Chapter 3: The Crusaders

It took some time and effort, but the Royal Treasure Seekers finally managed to twist and turn down enough passages until they found the light of the sun once again. They set out on a quick march up the mountain and back to Canterlot Castle. Their spirits were high and they even started to sing, but back in their hometown of Ponyville things were going somewhat differently.

Ponyville was becoming a central hub for traveling treasure hunters the likes of which had never been seen before in all Equestria. Beyond even this, many of the townsfolk were also trying to solve Sun Cloak’s riddle. Some, with wild imaginations, started to dig in the middle of the town square! They thought that Sun Cloak’s treasure was hidden right under their noses. Needless to say, the Mayor was in a tizzy. She attempted to persuade the townsfolk to stop with their foolishness, but the treasure was too alluring to pass up. Soon, royal guards had to be flown into the small town to keep some semblance of order.

Despite the presence of the guards, ponies and even some adventurous griffons continued to flood the small town either as a rest stop before reaching Canterlot or because they believed the answer lay in the little village. The library in town was packed to the roof as curious folk flooded the hollow tree in search of information on Sun Cloak and the whereabouts of his elusive prize. The library wasn’t the only place full of ponies, however, as a certain tree house on Sweet Apple Acres held three very excitable fillies in its branches.

“We’ve just gotta’ find that treasure!” proclaimed Apple Bloom, a small yellow earth pony who tended to wear a ridiculously large red bow in her hair.

“Yeah! We could be Cutie Mark Crusader Treasure Hunters!” agreed Scootaloo, an orange pegasus.

“A treasure hunting mark! I wonder what that would look like?” pondered Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn.

“It doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as we get it,” replied Scootaloo.

“I guess, but we don’t even know where the treasure is. How are we supposed to get our cutie marks if we can’t solve the riddle?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“That’s easy!” began Apple Bloom, “We jus’ have to think like we were hindin’ the treasure. If it was your treasure, where would you hide it?”

The young earth filly pointed at Sweetie Belle.

“I’d hide it in my backyard,” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

“No.No.No. It has to be somewhere that nopony would think to look. Somewhere that would be tough to get to,” Scootaloo shook her head and then started pacing. “I got it!” she shouted with a small leap, “The Everfree Forest!”

“Of course! The Forest is a perfect place to hide treasure,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“But where in the Everfree Forest would you hide it? The Everfree is so big, we’ll never be able to search it all,” Sweetie Belle waved her hooves in front of her as wide as she possibly could.

“Rats! You’re right Sweetie Belle, but I know that it’s in there,” stated Scootaloo. “It just has to be.”

“Zecora!” shouted Apple Bloom excitedly, it was now her turn to jump up and down happily, “Zecora lives in the Forest; she’s got to have a map or somethin’.”

“Hey yeah! That’s right!” Scootaloo cheered up. “Come on Crusaders, we’ve got a treasure to find!”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Treasure Hunters! Yay!” the fillies raised their victory cry to the high heavens and then blindly charged into the ominous Everfree Forest.

* * * * * * * * *

The three Crusaders soon found themselves in an awkward situation. It wasn’t getting to Zecora’s house that was the issue, it was getting IN it. It would seem that the Crusaders weren’t the first to suspect the Forest of holding the treasure because the zebra’s house was packed to the brim full of pushy ponies. With a grunt and a mighty heave-ho, the three fillies somehow managed to shove their way into the small house.

It seemed that Apple Bloom was right about Zecora having maps. The few she had were sprawled out on tables and surrounded by the mob of equines.

“I can’t see!” complained Scootaloo while she jumped into the air for a peak over another pony.

Zecora, herself, was very busy answering questions and trying her utmost to make sure that the potions lining the walls in her home didn’t fall. The Crusaders seemed to be out of luck at every angle, but they were determined to not give up. They managed to regroup in a corner where the crowd had thinned out a little.

“Ok, we’ve got to start looking soon or somepony else is going to find the treasure first,” Scootaloo began. “Any ideas?”

“I saw a few caves on the maps, maybe we could start in one of em’,” offered Apple Bloom.

