crop: berry bushes. They stood slightly higher than the mares and were arranged in an almost perfect grid. The west side was covered with shorter plants, mostly vegetables. In the center there was a small structure in the shape of an A, forming a roof over a large wash basin. Sitting beside it was a water well lined with stone and a series of metal posts. Up towards the house, there was a line of fruit and nut trees, each one different from the next.

As they walked through the garden, Fluttershy was impressed with the variety of flora. "This is amazing. There must be every kind of fruit and vegetable here."

Applejack pointed towards a corner of the garden. "Look Twi, there's even an apple tree. Looks very healthy too. Seems like your ol' friend has a little bit of a green thumb. Impressive for a unicorn."

"He's only half. His mother was an earth pony."

"Really?" Applejack asked rhetorically. "Ah've never thought of that but ah suppose that may explain it."

The six walked up a small grade to the cottage. The outcropping that the house stood on was barely above the height of the forest canopy, but provided a spectacular view of the surrounding land. The only sign of Emerald Village was a few trails of smoke rising a few miles away. There was a large firepit in front of the house, with a few embers of wood still smoking.

Pinkie looked out over the forest and noticed a distinct landmark in the distance. "Hey, I can see Canterlot from here!"

"Applejack, look!" Twilight exclaimed as she pointed at the smouldering remnants of a recent fire. "Can you tell how long ago this was lit?"

Applejack walked over to a small stack of wood next to the fire, tapping it with one of her hooves. "This wood is very dense, Twi. Very slow burning. I would say this fire was lit yesterday."

Twilight realized that they were too late. "We missed him by a day!" She refocused herself on the next course of action. "Okay. We need to find a clue to where he went. Check the house."

She walked up to the front door and jiggled the door knob, but it was locked.

"Rarity," asked Twilight, "do you have a needle or something like that on you that we could pick the door with?"

"I'm sure I have something, hold on."

Suddenly there was a loud sound as the deadbolt in the door became unlocked.

All of their eyes grew wide as the door handle turned, cracking the door open.

"Uh, hello?" asked Twilight, her voice possessing a faint quiver. "Lancer?"

Twilight used one of her front hooves to slowly push the door in. With no warning, a shade jumped out of the shadows.

"HEY EVERYPONY!"

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy jumped backwards in shock, before finding themselves face to face with somepony familiar.

"Pinkie!" Twilight said as she gasped for air. "How did... how did..."

"The backdoor was unlocked. Duh!"

"Oh. Thanks."

After the four mares walked into the home, Rainbow quietly slid over to Pinkie while she stood by the door. "Nice one," she whispered.

Pinkie blinked one eye and smiled back.

The interior of the cottage was well-furnished for being in a rural area. Most of the furniture was carved from wood, with the exception of a fully cushioned couch. Multiple shelves of books lined the sides of the main room. There was a kitchen towards the back, composed of a grill, a large wood burning stove, and an attached oven. The stove's smokestack weaved throughout the ceiling of the main room, likely to help heat the cottage during the winter months. A door to an additional room lay opposite the kitchen.

Rarity was taken aback by the quality of furnishing in the cottage. “Everything here is hand carved from smokey redwood. This is... amazing. I've never seen so much of this kind of furniture in one home before."

Hung up next to one of the shelves were two wooden instruments, with a series of shining silver strings.

"Oh, these must be what he was selling at the other shop in town. These look quite exquisite." She turned to Twilight. "Did he play an instrument at the school?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well he must have been into something with music," said Applejack, standing next to one of the bookcases. "There's a book 'ere about music theory. And a lot of different things."

Twilight walked over and began identifying the subjects present in the bookcase. "Equestrian history, Equestrian patent law, structure of local governments, astronomy, horticulture, petriculture, magic, cooking..."

Rainbow had found something slightly different than the others. "Interior furnishing design?"

Rarity saw no problem with it. "He seems quite versatile, Rainbow. Besides, there are many stallions that do what I do but for other stallions. This furniture is quite minimalist and I'm sure that it's designed primarily for function and comfort rather than form."

Rainbow jumped over onto the small couch in the room and lied down. "You may be right, Rarity..."

