It was a fairly peaceful day in ponyville, not much was really going on. Rainbow Dash was overhead, attempting new tricks, Twilight Sparkle was reading old books, Pinkie Pie was being... well, just Pinkie Pie, and Rarity was creating a new dress. It seemed everypony was doing something at the time.
"Very interesting..." Twilight spoke while reading a book on old myths and legends. "Ugh, I'm sooo bored!" Spike moaned. "Quiet, Spike. I'm kinda busy here." Twilight shushed Spike. "You have all the time in the world to read those books! I got nothing to do..." Spike moaned again. "Well, if you're so bored, go outside and find something to do." Twilight told Spike. Spike groaned and left the house, in search of something to purge his boredom. He saw Rainbow Dash, flying high in the sky, but ended up crashing into a tree and falling. "Ugh, I'll never get this right!" Rainbow sighed after picking herself up. "Are you alright, Rainbow?" Spike asked. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine." Rainbow answered, brushing off some dirt, and tidying her mane. "This trick I'm trying to do is so difficult!" "Need any help with it?" Spike offered. "How?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Well... you know what, nevermind..." Spike sighed, "Bye, Rainbow. Good luck with it." "See ya." Rainbow waved as spike trudged along.
Spike eventually reached Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie proceeded to blast out of. "Ahh!" She screamed. "Pinkie! What's going on in there?" Spike questioned worriedly. Pinkie hopped up, seemingly unscathed, "Oh, I'm helping the Cakes make a very special cake for a very special delivery!" Pinkie replied, with a surprisingly upbeat attitude for just having been blasted out of a building. "So... what happened that made you blast out of Sugarcube Corner?" Spike wondered. "Oh, it involves some highly-explosive ingrediants! But, if we use them right, they're edible!" Pinkie answered. "Well, I better get back in there." Pinkie hopped back inside, but Spike stopped her, "Hey, think I could help?" "Oh, Spike, It'd be great! But, It's a very precise and very complicated procedure, and I don't think you'd be up to the task." Pinkie explained. "I could try!" Spike perked up. "I guess you could help with the less-complicated stuff..." Pinkie thought. Spike then dashed inside, finding the kitchen. "Oh, hello, Spike! You want to help with the cake?" Mrs. Cake asked. "You bet!" Spike replied hastily. "Okay, first off, go get me some Explosion Powder, Frosting, and Chocolate Chips." Mrs. Cake told Spike, who got the items in question almost instantly. "Okay, now let's get started!" Mrs. Cake said.
After about 20 minutes of cooking, the bakery nearly exploded. "Ugh... What went wrong?" Spike asked. "I'm not sure. Maybe we used too much Explosion Powder..." Pinkie said. "Oh, well. We'll try again!" Pinkie cheered. "I don't think that's possible..." Mr. Cake said. "That was the last of the Explosion Powder! We'll need to get more by tonight!" Mr. Cake explained. "Oh, fooey." Pinkie sighed. "I guess I'll come back once you get more, then." Spike said, and walked off. "Bye, Spike!" Pinkie waved.
Finally, Spike arrived at Rarity's House, and he couldn't help himself from entering and saying hello. "Oh, hello, Spike." Rarity greeted Spike. "This isn't the best of times for a visit. I'm kind of in the middle of something." Rarity explained. "Maybe I can help." Spike offered. "Actually, you may be able to help me with something..." Rarity gestured for Spike to come closer to see her design. "I just cannot find the right gem for the neckpeice of this dress!" Rarity pointed towards the middle, where a outline of a sparkling gem rested. "If you could go find one, that would be sooo nice!" She practically begged Spike. "Sure thing, Rarity!" Spike agreed. "Oh, thank you, thank you so much!" Rarity embraced Spike in gratitude. Spike blushed, and wobbled over towards the door. "B-bye, Rarity." Spike stuttered. Rarity waved goodbye, and continued to make the dress.
"Where can I find gems... hmm... gems, gems..." Spike pondered. "Ah, I know!" Spike then dashed towards Twilight's house, burst through the door, and rummaged through the bookshelves. "Spike, what are you doing?" Twilight asked Spike. "Searching for a book about gems, and where I can find them." Spike answered. Twilight used her magic to levitate a book to Spike, "I just got done reading one..." Twilight explained. Spike grabbed the book, and flipped through the pages, "No, no, NO!" Spike denied the book. "None of these match Rarity's design!" Twilight walked downstairs, and searched for another book. "Hmm..." She thought. Spike then grabbed an old book from behind 3 other books, very oddly placed. "What's this... The Tale of the Golden Ruby..." He looked inside, and saw the most magnificent picture of a gem imaginable. "Ohhh..." Spike slobbered. "This would look perfect on Rarity's Dress!" Twilight looked at the gem, "I've never seen or heard of this before..." Twilight said. "It says here... 'Last known owner: Zecora'" Spike quoted from the book. "We gotta get that gem for Rarity!" Spike declared. Twilight heads outside, Spike sitting upon her back.
