Izzy pressed through the forest canopy, pushing aside heavy foliage, brambles, and even the occasional thorny brush. The meadows of the unicorn were a tamed piece of this forest but beyond it there was nothing but an environment hostile to equine life.
“Where are we even going?” Zipp asked.
She studied the surrounding landscape, though the foliage ensured that there wasn’t much to look at. There was a tension in her shoulders though she tried to put on a strong face for the other ponies present.
After all, she was the steel-faced butch, the bad girl. That wasn’t a reputation she could keep if she started panicking in the middle of the forest.
Izzy hummed. “It’s a surprise.”
“I’m not fond of surprises,” Zipp grumbled. “Surprises lead to monarchies becoming republics.”
Pipp snorted, drawing Zipp’s attention towards her.
“You know, that honestly could’ve gone a lot worse,” she said. “A cushy pension isn’t really all that bad.” She batted her lashes. “It gives me more time to work on my Trotgram account.”
“Aren’t you already the biggest account in the world?” Sunny asked.
Pipp smirked. “I am but I aim to stay number one and that bitch, President Shower, seems keen on trying to steal that from me.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with that app,” Hitch murmured.
Zipp blocked out their voices and returned her attention to Izzy.
The unicorn had paused for a moment and was inspecting a piece of moss. She drew close to it and sniffed it before giving it a testing lick. Zipp would never have tasted something like that and her feelings were reinforced as Izzy recoiled away from it in disgust.
“We’re heading the right way,” Izzy murmured, spitting out the foul essence “That moss tasted… old.”
Zipp sighed. “Can I at least have a hint about where you’re taking us?”
Izzy once more pursed her lips and pondered this.
“Sure, you can have a hint,” she eventually conceded. “We’re going somewhere old, really old.”
Zipp frowned.
She tried to remember if she’d ever been somewhere really old before. The oldest she’d ever been was the archives underneath Zephyr Heights. Hell, that deep underneath the city it wasn’t even known as Zephyr Heights anymore.
Those ancient records used an older name.
Can…
Izzy started to whistle a melody, knocking Zipp out of her thoughts. The unicorn started to push forward once again. Honestly, her carefree attitude was the only thing keeping Zipp’s panic at bay.
But it was hard not to feel nervous when they were in the middle of this forest. Who knew what resided within?
Zipp could remember stories of wild beasts and deadly flowers. She could remember hearing about fierce dragons and animals that were more carnivorous than the gryphons of legend.
Though she’d also been raised on stories of evil unicorns and villainous earth ponies, so who knew how reliable her bedtime sources really were.
Izzy continued forwards and finally pushed through the final shred of canopy.
Zipp was just a step behind and was soon followed by the others. Together, they entered a clearing of sorts.
“Holy shit,” Sunny whispered.
Hitch whistled. “That’s old, alright.”
Izzy nodded. “I found this place years ago but the village elders wouldn’t let me come back because they said it was shrouded in magic.” She shrugged and flashed a smile. “But hey, we’re cool with magic now, right? So, why not check it out?
Zipp blinked as she stared at a mighty castle. It wasn’t made of bricks or stone but of pure gemstones that had lost much of their luster. The structure was also covered in grime and plant matter, turning the tarnished pink into muddy green in many places.
“This is,” she whispered. “I…”
Pipp strode ahead and turned to face them. Though instead of providing any motivational words, she instead drew out her cellphone and flashed a practiced smile.
“Hey Trotgram, look at this castle we just found,” she beamed. “Isn’t this place really freaking cool?”
She then ended the video and promptly frowned.
“And we got zero bars,” she grumbled.
Zipp pushed ahead, looking up at the spires and architecture. The whole place felt oddly natural, like it had been borne from the earth and not constructed by hoof. Yet, this had been a place used by ponies. At least, if the rotted doors and shattered windows were any indication.
“What is this place?” she asked.
Izzy came up alongside her. “It’s a castle, silly.”
Zipp snorted. “I kind of figured that out, thank you. I meant…” She shook her head. “I just… how have we never heard of this place before?”