Pinkie had taken the opportunity to investigate the kitchen. "Oh my! This is a fantastic woodfire oven! I've always wanted to use one like this, but there are none of them in Ponyville. They're supposed to be great for cobblers! MMM MMM!"

Twilight, unlike the others, was trying not to get distracted. "I know all of you find this to be quite interesting, but we do need to find out where he went."

"You're the egghead, you figure it out." Rainbow yawned. "After those pastries and that walk and that flying, I need a quick rest... over here... on this pillow."

Twilight loudly groaned before walking into the room in the back of the cottage. It was lined with four pieces of furniture: a small bed, a dresser, and two desks. One of the desks was covered with a scattered pile of papers, while the other was completely clean. She walked over to the dresser to look at a series of photographs sitting on top.

The first was a picture of Lancer with Princess Celestia on his day of graduation from the School for Gifted Unicorns. Next to it was a picture of him with his mother and father. Both were as she remembered: his father was a dark grey unicorn with a scroll cutie mark. His mother was a light blue earth pony, similar to Rainbow Dash in tone, with a cutie mark of a feather quill.

Two more pictures stood on the opposing side of the dresser. The first was him, likely prior to his time at the school, surrounded by a set of stallions and mares that she did not recognize. The fourth was a picture of students from the school taken after one of their biannual research presentations. Lancer was present in the front, as was customary with older students. Scanning the image for anypony she recognized, her eyes froze as she saw herself in one of the upper corners. A flash of memories came back to her, of times long before she had friends as good as the others and before she had the responsibility of wielding an Element of Harmony.

Simpler times, she thought. For all of us, I suppose.

Twilight turned towards the desk covered with papers, refocusing on her current mission. Random words, phrases, and pen scratches covered them with no rhyme or reason. As Twilight began to sift through the stacks of parchment, one thought continued to echo throughout her mind.

This isn't normal. He's... gone crazy.

Amongst the words, she noticed that a number of them were repeated multiple times: thunder, dawn, cliff, stream, rage, and north. As she continued to dig through the documents, she found a map of Equestria's train lines buried beneath them. It was covered in marks of pen except for a single empty region in the northeast.

Thundering... cliffs. Raging... stream. North... dawn.

"Neighagra Falls!" she exclaimed. "At dawn! That's where he went. We need to go now."

As she turned to leave, she abruptly stopped and looked back towards the desk that was clean. There was absolutely nothing on the desk spare a small wooden box with a single metal clasp on the front.

And unlocked.

Maybe not right away.

She opened the small box to find a pendant attached to a long metal chain. It was an artful combination of silver and amethyst crystal, molded and formed together in the shape of a raven. It was almost exactly the same as the one Celestia had shown her back in the royal hall, but yet very different. Twilight levitated it up in front of her, peering at its intricacies.

You have more potential than you realize.

Twilight jumped backwards, dropping the pendant onto the floor of the room. She stared down at it, in shock at what she had apparently heard.

Did it just... no. I'm hearing things.

She turned to walk out once again, but again stopped. She looked back down at the pendant on the wooden floor.

But... maybe... this could help us.

She picked the pendant up off of the floor and looked at it once more. After a few moments, she gingerly slipped it into one of her bags and returned to the main room to address the others.

"Alright everypony! We're going to Neighagra. That's where he went."

Rainbow woke up from her quick nap on the couch with an audible yawn. "How'd you figure that out so quickly?"

"He left a map."

Pinkie poked her head up from the kitchen. "You know, that sounds way, way, way, way, way too... too..."

"Easy?" asked Applejack.

"Something like that," she replied. "Oh well, let's go! I've always wanted to see the falls! I've heard they sell amazing oatmeal scones there."

The six locked up the stallion's cottage and made the trek back to Emerald Village to take the next train to Neighagra. If they were behind Lancer by a day, they would need to be at the falls at dawn to not fall further behind. The train ride to Neighagra was going to take them backwards past Canterlot and last for over six hours. For some of them, it was plenty of time to rest. For others, it was a lot of time to think.

For one of them, it was perhaps too much time to think.