"Look out!" Rainbow falls again from a great distance, into seemingly the same tree. She crashes to the ground, and gets back up momentarily. "Rainbow, you gotta stop trying to do that trick. You're gonna get hurt!" Spike told Rainbow. "I'm... fine. I just need to do this." Rainbow says. "Rainbow, why don't you take a break and head to Zecora's with us? Rest your wings for a bit." Twilight asked. "...Fine. But it better not take long!" Rainbow Dash grunts, and walks with her head down, obviously a bit irritated.
When they reach the beginning of the Everfree Forest, they saw Pinkie Pie and Rarity, both arguing about something that nopony could really distinguish. "Um, what are you two doing here?" Twilight asked. "Well, I was searching for some Explosive Powder, that only grows in special plants in the Everfree Forest!" Pinkie explains happily. "Well, I was here because I heard you two were going after the Golden Ruby. I honestly don't know why I didn't think of it earlier!" Rarity explained. "So... You know about the gem?" Twilight asked. "Oh, yes! I heard about it when I was little filly, but I thought it didn't exist. But hearing it was as close as Zecora's, I think I'll give it a shot." Rarity explained. "Well, how about you two come join us to Zecora's?" Twilight offered the two, and they both agreed. So, off Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity went in search for Zecora's.
When they reached Zecora's, Zecora was cooking something in a cauldron. "Why have you four entered my hut?" Zecora asked. "I see it is not easy for you all to stay put." Zecora added. "We heard you had the Golden Ruby." Twilight answered. "I need it for my dress." Rarity added. Zecora smirked, "I see you have read a very old story, but let me make it clear, it's just past glory." Zecora explained, "Take a seat, ponies four, and I shall tell you of this rare gems lore."
"I collected the gem as a gift from a friend, his name I shall not lend. He warned me of the gems ultimate power, that it wasn't just as beautiful as a flower. It would give anypony who possessed it whatever they wanted, no matter what consequences haunted. I sent it away to a faraway land, somewhere nopony dare to scan. If you truly wish to find the Ruby of Gold, a ship you must control." Zecora spoke. "Wait, hold on. This gem could give anything anypony wanted?" Twilight asked. "This is true, pony of purple hue." Zecora replied. Twilight's eyes glistened, "Getting ahold of that gem... Imagine what it could do for me! I could get all the magic I wanted!" Rainbow nudged Twilight aside, "Hey! What about me? I need that gem to become the best flyer in all of Equestria! I'd be so good, I could get onto the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow said, but was interrupted by Rarity, "Don't forget who you're REALLY doing this for, girls. Me and my dazzling dress, why, I would never need to do another thing! I could wish for beautiful and amazing dresses!" Rarity fell over thinking about the outcome. Pinkie hops up, "Ooh! Ooh! That sounds fun! I could get whatever I wanted! WHENEVER I wanted! Yay!" Pinkie's reasoning wasn't very clear, but what do you really expect from her. "Hey, I asked first!" Rainbow yelled. "Did not! Besides, mine is for something far more important." Rarity denies. The ponies get into a big argument over who gets the Ruby, but is interrupted by Zecora, "This Ruby holds more power then one pony may think. In a sea of empowerment, you shall surely sink." Zecora warns. "We don't have time for your cryptic riddles! I have a Ruby to find!" Rainbow yelled again. Zecora sighed, "If this is truly what you seek, then I shall let you go and travel for weeks." The four ponies then leave the hut, thinking over who got the Ruby. "To save time and money, we should pair up in groups of two, then we will only need two ships." Twilight concluded. "Alright, I guess that would be the most logical answer. So, who's going with who?" Rainbow asked. Twilight pondered, then came up with a solution. "I'll team up with Pinkie, and you and Rarity can be in a group." Twilight said. "Okey-dokey-lokey!" Pinkie replied, with an upbeat attitude. "Fine..." Rainbow sighed. Rainbow and Rarity then run off, in search of a boat, as does Twilight and Pinkie.
End of Chapter 1.