“Because it’s in the middle of a dangerous forest,” Hitch said as he stepped forward. “And it’s far enough away from Zephyr Heights that you probably couldn’t see it from the sky.”
He hummed to himself before promptly shivering.
“The place gives me a bad feeling,” he grumbled. “Anyone else feeling that?”
Zipp nodded. “This place feels sacred, if that makes sense? I don’t know how I know that but I can feel it in my bones.”
“Should we even go inside?” Sunny whispered.
As Zipp looked at her, she saw that an indecisiveness coloured her complexion. That’s when she realized that she wasn’t the only one looking at Sunny. They had all turned to her for guidance.
“What?” Sunny asked.
No one said it but Zipp knew they were thinking. They could all remember that brief bout with… whatever that had been. Maybe she didn’t have wings or a horn anymore, but they all had memories of when that had been the case.
“Guys?” Sunny asked again.
Pipp stirred. “We should vote on this.”
Zipp snorted. “Why are you all about voting these days?”
All four of the other ponies looked at her.
“What?” Zipp murmured. “You get usurped and see how you feel about democracy.”
Hitch puffed out his chest. “I say we make the respectful decision and leave this place.”
“You would,” Izzy quipped. “But I say we go inside. Imagine all the cool stuff that’ll be in there.”
Pipp nodded. “I can see the headlines now.” She waved her hoof in an arcing motion. “Trotgram influencer makes the discovery of a lifetime.”
Zipp shook her head. “This place has bad vibes written all over it. I’m all for adventures but this isn’t a place that should be messed around with.”
That left Sunny, all of them returning their gaze to her once again. In the end, this was the only natural outcome for her to make the final decision.
She bit her lip. “I mean…” She sighed. “I just…” Finally, she turned around and stepped towards the ancient structure. “I want to learn more about what the hell happened to me back there.”
The decision was made and the other ponies followed her. Some of them were more reluctant than others.
Zipp sped up, trotting alongside Sunny.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked.
“I just...” Sunny shook her head. “I’ve been thinking a lot since we brought back magic and I guess I’m just wondering what happened that day?”
“You mean the whole wing and horn thing?” Zipp asked.
Sunny nodded.
“I wish I could tell you,” Zipp said. “But even the archives in lower Zephyr Heights were pretty scarce on details. And that’s incredible since some of those books are a couple hundred years old at this point.” She sighed. “There was this one entry though.”
Sunny’s demeanour shifted as her frown was replaced with a hopeful smile. Though even this smile proved reserved.
“So apparently, way way back,” Zipp explained. “Like when they were constructing Zephyr Heights there was this trade deal between us and a place called the Crystal Empire.”
“Crystal Empire?” Sunny asked, shaking her head. “Never heard of it before.”
Zipp nodded. “Me neither but apparently it was this Kingdom in the North. But I was looking at some of the trade agreements and they were signed by someone known as Princess Cadance.”
“Princess Cadance,” Sunny whispered. “Was she…”
“I’m not quite sure but the historians who wrote this down seemed to think she was bigger than just a regular pony,” Zipp said. “They did this weird thing where every time she was mentioned they would capitalize her pronouns. Like even in the middle of a sentence.”
Sunny nodded. “Interesting.”
“Which they didn’t even do with us,” Zipp said, holding a hoof to her chest. “Which means she was a bigger deal than even the royal family.”
They now stood before the wooden doors of the castle. The wood was incredibly rotten and was barely even holding together at this point. The metal used in the hinges, knobs, and knockers was also rusted or tarnished.
This place really was older than old.
Hitch stepped up first and grabbed one of the knobs, pulling back hard upon it. He grunted through clenched teeth, fighting both the weight and age. Though slowly, the door opened, providing just enough room for them to slip inside.
He took the lead and was immediately followed by the others.
The interior of the castle was surprisingly well lit.
It seemed like whatever design went into it allowed for the crystals to catch the light and refract it through the interior of the palace. Though much like the exterior, the interior was covered in grime and foliage.
Zipp peered into one of the side rooms and saw furniture that was far into its state of decay. Though there was also the metal of a picture frame hanging from the wall. Sadly, the picture itself had been claimed by rot a long time ago.