“That doesn’t sound very safe,” said Sweetie Belle.

“This is the Everfree Forest,” Scootaloo said curtly, “nothing here is very safe. Besides, where would you start?”

“Um…well…” Sweetie scratched her head, “I think I saw some old ruins on one of the maps. It might have been an old castle or something.”

“Ooo! An abandoned castle…” Scootaloo nodded her head mischievously and a sly grin spread across her face, “that’s the perfect place to hide a treasure! Good work Sweetie Belle. Cutie Mark Crusaders, head out!”

* * * * * * * * *

It took a good deal of finagling, dodging, and a good deal of luck, but the fillies finally managed to get out of Zecora’s house. Of course, with the brief glimpses they got of the maps it was also quite a feat that they even managed to find the ruins at all, but find them they did.

The ruins were indeed ancient. A lone bridge stretched across a large drop-off which led to the remains of a once proud castle. Some of the towering walls were still intact, but most had succumbed to the pressures of age and now lie as rubble. A large set of doors was miraculously still attached to a grey stone wall that had worn the years better than most of the rock around it. Behind the doors stood a few stone pedestals. All but the middle pedestal had nothing on them; the middle pedestal held a strange stone orb covered in moss.

The fillies were not alone in their suspicions of the ruins. A few daring ponies were scouring the premises for a clue, a hint, anything that would solve Sun Cloak’s first riddle. They sun above their heads began high as the fillies began their thorough search. They searched high and they searched low, they checked down crumbling corridors and they peered around cracked pillars, they even managed to check out a few windowsills, but there was not a hint of treasure to be found. The fillies began feeling discouraged as the noon slowly faded to evening.

“It’s going to be dark soon. I think we need to leave. I really don’t want to be stuck in the Everfree at night,” warned Sweetie Belle, who kept glancing up at the falling sun.

“But the treasure is here! I can just feel it!” Scootaloo protested. “Let’s check one last place before we leave.”

“Well…alright, but I we need to be quick about it,” Sweetie relented.

The three rounded a turn and came face to face with a gaping hole in the walls. It led to what once was a beautiful garden. It now lay overgrown and untended. Many vines clung to the sides of ancient stone while large trees overshadowed even some of the castle’s fading walls. A marble fountain, somehow managing to survive the cruel grip of time, stood proudly at the far end of the garden. The Crusaders began their final search here.

They climbed up the huge trees, they pushed through the overgrown flowers, and they dug in the tall grasses without any luck; but time was rapidly running out. Apple Bloom was the first to make her way over to the old fountain. Long ago the water had dried up and the stone sat cold and parched. The yellow filly began to search the fountain, now overgrown with vines.

“We need to leave or it’ll turn night before we get home!” called Sweetie Belle from the other end of the garden.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom started jumping and shouting. “Here! Over here!”

The young farm pony pointed her hoof toward the base of the fountain.

“What? What is it?” called Scootaloo who came running over as quick as her legs would carry her.

Sweetie Belle also rushed over, the thrill of treasure wiping all care from her mind.

“Look here! It’s right on the base. I see writin’.”

The others squinted and moved their heads in closer. As their heads came nearer to the base, a strange mystical writing faintly shimmered to life, as if it had been etched into the old stone. Some of the words were hidden under dense vines or covered over by grass but two words could clearly be seen.

“Treasure,” Scootaloo pointed at one of the words and whispered greedily.

“Maneway?” Sweetie Belle questioned as she pointed to the other word.

“Do ya’ know what this means?” screamed Apple Bloom excitedly. “The treasure is buried under Main Street!”

“Sweet!” shouted Scootaloo.

“Hey, did I get my cutie mark?” Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie Belle shook her head.

“Aw, hay seed! I thought fer sure I would get my cutie mark after that,” pouted Apple Bloom.

“If the treasure is under Main Street then we’ve got to get back to town before some other pony digs it up!” Sweetie Belle’s face lit up animatedly.

“Quick! To Main Street!” shouted Scootaloo.

The trio took off through the Everfree Forest and back to Ponyville as the sun finally dipped over the horizon.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: The Competitors Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 19 Minutes