Izzy whistled. “This place is old.”
“Older than Maretime Bay for sure,” Hitch commented. “Maybe even older than Zephyr Heights.”
They advanced towards a staircase made of more crystal, only offering a passing glance to the surrounding rooms. They were filled with knick knacks but nothing of real substance.
Zipp couldn’t tell for certain but she felt like something was guiding her forward, giving her directions.
“Does anyone…” she began.
The other four nodded, obviously feeling what she felt as well.
“It’s not like… scary though,” Pipp commented. “Kind of gives me this warm feeling. It’s like a mom.”
Zipp nodded. “I know what you mean.”
At the very top of the stairs was another set of impressive doors, though ones that had endured far better than their companions outside. They were made of metal and looked heavy. Though they also bore many intricate designs that were mystifying.
The centrepiece of this was a mighty oak tree that had been converted into a proper home.
Sunny approached and brushed a hoof across the bottom of it, revealing some text under the dust.
“Smelted by the Manehattan Metal Guild as a gift to Her Majesty in the fiftieth year of her reign,” Sunny read before looking at Zipp. “Could this be the Crystal Empire?”
Zipp nodded. “I mean the palace is made of crystals.”
Sunny grinned. “Maybe there’s something inside that could help us better understand what’s going on.”
She threw herself at the door and grunted when it didn’t budge, not even an inch.
“I might need some help,” she growled.
Soon Hitch was also there, pushing as well. Though even this proved inadequate. The other three were then at it and slowly the metal door opened. It screeched loudly with every hard-fought inch.
They must’ve been at it for a minute or two before the gap was finally large enough for them to slip inside.
“Holy shit,” Zipp chided, panting for breath. “That was heavy.”
Hitch nodded. “Hope whatever’s inside was worth it.”
One-by-one they pushed through the gap and into the new chamber. This was it, the room that was beaconing to them, the room that was whispering within their minds with the comfort of a mother.
What caught Zipp’s attention was six thrones surrounding a table made of crystal. There was a map upon it that was crafted in the third dimension.
She cautiously moved towards it though paused when she heard Sunny gasp.
“Books,” Sunny said.
Zipp momentarily looked around and noticed that all of the shelves were filled with so many volumes of literature. Though strangely these looked like they had survived the ravages of time completely intact. It was like they were protected from the rot and conditions by some higher power.
Though these books could wait, she wanted to see what the deal was with this map in the middle of the room.
It was covered in dust, like everything else, but she could still see familiar landmarks dotted upon the terrain.
There were the mountains of Zephyr Heights, and on the coast, the city of Maretime Bay. Then there was this forest with a little town next to it. What caught Zipp’s attention was how small her world was on this map. These three settlements made up only a small fragment of a much larger world.
There were dozens of cities and hundreds of towns, spanning a distance that was many times greater than that between Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay.
Zipp fluttered her wings and carefully stepped upon the table. She moved over to Zephyr Heights and wiped away the dust.
Canterlot.
The name from the archives, the name that used to be given to her city.
Then she did the same with Maretime Bay…
Manehattan.
The forest.
The Everfree Forest.
The town.
Ponyville.
Each ancient name was more mysterious than the last. Canterlot was at least remembered in old books but the others were unknown, forgotten.
There was a crystal palace, far in the north, and Zipp moved towards it, wiping away more dust.
The Crystal Empire.
“This isn’t…” Zipp began.
Sunny gasped. “I found something.”
Zipp looked towards her and saw that she was holding out one of the books. It was a brown tome with a golden unicorn’s head on the cover.
Sunny placed it on the floor and flipped it open.
“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria,” she read.
“Equestria?” Izzy asked. “Where’s that?”
“I think that’s…” Zipp began, looking around the chamber “I think that’s where we are.”
“Never heard of Equestria before,” Hitch commented.
Pipp reached for her phone and forced a smile. Though at the last second, she allowed the gadget to slip back into her saddlebag.
“I feel weird,” she said.
Zipp nodded. “Same.”
“Guys,” Sunny beaconed. “I…” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Take a look at this.”
The others crowded around her.
Sunny had flipped to a page in the book which showed two ponies standing upon a cloud. One was white and the other a dark blue. But what was most distinct about them was that they both bore wings and a horn.
“Who are they?” Izzy asked.
Sunny shook her head. “They aren’t named but they’re… that’s…”
“They’re the same kind of pony that you were,” Hitch said. “Does that mean you’re a Princess?”
“I don’t feel very much like a Princess,” Sunny whispered.
Pipp snorted. “It isn’t all it’s chalked up to be.”
Zipp looked towards the shelves and saw a gap in the volumes where the tome had been removed. She moved past it and read the various spines as she walked. Most seemed to be non-fiction books that covered a wide range of topics that were foreign to her.
There were names like Star Swirl the Bearded and Mage Meadowbrook. There were topics like cantrips and weather control. All were more intriguing than the last.
They had stumbled upon a time capsule and a bountiful one at that.
“What is this place?” Zipp whispered.
“You said it was the Crystal Empire,” Sunny said.
Zipp nodded. “I thought that it was but that map…” She motioned towards it. “It said that we were in a place called Ponyville.”
“Ponyville?” Hitch asked. “It didn’t happen to say which ponies lived here, did it?”
Zipp shook her head. “Nope.”
“I bet it was unicorns,” Izzy said. “Since it’s so close to the forest.”
Hitch snorted. “I bet it was earth ponies.”
“What if it was all of us?” Sunny asked.
The others looked at her though Zipp kept scanning the wall of texts, drawn towards something that her mind couldn’t comprehend.
“Think about it,” Sunny said. “This place is magical and the only time we feel magical is when all of us are together. So, maybe…” She shook her head. “I don’t know? Maybe every kind of pony lived in this town.”
Hitch snorted. “Imagine something like that. Wouldn’t they feel anxious?” He glanced at the non-earth ponies. “Er… no offense.”
“We seem to work pretty well together,” Zipp commented. “So why couldn’t they?”
She brushed a hoof against another text. This one didn’t have a name on the spine, though it felt warm to her touch. It was filled with an energy that bestowed an aura of raw good vibes upon her. She couldn’t help but smile even at the slightest contact with it.
“I uh… I think I found something,” she said.
She pulled out the book and saw that it was a plain brown with no title on the front either.
“It’s a journal,” Izzy said.
The book wasn’t in the best of shape though this didn’t seem to be due to age. It was like the production of it had been haphazard with additions made with fresh pages and accessories glued in between the folds.
Zipp brought it over to the table and laid it out upon the granite. She was aware that everyone else was crowding around her, trying to get a look as well.
She flipped it open to the first page.
Princess Twilight’s Friendship Journal.
Authors:
Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash
Fluttershy
Applejack
Pinkie Pie
Rarity.
“Who are they?” Izzy asked.
Hitch shook his head. “They must’ve been important.”
“They must be if they were preserved in this library,” Zipp said before looking at Sunny. “What do you think?”
Sunny’s eyes were wide, looking at the book. It was like she had picked up on something that the others hadn’t.
Pipp snorted. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Princess,” Sunny said. “Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
The others looked at each other before looking back at her.
“Princess?” Zipp asked.
Sunny nodded. “This journal is from Princess Twilight Sparkle. I had no idea that she was actually real. That any of them were real. I just…” She laughed. “I just assumed that those were the names that dad made up for my toys.”
Then it clicked.
Princess.
This was the journal of a royal, of one of those all ponies. Was she the blue one or the white one?
“Do you think?” Sunny began. “Do you think this will tell me who I am?”
“It could,” Hitch said.
Suddenly, there was a wash of a magical aura over Zipp. It was settling in a way, calming even.
“The castle seems to think so,” Izzy said.
Sunny pursed her lips together and grabbed the book, slipping it into her saddlebag. “I’m glad we came here but I think we should probably let the memories rest for a little while.”
Izzy nodded. “They do seem pretty excited.”
“Maybe we could come back in a little while?” Zipp offered.
The others nodded in agreement.
Author's Note
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